Bassong

[The Great Mass Debater]

I know its old ground and old news, but now that the transfer window has closed, and Bassong is still here, seemingly still out in the cold - how does this situation come to an end?

There are no signs Bassong is bothered by his current situation. There are no signs he wants to try to crawl back into Adams' good books. But is it in anybody's best interests to allow this situation to persist?

What on earth must the board think?

Is Bassong training on his own? Is he even training? I expected a last minute deadline day move for him at a cut price, but of course this never happened, and didnt even seem close. Is the loan window an option for him? Or are we heading towards terminated by mutual consent?

Anyone have any insight? Or even entertaining conjecture?

 

[It's Character Forming]

My guess is there's an impasse - he's on a good salary even if it has reduced after relegation.  We don't want to loan him to one of our rivals especially if we'd still have to cover part of his wages.  He may not want to go to a team at the bottom or an L1 team.  The Prem teams aren't interested.

The problem with terminating his contract is how do you do it ?  If we just pay it up and let him go, we may as well keep him so he can't go to a competitor for that period (if it's not costing us anything more to keep him than let him go).  If we offer a release which doesn't pay up the rest of his contract, why should he agree ? 

If I'm right, he may well end up just stuck with us until near the end of his contract.

 

[SussexYellow]

I think he must be training, probably with the development squad. If he did not turn up for training, that would potentially be a breach of contract issue and the club could terminate.

I expect his salary with us is better than offered (if any) elsewhere. So until somebody takes a punt on him and is prepared to match his wage demands he is likely to sit it out with us. It also becomes a self fulfilling prophecy as by acting as he has, whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation, he will be seen as a "bad egg" and put off potential suitors.

I would though have thought that the club should be doing something to resolve issues with a disgruntled employee, some form of mediation. But if he chooses not to respond and carries on doing the minimum, well he will just keep drawing his wages.

Wasn't it only last November that we were all pleased that he signed a new contract? I seem to remember something then, around the same time as John Ruddy did.

The forlorn hope is that both Seb and Neil can be bigger men put the club first and get this sorted. But the longer this goes on the more forlorn that hope becomes!!

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

I guess this must rest with Neil. Any attempt to resolve the situation that doesnt go through Neil would seriously undermine him, in a situation that has arisen from Bassongsa initial undermining of him. If Adams' attitude is 'I dont want him' then its very difficult to persuade him to try and make amends with Bassong without undermining his authority. Though I would have thought a talk from McNally along the lines of 'look Neil we support you and all, but this is costing us 30k a week - sort it out' would be reasonable

 

[Jimmy smith]

I think it now looks like it'll surely be a mutual termination eventually unless we can take a club from Russia etc. that will take him. It took Becchio over a year of being unwanted before Rotherham took the plunge. I don't think that was through lack of interested parties, more lack of interested parties willing to pay his wages.

Has he really become a completely useless player in such a short frame of time though? He was great for us right up until about last January/ Feb time. We are now a level lower and surely he'd be a great asset to have playing for us if he's staying. Someone alluded to a particular appearance clause that might stop him playing at the moment. I'd guess that he is happy to stay here on the wage he's on as nobody is prepared to pay him that to move to them at the moment. I really thought QPR were going to give him a go.

 

[It's Character Forming]

But isn't the trouble that if Adams goes to him, what message does that send to the next player who opposes Adams in some way ?  If I were Adams, I'd think that I've put together a squad where Basso isn't needed, and if I approach him, that could undermine me at a crucial time, so why should I ? 

One of the interesting things about football is that a good player can perform awfully and disrupt your team.  He was a great player until last autumn IMO and his form then dropped to the point that he'd lost his place even under Hughton.  Why this is, we're just guessing.

Haven't seen about the appearance clause, but if it could cost us extra money to play him, that would be another reason not to.

I'd say if anyone has to start the ball rolling on this, it would be Bassong, and he probably will take the view that he's going to sit tight and pick up his wages and that he'll be able to find someone at the end of his contract who's willing to give him a chance.

