Virgil/Mane

[pimpin4rizeal]

Actually, he did. He refused to play for a while. We fined him for it.

 

Saying everyone would do what he did is demonstrably not true, no matter how many times you bleat it.

 

still think we should not have sold him to Liverpool. its like rewarding them for tapping up.

[Cabbage_Face]

Actually, he did. He refused to play for a while. We fined him for it.

 

Saying everyone would do what he did is demonstrably not true, no matter how many times you bleat it.

 

They would in his POSITION. Name another player that got tapped up like he did, and then didn’t go on “strike”.

 

It’s not rocket science this.

 

You can’t have a go at VVD, the anger should be towards....

 

Our board

Liverpool

Klopp

FA

 

VVD just did what everyone else would’ve done, in his situation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[aintforever]

They would in his POSITION. Name another player that got tapped up like he did, and then didn’t go on “strike”.

 

It’s not rocket science this.

 

You can’t have a go at VVD, the anger should be towards....

 

Our board

Liverpool

Klopp

FA

 

VVD just did what everyone else would’ve done, in his situation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Players are tapped up all the time but rarely go on strike. VVD is just a scumbag.

[Jimmy_D]

They would in his POSITION. Name another player that got tapped up like he did, and then didn’t go on “strike”.

 

It’s not rocket science this.

 

You can’t have a go at VVD, the anger should be towards....

 

Our board

Liverpool

Klopp

FA

 

VVD just did what everyone else would’ve done, in his situation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Like I already said, plenty of other players have been tapped up without being transferred or going on strike.

 

Like I already said, VvD took actions that directly damaged the club he was supposed to represent, on purpose. Why shouldn't people be ****ed off with him?

 

You're just going round in circles and you don't have a leg to stand on here.

[whelk]

What fcker calls him Virgil? Sounds too affectionate and scouse

[Tamesaint]

They would in his POSITION. Name another player that got tapped up like he did, and then didn’t go on “strike”.

 

It’s not rocket science this.

 

You can’t have a go at VVD, the anger should be towards....

 

Our board

Liverpool

Klopp

FA

 

VVD just did what everyone else would’ve done, in his situation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

So it is the SFC board who are to blame ? Weird logic there unless like your alter ego Heisenberg you want to be as negative as possible about Saints.

 

Your arguments on this thread are making you look stupid. To quote Gavin Williamson why don't you just "shut up and go away" ?

[GGalpin]

Actually, he did. He refused to play for a while. We fined him for it.

 

Saying everyone would do what he did is demonstrably not true, no matter how many times you bleat it.

 

Schneiderlin being a prime example, and Big Vic albeit not at the same level of performance or consistency.

[Cabbage_Face]

So it is the SFC board who are to blame ? Weird logic there unless like your alter ego Heisenberg you want to be as negative as possible about Saints.

 

Your arguments on this thread are making you look stupid. To quote Gavin Williamson why don't you just "shut up and go away" ?

 

They are too blame, should’ve sold him in the first instance for the same amount of money we ended up selling for.

 

They caused him to strike and act the way he did.

 

Hopefully you are never put in a similar position in your working life and don’t have to make a decision to stay and work unhappy and not perform correctly, or strike and get what you want.

 

 

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[Cabbage_Face]

Players are tapped up all the time but rarely go on strike. VVD is just a scumbag.

 

Please reference this.........

 

I’d say 95% of players tapped up by bigger clubs, end up either

 

Leaving before needing to down tools

 

Or

 

Down tools to force said move.

 

But most of you live in this fantasy world where you believe you can force someone to rot for 5 years, and somehow this would be beneficial to both parties. Get those saints tinted glasses off, and look at the situation correctly.

 

 

 

 

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[Jimmy_D]

Please reference this.........

 

I’d say 95% of players tapped up by bigger clubs, end up either

 

Leaving before needing to down tools

 

Or

 

Down tools to force said move.

 

But most of you live in this fantasy world where you believe you can force someone to rot for 5 years, and somehow this would be beneficial to both parties. Get those saints tinted glasses off, and look at the situation correctly.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I thought EVERYONE would have acted like VvD did? Well, if it's only 95% now at least we're making some progress.

 

Liverpool weren't offering £75M to start with. They tapped him up so he'd force a move and they could get him cheaply.

