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Archived News from July 2010

JAKE SPEIGHT SIGNS FOR BRADFORD FOR £25K
8th July 2010 11:55


Speight makes Bradford switch
Posted on: Wed 30 Jun 2010
Striker Jake Speight has today joined League Two outfit Bradford City for a fee of £25,000.

http://www.mansfieldtown.net/page/NewsDetail/0,,10325~2081540,00.html?

The 24-year-old scored 17 goals for us last season after signing from Droylsden.

Chairman Andrew Perry said: "It was a great disappointment to learn that Jake Speight no longer wanted to play for Mansfield Town. We have had no option other than to grant Jake a transfer as he stated that he would refuse to play for the club unless a transfer was forthcoming. We did all we could as a club to keep Jake but both he and his agent refuted any fresh offers and made it clear he wanted to move on.

"Bradford City were the only club to have registered a serious interest in Jake.

"I am very disappointed it has come to this. Jake was a great asset for us last season and I am even more disappointed when a player doesn't honour his side of his contract, as we have done.

"As always in life, as one door closes, another one opens and I have no doubt that our manager has a potential replacement in mind," he added.

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Steve Hymas post on Stagsnet Messageboard, 30June2010:
Jake was under contract thats why we have got £25k for him.We have also put a sell-on clause in his contract in case he blossoms at Bradford.I am sad to see him go as we want the best for MTFC,however as soon as he overcame his injury and started to score his agent smelt money and put his head in the clouds.We did try to keep him and offered him a much improved contract at the end of last season in which he was paid through the summer.However his agent was having none of it and wanted a pay day.Jake went with his agents view and refused to play for us again so we had very little choice other than to let him go.I think for Jakes career it would have been a wise move to have one more year with us and become a regular in the team and bang in some goals,then the world would be his oyster.
Players and agent now dictate the football world even at our level and contracts are not worth the paper they are written on.Thats why we dont give out 2 year deals any more at MTFC.We will move on from this and look forward to getting a new striker in and i am sure the phones will be red hot for the next few days.
Good luck Jake but i would sooner have seen you in a stags shirt next year.

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Speight: Strike accusation just not true
Evening Post, July 01, 2010

JAKE Speight today denied he would have gone on strike at being refused a move away from Mansfield Town.

http://www.thisismansfieldtown.co.uk/news/Speight-Strike-accusation-just-true/article-2365263-detail/article.html?

The Stags star striker yesterday completed a £25,000 move to League Two Bradford City, where he has signed a two-year deal.
Stags chairman Andy Perry claimed the club's hand was forced because Speight – who requested a transfer at the end of the season – had told them through his agent he would 'never play for Mansfield again.' He felt, under those circumstances, there was no choice but to sell the player for a small fee, even though he had a year left on his contract.
But Speight, 24, said: "There are two sides to every story and it's wrong to say I would have refused to play. If I'd have been offered a two or three-year deal I would have been willing to sign it.
"The gaffer (David Holdsworth) pushed for it, but the chairman did nothing and then he left me without pay for three months this summer.
"I have a mortgage to pay and family to feed.
"That made me upset and want a move but, if I hadn't got it, then I am a professional and I was under contract, so I would have had no choice.
"That was proved as I was at the club for their first training session on Saturday.
"I'm not a Premiership player and I was not being greedy. I was earning half the amount of some strikers in the division anyway.
"I don't want this to ruin the great relationship I had with the gaffer, those at the club and the fans, who were always brilliant to me."
Meanwhile, Perry says boss Holdsworth will get "most of the money" recouped to find a suitable replacement.
And the Stags have a sell-on clause with Speight.

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Why I sold Jake Speight for £25,000 – Stags chairman
Evening Post, July 02, 2010

MANSFIELD Town chairman Andy Perry today defended his decision to sell star striker Jake Speight for £25,000.

http://www.thisismansfieldtown.co.uk/news/sold-Jake-Speight-163-25-000-8211-Stags-chairman/article-2369957-detail/article.html?

