Chungy on the way out?

[CAPSLOCK]

I'd pick Eagles over Lee if I could only keep one

Especially with an 8 million sweetener

[Tombwfc]

Even at his, borderline mythical, 'best' he's never been worth £8m.

It'd certainly be interesting to see who Dougie would bring in with £4-5m to spend if it were true (although it almost certainly isn't).

[Prufrock]

At his best he was worth double. He's nowhere, nowhere near his best. I'd be all for taking £8m (I'd be astounded if that was on offer, lazy journalism from the summer is my guess) as long as Dougie was going to see it.

[TANGODANCER]

Lee is not one of our better players this season though....

He's a dam good player having a bit of a bad spell. Sell him and you're faced with:

1. Replacing him with somebody as good or better..at what price?
2. Can we afford their wages and, will they want to come to Bolton?
3. We're supposed to be building a team, not demolishing it.
4. If we replace him with somebody as good or better we'll be faced with the same situation, somebody will want them.
5. We want to get back in the Premiership...what then?

Yeah but you'd never sell anyone.I'm not saying we should actively be looking to sell him. But if someone foolishly offers 8M there is no way on gods green earth that we should turn it down.

In fact there isnt one player we've got who I would not be happy to sell for 8M. A good manager can do a lot with 8M. A lot.

Mind we are not going to be offered anything like that for Lee. Not until he returns to something approaching his best and even then I can't see anyone paying that much.

Sensible selling for sensible prices is fine. Taking notice of journalism 8 Millions is as daft as a cat-flap in a submarine. Fact.

[boltonboris]

Tango.. You're forgetting that every football fan is now an accountant. They're more arsed about balance sheets than what happens on the pitch.

Me, I'd personally like us to keep players who are proven to be capable of playing at an especially high level.

[CrazyHorse]

Nixon reported back in August that Wigan were interested but we wouldn't sell him for a penny less than £10million.

Now I usually take Alan's pissed-up rantings with a pinch of salt like but I know one or two take his word as gospel so can someone explain why we wouldn't still be expecting £10mil now that he's got a few games and goals under his belt?

[Worthy4England]

Nixon reported back in August that Wigan were interested but we wouldn't sell him for a penny less than £10million.

Now I usually take Alan's pissed-up rantings with a pinch of salt like but I know one or two take his word as gospel so can someone explain why we wouldn't still be expecting £10mil now that he's got a few games and goals under his belt?

Wasn't that about the same time Mavies was "worth" £12m?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

At his best he was worth double.

£16m? Really?

He was a good signing and frequently played well under Megson, and some of his performances pre-injury under Coyle deserved the long contract he got. That contract bumped his price, especially in the top flight, but had we been offered £16m I'd have gladly cashed in then and if we were offered £8m I think we'd take it now. That may be actuarial but it could also allow the new manager to buy better players than he otherwise could. No bad thing.

[Worthy4England]

At his best he was worth double.

£16m? Really?

He was a good signing and frequently played well under Megson, and some of his performances pre-injury under Coyle deserved the long contract he got. That contract bumped his price, especially in the top flight, but had we been offered £16m I'd have gladly cashed in then and if we were offered £8m I think we'd take it now. That may be actuarial but it could also allow the new manager to buy better players than he otherwise could. No bad thing.

I guess worth is always a tricky one. He was linked with Liverpool at the time, who spent shedloads on Henderson and Adam, that wouldn't mean to say that Wiggin would want to pay £16m for him.

I agree, as with any Manager, you have to let them have the flexibility to structure the squad in a way that suits them, within the constraints we have such as wages etc. Then you can judge whether they've done well at it or poorly, given the latitude they've had. If Freedman wanted to unload Chungy to make some headroom, that's fine by me. I'm not sure we have any players at the moment that I'd say were essential to keep (assuming Freedman brings in at least equal or better).

When we're rattling on about how good they are, we're still only 13th having been relegated last season. So how good are they? Even if we sneaked back up via the playoff's, we still have at the core a bunch of players that weren't good enough collectively for the Prem last season, albeit with some strange tactics employed at times.

I'm struggling to think of anyone in the irreplaceable category.

[Whookam]

A 20+ goal a season striker in this league >>>> Lee

We could easily afford one for £8 million.

[TANGODANCER]

Tango.. Your forgetting that every football fan is now an accountant. They're more arsed about balance sheets than what happens on the pitch.

Me, I'd personally like us to keep players who are proven to be capable of playing at an especially high level.

Aye, you're right B.B. We talk millions as if we all have a couple in the bank. Same old, same old, greedy players, grasping agents and oil-sheik owners have made the game lose all proportion. Dave Felgate has an article in today's B.N. and in it he says City have just paid a five figure sum for an under-11 goalkeeper. Crackers, all of it.

[Worthy4England]

A 20+ goal a season striker in this league >>>> Lee

We could easily afford one for £8 million.

