I must have missed this but I’d no idea that we were all set to sign Andros Townsend. I feel for the lad.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66918026

beddie wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:11 am

I must have missed this but I’d no idea that we were all set to sign Andros Townsend. I feel for the lad.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66918026

I wouldn't feel too sorry for him, he's doing ok, and could quite easily have found another club, but he's going in another direction it seems

Worth listening to his interview on the Monday Night Club. He was obviously gutted, whilst recognising the reasons why the contract offer was withdrawn. He reckons we'll start to "blow teams away" as we find our rhythm.

I still think his signing would have been good for us. His PL experience wouls have been invaluable with our young team.

Good interview and AT is being very diplomatic indeed, having being jettisoned the way he was ie he was liking to be starting games hence stopping young talent coming through . Brave decision by VK and very suprising indeed AT hasn’t found another gig ( though being dumped on deadline day won’t have helped !) I think his talent and experience would have been good but I’m not the gaffer!

There must be a reason why not 1 club anywhere in the world hasn't signed him.

Massive respect for him, seems a really good lad and has conducted himself well when 99% of players would have spat their dummy out

AlargeClaret wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:33 am

Good interview and AT is being very diplomatic indeed, having being jettisoned the way he was ie he was liking to be starting games hence stopping young talent coming through . Brave decision by VK and very suprising indeed AT hasn’t found another gig ( though being dumped on deadline day won’t have helped !) I think his talent and experience would have been good but I’m not the gaffer!

I thought it was prior to deadline day?

We've only heard one side of the story, and everything we have seen, heard and learnt about our manager suggests it would all have been done in a correct manner.

claretonthecoast1882 wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:39 am

There must be a reason why not 1 club anywhere in the world hasn't signed him.

Yet might be the operative word to end your sentence, aside of his injury problems could be wage demands but if we were considering signing him that's unlikely but you never know, he'll find a club I've known worse lost causes find clubs just takes time.

Nori1958 wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:46 am

I thought it was prior to deadline day?

We've only heard one side of the story, and everything we have seen, heard and learnt about our manager suggests it would all have been done in a correct manner.

Kompany told him when he was offered the terms it was conditional on who we signed and he accepted this. Something Andros at first claimed he had no idea about, least now he is changing his version of what occurred. His agent should have been able to get him sorted out somewhere and if he was happy to play in the 3rd tier of football in Saudi Arabia (do they even have a 3rd divison ?) then any half decent agent could have got him a deal in the championship here at least.

Surprised he’s not found a club. He looked very sharp against Benfica.

His account of what happened stayed the same, it boils down to 2 conflicting accounts & which 1 you decide to believe.

I seem to remember Townsend was really good against Benfica. Thought he'd bring some much needed "good enough now" to our squad of potential starts who've not been there before.

I wonder if Pace said to Kompany, you can have him but if you do keep him we'll have to stop trying to get other players in the same position. I'm sure if it was a straight choice between Townsend and Tresor VK would have chosen Tresor. Can't think why else he would have been offered a deal that evaporated in the time it took him to take a shower.

Surely he can still sign for a club ( if wanted), being OOC?

Looked good pre season. There will be a club that wants him but they probably aren’t offering the money that he or his agent wants . Compromise will be needed and depends whether playing football or money is his priority.

I think that the emergence of koleosho scuppered his chances.

A very decent guy who holds no public grudge, but the right decision. Many of our wide men will I sense get limited game time

warksclaret wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 9:19 am

A very decent guy who holds no public grudge, but the right decision. Many of our wide men will I sense get limited game time

Indeed. Very difficult to give game time to all the dozen or so wingers we signed

Obviously we had more joy in the markets than we expected for wide players. It’s dog eat dog. I can see the logic, Andros is currently better than our other options despite their huge potential so how can he have been left on the bench when we need wins? This way, as he said, we are developing an asset and making us an even better team in the years to come.

I just hope he doesn’t end up at a rival of ours and keeps them up at our expense, e.g. a return to Everton.

I’m losing count though of the number of players who claim Burnley Football Club has left them in tears. Times indeed are a changing.

Does make you wonder though why we signed so many wide players at the expense of other positions in the team.

There will be plenty of players who have verbally said they will sign for us before going elsewhere. That's business.

Papabendi wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 11:09 am

There will be plenty of players who have verbally said they will sign for us before going elsewhere. That's business.

Maatsen being the most recent probably!

I think he's handled himself very well in that interview, easy to lash out when you're obviously gutted. Looked good in pre-season, hopefully he gets a move soon.

Of course, he'll have no problem getting a club. If he went to almost anyone offering himself on a contract till January, he would get it. If he wants a longer term contract, on PL money, he might have to wait.

Presumably he can sign for anyone, anywhere? Out of contract on deadline day, so he's a free agent?

I think we saw in the United game why Townsend would have been a shrewd signing. We ran out of ideas in the 2nd half and looked very much like a team without a plan B or the required PL experience to make something happen.

