News: Orford close to walking out

[ManlyBacker]

<p>Matt Orford is ready to walk out on Manly after English Super League club Bradford weighed in with a big offer.</p>


<a href="http://www.silvertails.net/news/4372-orford-close-to-walking-out.html">Read the full article</a>

 

[Chip and Chase]

** crosses fingers and prays Bradford get their man **

 

[Guest]

Another great start to our season. 

 

[Fro]

maybe he'll get the message soon

 

[The Wheel]

Wheres DSM adding his two cents?

 

[Cameron]

Wheres DSM adding his two cents?

hes washing his boxers and is off to the chemist to reload the vigara
hes shot his load several times reading this.

Gee life post Grant Mayer is soooo good for our club

 

[Guest]

No worries.  Graham Lowe will probably bring Stacey jones with him?  Or Michael Witt?  Michael Monaghan anyone?

 

[deadlyeagle]

I think this is bit of a beat up, there was no solid evidence in the article.
TBH im not bothered either way if he stays or leaves.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

LOL, an article full of quotes from both parties

Load of crap, Orford won't be going anywhere and will be reporting for training on Monday alongside Robbo and Wolfman

 

[PONTIAN SEA EAGLE]

Dsm5 must be helping him onto the plane as we speak.

 

[Canteen Worker]

Dsm5 must be helping him onto the plane as we speak.

Fro might be there helping too!!!

 

[Cletus]

LOL, an article full of quotes from both parties

Load of crap, Orford won't be going anywhere and will be reporting for training on Monday alongside Robbo and Wolfman

Next you'll be telling me Santa Claus doesn't exist

 

[ManlyBacker]

From today's Manly Daily Blindside column:

Bulls chasing our Ox
MANLY co-owner Scott Penn believes the likelihood of skipper Matt Orford accepting big cash in England is “possible”, but “unlikely”, following rumours the half was joining Bradford.

Penn conceded if a cashed-up Super League club came along with a juicy offer, the Sea Eagles could do little to prevent their gritty captain from leaving.

Orford is off-contract, with negotiations still on-going.

“He’s still not absolutely signed,” Penn said on Friday.

“The fact is, if a UK club came along with an offer we couldn’t match, then his manager may advise him to take it. From our point of view, he’s very important for our plans and we certainly want him to stay.”

 

[ManlyBacker]

.... and much-the-same from the SMH

Orford could be lured to England
Greg Prichard | November 14, 2009

Manly chairman Scott Penn has admitted that if the club's halfback and captain, Matt Orford, has received a big offer from a Super League team, the Sea Eagles wouldn't be able to compete financially for his signature.

Speculation is rife that English club Bradford has made a move on Orford, who is no longer contracted to Manly as of the end of last month. The Sea Eagles have been saying since midway through last season that a deal with Orford was close to being finalised, but it still hasn't happened and there are obviously major issues in the way of it being completed.

Penn, who is heading up contract negotiations with Orford and several other players while the club goes through the recruitment process for a new chief executive to replace the departed Grant Mayer, said yesterday he had not heard from Orford or his manager, George Mimis, about a possible approach from Bradford or any other club.

He said he was treating the talk Bradford were chasing Orford as ''speculation'', and added there was an offer on the table from the Sea Eagles and he was awaiting an answer from the player and his manager.

Asked if they were in a situation in which Manly would not be able to compete financially if Bradford went in hard, Penn replied: ''It's probably fair to say that. We've put what we feel is a competitive offer forward, but if that was blown out of the water by any better offers that might be out there then there's not much we'd be able to do about that. We're already doing all we can.

''Of course we want to keep 'Ox', he's a major part of what the Sea Eagles are all about, and we're trying hard to satisfy his worth, but the fact is we've got salary-cap restrictions so there's only so much we can offer.

''The way I see it, there's a couple of things to work out and a deal will be done.

''I think it's fair to say it's close, but that's not to stop anyone from coming out of the woodwork with a huge offer.

''We've got a lot of internationals now who weren't internationals three or four years ago, and they command an international's salary.

''That's the reality you have to deal with under the salary cap, and we've put forward the best offer we can to Matt. We hope to finalise a deal there.''

It is understood the length of contract, as well as the financial terms, is a sticking point in negotiations. The Sea Eagles are apparently not prepared to make an offer for as long as 31-year-old Orford would like.

Penn said deals with two other off-contract players - wingers David Williams and Michael Robertson - were ''as good as done''.

Asked about speculation former Manly coach Graham Lowe would be appointed chief executive at a board meeting next month, Penn said the club was still going through the recruitment process, adding: ''We're short-listing at the moment and we haven't even interviewed Graham. He will be involved in the process, but there is no done deal there. There are some other candidates we want to talk to as well.''

 

[Corso_Pete]

Jeez, there is enough quotes by Penn in those articles to suggest that this club is not only lacking a CEO, it is also lacking and suggestion of leadership.

How the hell can we be starting pre-season training & be "undergoing salary cap" reviews and 2 international players and a premiership winning captain remain unsigned.

