Ziege and Liverpool charged

About time illegal approaches were taken more seriously, and major egg on face for Houlier.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

Answers

Yup about time! these things are far too slow moving.....

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

Good. Now can we claim compensation for him doing the same to Hamann.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

Just thinking the same thing Steph

B'stards should be made to pay.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

Are we sure that we are clean of this type of action before we start chucking rocks?

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

I'm positively delighted - its high time Houllier got his just desserts. With a bit of luck O'Dreary will be next.

And yes I do think we're clean, actually.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

Who have we bought that anybody else was interested in ?

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

That's probably why we aren't getting the 'good' players.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

I can bet any punishment that is dished is out is paltry. For it to have an impact it would have to be a major amount of money. A simple fine could be written off by clubs who are prepared to do anything to 'get their man'.

I suggest points being docked! (As long as we're clear though,!)

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

Mac - recently, Robert surely? And Trevor Brooking said WHam looked over Distin. And other teams want Dyer and Solano

I'm of the opinion that if there was any truth in players being illegally approached the clubs would have insisted on keeping them to their contract. Or they may have taken the view that it's better to cash in on a player who does not want to play for them and therefore will not produce his best for the club i.e. best rid. Getting the FA to investigate so long after the event says to me the club are pissed off and want more cash - Ziege was sold for £5.5m? and Boro want an extra £2.5m...hmmm any players currently being touted for that amount? I wonder

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

Farcelino?

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

Gary Speed - I seem to remember Everton whingeing when we signed him. Whoever was manager at that time said something like 'The next time I want to sign a playetr I will get him to hand in a transfer request and refuse to pay for his current club.....'

Leeds definitely had some dodgy dealings involving Batty.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

Batty was making noises about wanting a move to Leeds ages ago - wasn't there a story (during Gullit's reign) about the team bus driving past Elland Road and the team joking that they should drop Batty off?

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

I think a certain Dutchman (now plying his trade in Italy) might have something to say in this regard. It happens everywhere - well, in a lot of instances anyway. We may be clean unser YBR, but before that?

Ooh - I just remembered. It doesn't tend to be the manager who does the xfr dealing. Hmmmm........

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

Bobby the Ziege one is a very specific case. He'd had a really bad time in Italy, the first time he played abroad. Boro put a clause in his contract to say that if anyone came in for him and offered more than £5m he could go. This wasn't made public. The whole reason (Boro say) for doing this was in case he again didn't settle and Boro would get their money back.

Liverpool then offered just over the £5m having somehow found out about the clause. The feeling was that Ziege had made the clause known to Liverpool, or that some other German at Liverpool may have found out and let his bosses know.

Boro are complaining about being misled by Ziege to put the clause in, and then he has gone out to break the rest of contract having been enticed to do so by Liverpool.

It's was a far more blatant trick than the one where you tell your agent to have a chat with O'Leary the next time you bump into him, or let it be known in the press that you've always admired Leeds.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

I think the 'mitigating circumstances' rider will get most of them off the hook.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

Mac - ok, but why is this all coming to a head now? Or has it been bubbling away all this time?

I just take the cynical route that the clubs are always out to screw anybody and everybody for more cash. And let's face it - Smogs need every penny

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001

it's been there all the time, I think everyone in Liverpool just wanted it to go away but Boro feel so aggrieved they want to get the bastards :0)

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2001