Rewbury Bid
Tuesday, 3rd Dec 2002 00:00

When Is The Time Right To Cash In?

There are two valid sides to this argument. You can look at it from the point of view that if he is worth that now then what will he be worth in 5 years and would we be cashing in on a potential prize asset? However, you can also say that he may not develop the way we are expecting and £250k is just too good to turn down and we should have snapped the hand off that offered the money. But which argument is the most persuasive?

Well, I certainly fall into the latter category at the moment. We are a football club that is devoid of any real money at the moment with supporters digging deep into their pockets to bring in the players that we are at the moment. The directors are covering a shortfall estimated to be around £10k per match and £250k would cover that shortfall on their behalf. I also look back over recent years and remember players like Richard Appleby, Julian Alsop and Jason Price and price tags being banded about their value before watching all three leave the club without a penny hitting our coffers.

But then I also remember the likes of Stuart Roberts and Dean Saunders leaving the Vetch and little or no money being received - especially in the case of Dean when just a few years later he becomes a million pound plus footballer. And what was Robbo really worth when he was gifted to Wycombe by Petty?

This is a question of sentiment. Jamie Rewbury may well turn into a footballer that we sell for a million pound or he may turn into someone that hangs around on the fringes of the first team with the tag 'one for the future' on his head like so many people have done in recent years. The question is when does one for the future become one for the present?

Of course, we are assuming all along that the story of the bid is right. Maybe it is a giveaway that there has been no club statement with regards this bid and the only places that it has been mentioned are in the local press (Wales Number 1 Soccer writer!) If it is true, I am not advocating us becoming a selling club but with little money in the coffers if there was a bid for £250k on the table what could Brian Flynn do with that to strengthen this team? The mind boggles.....

I suppose unless we get a club statement then we don't really do but I do hope that we aren't sitting here in two years watching Rewbury leave the club on a free transfer having turned down bids of this calibre.

I don't know what the correct answer is - all I can say is that I am surprised we turned it down - if indeed that bid ever did exist.

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