Townsend has always been a direct player and someone capable of pulling something from nowhere. Some of his goals over the years have been incredible. I really enjoy watching what VK is building with young, exciting prospects but sometimes you need a bit of know-how and he would have provided this in a similar way to Lallana and Welbeck at Brighton.

Depending on how we get on in the next few months and subject to him still being available in January, who knows.

Nori1958 wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:46 am

I thought it was prior to deadline day?

We've only heard one side of the story, and everything we have seen, heard and learnt about our manager suggests it would all have been done in a correct manner.

Sounds more like his agent has over promised and ending up making a complete dogs breakfast of his season .

It's likely that there are offers for him and I hope he finds what he wants. However, as others have pointed out - we have no ideas of what his demands were.

Wilshire had a bit of PR a while back when released and was complaining that he couldn't find a club. I suspect what he meant by that was a large salary over 3 years when in reality clubs were offering pay-per-play contracts which he didn't want (for obvious reasons).

I want to know which school in Burnley he told his kids they were going to?

Must be a slow news day with this coming up yet again.
It was an offer in principle subject to incomings.
We did nothing wrong and he had plenty of time to attract another club.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get a deal.
He does however seem to be getting plenty of tv/radio work these days.

Really sorry for him, but I can't see how we could have done differently. Signing him out of sympathy, after another opportunity opened wouldn't have been right for him or the club. As a free agent he must have had other options, and I'm sure VK would have given him a great assessment.
Most things happen for a reason, and I hope he lands on his feet

Quickenthetempo wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 1:07 pm

I want to know which school in Burnley he told his kids they were going to?

Who said he was sending his kids to school in Burnley?

Rileybobs wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 6:34 pm

Who said he was sending his kids to school in Burnley?

Andros Townsend

HagridsHut wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 6:45 pm

Andros Townsend

Really? Where/when did he say that?

There’s a 5 live sport interview, about 1 min 30 in

HagridsHut wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 6:48 pm

There’s a 5 live sport interview, about 1 min 30 in

Just listened to it and he doesn’t say he was looking for schools on Burnley.

Rileybobs wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 6:52 pm

Just listened to it and he doesn’t say he was looking for schools on Burnley.

He said he’s taken his daughter out of school in Liverpool and he’s told her ‘ you’re gonna go school in Burnley’.

Rileybobs wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 6:52 pm

Just listened to it and he doesn’t say he was looking for schools on Burnley.

He says lancashire the assumption was Burnley it would have been somewhere nearby does it matter, I think we can assume it wouldn't have been London or Scotland, the fact is he was geared up for moving to the area with the belief he was signing a contract.

Doesn't really stack up with bringing Redmond in.

HagridsHut wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:00 pm

He said he’s taken his daughter out of school in Liverpool and he’s told her ‘ you’re gonna go school in Burnley’.

Fair enough if so, apologies. He doesn’t say that in the video in the OP or in the written article.

Rileybobs wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:04 pm

Fair enough if so, apologies. He doesn’t say that in the video in the OP or in the written article.

As HagridsHut says, it was said on a video I saw this morning.

Quickenthetempo wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:08 pm

As HagridsHut says, it was said on a video I saw this morning.

I never saw the video but I couldn't see where the big deal was coming from where he was going to send them, I just read lancashire & assumed nearby without being sure of the exact location.

https://x.com/5livesport/status/1706564 ... 95969?s=46


That’s the short interview rileybobs if you’re interested.

HagridsHut wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:29 pm

https://x.com/5livesport/status/1706564 ... 95969?s=46


That’s the short interview rileybobs if you’re interested.

Thanks. I expect he was simplifying things by telling his daughter she was going to school in Burnley.

claretonthecoast1882 wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:52 am

Kompany told him when he was offered the terms it was conditional on who we signed and he accepted this. Something Andros at first claimed he had no idea about, least now he is changing his version of what occurred. His agent should have been able to get him sorted out somewhere and if he was happy to play in the 3rd tier of football in Saudi Arabia (do they even have a 3rd divison ?) then any half decent agent could have got him a deal in the championship here at least.

The “worrying” thing with Saudi is this side of their game - we are seeing the stuff in the Saudi top division but in the background they are offering League 2 players £150k a year and a house/car to play in their 3rd tier - average wage for a League 2 player over here is £50k a year.

They are trying to build their whole football pyramid up to a good standard.

Rileybobs wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 7:37 pm

Thanks. I expect he was simplifying things by telling his daughter she was going to school in Burnley.

It's not that big a deal.

It was said light hearted.

Quickenthetempo wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 26, 2023 8:17 pm

It's not that big a deal.

It was said light hearted.

I know, no biggy - was just wondering where it had been said as the interview clip and quotes on the link said something different.

Just signed for Luton

Nailed on top bins screamer at Turf Moor

Think he might do well for them. Plenty of PL experience.