Alex Hartridge

[kuznetsov]

I can see Alex doing better at a higher level / better team. Most of our defenders have struggled at certain times this season, partly because of the amount of pressure to which they've been subjected e.g. when we were playing without strikers.

 

[Colesman Ballz]

As pointed out above, he joins a list of players who once they reach 24 choose to spread their wings on a free because whilst they have shown themselves to be good players at L1/2 level, no other club have valued them enough to come in with a bid acceptable by City. But on a free, they line up to take them and the players are at a stage for a new challenge. You can go all the way back to Jon Richardson for an example as well as Sercs, Christy and JMT.

Um ! The less said about JMT's departure and the associated "stitch-up" the better in my opinion !

 

[arthur]

Indeed Spankers.

Dear old art seems a bit off the pace at present. I have just prayed for him

No prayers necessary bouyed up as I am at the prospect of shortly overtaking you on the League 1 prediction thread. Speaking of which, haven't you got more miserabalists to cull on the April Points one?

 

[Grecian2K]

No prayers necessary bouyed up as I am at the prospect of shortly overtaking you on the League 1 prediction thread. Speaking of which, haven't you got more miserabalists to cull on the April Points one?

Give him a beak art. He's been too busy this afternoon double-checking the tax status of the biscuits/cakes he's already declared on his expenses in case of a tie break.

 

[Red The Paper (2)]

As pointed out above, he joins a list of players who once they reach 24 choose to spread their wings on a free because whilst they have shown themselves to be good players at L1/2 level, no other club have valued them enough to come in with a bid acceptable by City. But on a free, they line up to take them and the players are at a stage for a new challenge. You can go all the way back to Jon Richardson for an example as well as Sercs, Christy and JMT.

You make a valid point. It is a missed financial opportunity for City and poor financial management. Let a player go on a free if you think the player is playing above their level at City and will go on to lesser things. Too many times we waste our Academy product by not thinking ahead and losing sight of players who have ability to play at a higher level and do so, The players you mentioned are examples where we got it wrong

 

[Rosencrantz]

You make a valid point. It is a missed financial opportunity for City and poor financial management. Let a player go on a free if you think the player is playing above their level at City and will go on to lesser things. Too many times we waste our Academy product by not thinking ahead and losing sight of players who have ability to play at a higher level and do so, The players you mentioned are examples where we got it wrong

It's only a missed opportunity and poor financial management if we turn down offers that come in for those players that match our valuation of the player at that moment. For those players we didn't. I suppose it depends on rather you would be happy to accept an undervalued fee for those players before they left, £350k from Mansfield for Ollie perhaps , or would rather make sure we got full value for those that we do negotiate a deal with, ask Darragh McAnthony what he thinks of our negotiating demands.

If we accept lower fees just to get anything in, it will have a knock on effect in our negotiations where we expect top dollar. We will be seen as a soft touch. Even then, the power lays with the players themselves on whether they want to move to the club we have agreed a fee with or see their contract out. It isn't a straightforward thing to do.

Peterborough put all their players entering the last year of their contract on the transfer list if they haven't signed a new contract, JCH this year for example. But they don't just sell at any price or are able to shift the player if they would rather see the contract out, JCH this year for example.

As soon as a player gets towards 24 years of age, the power shift goes very much in their direction. I don't expect any 21/22 year old at City with potential or ambition to accept a five year contract even if we offered them, their agent would have a heart attack to start with.

 

[ryancooper327]

My guess is a scene change too, maybe Charlton/another London based club. I don’t think he’ll be short of contract offers.

 

[Bridgy 81]

I reckon Alex would be a good fit for AFC Wimbledon.
They’re knocking on the door of the L2 playoffs this season and have Terry Skiverton (ex Yeovil) and also Ashley Bayes (ex us] on their coaching team.
Plus, I could see him strutting his cool stuff in South London.
Good luck to him.

 

[Average Joe]

Cool me old school but I get a bit bitter when a player doesn't sign for us and moves to our closest rival.

I wish Alex all the best, unless he goes to Rovers, I don't wish bad on him but I certainly won't want him to become a star player.

 

[Memphis09]

Hartridge is a victim of the GC system same as Sparkes. And like Sparkes he will probably be much better in a team playing a flat back 4.

Sparkes can’t get in Pompey team now first team defender fit
Was always going to be back up
Both players not good enough for league one