This Is A Disaster In The Making

Only yesterday I was pointing out just how important Flynn Downes was to the Town team and now he has reportedly handed it a transfer request. This is disastrous! Of all the players that manager Paul Lambert has at his disposal, here is a player he can build a team around. He is young and ambitious and improving all the time, and I was confident that he would be the catalyst for a change in Town’s fortunes if he stayed, but now this!

I think he is probably one of the first names on any team sheet, and without him, we are like a boat without a rudder. Drifting into football oblivion with a tsunami on the horizon. OK, perhaps that is a bit over-dramatic but if we lose Downes, I cannot think of anyone who could replace him and although Lambert has many midfielders to choose from, nobody can wear his particular football boots with any sense of conviction.

There is a bit of hope though. Steve Pearce reported in the last hour or so on Town’s official website that offers have been flatly rejected from a Premier League club – presumably, Crystal Palace, and the clubs’ general manager football operations Lee O’Neill said bluntly, ” Offers are nowhere near the club’s valuation.”

What does this tell us? Are the Blues holding out for more? Will owner Marcus Evans bend under pressure and would Flynn Downes be a ‘happy chappie’ if he did not get the move he so desires? You cannot blame Flynn for wanting to go. He has been here for over a decade and all he has witnessed is the slow decline of a once-great football club.

Lee O’Neill continued, ” Marcus rejected them straight away and he has spoken personally to Flynn to make him aware of the club’s position. Every player strives to play at the highest level and Flynn is no different. We fully understand why a move to the Premier League would appeal to him but until the club receives an offer that meets our valuation, there is no decision to make.”

The gossip is that Town wants at least 4 million pounds for Flynn; along with the usual add-ons for international call-ups and appearance money. Whether they get it – or bow to pressure from a Premier League club remains to be seen.