Gloucester
Time to curb the contract free-for-all
Alex Brown - staying
By Cherry Picker
January 26 2011
With rugby in Britain and France attempting to build for the future, the wheeling a dealing between players, clubs and agents is so much of a distraction at this stage of the season that there is a danger that the current campaign will be forgotten as so many people take their eyes off the ball.
The situation is so much of a distraction that it can affect results and is almost as big an influence on some games in the second half of the season that there’s a strong case for legislation to be brought in to curb the free-for-all.
Gloucester are more involved in the mix than many, with well over half a team of senior players out of contract when this season ends and currently weighing up what’s on offer.
But there is good new on that front as Glaws prepare for their two-weekend foray into the LV= Cup.
Lock Alex Brown is the third player to accept terms for a new Kingsholm contract, following in the footsteps of Jonny May and Andy Hazell (right). Brown admits he had been tempted by interest from big-spenders Bath, but has decided to stay where he is.
After May became the first player to put pen to paper, Hazell soon followed despite interest from clubs in France.
But there is a long way to go and Brown’s fellow lock Dave Attwood has a big decision to make as he weighs up what has been reported to be a massive offer from Bath and another from Northampton – offers Glaws can’t match if they are not to bust their wage structure.
Attwood is joined by Olivier Azam, Pierre Capdeville, Alasdair Dickinson, Paul Doran-Jones, Nicky Robinson, James Simpson-Daniel and Mike Tindall on the still-to-decide list.
Amid all the conjecture and will-he-won’t-he doubts surrounding the futures of so many players, coach Bryan Redpath has the task of preparing his team for Sunday’s LV= visit to Leeds, where he will be hoping for a repeat of the form that saw Glaws bow out of the European Challenge Cup despite a massive home win over Agen.
Redpath is keen to mend his team’s disappointing away form and he told the Citizen: "It's arrogant if we say we're going to do this or do that, I think we need to be honest with ourselves, and we will.
"I think we'll look at the Agen win and see what created that intensity, playing in the right areas, making the right calls, in both defence and attack.
"That's what we've got to strive to be for 60 minutes next time rather than 40.
"If we do that for 40 we'll put any side in England under pressure, there's no question."
Starting on Sunday in Yorkshire, hopefully.
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26/01/2011 11:31
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But what can be done about it?
