Derby Fan Forum regarding Chris Martin

[terryr]

I had a long emirates flight with time to kill ( they have internet on emirates) and decided to have a look at their forum and take on the CM situation.
What a clever group of Nobel prize winners they are
Its quite funny reading..... especially towards the end
They have, I kid you not, a staggering 79 pages on their forum devoted to the recent CM stuff.
Happy reading:



Reacting to the news, Derby boss McClaren said: "We are delighted that Chris Martin has decided to commit his long-term future to Derby County by signing this new contract.

"Chris is currently with Fulham, a decision made by the previous manager, but everyone knows that I rate Chris very highly indeed and fortunately we ensured the deal was only temporary.

"I know how much Chrissie loves Derby and therefore, I am really pleased that he has accepted the offer to extend his deal with the club until the summer of 2020.

"I look forward to working with him again once he returns to the club."

After penning his new deal, Martin said: "I really am excited and happy to be signing this new contract with Derby County.

"At the start of this season I was not in the previous manager's plans, which is a decision that I completely understood and respected.

"As a result I had the opportunity to move to Fulham on loan, which gave me the chance to play first-team football elsewhere.

"I am thankful that the board only allowed the move on a temporary basis, because I really didn't want to leave Derby and my family is settled in the area too.
"Derby County is a fantastic club with so many things going for it and driven desire to reach the Premier League. I am very happy that the club and the manager see me as part of the long-term future. I am committed to being as successful as I possibly can be with Derby County.
"I enjoyed playing under Steve McClaren in the past and I feel that he got the best out of me, so I look forward to doing so as soon as possible."
http://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/chris-martin-signs-new-contract-with-derby-county-3541968.aspx#UIhCx5T3CApLbiH4.99

"wait...what? "

"Now then, surely we don't announce that if he's not coming back imminently?
Or am I reading too much into it?"

"No, at least not yet. But this new contract would suggest there's now little to no chance he'll be staying at Fulham permanently after the loan."

""I am thankful that the board only allowed the move on a temporary basis, because I really didn't want to leave Derby and my family is settled in the area too.
I love this man."

"Best piece of business we could've done this window!"

" Even by our incredibly high standards, this situation is weird. Very weird."

" His future is committed. He won't give two ***** about playing for Fulham anymore, rightly or wrongly.
We're forcing their hand. I think he'll be back before Tuesday close.
Those comments have been made on purpose. Next season isn't mentioned at all."

" Doubt it'll change much to be honest. Fulham were standing very firm at the start of the window when Martin was supposedly being awkward. Can't see them changing that stance now when there's even less time to find a replacement. It just means Martin is in for a rather tough few months .... every mistake he makes will be over-criticised by their fans and maybe even their manager."

" Depends what budget that have. They now need a striker. Their fans have completely turned on him. They were happy for their board to reject our approach at first, but now they want him gone. Fan power is huge.
Have to wait and see..."

" Cant see Fulham paying another loan fee for a player that clearly wants out and is now 100% staying with us whether this month or end of the season"

"Except they can't afford a similar class striker - or maybe they'll loan Rhodes?!"

" That article is hilarious. No respect shown to Fulham at all and I love it."

" The plot thickens, never boring being a Ram"

" Key words there are the ones that say 'fortunately we made sure the deal was temporary.'
That to me reads as if we've paid off their ability to sign him, presumably by removing their loan fee. Good deal for both sides."

""We have given him a pay rise ,he is unable to play for us for 7 months .In this instance we [dcfc] are a joke.the idiots are running the assylum. Another season given up on."

""Troll!!! "

"Will be very interesting to see if A) he's involved vs Hull tomorrow in the cup and B) how the Fulham fans react towards him."

" Great bit of business for us and a few mind games for Fulham to deal with over the next couple of days. Great news though. "

" Blimey this is a bizzare situation, surely Fulham will want his loan terminated now. He'd have no drive to play for them, he's not going to be there beyond the end of the season, would be a waste of money to keep him on. I think Chrissy martins coming home!"

" Not at all bizarre- just forcing an issue which had seemingly ground to a halt."

" Yeah that's clearly the logic behind it, just not something you ever really see happen. Bloody glad it has though, the more options we have the better- no use having a players like Martin out on loan"

" Brilliant news. Bizarre circumstances but he will come back a better player at the peak of his career.
Keep missing the penalties at the cottage Agent Martin. "

" This an utterly bizarre bit of football politics. And I love it. "

" Sam Rush is a devious ****. Glad he's on our side. Hehe. "

" Sit the mug on the bench.
This club is a joke sometimes. Talk  about clutching at straws.  I despair. "

" But that Saliva bloke said ......................................................................................... Then he mentioned a house in Putney. Is it possible that he didn't get his facts right? Was he talking b******s?
Perhaps he doesn't fully understand the English language. "

" Great news, hope he comes home this month. If not just stay fit Chris and carry on missing penalties  "

" They might give him a few minutes in the cup game so that if he came back now he'd be cup tied - just out of spite!"

" A raised glass to the departed Chris Martin Transfer Talk thread. We shall miss thee.
Great news. Got fed up of Jokanovic's mind games this last month, a great backhanded return over the net!"

