Baird Doesn't Want To Leave Fulham

[White Noise]

Baird denies Fulham exit rumours

By Jacob Murtagh


Jun 15 2012




CHRIS Baird wants to stay at Craven Cottage and fight for his place in the Fulham first-team.

The defender has been strongly linked with a move away from the club this summer after he was left out of the Northern Ireland squad for last month's friendly with Holland to 'consider his future', according to national coach Michael O'Neill.

Baird made just 13 Premier League starts last campaign, finding himself behind Zdenek Grygera and Stephen Kelly in the pecking order.

The 30-year-old is entering the final 12 months of his contract at the Cottage and has yet to be offered fresh terms.

West Brom had been strongly linked with the utility man earlier this year before Roy Hodgson quit the Hawthorns to take the England job.

However, Baird wants to stay with the Whites and battle it out for a first-team spot.

A source close to the player said: "Chris only has a year left on his contract but is happy at Fulham.

"He just wants to play football. If the time comes when he's not involved then he'll have a chat about his situation."

Baird has made almost 150 appearances for Fulham, scoring two goals, since his £3million switch from Southampton five years ago.


Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/06/15/82029-31189731/#ixzz1xr1CigLM

[Lighthouse]

A Player who wants to fight for his place (Baird has a few choices of position) and is happy to stay? This doesn't sound right. Surely he wants a row with the club and demand first team football and play in the Champions League.

If the report is true. Thanks Mr Baird for making a mark on the side and staying. Good luck.

[BalDrick]

We don't really know if his exclusion last season was down to Jol not liking/rating him or personal issues, of which there have been hints in various places. I like him and rate him very highly - think he could do the Murphy role, or be coached to. Certainly head and shoulders above Etuhu.

[SKSW6]

We couldn't get many another home grown, pretty high quality and dependable player who can play almost anywhere when asked for cheap, so I'm well chuffed he wants to stay.

[cmg]

I think it is fair to say that I have been fortunate to have seen many players with more talent than Chris Baird. There are few, however for whom I have more respect. A model professional, who has faced setbacks, both footballing and in the real word, with dignity and maturity.

The word 'Mensch' in Yiddish might have been coined for Chris Baird.

It would be pointless to offer him as an example to the posturing prima donnas who infest our headlines; they just wouldn't understand.

An admirable person and a most valuable adornment to our playing strength.

[CravenCottager]

I think it is fair to say that I have been fortunate to have seen many players with more talent than Chris Baird. There are few, however for whom I have more respect. A model professional, who has faced setbacks, both footballing and in the real word, with dignity and maturity.

The word 'Mensch' in Yiddish might have been coined for Chris Baird.

It would be pointless to offer him as an example to the posturing prima donnas who infest our headlines; they just wouldn't understand.

An admirable person and a most valuable adornment to our playing strength.

Well said (although can't say I'm familiar with the term "Mensch"). I can only presume it echoes your other sentiments with which I wholeheartedly agree. Fantastic example of someone who gets their head down, puts the hard work in and deserves high praise. All the more so because he never seeks it.

[GoldCoastWhite]

I think it is fair to say that I have been fortunate to have seen many players with more talent than Chris Baird. There are few, however for whom I have more respect. A model professional, who has faced setbacks, both footballing and in the real word, with dignity and maturity.

The word 'Mensch' in Yiddish might have been coined for Chris Baird.

It would be pointless to offer him as an example to the posturing prima donnas who infest our headlines; they just wouldn't understand.

An admirable person and a most valuable adornment to our playing strength.

Nicely put CMG, Viva Bairdinho !

[Bassey the warrior]

Not a starter for me, but a great player to have on the bench. Very capable of playing right across the back four and in central midfield.

[cmg]

I don't know much about Yiddish, but they do have some very handy words - (look up "Schmuck" the next time someone mentions John Terry).

Wikkipoedia has: Mensch (Yiddish: מענטש mentsh, from German: Mensch "human being") means "a person of integrity and honor."[1] The opposite of a "mensch" is an "unmensch" (meaning: an utterly unlikeable or unfriendly person). According to Leo Rosten, the Yiddish maven and author of The Joys of Yiddish, "mensch" is "someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character. The key to being 'a real mensch' is nothing less than character, rectitude, dignity, a sense of what is right, responsible, decorous."[2] The term is used as a high compliment, expressing the rarity and value of that individual's qualities.

In Yiddish, from which the word has migrated as a loanword into American English, mensch roughly means "a good person." A mensch is a particularly good person, like "a stand-up guy", a person with the qualities one would hope for in a dear friend or trusted colleague.

...seems fair?

[twang]

Great news, would hate to see him leave Fulham. How my opinion has changed since 2007/08!

[Meerkat]

Think a lot of peoples opinions changed of Baird.  I would be very happy to see him stay.

[Mr Fulham]

Decent all-round squad player.

[CravenCottager]

cmg - sounds spot on!

[Berserker]

I've got a soft spot for Chris Baird so glad he's staying

[MasterHaynes]

Glad to see at least one of our 'glory boys' is staying to give the new guys a flavour of what took us there. Even better that he has come out and shown commitment to the club. He is a very useful utility player to have in the squad, a player the other players respect and trust to do a good job allowing them to play their normal game,much like Butt was at Utd. I was a huge critic of his in his first year but he knuckled down , worked on his game and improved out of all recognition when the easiest option would have been to ask for a transfer, Respect to the man

[MrFantastic]

He should stay he is still good player to have he,and he wants to stay that is great.