 

It was only when they got caught they decided to cough up rather than have Saints ****ed off at them and with evidence that had them dead to rights.

[Colinjb]

Can't help but think how much Tadic would be worth now too.

 

One of the best hopes for stopping that smug lot in the final.

[Cabbage_Face]

I thought EVERYONE would have acted like VvD did? Well, if it's only 95% now at least we're making some progress.

 

Liverpool weren't offering £75M to start with. They tapped him up so he'd force a move and they could get him cheaply.

 

It was only when they got caught they decided to cough up rather than have Saints ****ed off at them and with evidence that had them dead to rights.

 

They would have, in exactly the same circumstances as VVD, what don’t you understand in that sentence? Players get tapped up different ways, by different clubs. VVD was tapped up by his dream club, that had the potential to fulfil his footballing dreams, triple his wage etc etc.

 

Are you suggesting if you were a footballer, playing for Derby county, let’s say, and Southampton took you out for a lovely meal down the seaside, offered this and that, it accidentally got leaked and they told you “you ain’t moving under any circumstances”

 

You would just get on with life?

 

Of course you wouldn’t. Utterly stupid.

 

How do you know this? Les thought he would be clever, he ****ed up. We ****ed up.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jimmy_D]

They would have, in exactly the same circumstances as VVD, what don’t you understand in that sentence? Players get tapped up different ways, by different clubs. VVD was tapped up by his dream club, that had the potential to fulfil his footballing dreams, triple his wage etc etc.

 

Are you suggesting if you were a footballer, playing for Derby county, let’s say, and Southampton took you out for a lovely meal down the seaside, offered this and that, it accidentally got leaked and they told you “you ain’t moving under any circumstances”

 

You would just get on with life?

 

Of course you wouldn’t. Utterly stupid.

 

How do you know this? Les thought he would be clever, he ****ed up. We ****ed up.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

If you want an actual direct parallel, it'd be Schneiderlin. Put in arguably his best season for us after he got tapped up by Man Utd and we turned down his move.

 

Saints had every right to expect a player to honour more than one year of a six year contract. To suggest otherwise is ludicrous.

 

You still haven't addressed why people shouldn't be ****ed off with someone that caused a lot of damage to the club they support.

 

If you want evidence of them offering less than £75M, here's what they were leaking to their pet journos.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/liverpool-sign-virgil-van-dijk-10565543

[aintforever]

They would have, in exactly the same circumstances as VVD, what don’t you understand in that sentence? Players get tapped up different ways, by different clubs. VVD was tapped up by his dream club, that had the potential to fulfil his footballing dreams, triple his wage etc etc.

 

Are you suggesting if you were a footballer, playing for Derby county, let’s say, and Southampton took you out for a lovely meal down the seaside, offered this and that, it accidentally got leaked and they told you “you ain’t moving under any circumstances”

 

You would just get on with life?

 

Of course you wouldn’t. Utterly stupid.

 

How do you know this? Les thought he would be clever, he ****ed up. We ****ed up.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

You’re talking out of your arse. If all players acted like Van **** there would be players going on strike all over the place.

 

Only a special type of tosser does what he did.

[Cabbage_Face]

If you want an actual direct parallel, it'd be Schneiderlin. Put in arguably his best season for us after he got tapped up by Man Utd and we turned down his move.

 

Saints had every right to expect a player to honour more than one year of a six year contract. To suggest otherwise is ludicrous.

 

You still haven't addressed why people shouldn't be ****ed off with someone that caused a lot of damage to the club they support.

 

If you want evidence of them offering less than £75M, here's what they were leaking to their pet journos.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/liverpool-sign-virgil-van-dijk-10565543

 

He wasn’t tapped up to the same degree, or is there any evidence he was tapped up. Wasn’t it just, bid, bid turned down, head turned, downed tools, promised move season later, got on with it.

 

How did he “damage” a club that was already in Les freefall?

 

 

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[Cabbage_Face]

You’re talking out of your arse. If all players acted like Van **** there would be players going on strike all over the place.

 

Only a special type of tosser does what he did.

 

Are all players tapped up like VVD was? I know it’s complicated to follow, but try and keep up.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jimmy_D]

He wasn’t tapped up to the same degree, or is there any evidence he was tapped up. Wasn’t it just, bid, bid turned down, head turned, downed tools, promised move season later, got on with it.