"Fantastic news! It will be great to get Martin back whether it be in the end of this window (unlikely) or the summer, I think we will need him!  "

" So according to Jokanovic I can't ask for a house back, but I can get a new contract on it?"

" Jokanovic probably will be gone in the summer. Have it Joka. "

" Have you not seen how stubborn their manager is!? I think I have to be pessimistic"

" No not really, bar the obvious. This is just another tactic from Sam and co. I'm personally confident he'll be back, but the ball is still in Fulham's court, although it's rolling towards ours.."

" Hmmmmm. Whilst I'll support whoever plays in the shirt......
This smacks of a footballer realising grass is greener where he was.... stamp your feet and you'll get your own way eventually.
Sad times we live in the world of football nowadays.
Really not happy how we as a club conducted this. Smacks of arrogance for me.
Hey ho, I'll support whoever plays in the shirt.... Time will tell whether this was good business.
One things for sure...... think some teams will be wary of dealing with us in the future now. "

"WE are the ones stamping our feet and not realising what we had until it was gone, not the other way around. Arguably the 'injury' might raise certain questions, but other than that potentially he's done nothing wrong.

This smacks of a fan jumping on any excuse to tut and complain about 'the state of the modern game'. In the next few lines, you've decided to:

Accuse a man of 'stamping his feet', comparing him to the behaviour of a child
Complain about the 'sad' state of the game
Accuse YOUR football club of collective arrogance
Not so subtly hint that you don't believe this is a good deal
Not so subtly hint that this will affect our future negotiations with other clubs
All sandwiched between empty sentiments of 'supporting whoever plays in the shirt'. You can say that all you like, your own foot stamping post-decision shows otherwise. If you really intended to support him and the club, you wouldn't make a post like this."

" Jan 31st..... Villa send McCormack on loan to Fulham,  we get Martin back, everyone happy. "

"For your entertainment this evening... Fulham fans view on the matter http://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?topic=57767.0"

"Mind, however much I disagree with this..... I can't wait for the Fulham home game when their fans turn up in fancy dress as an empty away end again"

" 
I don't have an account on the 'Friends of Fulham' forum but if you do, or you fancy making one, could you reply to post #13 on this thread for me: http://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?topic=56979.1260

" I'll save people the trouble, in summary, a collective "Waaaaaaaa, waaaaaaaa, pram, dummy, waaaaaaaaa, waaaaaaaa" - haha, f**k off Fulham."

The post reads: "Really don't see what Derby see in this guy?"
Simply quote the post and link this video, ta very much."

" I don't think he ever thought the grass was greener in Fulham. He just came to blows with Pearson a few times and NP's a **** who thought his only way to stamp his authority was to tell Martin he either wasn't playing for Derby or he was to piss off to Fulham.
I'm delighted with how the club has handled this, but then I do like a bit of chess. "

"IF he comes back before Tuesday, I imagine it will be on the understanding he can't play against Fulham."

" Don't think they'd be able to agree to a rule like that. I think that can only be applied to loans. Unless there was some sort of gentleman's agreement, but I can't see Derby and Fulham being very gentlemanly to each other anytime soon."

" Calling @wixman1884. This is your opportunity for the greatest photoshop this forum has ever seen. What this photo absolutely must have is the following.

- A train, preferably named "the Chris Martin Express"

- Chrissy poking his head out of the window of said train

- Jokanovic waving it off as the train conductor, at Fulham Rail Station.

You will be guaranteed at least one like from yours truly. Definitely worth it."

" It's funny though isn't it, even seen a reporter talk about 'the arrogance of Derby and Martin' tonight. We aren't and haven't done anything we aren't allowed to do in this. Martin also has been clear throughout that he wanted to do his best for his family.
No one has talked about Jokanovic's arrogance in his quotes which has now left him looking a little silly, remember the Martin refused to play stuff which turned out not true? He played his hands early making out Fulham has them all when he never did. Fulham must have known the situation was never going to be easy, they were getting one of the best strikers in the league on the cheap."

" Well well well, Sam Rush you devious little so and so! Make no mistake, this was an absolutely deliberate tactic, two finger salute to Fulham and Jokanovic. Basically we've played some dirty underhand tactics, almost game of thrones style by getting Chris to pen a new deal and publicise it straight away, get the Fulham fans to turn on Martin, they may now have no choice but to send him back.
also, I wouldnt be at all surprised if the clubs had a word with Martin and advised him what to say, Martin is basically saying I couldn't give a flying f**k about Fulham, I love Derby and you can suck my Black and white testicles.
Dirty and sly, but bloody genius.  "

" Worked out alright for him hasn't it?
Kicks up a fuss at Fulham, goes on strike and then we reward him with a nice new contract. We should have moved on. We'd be livid if someone did this to us.
Fulham gave him a chance to play first team football, he need's to show them respect."

