Michael McGlinchey (Weston FC | Australia)

On the CCM forums they said that he was on big bucks in Japan, so provided that's correct (and it probably isn't) it would seem that Sendai is paying McGlinchey more that CCM and therefore paying him directly, or topping up his wages and reimbursing CCM.

I think at that stage McG thought he was a free agent, so he would not have considered CCM a party to getting released from Japan and signing with 'Nix.  He wasn't getting game time, Sendai's new coach didn't want him, they didn't talk the same language; they'd be two willing parties to move on at that point. 

Shame his advice about the CCM contract situation wasn't watertight ...  

Seems to me (but from an only half arsed informed position) that someone relied on FFAs word about what CCM planned to do and advised McG he could act on that presumption - without legally ensuring that was all locked down.

Worst case for me is we hold out till Jan 1, half way through the season.  I suspect CCM will make us wait till then, unless they are forced to transfer the licence to a new entity and that legally allows McG off the hook.  Or we do some deal with them.

it would be very poor form for them to stop him from playing and earning until January. 

They don't want the player. Since they can't seem to sell him, any normal club that aren't pricks would release him. 

Problem is they stand to lose nothing by keeping him on, as they seemingly don't have to pay him. It is in their best interests, but it isn't the right thing to do. 

Yeah, I don't think CCM have a very high chance of selling him anytime soon. They (the old company that is) only had his contract for the coming season right? McGlinchey would also have to agree, he doesn't have any recent game time and there is the deterrent of a legal challenge over his contract status. It will make it tricky to sell him. The next question is are the PFA and McGlinchey going to appeal and how long will that take?

I think it is less about gaining money for him and more about being a nuisence.

To be consistent with their (Mariner's) claim he is under contract they (and the FFA) are presumably including his contracted remuneration in their salary cap calculation.

has anything about this process seemed consistent and following a fair and due process? I think we can assume precisely nothing about what is being done.

This whole shambles is now only about one thing from FFA and CCM point of view: saving face.

I'm a bit confused about this January 1 thing.  Was that the date the Mariners were expecting him back from the loan?  If so, doesn't that mean that they presumably have him contracted through to the end of this season?  Or was his contract just to 1 Jan?

If they don't end up transferring the 'new owners' (for whatever reason) then might McG be stuck for the entire season.

the idea is that then they'd have to pay him after January 1st which would count toward the salary cap. CCM have come out and said they don't want him, so its expected they'd release him the second they have to pay him. 

Ah, sweet as - thanks Tegal.

martinb, Global Game, Rammtallica

The arbitrator Mr Peter Kite ruled last Thursday after everyone presented their case McGlinchey remained contracted to the Mariners.

McGlinchey's contract with the Mariners is from 1 Janruary 2015, so why should the Mariners be paying him now. He chose to leave his club 

McGlinchey was loaned out to a Japanese club for much more money the we where paying him only six months into a 3 year contract for no fee... The basic of the loan was he would return or if he found another club then we could sell his contract and we would not stand in his way ..  

McGlinchy was gifted a chance to develop a well paid overseas career but we would get a fee at the end..

The club changed or did not change the licence ... however the very same PFA would have SCREAMED from the high heavens if he had been injured for the Mariners to pay the last six months of his contract..

It looks like going to appeal ... IMO the appeal will be lost,. he has made it quite clear he does not want to play for us ... so he will be sold ..

So what favour are the Nix's doing him ...will they ask for monies pay to be repaid.

I fully understand how when its your club you feel it ... However he was and is contracted to the Mariners and the free agent and new owner is at its best a legal loophole argument . If you lose the appeal don't blame FFA for enforcing accepted practice under FIFA regl's look at who gave and who accepted the advise .  

This 1 Jan thing is just bizarre though.  Who is he contracted to today?  CCM claim they have a contract from 1 Jan - does that mean he is a free agent today until then?

right. Except that there appears to be a fair amount of misinformation given out. Which it seems could amount to bad faith. 

Do you not get a fee? What happened to that?? If CCM are party to the agreement then how is it possible for McG to cancel his agreement without them being privy to it? Was WeeMac and the rest not told that the club was to change its ownership company and the public thought this was the case until recently? 

and if they are planning to do what Tegal says above......

actually it's simple he was rewarded for good service ... The fee was to be paid at the end

Rember he wanted to develop a career overseas and all that was asked was fee at the end or return to play for us

but you don't want him to play for you...and nobody wants to pay a fee for him. 

Any half decent club would release him based on those 2 facts. You're jerking him around because you can and because it isn't costing you anything to do so. 

