James Grady's contract runs out next month but his future remains uncertain. The club have released players, renewed contracts and signed players (well one) but there has been no mention of Grady (pictured, left), which suggests to me that he might be staying.Allan McManus seems to think so. He told the Greenock Telegraph: “On and off the park — and it breaks my heart to say it — he [Grady] is just a great character to have about. I am glad he will be here next season as I am sick of driving him about, it’s his turn. Whether he is playing or not, he brings that experience which is vital for the younger players.”
Even though McManus says he is glad Grady will be here next year the above quote is preceded by Roger Graham saying "But as a fellow veteran, McManus hopes the former Gretna frontman will also remain with the club." Something I found confusing.
A week later Grady was interviewed for an article in the Tele' and he didn't seem to know what was happening. However, he hinted that he expects a deal to be offered, he said: "When I signed, we were still in a mire. Even though from October we got closer to the pack, we were still near to the foot of the table. So he couldn’t give me that extra year as he could not guarantee his own position. But we spoke about how if it improved then it shouldn’t be a problem.
"We have not spoken more about it, but I don’t envisage any real problems, At least I would like to think not."
So it would seem that Irons has told Grady he would get another year if the team's fortunes improved and Irons was still manager as a consequence - which, to an extent, they did. I suppose we will see what happens in the next couple of weeks but I'd be quite disappointed if we waste a wage on a 38-year-old striker who didn't offer much on the pitch last season (2 goals in 21 appearances). He might be a great character in the dressing room but with a tight transfer budget for next season I think Irons could spend this money better elsewhere.
2 comments:
Grady was excellent when he played - yes for a striker more goals may have been expected but i think it was his all round play and harrassing of the defenders which created chances for other members of the squad.
Fair enough if that's your opinion but I don't constitute harrassing defenders and some half decent link up play as excellent.
Money is tight. There is no way we should be offering a 38-year-old striker who, although still fit for his age, is past it and who is probably not going to make a meaningful goal contribution over a season.
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