"I like Chris Martin, and would love to see him back.
However, this is a poor move, totally lacking in class or respect for a fellow professional rival.
The management were happy enough to loan him on a season long deal, but now act like a spoilt toddler when Fulham refuse to reverse the deal agreed.
Quoting the player himself in the statement is plain stupid, putting Martin in an impossible situation, with Fulham fans already discussing how to abuse him properly.
Some may see this as a example of Sam Rush's macheivellian brilliance, but for me at least, it's another pointer that he's actually a bit of a cnut. "

" Might grab some late tickets in the neutral end tomorrow against hull, start signing Martin songs, wow it's bitter online with the Fulham fans lol"

" Be a lot of questions of the morality of this but if this contract has been signed without breaking any FL/FA rules I have no issues with this, why would I? The best striker we've had for years is coming back, hard to deny we've missed him.
Can understand Fulham fans anger so I won't mock them, be pretty pissed off myself if this was the other way round, clearly thought the player was theres and Martin gave no indication it would be a temporary move for him.
Don't see how he can stay around there for the rest of the season with what has gone on, wouldn't be surprised to see a 9am Monday morning announcement he's back with a picture on the training ground all smiles with McClaren.
Will be just the lift we need for the run in, pretty sure a few players in the dressing room will be happy with this even if a few of our fans aren't."

" Don't see why Fulham are complaining he's scoring there goals to keep them in touching distance of the playoffs without him they'd be mid table at best."

" Sam doing what is necessary to get the player back. I'm happy with that.
Interestingly, assuming he has a pay rise from this and let's say he doesn't come back, are Fulham liable for paying his new weekly wage?"

" He went there on a loan with a view to permeant move at the end, this wasn't just a standard loan and return.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11681/10561511/chris-martin-excited-by-loan-move-to-fulham-from-derby

"I'm just delighted to get it out of the way. Obviously it was a very late night last night but I'm glad that everything got sorted and it's time to concentrate on the game on Sunday," he told Sky Sports News HQ.
"I think it is a fresh start and I am really looking forward to it at a very progressive club in Fulham, I think they have made some excellent signings in this window and they have a manager with aspirations to get back to the Premier League so hopefully I am able to contribute and help them do that.
"You can never say it wasn't [a distraction] because it was in the pipeline for a little while. I'm just glad to get it out the way, it is not the easiest thing not knowing your future and having that little bit of uncertainty.
"But now that it's done, I can obviously concentrate on the game on Sunday and then meet the lads when I get back."

"  don't overly see why some have a major issue with this and it being so called dirty tactics. Martin was loaned to Fulham with the option to buy. In that time McClaren has returned and wants a player back, that player wants to be back here. Are we not allowed to offer our own players new contracts? Do it all the time with youth players out on loan. This is just trying to undo all the rubbish Pearson did. Martin could have not signed it and said yes to Fulham..."

" He wants to come home. He wants to come home. Fulhams ash it hole. He wants to come home "

" I'm not entirely sure what Derby are supposed to have done wrong here? We've offered one of our own players a new contract and he's accepted it?
Fair enough that article is quite snide but I can't see the issue."

" He was kissing the Fulham badge just before Christmas, now he's suddenly back in love with us? Aye alright then. "

" Stand by what I say...... I'm not happy with the way this has happened. I'm not particularly proud of the way Derby County have handled all of this......
But however I'll continue to support the club I love through thick and thin..... I won't however be blinkered or put my rose tinted specs on because I do think personally.... many don't like yourself..... that Derby have been very shall we say..... sneaky with all of this.
Personally don't think it'll all work out myself..... but like I've said many many times before..... I'll put my hands up and admit I'm wrong if it all does work out.
Mind, if it don't then I'd imagine the cheerleaders for all this will be keeping schtum, and shouting from the roof tops "I told you so" if it does. Way of the world unfortunately.
Smacks of arrogance and indecency."

"  Simply put, football is a ruthless business. You don't get anywhere by showing sympathy because another club is upset at you.
I didn't see much sympathy from Fulham's side throughout January? They stuck with their position that Martin was theirs and there is no option on him returning."

"Think people need to step down from the moral high ground here. At no point have Fulham given any consideration to what we or more importantly Chris Martin wanted in this situation. Why therefore should we give 2 flying fooks about them. Embrace the moment. Our top scorer from the last 3 seasons is coming home. I know I'm definitely gonna raise a glass to that tonight. Welcome home Chrissie. COYR.  "

" Just brilliant news. I can't wait for how the Fulham manager is going to try and twist this one round!"

"All three parties would need to agree for him to sign at the end too, and it's obvious that wasn't going to happen.
As I've already said Fulham/Jokanovic played every card they had during January, even posturing saying 'there's nothing you can do', essentially being ruthless about it. When a player wants to return for family reasons, and a club want him back I don't see any reason not to show a bit of swagger back"

"As you all know I am a massive Chris Martin fan, he has been so consistent since he came here, and since he has been at Fulham he has scored goals, and generally when he has played Fulham are a better side with him in the team, so we have made 3 million pound on a player we payed nothing for, and who was brilliant for Mac the last time round, for me this is a win, win situation for Dcfc."

"Well wasn't expecting that. Great  move by derby. Hopefully Fulham will  see some sense and send Chris home."

