06/05/2010

McGuffie Wants To Stay

Morton utility man Ryan McGuffie is one of a number of players whose contract expires this summer - and the 29-year-old has expressed his desire to play his football at Cappielow again next term.

"I've had a couple of enquiries from other clubs, but I'm really looking to continue playing my football here in Greenock with Morton," Ryan told me in a recent interview for the club's official match programme.

Morton chairman Douglas Rae and player/manager James Grady are set to sit down and discuss where they see the club going next season sometime this week and this meeting is likely to determine the future of a number of players, including Ryan. And this was something he alluded to later in the interview. "Obviously there isn't much that can be done with regard to new contracts when the club's future is still in the balance, but I'm quite happy to wait until after the season is finished to sit down and see where we are and discuss my future with the manager."

With the season now over, the board will meet tomorrow to discuss which players, if any, should be retained. "The players out of contract will be paid until 15 May. So we have until then to make them an offer or choose not to renew their contracts," Rae told the Tele's Martin Greig.

"There are one or two players who have been approached by other clubs and will want to leave.

"The majority will be waiting to see if we retain them and that will be decided by the current management team. The board will then look at the list on Friday to see if they think any among that list should be retained."

Personally, Ryan is one of the few players whose contract is up who I would like to see offered an extension. Grady's decision to move Ryan to right-back seemed to be an inspired one as the former Gretna man excelled in the position that he first played in as an 18-year-old at Newcastle United. And I believe his performances there have merited a new deal that would see him figure as our first choice right-back next season. However, that is a decision for the manager and chairman - and one that should be made sometime next week.

Greenock Telegraph - Grady's Future Decided Over Weekend (05.05.2010)

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I would like McGuffie to stay. For a long time he was the target of abuse on the fans' forum - abuse which was often well OTT.

One of the few natural footballers in the current squad.