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Fitton set to get tough with players agents
FOOTBALL Agents may be the curse of most chairman's life but a new no-nonsense approach to them at the County Ground ensures Town will not be messed around, writes ANDY CRYER.
Swindon chief Andrew Fitton admits his first few months' experience of running a football club has proved a big learning curve but insists his newness to the game has proved beneficial when it comes to the transfer market.
An agents charter' has been drawn up by Fitton & Co laying down the rules to players' agents and the Town chairman insists if these are broken, any potential business will immediately be ended.
Fitton, pictured, believes the policy has helped their relationship with agents in their first few months at the club - claiming they cannot afford to be dragged into trying to meet agents' demands.
While he revealed on Saturday his belief that Cardiff-bound Miguel Comminges had had his "head turned" by his agent, Fitton insisted that on the whole the club's relationship with player representatives has been better than most.
He said: "We are new to running a football club and so it is a steep learning curve at times but I also think our freshness helps our outlook at times.
"We have set our own rules, because we know how things are done in normal business, and we have put into place an agents charter that they all need to read before we will even think about dealing with them.
"One of the points in our policy is we won't negotiate a deal and then see the agents looking for a fee to be paid. It is up to the players to pay their own agents at Swindon and that is a rule that will not change."
Some clubs' distrust of agents have them seen them being banned from any transfer dealings but Fitton believes a total ban would be cutting their nose off to spite their face.
He said: "It is simple really, the agents either adhere to our rules or they do business elsewhere. Some clubs won't deal with them at all but I don't see the point in that.
"We could be missing out on players by doing that.
"So what we have done is fair I think, we just won't pay the fees of agents because that is down to the players.
"I don't know whether this is unique in football.
"All it is is we have a policy statement saying how we will deal with them.
"We have actually not had problems with the agents.
"I think that is because they have read our policy statement and known what they are going to be dealing with."
9:49am Monday 12th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: hogface, Worcestershire on 10:44am Mon 12 May 08
Delighted to read this. Why should clubs pay the player's agents for negotiating a deal ?
Delighted to read this. Why should clubs pay the player's agents for negotiating a deal ?
Posted by: Swindon_till_I_die, Bangor North Wales on 11:10am Mon 12 May 08
While he revealed on Saturday his belief that Cardiff-bound Miguel Comminges had had his "head turned" by his agent,
Or could it be that that the agent's head was turned against us by this so called charter and a highly gifted talent has been lost to us.
Unfortunately we may learn the hard way that if we want to be able to attract and keep decent players at the club then like it or not
we have to play by the agents rules,and if you want to tempt 6000 into purchasing season tickets then you need to keep the agents sweet
because any players on their books will be touted to our rivals before us and the only players we will see arriving in the close season will be every other club's rejects.
While he revealed on Saturday his belief that Cardiff-bound Miguel Comminges had had his "head turned" by his agent,
Or could it be that that the agent's head was turned against us by this so called charter and a highly gifted talent has been lost to us.
Unfortunately we may learn the hard way that if we want to be able to attract and keep decent players at the club then like it or not
we have to play by the agents rules,and if you want to tempt 6000 into purchasing season tickets then you need to keep the agents sweet
because any players on their books will be touted to our rivals before us and the only players we will see arriving in the close season will be every other club's rejects.
Posted by: Swindon_till_I_die, Bangor North Wales on 11:27am Mon 12 May 08
While he revealed on Saturday his belief that Cardiff-bound Miguel Comminges had had his "head turned" by his agent,
Or could it be that the agent has had his head turned against us and a highly gifted and promising player has been lost.Unfortunately
we may learn the hard way that if we want to attract and keep decent players at the club then like it or not, we will have to play by the agents rules,and if you want to tempt 6000 people into buying season tickets then you will need to keep the agents sweet or else the players on their books will be touted to our rivals first and the only ones we will see
arriving at the county ground will be every other teams out of contact rejects.In fact it has been well documented in the press that certain managers and chairmen have been under investigation for illegal dealings with agents in an attempt to lure the best players to their clubs so I'm afraid this stance is just going to prove to be a massive own goal and you must realise that certain stances that may work in other businesses will not work in the running of a succesfull football club.