" Fulham only have themselves to blame, they could have tried to sign permanent in Aug, don't fall in love with a house you rent, one day the landlord may take it off the rental market?"

" £30k.... Jeez. That's almost double... But the fact Fulham have to pay it is genius... "

" Sam & Mel have played an absolute blinder here. Let Fulham mouth off about the situation, draw all the attention on them, let them think it's their way and they've pulled our pants down.
but no, we can offer him a new contract, perfectly legal to do so, offer him loads to come back. F*** you Fulham, check and mate.
Chrissy Martin is a ram, is a ram, is a ram"

" I wonder if Fulham have agreed to pay 100% of his wages or if they have agreed a fixed amount? Because if we've given him a pay rise and the agreement says they pay all his wages, then we've absolutely got their pants down. I don't know how these deals work, but it's worth considering! "

" as far as i am concerned fulham have done nothing wrong at any stage.
they brokered a deal in good faith and just wanted to stick to the agreement."

"It's a very good point. Hopefully if they don't pay all his wages then we could recall him on a legal technicality. Think we'll still see some posturing from SJ but we've definitely poked them right in the eyes with this one. Don't think anybody saw this coming. We've basically left them practically no time to replace him"

" They've bought it on themselves - tight gits should have signed him, but no they wanted 'try before you buy'. Could have signed him in this window - Chrissy said he just wanted his contract sorted, but didn't say with who! Absolute w@nkers, they're the ones who haven't played the game - normally when a loan player wants to go back to their parent club it's all agreed. Not them barstewards. Ha! Always good to have another club to hate! Foook off Fulham!
Chrissy Martin is a Ram, he hates Fulham.

" So we have gave a declining player a pay rise and a longer contract even though he clearly wouldn't cut it in the prem"

" This must be really painfully for the anti-Martin brigade. He might not be as effective in the PL as he is in the Championship- I don't know if he will but then neither do you so don't make out as if it's fact - it isn't! Meanwhile, if we do make it, then the natural progression will be that players that helped us get there will be replaced by better ones (Martin included)."

" Will Fulham really want to pay another £1.5m plus £30k per week to keep a player, who doesn't want to be there, for another 19 games? I highly doubt it.
Welcome home Chrissy!"

" I can't say that I'm massively surprised by this. I think it's safe to assume Martin was aware of a new bumper contract coming his way when he initially refused to turn out for Fulham. Publicising it now is just our final throw of the dice, or more likely a big fat middle finger to Fulham because I still can't see them letting him return before the summer.

Martin refusing to play (if true) is wrong, but us offering our own player an improved contract shouldn't really even be newsworthy. I'm happy we're getting a player I believe to be one of the best at championship level back, but this drama only serves to highlight what an appalling decision this loan was in the first place. I don't care who the new manager is, if he strides into the office suggesting that I loan my top striker to a rival because he doesn't get along with him, then he either gets an earful or his p45. Because we capitulated to blockhead Pearson's ludicrous demands we now find ourselves paying more per week for someone we already owned for no good reason."

" There's a fundamental difference. Both wanted to stay at Derby because it's great, and did.
Chris has realised that Fulham is the rectum of Battersea and wants to come home."

" Can I be the first to congratulate Martin on his move to Aston Villa."

" Bad move, he had 3 seasons to get us in the prem, Failed. Arrogant, lazy and only interested in Derby cos his wife settled in the area with the kids. Should have sold to Fulham while he is doing well for them and bought a more exciting footballer like Jorden Ibe. Another season built around Martin guarantees you more Championship football and increased sales of chewing gum in Duffield"

" Hiya angry,pissed up fulham fan...or covert anti martin fan under a new name(daveo will ban you,you do know that?}
not very subtle though mate....your quote ''guarantees YOU,more championship football'' somewhat gives you away,lol"

" tatement from Fulham on sky transfer

After Chris Martin signed a new contract with Derby today, a Fulham spokesperson has told the Press Association tonight:

"The signing of a new contract with Derby County does not impact on the terms of the loan arrangement agreed by both clubs.

"Chris Martin will be at Fulham for the remainder of the season and the club still has an option to purchase."

" F***sake! Why would Fulham still want him if he's committed himself to us... awkward b*******"

" Whilst they may have an option to purchase at the end of the season, my understanding is that it will still need for Martin to agree to the deal.
Fat chance!"

" if they want to keep paying his wages and a sizeable loan fee until the summer,for a player who doesnt want to be there and they wont trust to play now,well,go ahead!
no reason why he cant come back to derby and train with the squad even if he isnt playing for us.
does seem completly counter productive for them esp as thier fans dont want him in the team now..crazy pig headedness!"

" Exactly!
Sheer bloody mindedness on Fulham's part."

" Can he just be 'injured' again? "

"If he ever plays for fulham again the fans will boo him off the pitch. No way will they forgive him this.
The people hold make the decisions at fulham must know that and thats why Chris Martin will be back here by Tuesday night."

" My favourite comment on the Fulham forum so far...

