NUFC – Do Long-Term Contracts Equal Long-Term Success?

In advance of the match at the Hawthorns, Alan Pardew has put his marker in the sand with regard to the press speculating over the possibility of players exiting St.James’ Park in the summer.

“Speculation is part of the game and I have no problem with that. All of our best players are on long term contracts here and I think anyone who looks at this football club will know we are difficult sellers.

Someone is going to have to pay a lot of money to take one of our players away, especially considering where we are right now and are having success.

We have some really really good players and my focus is to ensure that they are focussed because we still have three games in the tunnel, what I call the tunnel, that period before we get to the last six games when you can see the finishing line, you can see a goal, you can see a European place or safety or survival if you are down the bottom.

There’s something you can see or smell and in this period of games, as a manager, I really have to focus my team. If we can get one win and something from the other two, or get a couple of wins, then we are really well set for the last six.

If we do it, not just a great reward for the players but it will help attract players and that is also beneficial to our European stamp of approval. We must now focus on that and change our goals to focus on Europe”.

Pardew is at pains to say that his ‘best’ players have been tied down on long-term contracts, which is an interesting departure from his usual reluctance to talk about the varying levels of ability within his squad.

It has though been good ‘business’ on every level to have a position whereby Coloccini, (Steven) Taylor, Tiote, Cabaye, Krul, Cisse, Jonas, Santon and Ben Arfa all have three or more years remaining on their contract.

The one player who I have no doubt will join that list as ‘long-term signed’ is Demba Ba, he has two years to run at the end of this season and I have no doubt the club are working behind the scenes to tie our star striker down to a longer deal and also eradicate any possible ‘cheap’ get out clause.

The idea of ‘long’ contracts is undoubtedly the right way to go…unless you give them to the wrong players!

In recent years the club have been caught out by the likes of Smith, Xisco, Barton and Ranger, players who had done absolutely nothing to justify the ‘reward’ of long-term money.