Personally I think the bonus system was flawed in that it rewarded failure at worst mediocrity at best. It needed dealing with.
Have been saying for years that the owners needed to deal with the issue of wages and I am not going to start back tracking on that. This can be seen as a harsh and perhaps demotivating move but it was necessary if this club is to survive.
It could only have been amended by discussion and negotiation. To simply impose a wage cut or change in bonus structure would effectively be a breach of contract and in employment law constructive dismissal (have just been through similar process regarding absence/holidays and was advised by ACAS about fundamental changes to contracts). The players had the option to say no if they wanted to...... which could have been awkward all round ..... (player on full pay, not being used in a small squad and who could refuse any transfer owners might agree).
The fact that an agreement has been reached on all contracts might ruffle the players but should be commended on both sides ..... players doing something positive for the club not just the owners.
questions
1) there were last season new contracts issued to players - Bell, Baker, McSheffery, some of the academy players (Thomas Christie etc) that played in the season and then some of the academy players who really didnt feature (Henderson, Willis etc) .... say 10 or 12 players. There have been 8 new arrivals so far and more academy players added to the squad. The problem then and now is not different so why wasnt it dealt with before for the existing players. It should not have left 16 disgruntled players all in one go. Where was the planning !!
2) does the wage cut and bonus change apply to all staff/players on the football side ?
3) why leave it to the week before kick off to get it done
4) were they serious about players not agreeing being put on transfer list and not playing. what does that say to AT
5) what additional costs have been built into the budget that detract from these savings.
6) has this been part of the delay in signing some of the players?
7) what do they mean by deferring the bonuses..... if they mean they are being earnt but not paid then it becomes a valid debt at the time it was earnt and can affect the tax payment, the budget, and the FFP calculation now........ or are they saying that the bonuses only kick in if certain things like promotion happen (ie if it does then the players wages ie recalculated using the bonuses in his contract .... will affect profitability and FFP)
nothing is straight forward
A good start to the season is probably even more important now.......... not only are their financial implications but there is the squad morale at risk too.
Right move in my opinion but it was the right move in 2006 too ...... just not sure on how it was done