"Those 2 missed penalties now make it look like they were deliberate in order to derail our play off push."
He got both penalties on target, one was actually struck very well and took a tremendous save to keep out. Coincidentaly in that game he scored the equaliser, maybe that was an accident? How you can put a penalty on target and miss on purpose I don't know, but one poster has suggested an FA investigation to find out how.."

" Why is everybody getting their knickers in a knot,  you might have forgotten we offered Martin the contract 3 weeks ago, it was to put a spanner in the works with Fulham, hence why Martin refused to play at Reading.
Things are the same as they were yesterday, except we are supposed to be paying him 30,000 a week now, I dare say Fulham are still paying their contracted amount 14000 or whatever it is. So we now hope that Fulham will send him back within 3 days, or else we are paying Martin a tidy sum  each week to play at a rival club till June.
We now have a situation whereby Fulham either send him back quickly, can keep him and risk an injury or just as bad sit him out till June. Absolutely bonkers."
" you need to stop living in the past and move on
and to be honest,im a bit disappointed with this response toddy,you have been sat glaring at your keyboard for several hours...i expected a masterpiece  "

"  Does nobody else think this stinks of serious foul play by Derby?

I said before, when I read posts about Martin on other teams forums.
That McClaren time and time again has played dirty in his bid to get him back
If we are to get Martin back in the summer, so be it, let him sign it then.
Apart from the fact he is SUPPOSED to be at Fulham at the moment, and not anywhere near DCFC,
this move can only be a last ditch attempt to play dirty and try force the move through in whats left of January.
Lastly I think the thing which stinks of showing no class whatsoever.... is DCFC and Martin feeling the need to attribute quotes to how he cant wait to be at derby, and looks forward to being here ASAP. All, while his is expected to turn out for Fulham in their next game.
If the boot was on the other foot, how furious would you be with this dirty scumbag????"

" DIRTIEST TACTIC OF ANY WINDOW IN THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL."

" If you think this through his position at Fulham is now untenable. Imagine this scenario. Fulham keep him and play him. Last game of the season. Fulham are a point behind Derby in the fight for 6th place and the play offs. Our game finishes before theirs and we draw. Fulham get a penalty in injury time to win their game. Up steps Martin...."

" What do Fulham Smoke, the guy does not want to play for them and Pearson pushed him out !! Are they kidding themselves that he will put 100% in for Fulham. "

" Don't some people realise they are slagging off Derby County with some of these Chris Martin comments.
Why are they backing Fulham as Derby fans ."

" Only the usual suspects.
The ones who were so against Steve McClaren's return and the ones who have never rated Martin, so we shouldn't be surprised."

" Because we've behaved like total *****?
Don't get me starting on supporting Derby County either, with the amount of bitching and moaning you've done over the clubs transfer policy in recent years."

"Poor Fulham.
As prolific as Martin has been for us, I surely can't be the only one wondering if any one player is worth all this trouble.
Given this whole saga has been played out in public, we could have conducted ourselves a lot better.
Martin has an excellent record here and it was a huge gamble to let him leave on loan and go in a new direction.
However I don't see the excitement in knowing he's here for another three years, as it's effectively consigning us to three more years of being the division's nearly men. He is a top Championship player but is he really going to elevate us beyond that? Even if he returned tomorrow, I wouldn't be any more confident of promotion.
People are building him up way too much and only fuelling the pressure on him to come back and perform.
Difference between when he first came here and now is that he was rebuilding his career then. He could just play without a care, but now proving himself deserving of a big new contract and meeting huge expectations to be the main man again may weigh heavily on him.
What if he returns and performs like the much-maligned Vydra has this season? £30k a week until 2020 will look a bit steep then.
Not disputing that he's an excellent player for this level but this could all very well blow up in our faces if he doesn't fire us to promotion in the not too distant future."

" Still can't understand the euphoria surrounding him coming back.
A bloke who didnt score in 23 games for us before he left.
whos attitude and demeanour on the pitch was awful and that of a player that didn't want to be here.
A player who is approaching 30 and whos best days are probably behind him and we've seen already.
No other club is this reliant on a player. Its really strange. There could be better players out there in the lower leagues. But we'll never know.
Look at Burnley. Had Austin. Replaced with Ings. Lost Ings replaced with Gray.
Each time each striker has improved them.
Giving him a 3 year deal is strange. "

" It was a 14 goal drought, not 23"

" One word IF
He also went about 11 games on the trot for us last season without a goal. So your 'rate' comment makes no sense at all. Fulham create chances, us not so much. If we win two games on the bounce then, if we continue at that rate we will win the league.. It's football, it does not work like that.
The blind faith in this bloke is clouding everyone's judgement. Step back, look at who we are today against who we were when he was at his peak with us. It's not the same..
Apart from Hughes, I don't really rate any of our midfielders that highly. We play too deep in midfield in order for Martin to link that well. The runners don't get past him, they did before but we are not showing any signs of that now even under SM.
Do you seriously think Martin is a Premier League standard striker? Surely not.. Okay at this level in the right set up.. We have to evolve not go backwards and that is all I am seeing at the moment.
How long before we get the 'no plan B' threads? Has SM got the minerals to drop Martin if he is off his game?
There is so much clutching at straws with us it's embarrassing."