 

How did he “damage” a club that was already in Les freefall?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Aside from Luke Shaw having convinced Schneiderlin to join you mean?

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/revealed-how-luke-shaw-persuaded-6057324

 

In any case, it doesn't really matter whether he was tapped up or not. He wanted to move, we stopped him, and he got on and did his job for us without being a **** like VvD was.

 

You're really going to try and argue we didn't suffer any ill effects from what VvD did?

[aintforever]

Are all players tapped up like VVD was? I know it’s complicated to follow, but try and keep up.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Probably, I think you will find it’s the norm.

[Cabbage_Face]

The level of naivety that people get tapped up for any job on this forum is staggering. Also the level that a person reacts to getting tapped up is also staggering.

 

Luke shaw saying “come play for united, it’s a pizza free for all” is hardly being taken out by the manager of your boyhood dream club and being told he will build a side around you, is it.......

 

As I’ve said, you were put in the same exact scenario as VVD, you’d do the same.

 

The fact you hate him for this, is all rather odd.

 

I don’t hate any player leaving us, I understand the football hierarchy and football is driven by two things “money and success” much like life in general.

 

Enjoy the players and managers while they are with us.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jimmy_D]

The level of naivety that people get tapped up for any job on this forum is staggering. Also the level that a person reacts to getting tapped up is also staggering.

 

Luke shaw saying “come play for united, it’s a pizza free for all” is hardly being taken out by the manager of your boyhood dream club and being told he will build a side around you, is it.......

 

As I’ve said, you were put in the same exact scenario as VVD, you’d do the same.

 

The fact you hate him for this, is all rather odd.

 

I don’t hate any player leaving us, I understand the football hierarchy and football is driven by two things “money and success” much like life in general.

 

Enjoy the players and managers while they are with us.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

So now you're going to try and argue that Klopp is some sort of magical being that can force a player to want to join Liverpool so much that it absolves that player of any responsibility for his actions to try and join?

[Cabbage_Face]

So now you're going to try and argue that Klopp is some sort of magical being that can force a player to want to join Liverpool so much that it absolves that player of any responsibility for his actions to try and join?

 

What responsibility does a player have to a club? A club that won’t sell him due to pettiness? None, zero, zilch.

 

Our fans act like VVD is an ex that has ****ged his whole family and still can’t get over it.

 

So odd.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jimmy_D]

What responsibility does a player have to a club? A club that won’t sell him due to pettiness? None, zero, zilch.

 

Our fans act like VVD is an ex that has ****ged his whole family and still can’t get over it.

 

So odd.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

It's part of the fabric of football. Club has fans. Player does something good for club, fans happy with them. Player does something bad for club, fans not happy with them.

 

It's not a difficult concept to grasp.

 

Also, wanting to keep hold of the best defender in the world is petty?

Edited 8 May, 2019 by Jimmy_D

[Saints foreva]

A big congratulations to Poch, Gazzaniga, Toby A and Wanyama too. Immensely proud just like Ralph K said we should be.

[egg]

It probably also gives young players who are weighing up whether to come to us something to put in the negatives column.

 

So many players share agents, and so many agents are on retainers with clubs that the idea that you can maintain a chinese wall around players to prevent them finding out that other clubs want them is simply preposterous. We should manage the club in light of the reality we find ourselves in, not some fantasy.

 

Liverpool got VVD, are fighting for the league and are in the CL final for the second year in a row. All we got in return for our stubbornness was a season of uncertainty over our CB positions and some ropey subsequent recruitment.

 

Who knows, perhaps if we hadn't been such drama queens over VVD we might have been able to attract someone slightly better than Vestergaard?

 

Your earlier post, and this, are bang on. Our decision to hold onto VVD was ridiculous and that decision made that season more difficult than necessary. Our recruitment post the VVD sale has been shocking and one factor in that imo was the decision to hold onto VVD. Any player with potential who would once have seen us as the stepping stone club that we are (or were) is bound to have been put off by the clubs stance re VVD.

[GarrettIvo]

Here I'm referring to the 2014/15 season, we were still 3rd after the 24th round of matches and eventually finished 7th, 2 points behind Liverpool in 6th. We seemed to be going somewhere, Koeman was doing a pretty good job and we would have been a attractive proposition for Virgil. Then in Virgil's first season we signed some good'ish players and made 6th. Then suddenly it all fell apart, Koeman left for Everton, good players were sold and the club was reportedly up for sale, with the consequences we've seen of late.

