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Taggs explanation

Oliver

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Temporarily Exiled

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Two main takeaways then:

1) This type of clause does not exist for any other player in the squad.
2) Announcements regarding backroom staff coming this week.

I don't take issue with Tagg (if he negotiated the contract). The options were lose him for free, or potentially keep him. We tried to keep him, we couldn't. I do however take issue with Tisdale (for using this insider information), and with JMT himself. If he'd moved up to League One, then in my mind that's at least understandable - if not extremely frustrating. Moving sideways when we allegedly offered him a very good salary isn't something I can get behind.
 
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edwin_price

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Good news that this contract loophole was unique. Offers very little about why it was allowed to get in there... "creative" is quite the euphemism.
 

uletai2

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Except the explanation is BS. JMT was NOT out of contract

https://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/news/2018/june/jmt-mk-dons/
Although City’s captain was contracted for the 2018/19 season, he had a clause in his contract which would allow him to leave St James Park on a free should Exeter City not gain promotion in the 2017/18 season.

https://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/news/2018/june/julian-tagg-on-jordan-moore-taylors-contract/
At 24 years old, Jordan was able to leave, as any young player at the same age that had come through their clubs youth programme, would be entitled to do, on a 'free'. This is due to the Bosman ruling and any player in this position would no doubt have been advised by his agent that he should wait for any new offers.

So Bosman does NOT apply.
 

edwin_price

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Except the explanation is BS. JMT was NOT out of contract

https://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/news/2018/june/jmt-mk-dons/
Although City’s captain was contracted for the 2018/19 season, he had a clause in his contract which would allow him to leave St James Park on a free should Exeter City not gain promotion in the 2017/18 season.

https://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/news/2018/june/julian-tagg-on-jordan-moore-taylors-contract/
At 24 years old, Jordan was able to leave, as any young player at the same age that had come through their clubs youth programme, would be entitled to do, on a 'free'. This is due to the Bosman ruling and any player in this position would no doubt have been advised by his agent that he should wait for any new offers.

So Bosman does NOT apply.
I think Tagg is talking about the situation in January... That he'd be able to leave on a free in the summer unless he signed a new contract. So a "creative" offer was put together by some genius, so he can get paid more, his agent can take a slice of flesh and he can still leave.

There's one explanation that I'd accept for this mess and that is that Jordan's contract was up in January. Then the whole thing would make sense. Otherwise, it stinks.
 

Jason H

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There's one explanation that I'd accept for this mess and that is that Jordan's contract was up in January. Then the whole thing would make sense. Otherwise, it stinks.
Or that we thought we'd be promoted, so we could sell him rather than him buggering off.
 

Grecian2K

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Or that we thought we'd be promoted, so we could sell him rather than him buggering off.
Could, quite possibly, be the "right answer" there Jason!

And, at very least, "Julian" has felt compelled to release some sort of clarification, something that was (sometimes) sadly lacking in the case of previous, strange, choices by the club.
 
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uletai2

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Okay, but
1) if we knew openly that in January that JMTs contract was up in June and he had still not signed, then we would have been prepared for his departure under Bosman. And let's face it, if he had gone to, say, Preston, we would have said thanks and good luck
2) If we had gone up would we have left us for a L2 club? Probably not. So, the club put themselves in a situation where ALL of the cards were in JMT's hands. Who put them there? Tagg, Tisdale and Perryman. Given Tisdale's attitude at the time, then I think there was a plan there (not to not go up, but just say hey and walk away if we didn't). That to me is extremely unethical but Tis and may break rules so we should report him.

So, for me, JMT has gone from hero to much, much worse than zero for treating the club like dirt. I think he needed a change but the club and circumstances just stink.
 

manc grecian

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Surely it was possible to insert the stipulation that he could leave for free to a team in a higher division?
 

D__Lo__

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If he was out of contract **** happens. Hundreds of players in similar situations leave like that every season. A part of me feels the club could be hiding behind this option though.

Question marks are raised if he was under contract and had a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave on a free if we weren't promoted. In itself it could be argued it could be seen as a calculated risk which didn't pay off. Sure such a clause could be criticised but the club might have had little alternative, it may have meant he left a year or two earlier, depending on when it was signed (although compensation would have been relevant so it could also be argued whether that would have been preferable). If that was where the story ended I might give the club a pass.

But the real problem with this whole thing however is Tisdale's involvement. He wasn't quiet in letting his thoughts about his contract situation be known, indicating early he could be off at the end of subsequent season which bore fruit. If he was involved in player contracts in light of his personal situation then this absolutely reeks of a conflict of interest and if the board didn't have the foresight for a saga light this developing, knowing there was a very real potential the manager could be off and in turn benefit from clauses he was a part of inserting, then they aren't fit for purpose.


One thing I am positive about however, regardless of any statements, we won't ever know the full story.
 
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