Marky wrote:

George Street-Bridge wrote:The obvious advantage Oxford have is the location. An hour down the road and you are in West or North London.

Where there's a lot more competition from other clubs.

It is the thing I find really frustrating, somehow an excuse is always found. If you look at a map of England and Wales Newport is fairly central. It has good road and rail links. The toll has gone. Newport is far more affordable than much of England. And even though Newport is hardly the most sulubrious of cities there are some lovely villages in the county of Gwent.

In the context of recruiting players who don't quite make it at top clubs' academies, many of whom will be still living with parents at home, I doubt how attractive the villages of Monmouthshire are would be a factor.

George Street-Bridge wrote:In the context of recruiting players who don't quite make it at top clubs' academies, many of whom will be still living with parents, home, I doubt how attractive the villages of Monmouthshire are would be a factor.

Quite true and it’s why the likes of Barrow FC train in Manchester.

He's our greatest asset so I would be trying to get him to sign a new deal at the very least. Obviously if we get promoted he would be more inclined to stay but for me I would be offering him an extra year (2 if he'd take it) at a slightly higher wage, an automatic increase if we are promoted and a release clause if someone offers over x - that way we protect his value but he still has the option to move on if he gets an offer he can't refuse. He might refuse but I would like to think we are trying at the very least!

I would be interested in your views and there is no right or wrong answer.

We are League leaders. If we sell Sheehan in January we will gain perhaps £150,000. If we don't in the summer he will go for nothing.

Now is the loss of £150,000 an acceptable price to pay to enhance considerably our chance of promotion?

For me yes, if football is about glory then it's a no brainer. But other views are welcome.

Stan A. Einstein wrote:I would be interested in your views and there is no right or wrong answer.

We are League leaders. If we sell Sheehan in January we will gain perhaps £150,000. If we don't in the summer he will go for nothing.

Now is the loss of £150,000 an acceptable price to pay to enhance considerably our chance of promotion?

For me yes, if football is about glory then it's a no brainer. But other views are welcome.

If we have ambitious to get promoted then I think we need to keep him mate but there's always a but! If the lad wants to go let him we only want happy players

UPTHEPORT wrote:

Stan A. Einstein wrote:I would be interested in your views and there is no right or wrong answer.

We are League leaders. If we sell Sheehan in January we will gain perhaps £150,000. If we don't in the summer he will go for nothing.

Now is the loss of £150,000 an acceptable price to pay to enhance considerably our chance of promotion?

For me yes, if football is about glory then it's a no brainer. But other views are welcome.

If we have ambitious to get promoted then I think we need to keep him mate but there's always a but! If the lad wants to go let him we only want happy players

And if I was in his boots I'd think, I move in January and Newport County receive £150,000 transfer fee. I stay until June and I receive that £150,000 fee. I have to be honest Jim in those circumstances I wouldn't be happy to stay, I'd be absolutely over the moon.

Stan A. Einstein wrote:I would be interested in your views and there is no right or wrong answer.

We are League leaders. If we sell Sheehan in January we will gain perhaps £150,000. If we don't in the summer he will go for nothing.

Now is the loss of £150,000 an acceptable price to pay to enhance considerably our chance of promotion?

For me yes, if football is about glory then it's a no brainer. But other views are welcome.

Morning Brendan,

Emotional one. From the limited number of games I have seen this season, Sheehan has been superb. I voted him mom in one. Class player. Well deserved Wales call up.

I do think the £k150 is challengeable but I get your point. We have been told that the club has funds until January. We cannot survive without funds. No one wants to see a repeat of financial free fall.

As much as it goes against the drive for success as a club with all the enjoyment it brings, survival is paramount. There, my vote is to take the money and move on. Might seem harsh, I hope he stays and we survive financially, but......

Excuse the analogy, but I think the goalposts have changed a bit due to covid. No PL or Championship club will want to be seen to undermine a lower-league club and cause them financial losses.

So, I think the days of a player and his agent earning a bigger signing-on fee if they sign for a new club 'out of contract' are gone, because this creates a loss for clubs like Newport. I would expect we'll see a lot more of this scenario from now on - player like Sheehan catches the eye of, say, Bristol City and they know he's out of contract at little Newport in summer 2021. They make us an offer of, say, £200K in January, we agree and he signs for City but is loaned back to us for Jan-May before joining them properly next summer.

That way everyone benefits -

County get a fee plus the added benefit of him staying with us to help the promotion cause.
Josh gets to sign for a bigger club and gets a wage rise (which City pay) from January.
City get a player they wanted but perhaps couldn't justify immediately as part of their starting XI but can monitor his progress from nearby.

The only complication / risk will be if Josh picks up a serious injury while 'on loan' to us.

If I was his advisors I’d be telling him not to accept any new contract offer from us, unfortunately we are at the lower end of the footballing ladder, much as it pains me to say it but he will be off whether it’s January or in the summer, and if I was his advisors I’d be saying Summer .... more wonga for him/them.


...... but Mr Labadie may tell him different.

Could sell for £150k if he’s loaned back to us for the rest of the season!

More importantly we have a current Newport County player playing for Wales. Get in there.

Exile 1976 wrote:More importantly we have a current Newport County player playing for Wales. Get in there.

Well done Josh.

I am buzzing for him,Nigel and Lowndes in the 80’s were the last to play while with us.

What an achievement. Not only for Josh but a real sign of how the club is progressing. I thought he was great and certainly didn't look out of place. Any rumours of £150k are laughable, we're not non-league push overs now. We got nearly a million work Washington a few years ago! I'd be stunned if we even considered taking less than that now, especially with a Welsh cap.

Well done Josh, very proud as a County fan today