 

 

We finished 8th that season, a chunk of which he missed due to the ankle injury. Not sure that's falling apart. I put it to you that came after the season. Due in large part to the transfer mess he engineered.

[Nordic Saint]

Basically, the Champions League Final is going to be played by a lot of players spotted by Paul Mitchell.

[ALWAYS_SFC]

You’ve lost it. When you’re at work and your manager says to do the opposite to what you want, do you call him a troll?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Lost it.... by the look of this thread you have been called our for being utterly stupid...

But to be fair you are not really putting up all this crap because you actually believe, more trolling keep going if you like but we can all see through your charade

[pimpin4rizeal]

it still drives me mad why we actually sold vvd to Liverpool. after the tapping up and his strop thats basically rewarding his and their behaviour.. in a way surely we had the power with him signing a 6 yr deal. end of the day he couldn't have gone on strike and had a hissy fit for 5 years. and we could have easily told him you can go but just not to Liverpool also.

[Whitey Grandad]

it still drives me mad why we actually sold vvd to Liverpool. after the tapping up and his strop thats basically rewarding his and their behaviour.. in a way surely we had the power with him signing a 6 yr deal. end of the day he couldn't have gone on strike and had a hissy fit for 5 years. and we could have easily told him you can go but just not to Liverpool also.

We sold him because it was a helluva lot of money. The few months delay because of the ‘tapping up’ probably made us and extra £20m or so.

[Window Cleaner]

We sold him because it was a helluva lot of money. The few months delay because of the ‘tapping up’ probably made us and extra £20m or so.

 

 

Doubt if any other team but Liverpool would have given us 70 million or so for him either. They needed a CB of his quality, can't remember who else did at that time. Still they made the ECL cup final in his first season there so it paid off for them, and has done again this season. The extra money from 2 ECL finals will have just about covered the sum they paid for him. If only we'd used the money more wisely instead of squandering it on garbage like Carrillo, Elynoussi and the yet to come 20 million for Ings.

Edited 9 May, 2019 by Window Cleaner

[GarrettIvo]

We sold him because it was a helluva lot of money. The few months delay because of the ‘tapping up’ probably made us and extra £20m or so.

 

They'll already be ahead financially. I'll bet my left nut both Real Madrid and Barcelona have already pinned his name on their boards as replacement for their ageing CB stalwarts. Cost won't put them off to much.

[Nordic Saint]

it still drives me mad why we actually sold vvd to Liverpool. after the tapping up and his strop thats basically rewarding his and their behaviour.. in a way surely we had the power with him signing a 6 yr deal. end of the day he couldn't have gone on strike and had a hissy fit for 5 years. and we could have easily told him you can go but just not to Liverpool also.

 

The delay of the sale to Liverpool was only because Gao wouldn't let Kat sell any more players until after he took over. She wouldn't have got Gao's money if she'd sold van Dijk in the summer as originally planned. As always, Old Les put a PR spin on the delay.

[Window Cleaner]

They'll already be ahead financially. I'll bet my left nut both Real Madrid and Barcelona have already pinned his name on their boards as replacement for their ageing CB stalwarts. Cost won't put them off to much.

 

Nah, they don't pay a lot of money for defenders. They want goalscorers and flair players for their money. Spanish football innit.

[Whitey Grandad]

The delay of the sale to Liverpool was only because Gao wouldn't let Kat sell any more players until after he took over. She wouldn't have got Gao's money if she'd sold van Dijk in the summer as originally planned. As always, Old Les put a PR spin on the delay.

 

It wouldn’t have made a lot of difference. The value of the club depends on its assets and it would have depended on what value was put on VVD at the time. We had either a valuable player or ‘cash’ in the bank. The rest is down to negotiation.

[Cabbage_Face]

 

It's part of the fabric of football. Club has fans. Player does something good for club, fans happy with them. Player does something bad for club, fans not happy with them.

 

It's not a difficult concept to grasp.

 

Also, wanting to keep hold of the best defender in the world is petty?

 

You'll get over it, one day.

[Tamesaint]

You'll get over it, one day.

