Paul Cox Hartlepool

[Moribund]

Well for a start, the football season is only 9 months long, and I'm discounting all the summer months where barely any managers depart. During the season, from September until the start of May, I reckon it will be close to two managerial changes each week. How many of those end up with a manager coming in direct from another club? Certainly not an insignificant number. There WILL also be many more interviewed for each of those jobs, or at least permission will be sought to speak to them.

So basically its an assumption based on absolutely nothing.

Bit like your mate has been doing since the start of this thread then.

[Lancaster Branch]

More money, bigger budget to spend, bigger club. Simple, really.

Hope he stays, mind.

...and it could be argued are NOT a bigger club...

You could argue that. You'd lose but you could argue it. You'd probably break your bold, italics and underline button in the process too.

[SKIPPER]

What is needed is the final piece of the jigsaw,a statement from Paul Cox,then we can draw a line and get on with preparing for next season.However that is unlikely to happen soon as he is on holiday for 10 days according to 'sources' on page 2 of this thread !

[The Real Slim Azza]

What is needed is the final piece of the jigsaw,a statement from Paul Cox,then we can draw a line and get on with preparing for next season.However that is unlikely to happen soon as he is on holiday for 10 days according to 'sources' on page 2 of this thread !

If you thought before you logged in, you'd probably put two and two together and realise that if he is on holiday then he won't be releasing statements.

[SKIPPER]

What is needed is the final piece of the jigsaw,a statement from Paul Cox,then we can draw a line and get on with preparing for next season.However that is unlikely to happen soon as he is on holiday for 10 days according to 'sources' on page 2 of this thread !

If you thought before you logged in, you'd probably put two and two together and realise that if he is on holiday then he won't be releasing statements.

Could say 'Read things carefully before you reply' but realised that is long since a lost cause.

[DIXIE]

That statement is just bullshit. If Cox had no intention of leaving, why the hell would he speak to them.

Exactly. Shame the club had to be prompted to get some sort of statement.

Casson should have issued a hands off warning and then rang Cox to tell him before granting talks. Theres a suggestion thats somethings not right.


Dixie mate! Have a cool shower! All this thinking about me is going to make you red raw!

No just makes me terribly horny. I think i want to xxxxxx you.

[The Real Slim Azza]

Exactly. Shame the club had to be prompted to get some sort of statement.

Casson should have issued a hands off warning and then rang Cox to tell him before granting talks. Theres a suggestion thats somethings not right.


Dixie mate! Have a cool shower! All this thinking about me is going to make you red raw!

No just makes me terribly horny. I think i want to xxxxxx you.

Thought so. Have you and Jo Please Go bak found that link yet?

Cheers

Az

[glasgow_blue]

No just makes me terribly horny. I think i want to xxxxxx you.

Thought so. Have you and Jo Please Go bak found that link yet?

Cheers

Az

No, i think they have a room booked, flowers, chocolates and couple of ready meals

[Suffolk Blue]

Interesting thread as usual. I'm sure the truth lurks somewhere in the factoids, theories and opinions offered though whether or not anybody has quite strung them together in the right order or not - we may never know.

Ironically I don't think it tells much about the owner or the manager that we did not know or suspect. Despite the inevitable interest in what has happened over the last couple of weeks, the key fact in all of this is what Paul Casson did when he put together Paul Cox's contract 18 months ago. At that time whilst his CV was impressive, he had just left Torquay under something of a cloud and probably wasn't flavour of the month in the NL. That may be why we were able to pinch him in the first place. So the owner was pretty smart to anticipate the success that Paul Cox would bring subsequently by inserting a "significant" buy out clause in the contract. Lets not also forget that Paul Cox would've been well aware of the clause and the amount - although we as supporters (and quite properly) seemingly were not.

So when the scenario actually arises 18 months later, Paul Casson doesn't need to panic and can quite openly allow Paul to talk to a club such as Hartlepool when they come sniffing. By the way the fact that contact between the two was actively condoned is also quite smart as this then subsequently constrained the behaviour (if it were ever needed) of the two parties talking to each other. For example we have seen instances in the past where a manager following clandestine discussions, has made a token resignation only to turn up at another club a few days later. However by actually bringing the contact into the open, it cant subsequently be denied and were that scenario to have played out in this case both parties could have found themselves in trouble legally and Hartlepool could've found themselves in deep water with the FA for incitement. So it does not surprise me that once it became clear the Hartlepool would not or could not stump up the cash for Paul Cox that was the end of the story. Whilst Paul Cassons leadership style clearly irritates a few on this forum, you cant fault his business acumen. I don't think he's been scre*ed on a deal since he took over which given our Club's past history is actually very impressive.

