I suspected many of the players didn't want to renew. It's not just our choice.

Red and Blue Army!

I agree with the new restrictions to stop PL clubs stock piling talent.

Example Under Today's Rules:
Teenager developed at League 1 club offered professional terms by club £300 per week. PL club think he might make it and offer kid £3000 per week so he signs for them and spends his time in the reserves.

PL club think hang on we're paying this kid £3000 pw send him out on loan try and get £4,000 pw or at least offset some of his wages.

Result:
League I club lose young talent they developed and fans of robbed of chance of seeing one of their own.

PL club doesn't take much of a risk and may even make a profit.

Player may not develop as their spend critical time playing U23 football rather than learning to play in League 1.

Now an example after the load changes:

Teenager developed at League 1 club offered professional terms by club £300 per week. PL club think he might make it but are not certain so it is a financial risk to them as they can only loan 8 players. As he is on the bubble the PL club passes. Teenager signs with his home club.

Result:
Teenager may or may not make it but as he is one of their own the fans keep the faith and give him every chance to learn his trade. If he comes good he gets his big move and the club get a transfer fee everybody is happy.

One more point

The club could offer players an extension to their existing contracts on current terms, or let contract end and offer a new contract on different terms (lower wages), which they did. Some signed, others left or are still undecided. The wage bill was reduced significantly, enabling new players to be bought in.

This is the question. Hard to think that Parish was unaware of the contract situation. However it does explain why Hodgson was retained for the final year, and left at the end thereof. With all the contracts expired I couldn't see any decent youngster signing on for a few seasons of Royball.

I and others predicted this last summer:

COVID was only a few months old, clubs were not dropping their player valuations as they hoped things would get back to normal soon. Why would you panic at that stage?

I give credit to Parish that he guessed that transfers and wages would drop if not in the UK certainly around the rest of the world if Palace waited. *

So the board decided not to renew contracts at that stage and to keep Roy for one more year hoping prices would fall.

Events I think have proved him right, many of our PL competitors (Man City are not the competition) are not spending big because they have done so in the last few years. They most be regretting this as they have paid over the odds and have players on high wages.

I think Parish has played a blinder as I don't think we have paid silly money for the new recruits.

Only time will tell if we have the right manager and mix of players but so far so good.

*The icing on the cake was the failure of the Super League we would have been in real trouble if that had taken off. Instead Barcelona and Real Madrid and some of the other big Europeans are the ones in financial trouble. In France the TV has failed.

It's a buyers market if you can hold your nerve.

Edited by Badger11 (06 Aug 2021 8.03am)

One more point

Think you are right with this, when I say don't put down to plannning something that can happen through happenstance I am talking longer term situation of contracts coming to an end.
I do think with a new manager coming in and the financial situation across European football we were in good postition to benefit and Parish made the decsion to take a gamble. If we hadn't been able to pick Andersen on the cheap we would have probably secured Cahill early.

One supporter of hacking argued that without it "you will do away with the courage and pluck of the game, and I will be bound to bring over a lot of Frenchmen who would beat you with a week's practice -Blackheath secretary at first meeting of the F.A