 

FFS . You don't give up do you??

 

Not content with making yourself look a right p rat last night you are starting again today.

 

Why don't you run along? You have lost his one. I am sure that you can find something else to criticise the club about if you think hard.

[Cabbage_Face]

FFS . You don't give up do you??

 

Not content with making yourself look a right p rat last night you are starting again today.

 

Why don't you run along? You have lost his one. I am sure that you can find something else to criticise the club about if you think hard.

 

Please explain how "i've lost this one". I've stated that put anyone in the same situation as VVD, they would've acted the same. Which is obvious.

 

I'm not constantly criticising the club, but in the whole VVD debarkle, they were very naive.

 

Sorry i don't have this odd obsession with players that have left us.

[Golac's Cunning Stunts]

it still drives me mad why we actually sold vvd to Liverpool. after the tapping up and his strop thats basically rewarding his and their behaviour.. in a way surely we had the power with him signing a 6 yr deal. end of the day he couldn't have gone on strike and had a hissy fit for 5 years. and we could have easily told him you can go but just not to Liverpool also.

 

My biggest beef is why didn't one of Manure, Chelsk, Arsenal, City come in for him. Am I right in thinking Saints made it clear they would be happy to sell to anybody but the Scouse once they realised he was set on leaving? All those clubs are need of good CBs.

 

Personally respect his footballing ability, but don't like him as a person. Should never be referred to as Virgil on here as if he is some friend of our club :-)

[verlaine1979]

He had FIVE years left on his contract. At the time it was absurd to think he'd leave.

 

As I've pointed out repeatedly, the idea that a renewed contract for an already proven player is anything other than a mechanism for protecting their transfer value is insane.

[Tamesaint]

Please explain how "i've lost this one". I've stated that put anyone in the same situation as VVD, they would've acted the same. Which is obvious.

 

I'm not constantly criticising the club, but in the whole VVD debarkle, they were very naive.

 

Sorry i don't have this odd obsession with players that have left us.

 

You may not have an obsession but you are clearly somewhat deluded if you dont realise on re-reading this thread that the points that you have made have been countered by others.

[Wurzel]

Slightly off track but does VVD *always* have his hair in that stumpy pony tail / bun thing? Assumed it was just pulled back whilst playing but even at the PFA awards the other day he had it . David Luiz and Mattéo Guendouzi manage to play whilst sporting enough hair for the entire team, what is VVD hiding?

[ALWAYS_SFC]

My biggest beef is why didn't one of Manure, Chelsk, Arsenal, City come in for him. Am I right in thinking Saints made it clear they would be happy to sell to anybody but the Scouse once they realised he was set on leaving? All those clubs are need of good CBs.

 

Personally respect his footballing ability, but don't like him as a person. Should never be referred to as Virgil on here as if he is some friend of our club :-)

 

We all know several words that we should use in referring to him but most are removed by the swear filter

[Jimmy_D]

As I've pointed out repeatedly, the idea that a renewed contract for an already proven player is anything other than a mechanism for protecting their transfer value is insane.

 

How many other players have moved on with five years left on a contract?

[Patrick Bateman]

How many other players have moved on with five years left on a contract?

 

I know you're not a naive bloke, but it's easy to think of two even bigger examples straight away who signed 5 year contracts and then left their clubs shortly after; Suarez and Countinho. In fact Suarez was "delighted to have secured a LONG TERM future with Liverpool" before leaving 6 months later.

 

They're all helmets.

[Jimmy_D]

I know you're not a naive bloke, but it's easy to think of two even bigger examples straight away who signed 5 year contracts and then left their clubs shortly after; Suarez and Countinho. In fact Suarez was "delighted to have secured a LONG TERM future with Liverpool" before leaving 6 months later.

 

They're all helmets.

 

Oh. Yeah. Both of them are still really highly thought of at Liverpool.

 

In any case, neither of them went on strike to leave while they still had five years left.

Edited 9 May, 2019 by Jimmy_D

[verlaine1979]

How many other players have moved on with five years left on a contract?

 

It's irrelevant - by virtue of being the best defender in the world he's automatically an edge case to which average behaviour doesn't apply. After all, how many players do we offer six year contracts to at the end of their first season? We were quite clearly trying to protect ourselves as best we could with a player we knew would soon be in very high demand.