Few were surprised to see the departure to Bradford City of Stags' 17-goal top scorer from last season.
It follows a summer-long spat between Speight and Perry over the player's contract.
But fans were shocked to see him leave for such a cut-price fee when still under contract.
Stags boss David Holdsworth has previously put Speight in the same bracket as Steve Morison, sold by Stevenage to Millwall for £130,000 last summer.
And, only yesterday, Mansfield's rivals Crawley paid a reported £75,000 to Salisbury for last season's divisional joint top scorer Matt Tubbs.
But Perry said: "No one in our league was willing to pay a fee for him and only Luton made an enquiry – about a player swap.
"There was only one firm offer – from Bradford. We had no other choices.
"However, we did get more for him than they originally offered, with sell-ons."
Perry says the club have made it a matter of urgency to find a replacement for Speight with their first pre-season friendly at home to Sheffield United next Saturday, July 10.
Stags start the new season at home to Forest Green Rovers on August 14. Full fixture list in tomorrow's Post.

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Striker cannot understand bad feeling at Mansfield exit
Monday 5th July 2010, By Simon Parker »

Jake Speight is mystified by the bitter parting shot he received from Mansfield after completing his £25,000 switch to City.

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/8253659.City_new_boy_Speight_keen_to_look_ahead/?ref=rss

Stags chairman Andrew Perry claimed the club had to let him go – or the striker would refuse to play for them again.

Stunned Speight was keen to put the record straight and dismiss any suggestion that he was a troublemaker.

“I'm a professional footballer and it's ridiculous to say that I wouldn't play for a club if I was under contract,” he said.

“I was there for the first day of pre-season last Saturday and working hard just like everyone else.

“I don't know why the chairman came out and said those things. It's disappointing.

“The Mansfield gaffer (David Holdsworth) was fine about me going and wished me all the best. I shook hands with everyone and thought I'd left on a positive note.

“I enjoyed my time there and obviously if things hadn't worked out as they did for me with Mansfield, then I wouldn't have ended up signing for Bradford.

“I'm delighted with the move but I didn't want to come away from there with any bad feelings.

“But I'm not looking back. I've come to a new club now and Mansfield are behind me.”

Speight, who notched 17 goals in the Conference last term, has enjoyed his first couple of days' training at Apperley Bridge and cannot wait to get to work under Peter Taylor.

He said: “Any footballer would want to work with him. As soon as my agent said that Peter Taylor was interested, there was no other place I wanted to come.

“I don't think it's a huge jump in regards of the two leagues. It's the size of the club that is so different to any of the others I've been at.

“I've never played here before and when Jakes (Wayne Jacobs) showed me round the ground , I couldn't believe how big it is.”

City have confirmed they will be playing reserve games next season at Eccleshill to protect the Valley Parade pitch.

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Stags joint owner Steve Hymas on Stagsnet messageboard, 05 July 2010:
He was offered a new contract at that time but had no-intention of staying.I dont blame him for wanting to better his career but why tell bare faced lies.I have read press reports on the matter and i know the truth,after all i was involved with the contract negotiations.The lad should have just come out and said he wanted to move on come what may instead of trying to pacify the fans that had taken him into their hearts.He worked the situation to his own needs and for that i have lost any respect i had for the player.One example..He rang us to say he couldnt afford to come into training as he was skint and it was our fault.The phone call was from NEW YORK IN AMERICA.flights must be cheap these days.

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Evening Post, July 03, 2010

http://www.thisismansfieldtown.co.uk/news/Stags-boss-Holdsworth-running-rule-young-duo/article-2373379-detail/article.html?

...
Holdsworth is, not surprisingly, disappointed to lose last season's top scorer Jake Speight, who has joined Bradford for £25,000.
He said: "It's no surprise a league club came in for him.
"A goalscorer is the hardest commodity to find, so to lose his goals is a big loss.
"I will be using whatever funds are available to find a replacement, but it is not easy because a number of targets I identified earlier in the summer have now joined other clubs."