While he revealed on Saturday his belief that Cardiff-bound Miguel Comminges had had his "head turned" by his agent,
Or could it be that the agent has had his head turned against us and a highly gifted and promising player has been lost.Unfortunately
we may learn the hard way that if we want to attract and keep decent players at the club then like it or not, we will have to play by the agents rules,and if you want to tempt 6000 people into buying season tickets then you will need to keep the agents sweet or else the players on their books will be touted to our rivals first and the only ones we will see
arriving at the county ground will be every other teams out of contact rejects.In fact it has been well documented in the press that certain managers and chairmen have been under investigation for illegal dealings with agents in an attempt to lure the best players to their clubs so I'm afraid this stance is just going to prove to be a massive own goal and you must realise that certain stances that may work in other businesses will not work in the running of a succesfull football club.
Posted by: Swindon_till_I_die, Bangor North Wales on 11:28am Mon 12 May 08
Sorry about the repeat I didn't think the first
had been succesfully posted
Sorry about the repeat I didn't think the first
had been succesfully posted
Posted by: stuart randall, port de soller mallorca on 11:44am Mon 12 May 08
First as before AF has done well for us "SAVED US"
Agents unfortunately are here to stay and a hard attitude against them may not be the right route to take???
It has to be a 3 way thing now Club/Player/Agent
I just hope the club will work it out.
Also as to the ticket reduction as said great PR Job, yet can fans afford this day and age to pay up front??? especially whenn MM makes negative comments as to the type of player coming in(freebie or loan) this is ok if done in a correct manner,cash cannot be thrown away on sell by date players or injury prone(god knows we have had our share of them)
so let us hope the target is reached I guess the club needs to walk before it can run.
I do wish the club all the best for the coming season and all the fans a good summer break[bold]bold[/bold]
First as before AF has done well for us "SAVED US"
Agents unfortunately are here to stay and a hard attitude against them may not be the right route to take???
It has to be a 3 way thing now Club/Player/Agent
I just hope the club will work it out.
Also as to the ticket reduction as said great PR Job, yet can fans afford this day and age to pay up front??? especially whenn MM makes negative comments as to the type of player coming in(freebie or loan) this is ok if done in a correct manner,cash cannot be thrown away on sell by date players or injury prone(god knows we have had our share of them)
so let us hope the target is reached I guess the club needs to walk before it can run.
I do wish the club all the best for the coming season and all the fans a good summer break
Posted by: s.lovesey, Swindon on 1:09pm Mon 12 May 08
To be fair this is a good offer for people who want to part with their cash up front. As much as I would like a season ticket, I am still undecided as to whether to purchase one or not. I am still not happy with MM, although he seems to have taken on board some of the comments from fans and his interviews have improved, but I am still unconvinced at this stage.
But you cant deny this is a good opportunity to have cheap football at the CG, shame we wont have much of a team to entertain the 6K poor souls who have parted with their cash up front !!
To be fair this is a good offer for people who want to part with their cash up front. As much as I would like a season ticket, I am still undecided as to whether to purchase one or not. I am still not happy with MM, although he seems to have taken on board some of the comments from fans and his interviews have improved, but I am still unconvinced at this stage.
But you cant deny this is a good opportunity to have cheap football at the CG, shame we wont have much of a team to entertain the 6K poor souls who have parted with their cash up front !!
Posted by: A Tax Payer, Peatmoor on 1:37pm Mon 12 May 08
[quote][bold]Swindon_till_I_die[/bold] wrote:
While he revealed on Saturday his belief that Cardiff-bound Miguel Comminges had had his "head turned" by his agent,
Or could it be that the agent has had his head turned against us and a highly gifted and promising player has been lost.Unfortunately
we may learn the hard way that if we want to attract and keep decent players at the club then like it or not, we will have to play by the agents rules,and if you want to tempt 6000 people into buying season tickets then you will need to keep the agents sweet or else the players on their books will be touted to our rivals first and the only ones we will see
arriving at the county ground will be every other teams out of contact rejects.In fact it has been well documented in the press that certain managers and chairmen have been under investigation for illegal dealings with agents in an attempt to lure the best players to their clubs so I'm afraid this stance is just going to prove to be a massive own goal and you must realise that certain stances that may work in other businesses will not work in the running of a succesfull football club.[/quote] Firstly,I think you'll find that we will be trading in "every other teams out of contract rejects" as you refer to them whatever our stance is with agents as we clearly have a limited budget to go and splash the cash on transfer fees. Therefore your sweeping statement is ill founded.
Secondly, as someone who along with a friend are probably 90% sure of getting a season ticket (for the first time in years) irrespective of how many games we manage to get to next season due to work commitments have to ask ourselves who do we trust to run the club and get the best deal for STFC? Fitton's business acumen or the ill thought out ramblings of a far away "supporter"?