Generally yes. Last few times seasons we've been in the Championship and contending to go back up:

2000/1 - Ricketts - 24 goals (promoted)
1999/00 - Eidur - 22 (didn't go up)
1998/9 - Big bad Bob - 18 (didn't go up)
1996/7 - Mcginlay - 30 (promoted)
1994/5 - McGinlay - 22 (promoted)


Obviously still need people providing, but we're certainly missing one and probably two strikers, one with the capability to bag 20 and the other to bag 15.

Apparently we need someone in that deep lying, playmaker forward, role instead. I always thought that was what the midfield were for.

[BWFC_Insane]

Tango.. You're forgetting that every football fan is now an accountant. They're more arsed about balance sheets than what happens on the pitch.

Me, I'd personally like us to keep players who are proven to be capable of playing at an especially high level.

I'm not sure that is true. I don't think anyone has suggested selling Lee to balance the books. Merely that 8M would be a crazy offer for a player who can't get a regular start in a struggling championship side and that IF 8M was ever bid that AND it was partially or wholly re-invested in the side that we could be better off for it than by keeping a player who has possibly not been at his best and even at his best some could argue 8M wouldn't be far off a decent price.

[TANGODANCER]

Tango.. You're forgetting that every football fan is now an accountant. They're more arsed about balance sheets than what happens on the pitch.

Me, I'd personally like us to keep players who are proven to be capable of playing at an especially high level.

I'm not sure that is true. I don't think anyone has suggested selling Lee to balance the books. Merely that 8M would be a crazy offer for a player who can't get a regular start in a struggling championship side and that IF 8M was ever bid that AND it was partially or wholly re-invested in the side that we could be better off for it than by keeping a player who has possibly not been at his best and even at his best some could argue 8M wouldn't be far off a decent price.

"The other man's grass is always greener".....etc.

[Prufrock]

At his best he was worth double.

£16m? Really?

He was a good signing and frequently played well under Megson, and some of his performances pre-injury under Coyle deserved the long contract he got. That contract bumped his price, especially in the top flight, but had we been offered £16m I'd have gladly cashed in then and if we were offered £8m I think we'd take it now. That may be actuarial but it could also allow the new manager to buy better players than he otherwise could. No bad thing.

I think so. At his, and our best, Lee, Holden and Cahill were capable of playing for top four sides.£16m for winger is hardly unheard of for a Champions League team, even one playing at the southern end of Seven Sisters Road. Contract issues aside we mostly all adamant that we wouldn't sell an under contract Cahill for much less than £16m . You tend to pay more for wingers than centre-halves. At his best he has the invention to unlock defences with a clever bit of play like no one else we have, or have had since maybe Djorkaeff. I'd have been sorely tempted by£16m then but wouldn't have sold him for a great deal less.

I'd like us to give Lee as long as possible to get back to his best, but £8m now, as long as it would be reinvested would be very tempting.

[Athers]

His nationality adds a bit of extra value to him I reckon, other clubs could be better than us at exploiting it.

Problem is that his nationality counts for squat when you're not in the Premier League, so for us it would still be better if he were English, like Matt Jarvis.

[boltonboris]

Tango.. You're forgetting that every football fan is now an accountant. They're more arsed about balance sheets than what happens on the pitch.

Me, I'd personally like us to keep players who are proven to be capable of playing at an especially high level.

I'm not sure that is true. I don't think anyone has suggested selling Lee to balance the books. Merely that 8M would be a crazy offer for a player who can't get a regular start in a struggling championship side and that IF 8M was ever bid that AND it was partially or wholly re-invested in the side that we could be better off for it than by keeping a player who has possibly not been at his best and even at his best some could argue 8M wouldn't be far off a decent price.

That's what I don't get. How does a fan put a price on a player?

[Peter Thompson]

IMO £8M for CYL is a decent fee - if true I'd take it without hesitation

[plymouth wanderer]

At his best he was worth double.

£16m? Really?

He was a good signing and frequently played well under Megson, and some of his performances pre-injury under Coyle deserved the long contract he got. That contract bumped his price, especially in the top flight, but had we been offered £16m I'd have gladly cashed in then and if we were offered £8m I think we'd take it now. That may be actuarial but it could also allow the new manager to buy better players than he otherwise could. No bad thing.

I think so. At his, and our best, Lee, Holden and Cahill were capable of playing for top four sides.£16m for winger is hardly unheard of for a Champions League team, even one playing at the southern end of Seven Sisters Road. Contract issues aside we mostly all adamant that we wouldn't sell an under contract Cahill for much less than £16m . You tend to pay more for wingers than centre-halves. At his best he has the invention to unlock defences with a clever bit of play like no one else we have, or have had since maybe Djorkaeff. I'd have been sorely tempted by£16m then but wouldn't have sold him for a great deal less.

I'd like us to give Lee as long as possible to get back to his best, but £8m now, as long as it would be reinvested would be very tempting.

Agreed

I think we should wait till the end of the season to see what league we will be playing in

[Harry Genshaw]

That's what I don't get. How does a fan put a price on a player?

The same way a journalist, manager, chairman does? i.e. look at comparatively similar players and what they have been sold for.