Not too much new news in the Evening Chronicle today, and that’s a pity because today was the first day Alan Shearer could have been announced as the Newcastle manager – but another day goes by and another room burns.
Michael Owen – is this player getting a bonus – what for?
But one report seems extremely strange, and says that on June 30th, the club will need to pay players bonuses of up to £10M for last season.
What?
A bonus for what?
The report suggests end-of-season player bonuses are due to be paid out at the end of this month, and presumably the club are duty bound to pay oiut these bonuses, but exactly what they are rewarding is a mystery to us. It seems the club is being run in a farcical way financially, as far as we can tell.
We don’t understand what bonus means here – in the dictionary they are described as:
- Something given or paid over and above what is due.
- Sum of money granted or given to an employee, in addition to regular pay, usually in appreciation for work done, length of service, accumulated favors and the like
But there is nothing we want to pay in addition to players’ wages last season – they were far too much in any case – so we cannot believe they are really talking about real bonuses to players. If they are then we are indeed in a long rather painful nightmare and we would now like to be woken up – please!
Maybe they are some of the transfer fees we are still paying for players like Martins, Duff and the like, which the club still haven’t paid off.
Of course some companies, who shall not be nameless 00 AIG – even pay their employees huge bonuses after they have bankrupted the company and the US government has come in with $173B of tax payer money to save the company.
But people like this are just utterly shameless – and beyond hope – and we ask them to look up the definition of “ethics” in the dictionary – they may learn something, but them again perhaps not. 😀
At least these players we are still paying transfer fees on are still at the club, as we have had the embarrassment (like with Albert Luque as one example) of still paying off the transfer fees of players long after they had left the club, usually after an extremely unsuccessful stint.
The Chronicle (Lee Ryder) reports these bonuses are all part of the current squad of players’ contracts, and they includes departing stars such as Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Brazilian flop Claudio Cacapa.
That list also features stars who have really no future at St James’, if only we can unload them somehow. They include the likes of Joey Barton and Geremi still on lucrative contracts.
In fact as the end of August approached Newcastle may be forced to look for loan deals for some players, who other clubs are just unwilling to take – but this should be another lesson to Newcastle not to pay players lucrative contracts.
Because when they fail (most of our highly paid players seem to fail, for some reason), we cannot then unload them and get them off the wage bill. The Spanish player (or should we say mercenary) Marcelino comes to mind suddenly.
A Newcastle insider told the Evening Chronicle today:
“The majority of the Toon players are on holiday at the moment.”
“They aren’t due to return back for pre-season training until July 1st.”
“But it’s a well-known fact they are due to pick up end-of- season bonuses at the end of the month.”
That may be a well-known fact to insiders at the club, but not to Newcastle fans, we’re sure about that.
If we are talking about real bonuses, wasn’t there something put into their contracts to say the bonuses would be null and void if we were relegated?
Sorry to be so straight forward and pedantic about this – but we all know the answer is probably – no. Good management is 90% common sense, but it seems we have not had too much of that at the club, for a long long while.
Oh my – please come and manage the club Alan – how about starting tomorrow and take Newcastle fans out of their misery?
Comments welcome.
11 comments so far
magforlife
Jun 18, 2009 at 6:55 PM
Comment #1You couldnt make it up, or could you?
Hugh Jorgan
Jun 18, 2009 at 7:06 PM
Comment #2If that shower of a team were paid by results there sure would not be any bonus paid.
In fact the players should be handing back about 90% of their wages.
Jackie Milburn, Joe Harvey etc etc etc must be turning in their graves.
It is so so pitiful.
http://francis-rossi.mybrute.com
Rangerman
Jun 18, 2009 at 7:16 PM
Comment #3You couldnt make it up, or could you?
….
Unless your name is Lee Ryder.
Spoonman
Jun 18, 2009 at 7:21 PM
Comment #4God our owners are morons.
Aza9
Jun 18, 2009 at 7:38 PM
Comment #5This will be happening at every club not just ours. Although we will probably be paying out slightly more than the other relegated clubs. Wish these reporters could try and find something positive to lift our spirits.
bill
Jun 18, 2009 at 8:38 PM
Comment #6As already alluded to, these bonus’s are probably standard issue.
However, I must say that a few things that I would consider if I were in charge of any club:
1. a wage cap based on the clubs income, say 45-50%. Loans from rich benefactors would not be allowed it would be purely based on turnover . This would be scrutinised by independent auditors;
2. wages paid by result;
3. transfer fees only paid in full once a player has completed his contract. If a player doesn’t make it then only a portion of the fee would be payable. Since transfer fees are usually paid over several years, then this would fit in very nicely.
Any other ideas about getting football back on the straight and narrow?
punk skunk...
Jun 18, 2009 at 9:26 PM
Comment #7Well,
if the rags can squeeze any more crap out of our situation, i’m sure they will!..
…As Bill said: it’s probably standard issue!..
…But the rags know we’ll bite & have a moan…
…How F****** dull!..
Sav
Jun 19, 2009 at 2:17 AM
Comment #8Presumably these so-called loyalty bonuses are to reward players for not doing what Bassong is reportedly doing right now, ie. talking to 2 Premiership clubs about moving on while still under contract to NUFC.
I know this lad is reportedly on ‘buttons’ on 5k per week (bet you wish you had them buttons) but it would be nice to see some players getting sued for this type of thing. Instead contracts seem to squeeze the maximum out of clubs while being disregarded by players when it suits them to do so.
beyethegreat
Jun 19, 2009 at 10:16 AM
Comment #9i cant believe this what a disgrace
Steve_48
Jun 19, 2009 at 11:41 AM
Comment #10Sign of the times, tragic though it may be, the “bonus” is again probably contractual irrespective of success.
Just like the present Govt – currupt as f*ck.
Sack them all – reinstate old fashioned values and here a novel thing – make people EARN a bonus for a chance.
Shanghaitoon
Jun 19, 2009 at 4:11 PM
Comment #11“The majority of the Toon players are on holiday at the moment.”
They’ve been on holiday for the whole of last season… 🙁