I also don't see how you can vilify Paul Cox for wanting to pursue a career even if that means leaving BAFC. At one point I thought Mr Casson and Mr Cox had been playing "games" with each other, but now I think I'd been reading too much of this thread. In retrospect Paul Cox I think was quite right to be at least interested in the Hartlepool job. Personally I didn't want him to go - and particularly not at this moment. However whilst I'm really happy with our results under Paul Cox my personal view is that talk of him being "hot property" is a little overdone. He brings with him a distinct style of management that fits a certain model of Football club such as ours. It is not however universally popular either with fans or club owners. It was pointed out in the thread that clubs like Tranmere could easily afford to pay the buyout clause even if Hartlepool couldn't. Personally however I doubt whether Mark Palios would ever go for that option anyway and showed this by luring Micky Mellon from a League One club. If you can afford the buyout - you can probably afford better.

So Hartlepool in my opinion would've been a great fit for Paul Cox. Essentially another rebuild which Cox enjoys and accepts as a challenge but with perhaps the promise - at least in the short term - of more resources. He should've been their number one pick - hence why it came as a surprise initially when it fell through. The problem with clubs that need a complete re-build however is that firstly there aren't many around that would fit the right profile for a Cox style regime and secondly by definition - if they need a rebuild they ain't currently in great shape. There are only so many "sleeping giants". Lastly and this is a personal view if Hartlepool had stumped up the break-out cash I think that Paul Casson would've considered this as decent business and whilst I'm sure he wanted Paul Cox to stay, would have banked the cash with a shrug of the shoulders - no doubt infuriating the forum membership in the process..

I agree that Hartlepool themselves don't look great from this episode. I really think that they should've paid the fee if they'd been truly motivated so it says something about the current state of that club that they couldn't get past it, especially if, as I'm prepared to believe, they were really keen on Cox. You could also argue that they've ended up giving Paul Cox a metaphorical slap in the face L'Oréal style (i.e.....because you're not worth it!). Further, there is a hint of naivety in their behaviour - as far as it can be seen - in the feeling seemingly conveyed, that being the club that they are, they may have held some kind of leverage over a "smaller" club such as ourselves. Clearly they still have a bit to learn about this League and their current position within it. Having said that however, its not a million miles different to the situation we ended up in with Matt Rhead at the end of last season.

Must be time to bring the curtain down on this thread soon however and move on.

[The Real Slim Azza]

The "buy out clause" is just the remainder of his contract. Theres nothing extra in his contract like a minimum release fee

[Suffolk Blue]

Thanks for the correction a former member of this forum. So the amount of any buy-out diminishes over time - which probably makes sense.

Probably re-enforces the point about Hartlepool though in that their only plan seems to have been to try to obtain Cox on the cheap. Whilst we might all try and get a good deal for ourselves it doesn't look that great if you then run a mile when simply asked to buy the man out of his remaining contractual obligations. If I remember rightly when Tranmere took Mellon from Shrewsbury he was mid contract so there would have been a compensation owing and it certainly did not stop them.

[The Real Slim Azza]

Thanks for the correction a former member of this forum. So the amount of any buy-out diminishes over time - which probably makes sense.

Probably re-enforces the point about Hartlepool though in that their only plan seems to have been to try to obtain Cox on the cheap. Whilst we might all try and get a good deal for ourselves it doesn't look that great if you then run a mile when simply asked to buy the man out of his remaining contractual obligations. If I remember rightly when Tranmere took Mellon from Shrewsbury he was mid contract so there would have been a compensation owing and it certainly did not stop them.

I believe thats how it works. Players are different in that they can have Minimum release fees added in which if a bid is received the club has to accept. I think with managers and players you are essentially paying the contract that the selling club was going to pay anyway. Which the leaves the selling club with some compensation so they aren't totally marooned without that player or manager.

I think that should be a concern for most fans. If at Christmas the amount has diminished , I can't see it putting off bigger football league clubs who want success.

[The Real Slim Azza]

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/sport/barrow-a ... 89045a1-ds

Thanks again to the Nwemail for doing barrowafc.com's job.

This would have been a good chance for Cox to tell the fans he didn't meet Hartlepool and rejected them straight away, didn't though.

[glasgow_blue]

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/sport/barrow-a ... 89045a1-ds

Thanks again to the Nwemail for doing barrowafc.com's job.

This would have been a good chance for Cox to tell the fans he didn't meet Hartlepool and rejected them straight away, didn't though.

Cox's statement in the mail doesn't really add up does it? If he's fully committed to BAFC, happy with what the owner's telling him, why would he have talks with another club? I hate this fully committed [SwearFilter], Cox like anyone else is quite rightly fully committed to himself and his family. If a better offer comes along he'll be on his way. Happens all in the time in football, there is nothing special about BAFC to suggest it won't happen here.

[The Tomahawk Kid]

...and it could be argued are NOT a bigger club...

You could argue that. You'd lose but you could argue it. You'd probably break your bold, italics and underline button in the process too.

You're beginning to sound a bit boorish, LB.
As for my use of bold, italics and the underline button in some of my posts - what has it got to with YOU how I manage my posts?
Keep things interesting, please...