 

Really, I can't imagine why anyone would believe that the six year contract was anything other than a move to boost his transfer value. As if he was ever going to stay here until his thirties! Behind closed doors I'm sure the club and VVD's representatives were all quite clear at the time on the reality of the situation, that he would leave as soon as a club of suitable stature came forward with a sensible bid.

 

Then the club got embarrassed by the tapping up stories, and rather than shrugging them off as the part of the nature of the modern game, they decided to double down on an intransigent position that offered us no winning outcome (I suppose other than the lunatics who think five years rotting in the reserves is the answer to anything other than their own unexplored inner rage).

 

As I said before, the fact that he's about to start his second CL final, while we're scrubbing around trying to put together a back line consisting of Yoshida and whoever else hasn't made a dreadful blunder recently says it all about the wisdom of our approach.

[Jimmy_D]

It's irrelevant - by virtue of being the best defender in the world he's automatically an edge case to which average behaviour doesn't apply. After all, how many players do we offer six year contracts to at the end of their first season? We were quite clearly trying to protect ourselves as best we could with a player we knew would soon be in very high demand.

 

Really, I can't imagine why anyone would believe that the six year contract was anything other than a move to boost his transfer value. As if he was ever going to stay here until his thirties! Behind closed doors I'm sure the club and VVD's representatives were all quite clear at the time on the reality of the situation, that he would leave as soon as a club of suitable stature came forward with a sensible bid.

 

Then the club got embarrassed by the tapping up stories, and rather than shrugging them off as the part of the nature of the modern game, they decided to double down on an intransigent position that offered us no winning outcome (I suppose other than the lunatics who think five years rotting in the reserves is the answer to anything other than their own unexplored inner rage).

 

As I said before, the fact that he's about to start his second CL final, while we're scrubbing around trying to put together a back line consisting of Yoshida and whoever else hasn't made a dreadful blunder recently says it all about the wisdom of our approach.

 

Considering how hard we tried to hold on to him, to the point of causing at least one season to be more or less written off, it's blatantly obvious we didn't want to sell him.

 

We wanted to build a team around him, knowing that no amount of money was going to replace him. Six years would have at least given us a chance of doing that, had VvD not done what he did.

 

I really don't see where the logic comes from that our recruitment would magically have been better, had we decided to sell him earlier for a lower price.

 

By virtue of being a football club, just occasionally things actually get done for footballing reasons.

[St_Tel49]

Agreed. My issue in that mess was with the club. Trying to keep him was pointless posturing that achieved nothing bit disharmony and disruption.

 

Back to the thread, they both will have moved for nights like that as well as the dollars, and fair play to them for being part of one of the best comebacks football has ever seen.

 

It achieved another £20m on his price.

[eelpie]

Congratulations (through gritted teeth!!)

 

They must be 'worth' double on the transfer market now

 

Wonder if there are any financial benefits to us if Liverpool win the Champions win

 

It's also arch enemy Spurs v arch enemy Liverhampton.

 

May the best team etc....

[pimpin4rizeal]

It's irrelevant - by virtue of being the best defender in the world he's automatically an edge case to which average behaviour doesn't apply. After all, how many players do we offer six year contracts to at the end of their first season? We were quite clearly trying to protect ourselves as best we could with a player we knew would soon be in very high demand.

 

Really, I can't imagine why anyone would believe that the six year contract was anything other than a move to boost his transfer value. As if he was ever going to stay here until his thirties! Behind closed doors I'm sure the club and VVD's representatives were all quite clear at the time on the reality of the situation, that he would leave as soon as a club of suitable stature came forward with a sensible bid.

 

Then the club got embarrassed by the tapping up stories, and rather than shrugging them off as the part of the nature of the modern game, they decided to double down on an intransigent position that offered us no winning outcome (I suppose other than the lunatics who think five years rotting in the reserves is the answer to anything other than their own unexplored inner rage).

 

As I said before, the fact that he's about to start his second CL final, while we're scrubbing around trying to put together a back line consisting of Yoshida and whoever else hasn't made a dreadful blunder recently says it all about the wisdom of our approach.

 

Speaking of the rotting in reserves theory.. if we had have played tough and just started to apply this and showed him we were the ones with the power, what possibly could vvd have done about this other then to stop acting like a b itch?

Serious question?