C+P Straight from the WFC Official Site CHAIRMAN ON KING SALE Sat 26 Jan 2008 WATFORD Chairman Graham Simpson spoke to BBC Three Counties Radio before today's fixture with Wolverhampton Wanderers, to underline the facts that led to Marlon King's departure to Wigan earlier this week for a fee rising to £4 million. The Hornets' supremo was keen for supporters to fully understand the reasoning behind the departure of the centre forward, and the reasons for King's final destination not being Fulham, the club who had previously agreed a £5m fee for the player before backing out of the deal for their own reasons. Article continues Advertisement Speaking to BBC Three Counties' Simon Oxley, Graham said: "Everyone is glad that there has been a solution and that we can now move on. Marlon has been a great servant for us and for that we thank him. "Let's clear the air, I wish Marlon all the best, but he spoke to me and he spoke to Aidy Boothroyd and made it clear that he didn't want to be here. For any of you who have met him, you know that he is a strong character and he has a massive impact on the club. "He wanted to go in the summer and we managed to keep him here, but then he came in at Christmas and said we had to let him go and that this was his opportunity to secure his family's future. We have to remember that this is a man that's been in prison and had the opportunity to resurrect his career and he's done that, but let's not forget it was with the help of Aidy Boothroyd that he achieved that. "If someone offered you twice what you were earning, I'm sure you'd think about it, and your wife would make you think about it and that's what Marlon's done. He's not on peanuts here no, but you also have to remember that he didn't have a three and a half year contract here either, so this way he's secured his future for the long term. "The decision was down to Aidy Boothroyd, not the Board as to whether he then stayed or went and Aidy had to make that decision for the good of the team following Marlon insisting he wanted to go." Speaking about the fee, the Chairman added: "Buying clubs don't always ask for the fees to be undisclosed, but it is Wigan's policy to do so. However, in this instance I will divulge it because I want our fans to understand what the deal is. "It's £3m guaranteed plus a further £1m in add ons, dependant on appearances and Wigan retaining their Premiership status. "It is less than the likes of Hameur Bouazza, but you have to take age into consideration, Marlon is now 27. Aside from that, there is also the fact that we have all been told, and I'm sure I don't have to repeat it, but the findings in Fulham's medical report. "As to whether or not those findings were correct, I honestly couldn't comment, that is Fulham's business. There was a hitch in the deal regarding his knee, and that has been taken into consideration. We found him to be fit for us, but that's what they've said."
Glad that Graham Simpson has enlightened us. Still a little disappointed with Marlon as we paid him a good salary while he was injured and IMO he should have seen it through till the summer. Still, no worries with Tamas up front.
FINALLY well done mr chairman for tidying this up still think we should have told marlon to belt up and let him move in the summer but we've got to move on now and Ellington is looking better(& fitter) with every game
The chairman came clean about the deal something which a lot of people had been hassling him for. Fair play to the man.
3m? Are they stark raving mad? First we accept a bid under his true value to us of 5m which surprised me, and then we manage to haggle the next team in for him down by two million. They should have left him to rot in the reserves if that is all they could get for him. I did not see the announcement when Eric Idle joined the club, and tought them how to haggle. Yet another terrible decision by Hoofroyd and the board, and once again the club have shown that they can once mess up big time in the transfer market.
Nah get him off the wage bill. ....and Priskin, Stewart, Kabba - they are more criminal for letting these duds stay then letting King go imo.
Well done Simpson for releasing the price. The price is poor, but I don't care. He is gone, now we can move on. He was clearly a disruptive influence.
So you'd seriously rather pay him £1.25m to sit in the reserves, rather than take the £3m and be done with the whole issue? Glad you're not chairman! The club would be bankrupt a week Tuesday...
well how much are we paying ellington who isnt even in the reserves all he has done so far is grow a stupid beard.
And scored against Charlton? Give the bloke a chance...as many of said the price tag wasn't his doing.
READ THE ARTICLE! He's damaged goods, he's gone. We were never going to get 5M after the Fulham fiasco.
If he wanted to go in the summer why did the club tnhen say he was happy and aidy say he would only sell him for £60m Once he had said that we were only ever on a means to and end and moving the finish line by keeping him
Aidy is an idealist - he obviously believed Marlon would show him the type of loyalty and professionalism he thought the players he signed had. I bet he honestly believed he could convince King to stay and not just with money. Now King has left for less than 10% of that figure it appears to undermines what he has said about the subject in the past - even his opinions after Preston now seem like empty promises. Anyway credit to Mr Simpson for speaking to 3 counties
27, the peak of his career, with a minimum of 3 years playing time and a maximum of 4? Would have liked more money, that pish poor for our best player, however if he truly is 'damaged goods' then that is a reasonable price, a fair price would have been a guaranteed 5 million imo. Fair play, glad he's cleared it up. Now lets move on, without King
Yeah I suppose so. King may have a dodgy knee, in which case this a decent bit of business, but we still would have had his class first touch and technical ability here for at least a few more years. His heart hasn't been with us recently, and he has seemed disintersted, so now he's gone we can move on. Ellington better start performing, the signs look promising...
It all slots into place! His attitude apparently stunk in Germany in the summer, and he has looked disinterested all season! Ungrateful wan*er! I stick by that aswell! He got a pay-rise for being injured most of last season! To be honest I wish he had gone now in the summer! We would have got more money for him...he's not half the player he was two seasons ago anyway...he's lost his sharpness around the box and a couple of yards of pace! Fair play to Simpson! It's Aidy again with his ridiculous remarks about him being happy here and not going for less than £60,000,000!! So Ellington's been sitting on the bench all season while King's been playing (half-heartedly). Outrageous!
If I was Ellington I'd be furious! Would you sit on the bench each week knowing you've got someone ahead of you that doesn't give a sh*t?
I read the article. We will get a max of 4m. 25% to Forest means we will see no more than 3m. 3m for our best player = Bad business. He was under contract to us, and if he wanted out should have been made to wait 18 months. If he was still to secure a lucrative contract then, he would have had to keep playing in the first team, and helped us to try and go up. I say it is very bad business and those that are happy are very easily pleased.
Yeah, presumably Aidy knew that King wanted out, so why continuosly play him? Ellington should have been starting.
Hmm. Do you: A - take whatever money you can get to get a disinterested & disruptive influence out of the club after he's told the chairman & manager he doesn't want to stay for the remaining months of his contract? B - keep him until the end of that contract on whatever he's earning (wasn't there something in Simpson's radio interview about the £25k a week being related to our promotion?) and play him only for some donkey of a centre-half (like Bougherra at Charlton) to decide Marlon's knee looks an interesting target for a high challenge? Yes, we might get some insurance money but we may also have already spent that on his wages & medical bills. I'd go for option A every time...
Good business IMHO and for once i'm happy with the club's handling of the situation. GS didn't have to reveal all this but of course it does take the heat of them somewhat. considering King said he wanted out in summer we got a decent half season out of him. as far as i know King has only said nice things about Watford. So far.
Business is business keeping hold of him was stupid could only have damaged things further. Lets face it in this transfer window the club have done most of what we all wanted. If you assume Aidy feels that in O'Toole and Bangura he has what he wants in midfield and take way the bad luck with Davenport we are a stronger squad now. We just need to get some confidence back. Aidy needs to get across to the players that the season starts here. We would have taken 3rd at this point within 3 points of the leaders at the start of the season !
Contracts are worth nothing any more. Did you seriously want to have a player here that didn't want to be here? I'm not happy either, but I can see why it happened.