Swindon_till_I_die wrote:
While he revealed on Saturday his belief that Cardiff-bound Miguel Comminges had had his "head turned" by his agent,
Or could it be that the agent has had his head turned against us and a highly gifted and promising player has been lost.Unfortunately
we may learn the hard way that if we want to attract and keep decent players at the club then like it or not, we will have to play by the agents rules,and if you want to tempt 6000 people into buying season tickets then you will need to keep the agents sweet or else the players on their books will be touted to our rivals first and the only ones we will see
arriving at the county ground will be every other teams out of contact rejects.In fact it has been well documented in the press that certain managers and chairmen have been under investigation for illegal dealings with agents in an attempt to lure the best players to their clubs so I'm afraid this stance is just going to prove to be a massive own goal and you must realise that certain stances that may work in other businesses will not work in the running of a succesfull football club.
Firstly,I think you'll find that we will be trading in "every other teams out of contract rejects" as you refer to them whatever our stance is with agents as we clearly have a limited budget to go and splash the cash on transfer fees. Therefore your sweeping statement is ill founded.
Secondly, as someone who along with a friend are probably 90% sure of getting a season ticket (for the first time in years) irrespective of how many games we manage to get to next season due to work commitments have to ask ourselves who do we trust to run the club and get the best deal for STFC? Fitton's business acumen or the ill thought out ramblings of a far away "supporter"?
Posted by: danboyshearer, parksouth on 1:58pm Mon 12 May 08
agents earn far to much for the work they put in. all they do is act as a middle man and try and get the best deal they can for a player but at the end of the day half these players could do the dealing themselves and the they wouldnt have to pay a fee to the muppet sitting next to him whose only intrest is not football but£££££££££££££££££
££££££££££££££££££££
£££££££££££££
agents earn far to much for the work they put in. all they do is act as a middle man and try and get the best deal they can for a player but at the end of the day half these players could do the dealing themselves and the they wouldnt have to pay a fee to the muppet sitting next to him whose only intrest is not football but£££££££££££££££££
££££££££££££££££££££
£££££££££££££
Posted by: yeti, swindon on 1:58pm Mon 12 May 08
comminges has left for more money and to play a higher standard of football.
agents are here for the forseeable future if we dont work with them then we will limit the players that will come here.
comminges has left for more money and to play a higher standard of football.
agents are here for the forseeable future if we dont work with them then we will limit the players that will come here.
Posted by: danboyshearer, parksouth on 2:02pm Mon 12 May 08
there better letting there parents sort them out upto about 21 and then if theye feel the need for an agent then give the job to mum or dad if there able to do it for you they know a player better than anyone and are completely trustworty ( barring the freaky father who wants to rip his own kid off) once in a blue moon you get one of the scummers comealong , but all in all its a good idea
there better letting there parents sort them out upto about 21 and then if theye feel the need for an agent then give the job to mum or dad if there able to do it for you they know a player better than anyone and are completely trustworty ( barring the freaky father who wants to rip his own kid off) once in a blue moon you get one of the scummers comealong , but all in all its a good idea
Posted by: s.lovesey, Swindon on 3:04pm Mon 12 May 08
[quote][bold]yeti[/bold] wrote:
comminges has left for more money and to play a higher standard of football. agents are here for the forseeable future if we dont work with them then we will limit the players that will come here.[/quote] I agree Yeti !!
yeti wrote:
comminges has left for more money and to play a higher standard of football. agents are here for the forseeable future if we dont work with them then we will limit the players that will come here.
I agree Yeti !!
Posted by: gskyrme, London on 3:52pm Mon 12 May 08
A mate of mine works in finance for West HAm and says it is a discrace how much these guys get for doing very little work.
Unfortunately although the scum of football agents hold a lot of power - look at Mike Newell of Luton, because no agent will talk to him now no club will dare appoint him. Simon Jorden refused to sign Tim Cahill because he wouldn't pay £125k for the agent making a couple of phone calls - Palace would have probably stayed in the premiership had they signed him as he went to have an amazing first season with Everton.
Unless all chairmen collectively refuse to pay agents it will carry on.
A mate of mine works in finance for West HAm and says it is a discrace how much these guys get for doing very little work.
Unfortunately although the scum of football agents hold a lot of power - look at Mike Newell of Luton, because no agent will talk to him now no club will dare appoint him. Simon Jorden refused to sign Tim Cahill because he wouldn't pay £125k for the agent making a couple of phone calls - Palace would have probably stayed in the premiership had they signed him as he went to have an amazing first season with Everton.