 

[ZLF]

Having signed so many cbs during the summer its hard to see a way back now.      He has a contract and unless he breaches it then we are down for those wages for nearly another two years.     

His/our loan options are now very limited until Jan,  unless we can persuade him to agree to a lump sum pay off;   that may not suit our finances this year (2 years at £25k pw?) is c£1.25m to find (before a discount) to this years budget rather than next seasons) which could hurt our transfer budget or possibly our financial fair play status.

It takes two to make a reconcilliation;   but I just dont see it happening.  As I am resigned to him sitting on the sidelines as both sides honour the contract we gave him and will focus on the remaining squad members. 

 

[Bethnal Yellow and Green]

I think this have been covered extensively but why not have another round up;

1) Until Jan 1st Bassong can only go on loan to football league clubs. Not abroad and not Prem. I cannot think of any league in the world where the window is open where there is a club that could (a.) afford Bassongs wages, (b.) he would want to go to. (Russian window now closes 1st September as they are moving to a winter league like the rest of Europe).

2) It would take more than Bassong not turning up to training once or twice, or insulting Adams for Norwich to have grounds to terminate his contract for a breach. The PFA have red hot lawyers and Norwich are best avoiding this route. There have been cases of clubs freezing out players, then terminating their contracts for a 'breach' only for the PFA to turn the case around and say that due to the lack of playing time the player had been 'technically dismissed' and the club owned them a shed load of money

3) How long can this go on for? Look at Jamie O'Hara at Wolves - they have only just terminated his contract after he was frozen out post Wolves relegation. How long was Alan Hutton sitting in the reserves at Villa refusing to go on loan? This could easily go on a season, season and a half. If Adams' job looks at risk Bassong might feel its worth waiting at Norwich until a new manager arrives and their is a clean slate.

4) Bassong is a good player and would easily look outstanding in the Championship - him being frozen out is nothing to do with ability

5) As no one here really knows what has happened we can't say who is really at 'fault' here. Although as the manager, Adams should go to Bassong and try to resolve the differences, that responsibility lies with the more senior person. Adams may have done this, he alluded to it in close season and maybe Bassong brushed him off. We cannot know. 

My prediction is that come January, some Prem team will be desperate for a defender and Bassong will be a cheap, easily available option. Remember how West Ham were so desperate they brought in Roger Johnson on loan last season? Norwich fans should just forget Bassong exists.

 

[It's Character Forming]

 Norwich fans should just forget Bassong exists.

Sorry, who's this you're talking about ?

 

[Canaryboy]

Well we are stuck with him until January, and I honestly don't expect him to kick another ball for us in a senior game between now and then. Perhaps in January we can get him out on loan. 

 

[Salopian]

I have no idea what seems to be afflicting Bassong, but there are hints that there is something wrong "in his head". Is it a big sulk, because his protector and friend Hughton has gone? He has a reputation for playing well initially but then losing enthusiasm. It is surprising that he continues with his "protest", or whatever, This will damage his reputation, and even erode his skills if he deteriorates.Is he merely accumulating cash in readiness for a career change, perhaps returning to his home country? 

I also have no idea what efforts, if any, the club made to find a new club or persuade him to move away. A loan window will open soon, and this could be used.

Legally we are bound to honour the contract which, I seem to remember from European regulations, extends to so many weeks afterwards when he is is out of contract, so long as he does not breach it. For his part, to keep the contract all he has to do is to train and to play when and how the club wishes, and presumably he does this. He is not obliged to play at his best, as this would be unenforceable. 

This is expensive for the club, as I assume that although relegation has presumably reduced his salary he is still one of the best paid in the squad. He could well still be "earning" the best part of a million pounds per year, and there are additional costs on top, including pensions, insurance and national insurance, etc.

Ultimately there seems little the club can do, so long as he does not break the contract. We could make things unpleasant - isolating him in training, selecting him for the coldest, bleakest matches in the winter, or not selecting him at all. If we do select him, it could have an adverse effect on the (U21) team, which is not to be desired. I suspect that legally there is little we can do, or McN and lawyers would have done it already.

