Agents need to accept new financial reality, says Neil Warnock....Yorks Post

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Neil Warnock says agents have not yet woken up to the post-Covid economic realities but he is unconcerned because some of his Middlesbrough players have surprised him with their football since returning from a short summer break.

Neil Warnock says agents have not yet woken up to the post-Covid economic realities but he is unconcerned because some of his Middlesbrough players have surprised him with their football since returning from a short summer break.
The 71-year-old jokes some of it has been so good, it will ruin his reputation!

Centre-back Grant Hall will be Boro’s only new signing at home to Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup tonight.

“It’s been very difficult recruitment-wise,” admitted former Leeds United and Huddersfield Town chief Warnock.

“I don’t think agents have realised yet the players aren’t going to be on the gravy train any more.
“I went after a player three weeks ago. They wanted £1.5m. I said I value him at £400,000. This week they said they’d take £500,000. I said it’s too late now.
“I had a striker I quite liked at the start of the window. He wanted 35 grand a week. I’ve been offered him this week for 15.
“People are not in the real world at the minute.

“But I’m 71, I’ve got a good team, a good club, I’m relaxed.”
The squad he steered away from relegation last season has raised its game massively since, he believes.
“I think they’ve stepped up four or five gears,” said Warnock. “If they’re not careful it’s going to get me a bad reputation because they’re playing some good stuff. I’m sure we’ll kick it out of them."

Warnock will, play his best available side tonight but George Saville and Paddy McNair are on international duty and Hayden Coulson ill – not with Covid-19.

Last six games: Middlesbrough LWLWLW, Shrewsbury Town LLWLWL.
Referee: Michael Salisbury (Lancashire).
Last time: Middlesbrough 1 Shrewsbury Town 0, FA Cup, January 7, 2012.
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I love his blunt realistic insight of the game. We as fans might not get the players we think the club needs but Warnock assesses a players value and whether they are better than what we have and tells them his terms. Imagine if we had been doing this for the last 10 years or so, we could have avoided some of the real overpriced average players that nearly bankrupted the club. A new realistic reality but one I can get behind
 
A few agents will be waking up knowing they cant leech on the game and milk it to line their greedy pockets.
Players are waking up knowing they wont get big wedge in the bank every month and are facing shorter term contracts.
Will they be able / prepared to pay agents?
Why cant players learn to negotiate and create their own curriculum vitae?
In days gone by - players have described turning up with their Dads to advise them!
It could be a chance to learn a new skill!
If a club says 2K a week, tell them you want 4k and you might get 3k.
Clubs have their own figure in mind and you know they have some leway, but wont tell the player what it is.
This new "normal" is a real eye opener.
 
“They wanted £1.5m. I said I value him at £400,000. This week they said they’d take £500,000. I said it’s too late now.”

ThiS does many things:

Let agents know we are not going to overpay
Let’s players know they need to want to play for us and not just for what money they will get
Shows everybody he won’t waste money

Absolutely fantastic and refreshing approach!
 
Wait until the last week of the transfer window when reality kicks in for these players/agents.........fire sale-tastic(y).

Can see things going a bit mental.......or rather more mental than usual.
 
I like that he's saying he's relaxed and not telling the media he's terrified of the season starting because all our players are rubbish. Some of our fans need to follow his lead.....
 
Is there going to be a mid season window this year? It would be interesting to see if out of contract players get in touch with reality after a few months without a club or if the desperate clubs with cash to throw at a problem keep the wages high.
 
A few agents will be waking up knowing they cant leech on the game and milk it to line their greedy pockets.
Players are waking up knowing they wont get big wedge in the bank every month and are facing shorter term contracts.
Will they be able / prepared to pay agents?
Why cant players learn to negotiate and create their own curriculum vitae?
In days gone by - players have described turning up with their Dads to advise them!
It could be a chance to learn a new skill!
If a club says 2K a week, tell them you want 4k and you might get 3k.
Clubs have their own figure in mind and you know they have some leway, but wont tell the player what it is.
This new "normal" is a real eye opener.

Some players of course do use family members, but yes I've often thought this. I understand it if you're a youth team player with no experience of the real world etc. but if you're a Jonny Howson say, do you really need an agent? He must know what he's worth and what similar players get paid. An agent might get you a bit more, but if they're on 10% commission are they really going to get you that much more? All you really need is a lawyer surely?

of course some players are essentially man children who can't do anything for themselves, but if you've half a brain and a bit of common sense you really shouldn't need someone to negotiate a contract for you. Certainly not for some of the money they charge .
 
He's pretty open about talking about targets. It seems likes he's definitely calling the shots in terms of not over paying.

A few very interesting comments...

The forward who wanted 35k a week is now happy at 15k.

The 1.5mil champo player now availible for 500k....then told 'no thanks'

The prem player we wanted on loan is now only available for 3.5mil and they don't want to loan him (who?)

He also said the bid for Philips at Charlton is 'wide of the mark'. He said he enquired about another Charlton player and they brought up Philips name as available.

Also the fact we actually chatted to Wigan for over 4 weeks about Joe Williams. He then decided to go elsewhere (think he thought we had him).

So clearly plenty going on behind the scenes. He seems to be saying 'yes' or 'no' rather than other Boro managers just being offered players by the recruitment staff.

