Tapping Up

[fridgemagnet]

We signed Bostock when Ramos was manager.

I know i was just using that as the only example i can remember of us being dragged through the press over how we were going about trying to get him cheap.

Harry was just being Harry when he started taking about there teams players, it didn't sit right with me but i need thought "oh that pesky Daniel Levy has told him to talk about that player"

That's what i was trying to say

 

[ClintEastwould]

Hope we don't go public with this again, it was embarrassing enough last time. I don't think a club that once employed Harry Redknapp can really complain about tapping up.

ah. 'triffic lad...not a moments trouble...'

 

[sloth]

I think you're right...the stuff in the press is something else. Tapping up is, or certainly was, when a club speaks directly to the player/the player's agent without the owning club's permission. Getting Zidane or ratface to say in the media that they want Bale to join isn't tapping up...it's just marketing effectively.

But what concerns me is that if there is that much public flirting with Bale, what's going on behind the scenes? As you say it's so hard to police now, but I do think that it does some harm.

I agree with you. However that's the way the world is, there's absolutely no point in having laws which are unenforceable, better by far to just say you can talk to players. You can in other industries after all.

 

[Ribble]

I know i was just using that as the only example i can remember of us being dragged through the press over how we were going about trying to get him cheap.

Pretty certain that isn't what happened with Bostock. As I remember it we had to offer compensation, Simon Jordan rejected it thinking he'd get more at tribunal but they ended up getting far less and he stormed off in a huff.

 

[$hoguN]

Pretty certain that isn't what happened with Bostock. As I remember it we had to offer compensation, Simon Jordan rejected it thinking he'd get more at tribunal but they ended up getting far less and he stormed off in a huff.

Yeah this is exactly what happened. Bostock moved to us and we offered them something around 1.4 million for him (if I remember correctly), Jordan wanted something a lot higher and it went to tribunal. Resulting in us paying about 750000.

 

[Main Man]

Every player is tapped up.

We would be very naive if we think we could revolutionise the modern day transfer market.

 

[Mr-T]

Seems like the line we took with Liverpool and Man U with Keane and Berbatov, Levy makes a legal case for tapping up in order to drive the price up should the worst happen.

 

[ItsBoris]

We should tell Madrid that because of their tapping up, they've lost their chance to sign Bale ever and that if we sell him in future windows it will be to another club provided they act respectfully. We didn't put up with Chelsea's bullshit, we shouldn't with Madrid either.

 

[not_tenth-again]

Simple, we just tell them we don't deal with clubs that leak. First time we catch wind of it in the press, negotiations are off.

Might take a while but we will get our respect one way or the other.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

We should tell Madrid that because of their tapping up, they've lost their chance to sign Bale ever and that if we sell him in future windows it will be to another club provided they act respectfully. We didn't put up with Chelsea's bullshit, we shouldn't with Madrid either.

The problem is we probably want to sell him to Madrid when he eventually asks to leave. I know I don't want him joining another prem team and he isn't going to join PSG/Monaco so that only really leaves Barce/Bayern/Madrid who can pay the money. Barce probably wouldn't pay the money and I doubt Bale would want to go to the Bundesliga and join Bayern. So in reality we are kind of have to put up with Madrids public flirting.

 

[sloth]

Simple, we just tell them we don't deal with clubs that leak. First time we catch wind of it in the press, negotiations are off.

Might take a while but we will get our respect one way or the other.

The way to deal with players being head-hunted by larger clubs when we want to keep hold of them is exactly as we have done; we make sure we have them on longish contracts, renewed every year, and where a player goes on strike we don't buckle unless our valuation of the player is matched.

In the case of Berbatov it was matched and we sent a message that getting the player to strike won't ensure a discount, but in fact will result in a premium.

In the case of Modric we forced the player to remain for another season, and we didn't sell him to the club which did the unsettling, and in the end we realised his proper value. The message here being first to the player, you can strike but it will be painful and we won't buckle, and to the buying club, you won't get your man and you won't get a discount.

In both the above cases there was a price, and there was also immediate negative consequences or resisting in the way we did, however the long term benefit is being realised now, where players who want to leave have to think long and hard about whether with several years on their contract they want to go down the Modric route which in the end wasn't successful, or whether they want to work with the club. The buying clubs will also think about Levy's track record and whether an approach which sees a player unsettled is really the best way for them to get their man and to get a reduced price for him.

 

[Harry_Snatch]

The way to deal with players being head-hunted by larger clubs when we want to keep hold of them is exactly as we have done; we make sure we have them on longish contracts, renewed every year, and where a player goes on strike we don't buckle unless our valuation of the player is matched.

In the case of Berbatov it was matched and we sent a message that getting the player to strike won't ensure a discount, but in fact will result in a premium and in fact you won't get him until the last minute.

In the case of Modric we forced the player to remain for another season, and we didn't sell him to the club which did the unsettling, and in the end we realised his proper value. The message here being first to the player, you can strike but it will be painful and we won't buckle, and to the buying club, you won't get your man and you won't get a discount.

In both the above cases there was a price, and there was also immediate negative consequences or resisting in the way we did, however the long term benefit is being realised now, where players who want to leave have to think long and hard about whether with several years on their contract they want to go down the Modric route which in the end wasn't successful, or whether they want to work with the club. The buying clubs will also think about Levy's track record and whether an approach which sees a player unsettled is really the best way for them to get their man and to get a reduced price for him.