"Ninos and toddy like this"

" While I will be delighted to see Chris Martin back I do think the situation is very bizarre, not sure I can ever recall a situation like it.

Fulham fans are unhappy and rightly so.
It will be interesting to see how it pans out...
Will he play today? Will he try and force a move back before tuesday?
What are the terms of the deal with Fulham, they have an option to buy but surely this is only with the agreement from the player himself?
If he stays at Fulham, what if things change between now and the end of the season? What if Fulham get promoted, will he change his mind? Can he?
For me I dont like any of the way its been played out, but Fulham would have been better concentrating on replacing martin and letting him come back, if someone wants to be somewhere else whats the point in prolonging it?"

" Sounds as though he put in a team performance today and got a goal for Fulham also seems SJ is happy with Martin?
So god knows what is going on, he has had pay rise and + contract extension, says he want to come back, but then turns out for Fulham?
Fulham maintaining nothing has changed, so we'll see come Tuesday........"

" The Fulham Head Coach was also asked about Martin's current situation, after Derby County announced on the eve of the game that he had signed a new contract with them.

"His situation is fantastic," Jokanović explained. "He signed a new contract which is great news for himself and his family.
"It's probably his highest contract, but in our situation there is no change; he is going to stay with us. He showed commitment today for working with the club.
"I understand why Derby like this player, they believe the best Derby striker is in my dressing room. I believe the same.
"But what are we going to do? If they want to use him, I have to send him back at the end of the season. We have an option for him to stay for next season and in this business you never know." "
To me it looks like Martin will see if he can get a better contract out of Fulham..."

"http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/martin-play-derby-county-play-offs-boss
"This situation is crap IMO .
Really deflating news for us Derby County Fans.
I am starting to get annoyed with Chris Martin now though 
Is he serious about coming back to Derby or does he want the best of both worlds.
If he doesn't come back in January I hope he stays at Fulham and we can buy someone else.
What the hell is he doing scoring for them . 
Stop trying for them for goodness sake Chris . "

" Must be the first time in history that a player out on loan isnt allowed back to his parent club. Forget the finite details Derby who own the player and want him back especially as the manager who got rid has now gone.
The player has made it 100% clear he want to go back
Fulham who are borrowing the player and will now NOT be signing the him say no.
Fair play to Joker for standing by his guns but he is now starting to look a ****. CM is playing and scoring but no way is he 100% committed. Even if he says he is his mind will be elsewhere. Joker get over yourself. Especially as his family are in Derby if Fulham had any common-sense they would say thanks but time to move on."

" I honestly doubt it, the big line going through this has been essentially Martin is doing what's best for his family, which I presume is seeing his long term future at Derby.
It's an incredibly sticky situation which both clubs have seen themselves entangled in which is unfortunate but was sadly inevitable once McLaren returned. The thing is I don't blame either team for their stances, if the shoe was on the other foot I'm sure you would want Fulham to try and get your (arguably) best player back. I reckon he will end up staying for the season now though."

" Derby/Martin have handled this whole situation dreadfully. First he tries to go on strike, quite probably with the knowledge/encouragement of the club, then when that doesn't work the club gives him a new contract and with a massive fanfare puts out quotes from him saying how much he loves us, his family loves it here etc etc.
Then Fulham just laugh in our faces, and do so in the smug knowledge that they hold all the aces.
If Martin doesn't come back on Tuesday, Derby are going to look even more incredibly stupid than they already do."

"Well that's seemingly that then... Hopefully see you in the play offs Chrissy"

" This situation gets worse by the day.
We are in a much worse position after he scored today.
The Fulham fans are back onside and will want Fulham to sign him now  .
If he breaks his leg or does his knee at Fulham they won't sign him and we will have him back injured 
If Martin does great for Fulham he will sign for them as they have the option to take him .
I have  gone from ecstatic to miserable again. "

" No it's now or never for me.
I can't believe what has happened since Derby announced the new contract yesterday."

"Pretty entertaining this black and white grey saga.
We keep trying to undermine Fulham with shady moves to get him back and Fulham keep being classy and countering with their own sensible tactics: he keeps playing and doing well and neither set of fans know whether they hate him or love him. Top drawer stuff!
So for the time being : he will stay at Fulham knowing he's got a bloated contract at derby waiting if he struggles.
if he does well then both teams will want him and Fulham will just have to match the previous asking price and beat Derby's contract offer by a penny. He could also choose the team that goes up. If none do, he will take the one contract that gives him more money regardless of team. Great situation for CM! He must be laughing his socks off. "

" http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/fulham-boss-slavisa-jokanovic-addresses-latest-chris-martin-development/story-30095256-detail/story.html
Read last sentence of this .
Fulham still have the option to buy Martin. "

" He could easily change his mind if he was offered more money by Fulham and he wanted to stay because his circumstances changed again or if Fulham go up  .
Fulham have an option to sign him permanently at the end of the season and that's why their manager says he doesn't know what will happen. "

" He could change his mind if his circumstances change .
Promotion by Fulham is quite feasible.
He decides he likes it at Fulham because they offer more than Derby in August ie a better contract  "

"
  19 hours ago, BobbyD said:
I'm wondering if you are capable of seeing the big picture Curtains
It is obvious that Chris wants to return.
Please tell us of the circumstances that you see can change - it would be interesting
Not disagreeing with your view - just would like to see the logic and justification for it

"Promotion by Fulham.
More money offered by Fulham."