Whatever  the rights & wrongs of Orford are NO club should be entering this period of a new season without a halfback who is signed and committed to the club. If Orford does walk it is an absolute indictment on the current management of this club, if they didn't want him then have the balls to tell him that and let everybody move forward. This is just shambolic, the mere fact that they even want to interview Graham Lowe does not give me any confidence at all in the way the club is currently being managed.

If one wanted a conspiracy theory about the club having to be relocated the beginnings of that may be just starting to occur!

 

[Ryan]

Corso - there are too many ex-footy players making important decisions for the club. Take that as you will - but it ain't pretty. The board have deliberated far too long over a CEO, and it is now squarely their fault we are having these problems (along with the fact that B1 and B2 the imbeciles can't make a fricken decision together.).

I'm just glad the ice hockey season is long, exciting and interesting.

Graham Lowe coming on board;
Season ticket values reducing;
In fighting at the club;
Player managers suggesting it is hard to deal with us at present;
Two morons that just can't get along;
NO funding for Brookvale;
Brett Stewart drama to continue with both law case AND knees;

I'm losing interest fast lads.

 

[Corso_Pete]

Ryan, the headline stories are worrying enough, they indicate a complete fool is running the club at the moment. Scott Penn is no fool, just ask Matabele. My real concern is the underlying story, why is an extrmeley succesful and talented person like Scott Penn allowing this to occur, what would be his motive? he has a signifigant dollar investment in Manly that I am sure he would like to see some return on, Penn is in charge of the club atm yet he is allowing this sort of garbage to occur. This is not only damaging to Manly but in business circlers I doubt that it is doing Penn's reputation a lot of good either.

So my question is why has Penn allowed this situation to occur?

 

[eagle-rock08]

To all of you Orford haters, just stop and think for a minute.

Look at his record:

We had Orford for a song back in the 90's but oh no.  Lets chase Kimorely and pay him $500K.

Melbourne bought Orford for around half of that and he developed into a good football player.

Great management decision there, I think it was a red headed ex-football player and an old 5/8 who was CEO pulling the strings there too get Kimmorely.  Glad the red head kept his gig at channel nine and I haven't heard much of the other bloke since.  Showed the value of their decision making as the Northern Eagles.

Since then we have had to spend big bucks to get Orford back.  Cost us a fortune and lets look at what he has accomplished since his return.

Two grand final appearances, one very convincing win, and we have been in the playoffs while he has been here.  Add to this the Dally M in 2008.

Now I am not saying we are a one man team.  Far from it.  But we did get reasonable value bringing Orford back.

To all of you who have continually bagged the guy.  Pull on a boot and try yourselves to get his position.  I think you'd have a snow flakes chance in hell of accomplishing one tenth of what he has done.

Everytime Orford makes a mistake its headline news.  I can cite many examples and point to the game against the West Tigers at Brookvale this year.  Orford made a bad decision that cost us the game and didn't he get roasted over it.

However, other half backs make mistakes and they are swept under the carpet.  Namely Kimmorely's performance in the playoffs this year.  If that was Matt we'd all come down on him like a ton of bricks.  But since it was Kimmorely, it wasn't even mentioned except by his old coach Ricky Stuart.  Not that I have a great deal of time for Stuart by the way.

To all of you who would get rid of Orford.  Who would you get to replace him?  I don't know anyone running around at the moment who would fill his shoes that would be prepared to come here.  Its easy to criticise but where are your solutions?  I am not talking of a wish list either.  Who is available to come here and be our half back? 

I think we need to get the management team right sooner rather than later.  As long as that lies around we have no direction and have to pay overs to get ordinary players to come to Manly in my opinion.

I for one have enjoyed Matt Orford's efforts over the past several years.  Further I was a fan of Monnaghan as well.  But I'll tell you what I didn't like the performances of Jason Taylor or Kimmorely when they played for the Northern Eagels.

 

[ManlyBacker]

I have followed the Ox re-signing very closely. I am going to go out on a limb and say that it is Matty's decision not to have accepted the club's offer(s) and that he has deliberately delayed negotiations for almost the entire season. As a result we have lost a number of players and we still haven't closed a whole heap of others.

Sure, a player is entitled to get the best for themselves but this farce has gone on way too long. There is no I in TEAM Matty! Make a decision and stop stuffing the club and all your teammates around. As for the club management not doing their job - that could be fair, but it is difficult to play hardball when it is your number one player and he refuses to agree to terms for seven months.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

I have followed the Ox re-signing very closely. I am going to go out on a limb and say that it is Matty's decision not to have accepted the club's offer(s) and that he has deliberately delayed negotiations for almost the entire season. As a result we have lost a number of players and we still haven't closed a whole heap of others.

Sure, a player is entitled to get the best for themselves but this farce has gone on way too long. There is no I in TEAM Matty! Make a decision and stop stuffing the club and all your teammates around. As for the club management not doing their job - that could be fair, but it is difficult to play hardball when it is your number one player and he refuses to agree to terms for seven months.

Can't agree with you there. It may well be Matt who is balking at signing but the club is the party that should be setting the negotiation timetable. It seems the club wants Matt to stay but do not want to stand in his way if he can get a vastly better deal. It does seem unusual that we have no captain or halfback contracted at this time of year. I doubt that this is why we have lost other players though, I'd say the club had a clear idea of what they were worth  and wouldn't offer more.