Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn't have been happy to have been greeted by the news that Wayne Rooney wants to leave Manchester United, but it is a reality of modern day management that you will get players who are seeking pastures new.
It is rare for a so-called ‘tier-one' club like Manchester United to lose its biggest star as they have the ability to pay top dollar, but closer to home in Australia it is an issue which clubs face on an even more regular basis.
In my time at Newcastle Jets I faced several cases of losing my best players, especially as my players had gained a deservingly good reputation in the wake of us winning the A-League championship.
It is easier to accept the likes of James Holland, Nicky Carle and Joel Griffiths going to bigger clubs in Europe and Asia, but we also lost Andrew Durante, Stuart Musialik and Mark Bridge to rival A-League sides. That was disappointing and hard to take.
Generally speaking when a player has decided they want to join a different club then it is very difficult to expect to retain them. Most of the players will be on shorter term deals and a good run of form will attract interest from rival clubs. The first thing you can do is ensure your rising stars are on longer term contracts.
For example, Adelaide will probably be keen to make sure Matthew Leckie is tied down for a few years, so if he does make the decision to move on, the club is in a much stronger position.
When a player knows they only have a matter of a year or so on their contract they are in the better position to negotiate a move sooner rather than later. With player agents so involved in such matters these days they also have strong representation to force a deal through.
However it is my belief that if a player wants to move on, no matter how long-term their deal, you have to let them go. It's a tough part of management, but it is all part of the current landscape in the job.
I had one case at Newcastle Jets where we had Tim Brown on a long-term contract. When the New Zealand Knights dissolved and Wellington Phoenix were formed, Tim wanted to join as Wellington is his home town.
Despite Tim being on that long-term contract, we took the decision to release him so he could join the Phoenix for their inaugural campaign. I didn't want to retain a player that had such a strong desire to ply his trade for another A-League side.
It is still possible to talk players into staying with your club, but a lot depends on how far along they are with discussions and their mindset if their future lies elsewhere. If a player has got it into his head that another club is the place for them, then changing that is no easy task.
At Newcastle we struggled to keep up with the likes of Melbourne and Sydney on a financial front. If a player is aware of what they might earn from a new deal at a different club and you know that's well above anything you can offer them, you might just have to accept the player is leaving.
So what's the answer? What can managers do to prevent a talent drain of their best players? The key is providing what I would term as a "strong football environment". Basically a place where players don't want to leave and so won't entertain the notion of changing their situation.
If your club can't compete on a historic, fan base or financial basis, then fostering this strong club environment is an integral part of building a successful team for years to come.
In the A-League it is my belief that Melbourne Victory have done the best job of building the sort of football environment that retains the best of their current talent and attracts new faces to the team.
Victory are pretty much the local template for how managers can avoid those dreaded meetings with wantaway stars of the team.
Melbourne have built this through an infrastructure both on and off the pitch that players want to be a part of. They also have stability, with coach Ernie Merrick being at the club from the outset and building a squad of players that he knows well.
Sir Alex might not be keen to lose his talisman, especially with a rival club like Manchester City circling, but even the best managers sometimes fall victim to an age where players have control over their own destiny.
This article appeared in the December 2010 issue of FourFourTwo magazine. To buy back copies of this issue call 03-8317-8121 with a credit card to hand.