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Note Clare sell-on clause (see further down)

Clare joins Cambridge United for five figure fee
30/06/2010, by Jeff Bowron
http://www.gateshead-fc.com/2805/clare-joins-cambridge-united-for-five-figure-fee

Experienced former Ireland B international Daryl Clare has been sold to Conference rivals Cambridge United for £10,000 subject to a medical which will take place on Thursday lunch time.

Clare joined Gateshead from Mansfield Town during last season, initially on loan, and went on to score 16 goals in 35 appearances.

A purple patch of 11 goals in 16 games confirmed Clare, who will be 32 in August, had not lost the Midas touch in front of goal.

He will always be remembered for the priceless goal on the final day of the season that saw Gateshead beat AFC Wimbledon 1-0 and avoid relegation on goal difference.

The goal, however, was only the second time in the last 16 matches of the campaign that Clare found the net and Gateshead boss Ian Bogie believes the deal suits all parties.

"I am disappointed to see Daryl go," said Bogie "but he is based in Lincolnshire and could not commit to full-time training on Tyneside.

"We have received an acceptable fee for his services while the player has been given the security of a two-year contract for a club that will knock 100 miles off his round trip to Gateshead.

"He has a young family and could not relocate to the North East so the move is in the best interests of everyone.

"Daryl did a great job at Gateshead. He is a player with a silky touch and an eye for goal though it is fair to say he is not getting any younger.

"He needs to be training and playing regularly to maintain his sharpness and I wasn't in a position to give special dispensation to one player.

"But he will always be fondly remembered as the player who scored the goal that kept Gateshead in the Blue Square Premier, and rightly so."

Clare also scored both goals in Gateshead's 2-0 win over Cambridge United at the International Stadium at the beginning of April.

Bogie is not fazed by losing his top scorer from last season despite the only other player to reach double figures in the goalscoring stakes, Graeme Armstrong, having joined Harrogate Town.

Armstrong was also unable to commit to full-time training at Gateshead but Bogie is confident his trio of new strikers will produce the goods.

Jon Shaw and Jonny Allan both have bags of experience and have played at a higher level while young gun Nathan Fisher scored almost a goal a game for Chester-le-Street Town last season.

"We still have four front men at the club to compete for the strikers births and replacing Clare is not a priority for that reason.

"Should a top striker become available then obviously we would be interested but there are other areas that we need to add to."

Cambridge meanwhile will be Clare's fourth club in the last two years, and the player goes with Bogie's best wishes.

"Everyone at Gateshead hopes Daryl has a fruitful stay at Cambridge United and we thank him for his efforts on our behalf."

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From the Altrincham site...

A much-travelled striker is on the move again as Cambridge United "have moved to secure the services of prolific striker Daryl Clare for a fee of £10,000 from Gateshead. The 31-year-old has agreed a two-year contact with the Club, subject to a medical... Since joining Boston in 2001, Clare has scored 145 goals in 298 matches and U's boss Martin Ling was delighted to have landed his number one target, telling cambridgeunited.com, 'Daryl's record speaks for itself. He's a one goal in two game striker at this level and also the level above. I have no hesitation that he'll come in and score the goals we require to be a successful side. Even though Daryl is in his early 30s, I'm confident his fitness levels and game playing ratio will be up to what we require. Strikers like this are hard to find and is why we've had to pay a fee to Gateshead. I feel he is more than an adequate replacement for Danny Crow and now leaves the shopping list at just one striker, which will now be once pre-season has started'".

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Earlier story: sell-on clause--->
Bogie delight at Clare capture
08/01/2010, by Jeff Bowron

http://www.gateshead-fc.com/2569/bogie-delight-at-clare-capture

Gateshead manager Ian Bogie has made his first signing of the January transfer window with the capture of former Ireland B and under 21 international Daryl Clare.

The 31 year made a big impression during his three month loan at Gateshead and has now joined the club on a free transfer from Mansfield Town.
...
While Mansfield have allowed their high profile summer signing to move for a free part of the deal involves a sell on clause should there be one.

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