He seems very specific by saying we expect to announce a new signing on Thursday🤔. I wonder if that's when prem squads are named?
 
The thing I chuckle at is the sheer volume of fans (on the old board) who called him from a pig to a dog previously if there was the merest suggestion by any poster of him being appointed as our manager. Top man, great man manager, superb motivator and a lovely genuine down to earth bloke too.
 
Players paying their agents out of their own income or signing on fee is fine but I can’t understand why an organisation like a football club needs an agent to work for them and we see millions of pounds that should be retained by the game going out of it, imagine if a 1% levy from all transfers was charged by FIFA, UEFA or the FA and that money was used to support grass roots football decimated by Corona instead of going into the offshore bank account’s of agents.
 
I would have had Warnock over the last 10 years. Especially during our many spells in the champo.... Its a no brainer.

I'm the first to sing 'f*ck off Warnock' when he's moaning on the touchline over the years. That didn't mean i don't rate him😂

I always loved listing to his interviews even with Cardiff / Rotherham etc. Just 'old school' but not in the pulis way. I genuinely believe he makes players buy into what he expects.
 
A few agents will be waking up knowing they cant leech on the game and milk it to line their greedy pockets.
Players are waking up knowing they wont get big wedge in the bank every month and are facing shorter term contracts.
Will they be able / prepared to pay agents?
Why cant players learn to negotiate and create their own curriculum vitae?
In days gone by - players have described turning up with their Dads to advise them!
It could be a chance to learn a new skill!
If a club says 2K a week, tell them you want 4k and you might get 3k.
Clubs have their own figure in mind and you know they have some leway, but wont tell the player what it is.
This new "normal" is a real eye opener.
I know what you mean but a few grand a week is still a big wedge.
 
He's pretty open about talking about targets. It seems likes he's definitely calling the shots in terms of not over paying.

A few very interesting comments...

The forward who wanted 35k a week is now happy at 15k.

The 1.5mil champo player now availible for 500k....then told 'no thanks'

The prem player we wanted on loan is now only available for 3.5mil and they don't want to loan him (who?)

He also said the bid for Philips at Charlton is 'wide of the mark'. He said he enquired about another Charlton player and they brought up Philips name as available.

Also the fact we actually chatted to Wigan for over 4 weeks about Joe Williams. He then decided to go elsewhere (think he thought we had him).

So clearly plenty going on behind the scenes. He seems to be saying 'yes' or 'no' rather than other Boro managers just being offered players by the recruitment staff.

He seems very specific by saying we expect to announce a new signing on Thursday🤔. I wonder if that's when prem squads are named?
I was wondering about the Thursday comment. Maybe the guy is on international duty?
 
If Warnock had been appointed last summer there would have been hell on.

With many yeah. I'll admit, I probably wouldn't have been keen. Lots on here have been vocal about wanting him previously though to be fair (particularly when he was doing well with Cardiff).

Maybe it's all part of the Gibson master plan. He wanted Warnock all along but needed to lower expectations by giving us Woody and friends for a season first? 😉. Certainly worked for me.
 
With many yeah. I'll admit, I probably wouldn't have been keen. Lots on here have been vocal about wanting him previously though to be fair (particularly when he was doing well with Cardiff).

Maybe it's all part of the Gibson master plan. He wanted Warnock all along but needed to lower expectations by giving us Woody and friends for a season first? 😉. Certainly worked for me.

I have often wondered if he appoints a "footballing manager" when we have no money, as after a season of watching us get dicked week in week out people are more forgiving of hoof merchants and defensive football. Southgate and Mowbray both play into this, but monk doesn't. I think it's more likely we just flip flop between styles like England.
 
Hell on? Ahead of woodgate? I doubt anyone would have disapproved🤔

The difference was everyone wanted Houghton or Jokanovic who wanted 50mil budgets. Also neither have a job in the champo for the same reasons.I read Bristol City fans melting down that they didn't get Houghton until some of his wage figures were bounded about.

That said I'm cofindent Warnocks on a few quid more than Woody.
 
I have often wondered if he appoints a "footballing manager" when we have no money, as after a season of watching us get dicked week in week out people are more forgiving of hoof merchants and defensive football. Southgate and Mowbray both play into this, but monk doesn't. I think it's more likely we just flip flop between styles like England.

Yep, lots of talk about developing a style, long term approach etc but it rarely lasts. Part of the problem is football by nature tends to demand immediate results (particularly nowadays) and part is repeatedly picking completely the wrong man for the job. I've no doubt he'd have given Woodgate time if he'd just had mediocre or mildly sub-par results, but he was far out of his depth his hand was forced.

The closest we've come to a sustained model of playing is under Karanka where we had all the youth teams playing the same way as the first team and it wasn't a terrible style, just not as expansive as others. In the play-off season it was great . Karanka's meltdown/s and the shocking premier League season ended that. The less said about the weak attempt to appoint the "continuity" option the better.

If we wanted to continue using blueprint set out by karanka (and that we had most of the players for) Gibson needed to appoint a manager who played a similar formation. Instead we went for Monk who picked his lineup and formation out of a hat.

Ever since we seem to have done nothing but rip it up and start again.
 
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