Add to that we don't sell our best players to other English clubs anymore. A ploy that makes sense because the premier league doesn't want it's crown jewels in other leagues and they are just about the only thing that can influence the rags to hold off on the constant barrage of stories.

I think Chelsea have certainly learnt their lesson. As have UTD tbh. Real Madrid are a rule unto themselves. There is literally no point with them as they will never receive any official punishment that would do them any damage at all. Very much doubt that they will be able to unsettle GB this season. I'd bet they know that as well. This summers story's will be setting the scene for next year, when they almost certainly will get their man. They probably want it that way as well, as he'll be another season developed and much more ready to go and take his talents to the biggest stage.

 

[Harry_Snatch]

The problem is we probably want to sell him to Madrid when he eventually asks to leave. I know I don't want him joining another prem team and he isn't going to join PSG/Monaco so that only really leaves Barce/Bayern/Madrid who can pay the money. Barce probably wouldn't pay the money and I doubt Bale would want to go to the Bundesliga and join Bayern. So in reality we are kind of have to put up with Madrids public flirting.

This is on point imo. Real Madrid is the best place for him to go aside from Barca. We actually want them to pay 85m for him if he has to go. Let's face it, one day he will have to go because the way football is structured, we'll never be able to compete with the very top clubs and that is where the very best players want to go eventually.

 

[Harry_Snatch]

I was thinking that clubs should be fined for speaking about transfers of other clubs, but they're all too rich to notice the affect of that, so instead why not have some sort of transfer embargo applied?

Difficult to think of a solution that would be effective, but something needs to be done, because it clearly works and unsettles players. Look at the fabregas situation - barcelona were a complete joke

at the end of the day it's Real Madrid, they are untouchable in football and any player would want to play there. Tapping up will always happen. If they are a club that is direct competition then you fight it with all your might but wanting Real Madrid not snaffle up all the best players and always be at the top of the tree is wanting football to completely change it's culture.

 

[$hoguN]

The way to deal with players being head-hunted by larger clubs when we want to keep hold of them is exactly as we have done; we make sure we have them on longish contracts, renewed every year, and where a player goes on strike we don't buckle unless our valuation of the player is matched.

In the case of Berbatov it was matched and we sent a message that getting the player to strike won't ensure a discount, but in fact will result in a premium and in fact you won't get him until the last minute.

In the case of Modric we forced the player to remain for another season, and we didn't sell him to the club which did the unsettling, and in the end we realised his proper value. The message here being first to the player, you can strike but it will be painful and we won't buckle, and to the buying club, you won't get your man and you won't get a discount.

In both the above cases there was a price, and there was also immediate negative consequences or resisting in the way we did, however the long term benefit is being realised now, where players who want to leave have to think long and hard about whether with several years on their contract they want to go down the Modric route which in the end wasn't successful, or whether they want to work with the club. The buying clubs will also think about Levy's track record and whether an approach which sees a player unsettled is really the best way for them to get their man and to get a reduced price for him.

Although this is spot on, I think such blatant attempts to unsettle a player as Zidane has been taking has to lead to a complaint. I really hope we never sell Bale to Madrid.

 

[Yid-ol]

Although this is spot on, I think such blatant attempts to unsettle a player as Zidane has been taking has to lead to a complaint. I really hope we never sell Bale to Madrid.

I hope we come out and say all these rumours are wrong, we are not looking to sell bale. All of this has come around due to Ronaldo wanting to move away from Real and them wanting a player to step into his shoes.


See how they like it if we start saying there players want to leave!

 

[sloth]

Although this is spot on, I think such blatant attempts to unsettle a player as Zidane has been taking has to lead to a complaint. I really hope we never sell Bale to Madrid.

He's not trying to unsettle Bale. Or rather he probably is but he'll be doing it over the phone, speaking to his agent etc. there's nothing to be gained by doing it publicly. Bale knows what they want him to do, and he knows what the consequences of doing it are. Zidane is letting Real Madrid fans know where it's got to, what is required if they want to get Bale, and laying the ground work for explaining why they didn't get him if they don't: "He needed to speak to his club, he didn't, we tried our best, but what can you do?"

 

[sloth]

I hope we come out and say all these rumours are wrong, we are not looking to sell bale. All of this has come around due to Ronaldo wanting to move away from Real and them wanting a player to step into his shoes.


See how they like it if we start saying there players want to leave!

Mate, come on...

 

[Yid-ol]

Mate, come on...

I know, i am just sick of all the talk. What i said would never happen, i jhust thought it would be amusing

 

[$hoguN]

He's not trying to unsettle Bale. Or rather he probably is but he'll be doing it over the phone, speaking to his agent etc. there's nothing to be gained by doing it publicly. Bale knows what they want him to do, and he knows what the consequences of doing it are. Zidane is letting Real Madrid fans know where it's got to, what is required if they want to get Bale, and laying the ground work for explaining why they didn't get him if they don't: "He needed to speak to his club, he didn't, we tried our best, but what can you do?"

I think there are big positives for Madrid by stating this in the media rather than passing this info on to Bale's agent. By stating in the media that he Bale needs to have a word with the club, he is trying to drum up more media pressure and skew the opinions of those close to Bale, who he may listen to. It is very underhanded and really has to be clamped down upon. It is every bit as bad as Barca's players giving Fabregas a shirt with his name on.