Q&A forum with Faulkner 24th October

[Dave Cooper please]

He'll be gone in January.

No point selling him in January - a good World Cup would bump up the price .

We won't have the whip hand.

Yes we will, he's just signed a new contract.
If we say he ain't going then he ain't going, and if he plays up then his chances of going to Brazil (or at least being anywhere near the first XI) will diminish by the week.
We hold all the whips, cards, aces or whatever cliche you want!

[Dave Clark Five]

If only footballer's contracts were worth the paper they are printed on.

[Toronto Villa]

If only footballer's contracts were worth the paper they are printed on.

Well they kind of are otherwise Benteke wouldn't be with us. He tried to move, we said it would be on our terms only. It didn't happen. Instead he signed a new deal that next summer puts us in exactly the same place as this.

[bertlambshank]

If only footballer's contracts were worth the paper they are printed on.

Well they kind of are otherwise Benteke wouldn't be with us. He tried to move, we said it would be on our terms only. It didn't happen. Instead he signed a new deal that next summer puts us in exactly the same place as this.

How many bids if any did we turn down?

[eamonn]

3 from Spurzzz and one from "some team in the mountains in Russia".

[Dave Cooper please]

If only footballer's contracts were worth the paper they are printed on.

True, but you said that Benteke holds the whip hand and I say a new four year contract and a World Cup coming up means he doesn't.
I'm not saying he definitely won't be sold in January but it will take a massive amount of money to tempt us to sell him.

[Dave]

If only footballer's contracts were worth the paper they are printed on.

So why didn't Barry move to Liverpool?

[dekko]

If we didn't sell him in the middle of the summer, months before the start of the season and with ample time to bring in a replacement, why on earth would we do it slap bang in the middle of the season (when it would almost certainly drop us into another relegation battle)?

Typical brummie miseryarse pessimism.  We're our own worst enemies sometimes.

[Dave Clark Five]

If only footballer's contracts were worth the paper they are printed on.

True, but you said that Benteke holds the whip hand and I say a new four year contract and a World Cup coming up means he doesn't.
I'm not saying he definitely won't be sold in January but it will take a massive amount of money to tempt us to sell him.

You have said it all in your second sentence.

[Dave Clark Five]

If only footballer's contracts were worth the paper they are printed on.

So why didn't Barry move to Liverpool?

Here are FSW's views:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/jul/10/liverpool-rafael-benitez-criticises-gareth-barry

[ktvillan]

If only footballer's contracts were worth the paper they are printed on.

True, but you said that Benteke holds the whip hand and I say a new four year contract and a World Cup coming up means he doesn't.
I'm not saying he definitely won't be sold in January but it will take a massive amount of money to tempt us to sell him.

You have said it all in your second sentence.

But it would still be our choice to sell or not, and whatever is offered, possibly more, is likely to still be available in the summer.  Lukaku's good form should be enough to keep Benteke wanting to play this season, so he'd be unwise to try and force anything and end up in the bomb squad.   

[eastie]

A good point - the way Belgium have played with either benteke or lukaku should ensure benteke needs to deliver all season or he may find lukaku in his place at the World Cup, while he warms the bench.

A great incentive to keep on scoring for us.

[edgysatsuma89]

It's the World Cup that means we hold the cards, not the contract.

We could have him on a 10 year contract in the summer it will not make a difference to the end result. We will just get a lot more money, which is obviously a good thing and we can rebuild with hopefully 3/4 'bigger' signings, if we can attract them.

[Dave]

It's the World Cup that means we hold the cards, not the contract.

We could have him on a 10 year contract in the summer it will not make a difference to the end result. We will just get a lot more money

That is a difference to the end result isn't it?

[Dave]

If only footballer's contracts were worth the paper they are printed on.

So why didn't Barry move to Liverpool?

Here are FSW's views:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/jul/10/liverpool-rafael-benitez-criticises-gareth-barry

So because we wouldn't release him from the contract that he's signed with us?