" If Martin signs with Fulham after the season (give it about 1% chance) and his quotes yesterday, then he is done and I wish him the worst."

" Jokanovich is messing with Derby fans heads!"

"
  19 hours ago, curtains said:
Promotion by Fulham.

More money offered by Fulham.

"I'd like him to come back, Derby have shown their intention so thats good, yes he might end up staying at Fulham. Its hardly worth getting angry about, we will move on.
Seriously there are far worse positions to be in, we will get the remaining 6 million or whatever if he does stay at Fulham so what have we lost? nothing?
The mistake wasnt yesterday or today, it was at the start of the season, but we cant do anything about that now, at least he went on a loan so we have a fighting chance he might come back.
So you are angry and saying its a terrible position to be in, it could be worse you could support them down the road run by an absolute clown, selling their best players and not replacing them and possibly about to appoint a manager who they did nothing but make fun of for 4 years...perspective."

"I think the Fulham manager is being a bit of a knob at the moment. He is not their player. Even Martin has said he cannot wait to get Derby so the whole thing is stupid. I think a few people need to grow up."

"  Some on here need to get over Martin as it's clear the Fulham manager is intent on keeping him. For me he can have him for the rest of the season if he wishes and I'll gladly have the 1.5 million of them. If the owner of Fulham is happy to pay 1.5 million for a player who's heart is elsewhere then he's a complete mug.
Just wait until they're on the wrong side of a result and that club will implode.
We still have decent forwards and we all should get over that Martin is not the be all and end all of this football club. "

" Maybe just maybe we have offered Chris a new contract, told him we want him and will see him in the summer and told him to start enjoying his football with Fulham for the remainder of the season. Keep scoring, stay fit and we will see you in pre-season.
Martin today looked like a player enjoying his football.
I want Martin back now, but we sent him on loan for a season, for it to sit right with me it is only right he honours that deal."

" Today is a bit of an anticlimax after yesterday's euphoria on here. Gotta admit I thought the same as @Parsnip that we wouldn't see CM in a Fulham shirt again, however thankfully I didnt stake my tutu on it. Which game are we gonna see you in your new outfit btw? Not that I have any aspirations to see a grown man in a tutu and armbands mind. Seriously though this whole saga has been surreal from day one. Who knows how it will all pan out. At least we've got the clarity that CM does want to come back. Until that day comes we should  just concentrate on getting behind the lads currently occupying the shirt of our beloved club. All that matters is making a success of this bizarre season. Que sera, we can only influence the here and now. The rest will take care of itself. COYR."

" I don't think it's in the contract, as the contract also has an agreed fee.

Just doesn't make any sense for Fulham to hold onto him if their season is over and ours isn't. If their season doesn't end after the 46th game they'll keep hold of him until after the play-offs.



I think a lot of Fulham fans are massively overreacting to this, I don't think Martin is going to be going out in a Fulham shirt with a view to do Derby a favour. Obviously, it gets a little more concerning from their point of view if Derby and Fulham are close rivals at the tail end of the season as he's committed his future to us, but in that situation I'd hope Martin chose the professional path.
I'd respect him greatly if he scored the goal that got Fulham in the play-offs at the expense of us, for example. Although I imagine lots of people on here would choose to be angry and upset with him."

" Yes, it's the Fulham fans that are massively overreacting to this (he says, posting on the 75th page)"

" I thought Derby fans overreaction was obvious, but it's also a situation worthy of discussion.
I wasn't citing Fulham's discussion of the topic, I was more citing Fulham booing a player in their shirt whenever he touched the ball.
Until he scored, obviously."

"
  3 hours ago, SaintRam said:
I thought Derby fans overreaction was obvious, but it's also a situation worthy of discussion.

I wasn't citing Fulham's discussion of the topic, I was more citing Fulham booing a player in their shirt whenever he touched the ball.

Until he scored, obviously.

Fulham's over reaction (like ours) is because how SJ and their local press angled the story from day 1, basically saying things like 'Martin has refused to play' something that then get debunked by SJ himself. But sadly the damage was already done. There are other examples where the West London Sport wrote headlines like 'BOARD BACK JOKANOVIC' when what actually happened was SJ just saying that but with no official quote from Fulham's board.
The sad thing is, is that some of this has been taken as gospel (by Fulham AND for some reason, Derby fans) rather than giving it any analytical review. It's even given way for articles in the national about 'striking footballers' and made the mess a lot worse. Essentially it's exactly what they want too, even his comments about 'Derby's best striker' are there to cause unrest and people fall for it hook, line and sinker.
Martin's commutes his long term future, now let's just see what happens"

"After all the excitement of the new contract, nothing has really changed has it "

No my little Derby friend, even after 79 pages of posts on your forum....nothing has changed

[Woolly Mammoth]

Let's hope Chrissy and Stevie live unhappily ever after.