So has he got two more years on his old contract?

and this was in his contract? Or it was the anticipation of selling him to the J league club with Arnie coaching there as a transfer fee to a foreign club as a kind of gentleman's agreement that hasn't panned out? 

and was there simply no possibility in the contract of him being released early from his loan? In which case if the contract was with the club it seems staggering they were not aware of the situation or considered that possibility.

This is almost an entirely FFA caused problem.

Do you mean the club saw transfer $$, its eyes lit up and they have already spent it?

if it's an entirely FFA caused problem, then what are CCM playing at? They don't want him to play for the club, he doesn't want to play for the club, they're not getting a fee for him under the rules, and if it's the FFAs fault then messing the player and the nix around isn't proving anything. Twats. 

There might not be a 'transfer payment' as such, but there can be compensation. Which I understand can be both financial and non-financial. 

Charlesworth wants Domey to 'compensate' him behind the bike shed..?

Assume so. 

Give them Lia for McGlinchey. On the face of it, we lose a player whom has been squeezed out here due to signings (and that's an  unfortunate reality of football) and CCM get a midfielder whom has started a good chunk of his HAL career with experience and has some legs left on him, is not an import, and would be cheaper than McGlinchey.

I think Lia as our only remaining foundation player deserves more respect.

They wouldn't have any interest in Lia and don't need any midfielder. They need another keeper and at least one striker.

Edit I see they got another keeper already.

According to CCM forum this is their squad. They have listed players as forwards I would have considered midfielders (Cernek and I thought Vernes was as well). But they don't even have room in their squad for more players. How many players are they allowed in their squad? Is it 26 now?

Reddy - 15/ 16
Nash - 14/15

: defenders :

J Rose (LB) - 14/15
Anderson (CB) - 14/15
Griffiths (CB, LB) 14/15
Bosnar (CB) - 14/15
Roux (RB) - 16/17
Morton (RB) - 14/15
Neil (LB) - 14/15
Sim (LB, LM) - 14/15

: midfielders :

Montgomery (DM) -14/15
Caceres (DM, CAM) - 16/17
Hutchinson (DM, LM) 14/15
Kalik (AM/DM) - 16/17
Slater (LW) -15/16
Curran (DM) - 14/15
Kim (LW, CAM)- 14/15
Trifiro (CAM, DM)- 14/15
Mcglinchy (RM, CAM, LM)- 14/15
L rose (MID) 15/16

: forwards :

Fitzgerald (LW, RW) 14/15
Cernak (CF, CM)- 14/15
Simon (CF) - 14/15
Duke - (CF, RW) 15/16
Mane - (CF, LW, RW) - 14/15 (on loan)
Vernes - (CF, LW, RW, CAM) - 15/ 16 (on loan)

Edit: I see they have listed McGlinchey in their 26...

This is mostly accurate and pretty fair.

The slight twist is that the FFA told all of the players that the licence had transferred to the New Co. It hadn't. Now, whether that lets WeeMac sneak out of his contract is one question, but the status of the licence raises a whole heap more serious questions...including:

1. Who held the A League licence during the 2013/14 A League - if it was Old Co, and all the players were contracted to New Co, then wtf?

2. Who are the players contracted to now?

3. What the hell are the FFA playing at. 

Where I have some sympathy for Mariners is that if this had all been done cleanly (New Co, licence transfer, player contracts novated) then no question McGlinchey would still be a Mariners player. This is what happened when the Nix changed hands. Clean and smooth.

Where I have sympathy for WeeMac/the PFA is that there is a history in the A League of owners skipping out on their obligations to players. The FFA has supported this. The FFA position in this situation still very much supports this. Players have no power, owners can do whatever they want and players are stuck. In this case maybe that's not unfair, but it creates or continues a shitty precedent for players. So I can see why the PFA are so up in arms about it. All the power is with the owners.

And then there is the question of how the FFA have screwed this up so totally. That is the big facepalm in all of this.

I think we should just drop it. Let McGlinchey and the PFA pursue it in court. Keep a spot open for him for another couple of months at least. It's not ideal but we have used all our imports and I don't think we are likely to get a local who is significantly better than the cover we have. I still think there is a high chance that CCM will lose in court or just have to give him away for squad/salary reasons anyway. It says there that his contract only lasts for this coming season, that contradicts midfielders 3 year statement, does anyone know for sure how long it is?

Its quite clear, either he developed a successful overseas career and we received a transfer fee or he returned... He has made it very clear he does not want to return so he has been replaced [3 weeks ago] in the squad and will be sold as he no longer wants to be at the Mariners..

What I find amazing is everyone on this site wants to blame FFA, The Mariners to a lessor extent ...

If we were to take the moral high ground  people are saying he is here and wants to be here his family are here etc.  The Mariners gifted him a free loan deal to another club to develop a career  .. He was offered many times more than what we were paying and he knew the coach... Given at this stage he still had two and a half years to run on his contract this was very very fair we could have asked for a huge fee... all that was asked in return was if it works out we hold the last six months of your contract and will get a fee ... or if things don't work out come back and play for us..