Unless all chairmen collectively refuse to pay agents it will carry on.
Posted by: A Tax Payer, Peatmoor on 4:48pm Mon 12 May 08
I think some may be missing the point. Fitton appears to be saying if you want to do business with then fine we'll do business with you. However, you'll need to sign a code of conduct that we (STFC) expect you to adhere to and BTW we will NOT pay your fee, that is down to your client (the player) to settle. This ensures a level playing field that both and that both parties know where they stand what is or is not acceptable. Standard terms of business in the commercial world, simple really. It may mean that the player asks for more to compensate for the loss of x % to his agent, however the player then risks losing out on a contract when at the moment it is a buyers market.
I think some may be missing the point. Fitton appears to be saying if you want to do business with then fine we'll do business with you. However, you'll need to sign a code of conduct that we (STFC) expect you to adhere to and BTW we will NOT pay your fee, that is down to your client (the player) to settle. This ensures a level playing field that both and that both parties know where they stand what is or is not acceptable. Standard terms of business in the commercial world, simple really. It may mean that the player asks for more to compensate for the loss of x % to his agent, however the player then risks losing out on a contract when at the moment it is a buyers market.
Posted by: A Tax Payer, Peatmoor on 4:52pm Mon 12 May 08
Sorry about the last post's typos.
One other thing it lessens the chances of the club being embroiled in financial irregularities, something that blights our very recent past, does it not?
Sorry about the last post's typos.
One other thing it lessens the chances of the club being embroiled in financial irregularities, something that blights our very recent past, does it not?
Posted by: old town red, swindon on 6:22pm Mon 12 May 08
I liked what gskyrme has to say, personally I believe Mike Newell is a brilliant coach and if he would fit in with the thoughts of AF, he is someone I would welcome on board at our club.
Agents cannot have it both ways they either represent the club exclusively or the player, not both! I would guess their fee is around 10%. If players on £100k a year hand over 10% of their earnings because they believe their agents negotiating skills are better than their own, it's their loss, as with every other job their has a marketing value as to what you have to offer.The top notch players can justifiably say I can add 5000 to the gate, for Swindon I think only Mcnamee and Brez can justifiabily say they will add 500 to the gate.
So end of story all players should be on standard packages within the pay structures of the club (with added bonuses for success) rates. Conclusion lower level players don't need agents unless they can't find a club to play for.
I liked what gskyrme has to say, personally I believe Mike Newell is a brilliant coach and if he would fit in with the thoughts of AF, he is someone I would welcome on board at our club.
Agents cannot have it both ways they either represent the club exclusively or the player, not both! I would guess their fee is around 10%. If players on £100k a year hand over 10% of their earnings because they believe their agents negotiating skills are better than their own, it's their loss, as with every other job their has a marketing value as to what you have to offer.The top notch players can justifiably say I can add 5000 to the gate, for Swindon I think only Mcnamee and Brez can justifiabily say they will add 500 to the gate.
So end of story all players should be on standard packages within the pay structures of the club (with added bonuses for success) rates. Conclusion lower level players don't need agents unless they can't find a club to play for.
Posted by: she-red on 11:04pm Mon 12 May 08
just watched the leeds scum get out of jail in the play off v carlisle. Lucky Lucky b*****ds...scored in the 95th minute...where did all that extra time come from?
just watched the leeds scum get out of jail in the play off v carlisle. Lucky Lucky b*****ds...scored in the 95th minute...where did all that extra time come from?
Posted by: TonyJanson, Chippenham on 7:44am Tue 13 May 08
[quote][bold]she-red[/bold] wrote:
just watched the leeds scum get out of jail in the play off v carlisle. Lucky Lucky b*****ds...scored in the 95th minute...where did all that extra time come from?[/quote] Five minutes extra time is more than usual but not incredible. Many games are won and lost in the 89th minute,etc., and often the difference in the two teams is fitness. Lou Macari knew fitness was key and I hope MM knows it too.
she-red wrote:
just watched the leeds scum get out of jail in the play off v carlisle. Lucky Lucky b*****ds...scored in the 95th minute...where did all that extra time come from?
Five minutes extra time is more than usual but not incredible. Many games are won and lost in the 89th minute,etc., and often the difference in the two teams is fitness. Lou Macari knew fitness was key and I hope MM knows it too.
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