[ToodlesMcToot]

As Derby continue to make efforts to pry Martin from us prior to the end of season, I don't see why we don't make them pay some sort of ransom to keep us from signing him on a permanent deal. Their extension with Martin means nothing while we still have the unilateral option of signing him for ourselves. So why don't we get something in exchange for not signing him? Seems only fair after the way they've behaved in all this.

Surely they have some valuable assets in their academy that they could send our way in exchange.

All this business to be conducted at the end of the season of course.

[Bill2]

Does our loan contract allow us to purchase Martin at a fixed price?

[FFCFOREVER]

They really are a dim bunch arent they?The bit about Fulham train station.That dont even exist.Wallies

[MiltonBurrows]

That's a brilliant read. Fact of the matter is, he is under contract with us for this season and however hard Derby try and unsettle him, we have the final word on the matter. The way Mclaren has treated this situation by splattering it all over the press shows little to no class. This could have been sorted behind closed doors quite easily. No respect shown to us by DCFC so why then do they expect us to show any back?

[dhowells21]

Does our loan contract allow us to purchase Martin at a fixed price?

Believe so yes. Price is 9 mln (minus whatever we paid in loan fee). Which given the state of the market at the moment, isn't a bad deal at all (in my opinion)

[Dixie]

That is some pretty interesting reading!

There are quite a few Derby fans who are not happy with how their own club has conducted itself in this process - so it's not all one-sided commentary.
As for some of the others...

[Mince n Tatties]

Send him back now.
He might spit his dummy out in a weeks time after his missus gives him an ultimatum, Me or London.

[MiltonBurrows]

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/fulham-and-derbys-chris-martin-transfer-tussle-highlights-ugly-side-of-promotion-race-111441533.html


'McClaren, since coming in, has acted in an infantile manner. Never mind legally-binding contracts. Never mind an agreement which was only likely to last temporarily once McClaren rejoined Derby.'

'Another manager might have agreed the extension and announced it post-season, but not this gaffer. It's also highly improbable that he hasn't been chatting to Martin about it – after all, the discontent only began after the 2-2 draw between the sides in mid-December.

Fulham have insisted that the striker will remain with them until the end of the season. Martin's parent club has acted deplorably – it takes some doing to come out of a transfer saga like this looking a lot less dignified than the subject footballer'

Couldn't have put it better myself. Not that i thought highly of Mclaren before, far from it infact, but he really is a cockroach of the industry. Do Derby fans actually like or rate Mclaren? Or do they see him like the rest of the footballing world does, a classless idiot?

[toshes mate]

The fickleness of football fans, one minute deliriously excited, and in the very next, cut to the quick. 

The cheap tactics of McLaren have been found out by the much superior SJ and may yet return to haunt him.  If Martin remains at Fulham he cannot play for Derby.  Job done.

[Arthur]

" £30k.... Jeez. That's almost double... But the fact Fulham have to pay it is genius... "

In which case, we can thank our lucky stars that Martin wasn't offered £30M-a-week until the end of the season.

Clearly not the sharpest knife in Derby.

[Fulham Tup North]

Are they idiots?? They offer him a new big contract (£30k pw) and they think that now we have to pay his higher wages?? We would have agreed a fee for wages before signing the contract, otherwise you would simply loan out a player, then offer him a silly wage increase and stitch up the club who have loaned him! Some of these 'supporters' are moron's!!

[JHaynes Paperboy]

Martin F***s Fulham !!!

I wonder if Derby supporters will be as happy with who else he's f***ed ??

[Baszab]

I have hated Derby since 1982 and this just increase the hate - prefer Brentford Chelsea and QPR mixed together to Derby

[SP]

Reading this has really cheered me up.  Although we're still in January, some of these thoughts must be the dumbest posts of the year.

[Carborundum]

Terry, that's a terrific post and your mastery of that particular in-flight wifi deserves respect.  It can sometimes be slower than Matt Smith in a diving suit.

Seems like many of their fans are fairly reasonable with some outliers and a lot of presumption about undisclosed facts peppering the debate.  Planet Derby didn't strike me as being in an alien universe.

One unusual contract, leading to so many intrigues.  Whatever it actually says, Derby, Fulham and perhaps Chris Martin must be wondering "whoever thought doing it like that was a good idea?".  All I know is that more than one person must have done. 

[Fulham Tup North]

Send him back now.
He might spit his dummy out in a weeks time after his missus gives him an ultimatum, Me or London.

Obviously you choose LONDON!! Plenty of women in London and they speak proper!!

[mouse]

Thinking that McClaren could possibly get the push before the end of the season and if a new incoming manager don't rate Martin,that would be a fitting end to this anti Fulham shambles.......COYW    FTID.

[toshes mate]

I wasn't impressed watching Derby play Leicester and I don't rate McLaren as a decent coach at top level anyhow.  Trying to get Martin back by devious means is the lazy man attitude and not befitting of football as a professional sport.