Doesn't change the fact you used Lafai as a example who fell off the map when he moved on, Hodko who was just terrible in his last year with us while playing on one leg (I love the guy, but really, the club just couldn't offer him anything given what he served up in his final year with us while looking for a new contract), and Keating who was...... Keating.
If we're talking about giving fair go's, Mbye has been given a HUGE fair go, he is being paid what he might be worth if he lives up to the hype which he is yet to do on the field. Doesn't seem that fair to me that Reynolds can reasonably regularly be one of our top 3 performers in games, and he is the one under pressure, not his halves partner who isn't breaking out yet but is already on broke out money.
Reynolds issues it seems to me are his own, but I'm not seeing any valid argument he has held any player back... if anything, the history shows he made some look a lot better than they actually where. I think pressure should be on Mbye, he is already signed and has secured his immediate future, he just should be out performing Reynolds week in and week out if he was worth it...... it might happen, I haven't seen it yet though.
Personally, I can't buy into the idea that Reynolds should all of a sudden become a 7 just because we now have a guy wearing 7 that is a younger, and so far lesser 6 than Him, to me, it just seems illogical to expect him to become a different player because we need him to fill the role his better paid halves partner isn't doing.
I hope Mbye has a break through year and makes a few of my posts about him look stupid later, I really do, but even if he becomes the next JT, it isn't right to be looking to Reynolds to become a totally different player while he takes his sweet time doing it (also not that fair to ask Mbye to become a 7 when he is clearly a 6......... so whoever signs off on the value of player contracts for us might be the real one to be looking to move on, I'm going to guess that isn't Des? the coach wouldn't be the final word on dollars, CEO or the board?).