Bye Bye Habib Beye...................

[ozzjim]

Well at least Sunderland fans can look forward to a dynamic Heskey Davies partnership next season!

[eamonn]

no tears here and some more dough off the books. With Hutton, McLeish wanted an attacking full back. Maybe his memory is clouded or Hutton has really regressed, but even he couldn't have imagined Hutton being such a liability defensively.

I doubt it's money off the books, we'll have to have paid up his contract.

doen't mutual conset mean came to some agreement? Yes, they'll still be on the hook for a good deal of it, but probably not the full amount.

Nah.  It means they'll have paid his contract off as there's absolutely no point in having him round the place.  Why would he accept a pay out when he could have just sat tight for the next 5 months and earned it all anyway?  "Mutual agreement" only means a reduced amount in cases like Martin O'Neill's where there's legal action involved.

Why are we only doing it now then instead of back in August when it was clear he didn't have a future here?

[ozzjim]

He will have taken less, as much as Risso protests. Mutual consent means he has met us halfway, or even less of the 6 months he has left. So we will have saved some, and he can get a longer contract now.

[pauliewalnuts]

What a gigantic waste of fucking money.

What kind of idiot gives a 32 year old defender a 3 year contract on 40k a week?

[Somniloquism]

What a gigantic waste of fucking money.

What kind of idiot gives a 32 year old defender a 3 year contract on 40k a week?

If he played him most weeks and he was putting in pre Newcastle injury performances, it would have been better. But for someone who is given only 15 appearances over that time and who most associated with cover for a problematic position when signed, it is atrocious. As I said earlier, he was Seth Johnsoned by MON and Randy by association.

[Ian.]

What a gigantic waste of fucking money.

What kind of idiot gives a 32 year old defender a 3 year contract on 40k a week?

If he played him most weeks and he was putting in pre Newcastle injury performances, it would have been better. But for someone who is given only 15 appearances over that time and who most associated with cover for a problematic position when signed, it is atrocious. As I said earlier, he was Seth Johnsoned by MON and Randy by association.

Sorry, what do you mean by Seth Johnsoned?

[Small Rodent]

I've been told by a certain H&V poster that McLeish has negotiated Beye's severance pay to be our transfer budget for the summer and renaming Villa Park to The McLeish Sty. Ooh McLeish you rotter. When will you morons listen!

[PeterWithe]

What a gigantic waste of fucking money.

What kind of idiot gives a 32 year old defender a 3 year contract on 40k a week?

If he played him most weeks and he was putting in pre Newcastle injury performances, it would have been better. But for someone who is given only 15 appearances over that time and who most associated with cover for a problematic position when signed, it is atrocious. As I said earlier, he was Seth Johnsoned by MON and Randy by association.

Sorry, what do you mean by Seth Johnsoned?

A wage massively out of line with his talent.

I think the urban myth went that Seth and his agent had decided to ask Leeds for 10k a week, when they went in Ridsdale offered them 25 (or pick a number) and when he saw the look of surprise on their faces immediately said 'OK, you win, 35!!'

[Ian.]

Ta, I thought it was something like that. I know Seth and I know he was on a huge sum of money. I have not heard that though about him going in for only 10k. If so what a result!

[PeterWithe]

Found this, basic jist was there or thereabouts.

Went to a wedding on Saturday and was speaking to Mike Jackson [Preson], Kieron Durkan [Wrexham] and Chris Lightfoot [Runcorn, Former PFA Rep]. We were talking about Leeds, and they were saying that when Seth Johnson went into the boardroom to discuss his contract, him and his agent went in saying "Ask for £20,000, settle for £15,000." So they went in, and they were offered £25,000. "WHAT?" Seth Johnson replied, obviously shocked at how good the deal is. Then Ridsdale replied, "Ok then, £35,000" Thinking Johnson was unhappy at the terms.

[Lobsterboy]

What a gigantic waste of fucking money.

What kind of idiot gives a 32 year old defender a 3 year contract on 40k a week?

Ooh, I know the answer to this one; it was Martin O'Neill and I claim my prize! Ha!

[PeterWithe]

As an aside when we played Derby a few years ago he got on the No7 back to town with his Derby tracksuit on. He was sound.

[Somniloquism]

Sorry, what do you mean by Seth Johnsoned?

Others have answered but this version from the Grauniad is telling as all Risdale denies is what the final salary ended up as, not that he started the negotiations with a higher offer then they expected.

It wasn't just Seth Johnson's wages that really shed some light on Peter Ridsdale's time in charge of Leeds. It was bill for the goldfish. Johnson joined from Derby County in 2001. The midfielder had earned a basic wage of around £5,000 a week at Derby and his agent was determined to winkle £13,000 from the then Leeds chairman.

Ridsdale, though, had other ideas. Entering the negotiating room he is said to have declared: "Right I'm sorry, I can only offer you £30,000 a week." Sizing up the situation with commendable speed, the agent shook his head in apparent disbelief and said: "No".

Ridsdale allegedly responded by saying "Oh, alright then, £37,000." However, Risdale denies this and subsequently said: "We gave Seth Johnson £10,000 less than has been rumoured."

[not3bad]

I pity Sunderland.

Will Sunderland give MON the free reign he got at Villa?

[The Left Side]

Thank God for that!