 

[Jimmy smith]

He's done pretty well for the under 21's though hasn't he? Are we perhaps more the ones forcing him out? Who knows? If we could get the Bassong of old back somehow then i'm sure we'd be far better for it.

 

[Bethnal Yellow and Green]

He's done pretty well for the under 21's though hasn't he? Are we perhaps more the ones forcing him out? Who knows? If we could get the Bassong of old back somehow then i'm sure we'd be far better for it.

He hasn't played in either of the U21 games so far this season...

 

[Dandy Mountfarto]

He's probably just biding his time waiting to see where Hughton ends up. Unfortunately for all parties it could be a very long wait.

 

[Gaffer]

Sorry, who's this you're talking about ?

I've never heard of him either, but I'm pleased with the signings of Hooiveld and Cuellar who I'm sure will give great competition to Turner and Martin. And when Ryan Bennett is back we'll be really strong and competitive in that area.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Perhaps he has lost interest in football in general - as someone above alluded to, perhaps he is considering a career change? As has been said he seems to have developed a reputation for starting well then losing interest.He sacked off international football pretty quickly after getting the T-shirt. I mean arguably he could have played at this years World Cup in Brazil. Surely that would interest most footballers, but Bassong retired from international football after playing in a previous World Cup, apparently stating it was because he didnt 'feel particularly Cameroonian'. Does Pilkington feel particularly Irish, or Russell Martin Scottish? Or any other footballer that has found a long lost relative that qualifies them to play for another country that they have a better chance of playing for. The swathe of players who declared themselves for Jamaica that time once they'd qualified, but shown no interest in playing qualifying games against the like of Sao Tome and Principe etc. 

Perhaps he just really isnt that interested in football and finds himself at a point in his life, and comfortable enough financially to not be too bothered that he isnt playing. Remember that David Bentley retired early and spoke honestly about not being that bothered about football. Another footballer said a few years ago that he wasnt that bothered about football and didnt follow the game outside of work - think it may have been Assou-Ekotto? Its not unheard of that pro-footballers arent as bothered with football as we think they are.

Maybe its a Spurs thing?

 

[lyb]

You can't have him back in the squad if he's not willing to respect the manager's authority. If he's generally fed up with football then the club needs to make his life as difficult as possible within the scope of his contract in the hope of breaking him. Shame though, as he was a decent player. 

 

[mustard gas]

The boss was Adams, the employee was Bassong. The employee insults the boss and some people want the boss too make the move to resolve the situation. I don't know where you have worked in your careers but Bassong should more likely have received a verbal warning. And from one or two little snippets I have heard, his presence in the squad is not conducive to general harmony, so, in the interests of team spirit it would seem his absence is beneficial.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

The boss was Adams, the employee was Bassong. The employee insults the boss and some people want the boss too make the move to resolve the situation. I don't know where you have worked in your careers but Bassong should more likely have received a verbal warning. And from one or two little snippets I have heard, his presence in the squad is not conducive to general harmony, so, in the interests of team spirit it would seem his absence is beneficial.

I know what you're saying, but someone on 5 pound an hour and three stars on their lapel at McDonalds isnt in a position to hold the company to ransom. Bassong, on his wages, and due to 'player power' sadly is. He's got the club by the short and curlies

 

[It's Character Forming]

I know what you're saying, but someone on 5 pound an hour and three stars on their lapel at McDonalds isnt in a position to hold the company to ransom. Bassong, on his wages, and due to 'player power' sadly is. He's got the club by the short and curlies

But only in the sense he can sit there drawing his wages for the rest of his contract while his career goes down the tubes.  It would be a surprise if he gets another shot at the Prem now.

Of course football is different from McDonalds because Prem quality players are rare so people like Suarez or Ballotelli are able to get away with stuff that ordinary employees can't.  Bassong's problem is that he's now developing an off-putting track record affecting his performance on the pitch.