Warnock on Becchio

It was back to the league after that and we went into the Christmas period just off the play-offs. Then we lost to Nottingham Forest and Hull City in quick succession. It wasn?t just the defeats that worried me though, suddenly our best striker and top goalscorer had stopped working. Luciano Becchio had been enjoying a terrific season, but unless you?re Barcelona that causes problems because the player, and his advisers, start thinking about a move. I soon had enough calls from people claiming to be in his camp to know his head was elsewhere. It was clear by early December he wanted to go ? before the Chelsea game when he scored and kissed the badge. At that stage he wanted to go to Turkey or China. The Turks were offering to nearly treble his wages so inevitably I get a player coming to see me telling me he?s 29 and this is his big chance to make himself secure for life. I know he?s as good as telling me if I don?t let him go I might not get the best out of him in the rest of the season. But I can?t tell the local press there is a gun to my head. The players all know he wants away, the manager knows, but you can?t blacken his character in public if you are going to sell him as you?ll reduce his value ? and there?s always the chance the window will shut and you?ll be left with him and will need him to want to play for you.

So the fans ? who love him ? moan when you leave him out, and the press ask why, but you can?t say anything. It?s difficult. The issue came to a head when we lost at Barnsley in January and to my eyes Becchio never broke sweat. They were bottom of the table and Yorkshire rivals whose fans love to put one over ?big? Leeds. Our fans, for the first time, turned on the team, and me. I made the point of staying out on the pitch until last, and clapping the fans. I got dog?s abuse. I knew after that I had to do something about Becchio so I spoke to his agent on the Monday and told him how disappointed I was at Becchio?s attitude. In reply the agent let slip Becchio had rung him an hour before the game. I was gobsmacked, but I didn?t let on, just asked him a question that ensured he confirmed it. I then asked Becchio if his mind was on the game, he said it was, but when I pointed out he?d been on the phone to his agent an hour before kick-off he had suddenly nothing to say. He couldn?t deny it. So he had to go, but I needed to get a replacement. One player I?ve always admired, especially since a performance for Millwall against my QPR, is Steve Morison. I tried to sign him when QPR went up but Norwich beat us to him. He did well for them in their first season in the Premier League but was now on the bench most weeks. I got in touch with Chris Hughton at Norwich but he insisted he wouldn?t let Morison go until he got a replacement. He was finding that difficult. It was all over the papers that they had had bids rejected for strikers like Celtic?s Gary Hooper. Then they lost in the FA Cup to non-League Luton to top off a bad run in the league and I knew they?d be getting desperate to sign someone. I could have offered Becchio to Chris, but that would have weakened my negotiating position as it would have made it obvious I needed to shift Becchio. So I asked someone else with links to the club to throw his name in the hat. It worked. Becchio had not been on their radar but a 19-goal striker was going to keep the fans happy, and he was a lot cheaper than Hooper. We also got a cash adjustment in our favour, ? 200,000, so the new owners were happy, and after the problems with Becchio so was I.

Posted By: lurd, Jul 9, 17:42:19