It is his job, but it's also the advice that took him out of football for a year more or less when he left us the first time, and the advice that took him up to Scotland for 5 months. I'd say both of those are a job badly done.
They were both understandable moves for him and ultimately his choice not his agents, and he would have needed support through the fallout from both, football isn't an exact science.
He gets a lot of stick over the first move but if you'd been linked all over the place and were offered a pittance to stay you might have done the same thing. The fact he signed for Crewe in the end shows some of the interest was genuine even if it didn't work out.
As for the second move he must have been delighted with that contract offer amid suggestions we weren't that keen to keep him, and the prospect of playing in Europe and against the old firm. He was treated badly by a manager who got the chop quickly himself and then he got MK Dons relegated as a bonus.
If he blamed the agent he could easily have picked another.
2014/15 was an absolute disaster for Stewart. Basically wasted half a season in a deadlock with the club, then managed 10 appearances as a squad player at Crewe.
He's very fortunate Ainsworth brought him back here or who knows where he'd have disappeared to after Crewe.
Can't put the Aberdeen move in the same category as he'd clearly have earnt a lot more, and gone to a much bigger club. That it's turned so sour is unfortunate.
The Aberdeen move was compounded by making him captain and then shining the national media spotlight on him. He was not prepared for either. Lovely guy, great player for us but he was never a (vocal) leader or rehearsed to be a spokesman. Why the management chose him for the role was baffling.
It's just about possible though unlikely Johnson would have been heavily involved in the decision to hang out for a deal elsewhere, Johnson had been injured for a while, they both left in May 2014. Stewart didn't play again until the November when he joined Crewe on an odd sort of loan as we had his registration and were due a fee even though he wasn't under contract. Possible some other clubs would have been more keen if he was on a free.
Yeah, that's it, a tribunal would eventually set any fee if there wasn't agreement but it probably wouldn't automatically be clear to any club interested in him what that would end up being.
If I recall from a trust meeting at the time a question was asked about the situation with him and the response that 'his people' had basically said the club were not to speak to him and that was about that. It was clear the club were not over pleased with 'his people'.
Fair enough but if an out of contract player wants to leave it's not really the clubs business anymore. He doesn't have to check in with them regularly just because they are hoping for some compo down the line.
Comments
He most certainly was...
I want to say Leon Johnson here, but my memory is far from reliable…
I think Leon Johnson is now Anthony Stewarts agent, who whispers in his ear whenever there's a chance of a few extra pounds
That would be his job
not only Stewart, but Josh Scowen too apparently - check out the testimonials...
https://kudossportsmgmt.com/about/
Bloody agents following footballers around trying to earn money for themselves
That KSM website needs a bit of an update though.
Khufu
It is his job, but it's also the advice that took him out of football for a year more or less when he left us the first time, and the advice that took him up to Scotland for 5 months. I'd say both of those are a job badly done.
They were both understandable moves for him and ultimately his choice not his agents, and he would have needed support through the fallout from both, football isn't an exact science.
He gets a lot of stick over the first move but if you'd been linked all over the place and were offered a pittance to stay you might have done the same thing. The fact he signed for Crewe in the end shows some of the interest was genuine even if it didn't work out.
As for the second move he must have been delighted with that contract offer amid suggestions we weren't that keen to keep him, and the prospect of playing in Europe and against the old firm. He was treated badly by a manager who got the chop quickly himself and then he got MK Dons relegated as a bonus.
If he blamed the agent he could easily have picked another.
Even the very best agents are incapable of seeing the future.
Surely it wasn't the same agent for both moves?
2014/15 was an absolute disaster for Stewart. Basically wasted half a season in a deadlock with the club, then managed 10 appearances as a squad player at Crewe.
He's very fortunate Ainsworth brought him back here or who knows where he'd have disappeared to after Crewe.
Can't put the Aberdeen move in the same category as he'd clearly have earnt a lot more, and gone to a much bigger club. That it's turned so sour is unfortunate.
The Aberdeen move was compounded by making him captain and then shining the national media spotlight on him. He was not prepared for either. Lovely guy, great player for us but he was never a (vocal) leader or rehearsed to be a spokesman. Why the management chose him for the role was baffling.
because he's a good, honest player and a good, honest man?
Also someone who in no way deserved the reception he got from our 'finest' when he played against us last season.
Wasn't Leon Johnson still playing (possibly his last season) in the side before Stewart went AWOL and then to Crewe?
My memory may be fading...
Yes, I doubted above that Johnson was his agent for that utterly wasted season.
It's just about possible though unlikely Johnson would have been heavily involved in the decision to hang out for a deal elsewhere, Johnson had been injured for a while, they both left in May 2014. Stewart didn't play again until the November when he joined Crewe on an odd sort of loan as we had his registration and were due a fee even though he wasn't under contract. Possible some other clubs would have been more keen if he was on a free.
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@StrongestTeam how did we have his registration and right to a fee if he was out of contract?
Because we had offered him a new contract if I remember correctly.
If a player is under 24 and out of contract the former club is due a fee as long as a new contract was offered
Yeah, that's it, a tribunal would eventually set any fee if there wasn't agreement but it probably wouldn't automatically be clear to any club interested in him what that would end up being.
If I recall from a trust meeting at the time a question was asked about the situation with him and the response that 'his people' had basically said the club were not to speak to him and that was about that. It was clear the club were not over pleased with 'his people'.
Fair enough but if an out of contract player wants to leave it's not really the clubs business anymore. He doesn't have to check in with them regularly just because they are hoping for some compo down the line.
Glad it all worked out in the end and he saved one of the best performances in his career for one of the greatest nights in our history.
The best Wycombe performance I’ve seen in my lifetime.
Have we had that debate on here before? (John Maskell at Middlesbrough)
We've had it many times but it's always a fun discussion to have.
Anthony Stewart at Wembley vs Oxford must surely be in anyone's top five?
John Paul Pittmans substitute appearance away at Oxford
Barry Silkman at Loakes Park vs Tooting and Mitcham, October 1986.
"Masterclass"
McClearys had a few blinders to be fair