He and the Japanese club came to an agreement and he choose to leave the club... The Mariners had no say in this time period...

Then a possible legal loophole  is created and everyone wants to use a legal loophole as a way of signing him and then claim the moral high ground as he wants to be here his family is here, he is not being paid etc... 

Just sometimes in world Football agents fuck players by trying to be too smart and just sometimes clubs fall for what an agent tells them.. I keep saying FIFA have rules and procedures which are reflected in all countries and association that play under their rules... and in its simplest it says a change of ownership cannot in and of itself allow clubs to sack players and players to walk away from their clubs. 

Lets take the loophole argument to another level... Baca change ownership and Messi refuses to sign a contract with the new owners and says I am a free agent and goes off to join Man U ... 

i agree. Although I would say that he has a say in the transfer and might decide that rather than play six months for some team in China that he will take a paid vacation in  instead and play for the nix next season. He isn't a commodity to be sold to Donetsk.

Heard of commas Midfielder?

A LOOP HOLE?

PFA Chief Executive Adam Vivian today stated that, “The PFA stands by the advice given to Michael, which was based on information given in October 2013 by Football Federation Australia (FFA) that due to a change in ownership, the A-League licence of the Mariners would be transferred to a new company controlled by owner Mike Charlesworth.

“Under an agreement reached between FFA and the PFA, all Mariners’ players were to be offered employment with the new company, and the previous Mariners’ entity would cease to operate the A-League licence. As a result, almost the entire Mariners squad has signed agreements with the new entity.

Ha! Ha!

Isn't former Mariners manager Lawrie McKinna the Mayor of Gosford?

Maybe he let them get away with not paying and now his Council have wised up and are cracking down...

HHHMMMmmmmm must be true if it was reported in the paper ... the debt is mostly from yonks ago and is the screen at the stadium and many see this old debt 2008 I think as a barging chip over stadium rental ... 

All that aside this is the clubs reply ... some clubs just get stereotyped and constant stories of being broke having to move etc ... we have lived with it for years... 

For your info here is the clubs response to that article and a number of others... debts are much lower with agree repayment plans in place and never any threat to lock us out ... last year we were moving to Melbourne as South Melbourne were going to buy us the story was denied and denied and denied and ran for over 8 weeks ... before WSW were were moving to WS... Also I wonder aloud what other club has built a training facility said to be the best of any code in Australia .... 

Central Coast Mariners Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bruce Stalder, has today moved to reassure members and supporters that the Club has no intention to move from its home – the New South Wales Central Coast.
Stalder, who was quoted in both the The Sun-Herald and The Australian newspapers over the past two days, said rumours that the Club may be relocated to Wollongong or elsewhere are plainly false.

“We are investing heavily in the Central Coast, and this includes a multi-million dollar training and community hub in Tuggerah known as the Central Coast Mariners Centre of Excellence,” Mr Stalder said.

“In fact, this coming Friday we have the opening of our aquatic centre - which is already in operation in partnership with the YMCA - at the site.”

“Work on the third stage of our Centre of Excellence will commence next month, and this includes the development of a public gym, retail outlets, a child care centre, plus an office block not only for our administration, but several local businesses and business people.”

“If anyone needs further evidence of our commitment to the region and our plans to stay put and grow on the Central Coast, I invite them to contact the Club and we will personally take them on a tour of the site,” he said.

Stalder acknowledged that the Club does owe money to Gosford City Council, however emphasised that a payment plan with Council is in place to ensure that that debt is finalised.

He also said that figures reported in the The Sun-Herald on Sunday were inflated.

“Reports of a “lockout” of Central Coast Stadium are incorrect,” Mr Stalder said. “No one from the Council has contacted us to note that we might not be able to play at the Stadium come the start of Hyundai A-League season ten, nor was anyone from Council actually quoted in the article.”

“Gosford City Council are simply not the type of organisation to make threats to Central Coast Mariners.”

“We have reduced our debts to Council significantly over recent times, and we will continue to do so.”

“We have very open and regular communication with Gosford City Council, who are a valued partner of the Club, and we can assure fans that the eleven Hyundai A-League matches scheduled for the venue this season will be played there.”

“Central Coast Stadium, Gosford, will continue to be our primary base, and the Central Coast will always be the home of the Mariners,” Stalder concluded.

That's because they are to blame. Look at the letter from the FFA that tells players that the licence has been transferred. When in fact it wasn't. That is the cause.

in which case maybe CCM should respect wee macs wishes and release him to the nix, and the FFA should compensate CCM.