Town boss Paul Jewell says he now expects the Blues’ contract saga to drag on until after the end of the 2010/11 campaign. Central defender Damien Delaney is still the only senior player whose current terms are up at the end of the season to have signed a new deal.

Jewell said: “I think that it’s got so late now that it’s going to go on until after to the end of the season.

“We’ve made the offer, the players are mulling it over, I guess, but at the end of the day I can’t fault their efforts, the lads who are out of contract as well as those who are in contract.

“We have spoken to [David Norris and Gareth McAuley],” he added. “They know the situation, we’ve made them offers.

“The main concern now is that a week isn’t going to make a lot of difference to anybody. We do have contingency plans, we have to have contingency plans, and we’ve told the players that.

“You’ve got to always have other irons in the fire. I’m not sitting here biting my nails, waiting for the news. I’ve got one plan if they sign, which is great, another if they don’t.

“That’s life. If any player leaves here this club will continue and the most important thing is the club. If we lose good players, we have to replace them.”

Last week Jewell said that terms had been agreed with McAuley but the Northern Irishman — who has recently been linked with SPL giants Rangers - is still to put pen to paper: “I think the club have agreed to what Gareth’s agent wants but it’s a big decision for Gareth and I think everything will probably be resolved very quickly after the end of the season. Hopefully Gareth will stay, but if not I wish him well.

“What his people have asked for, we’ve agreed to and we’re just waiting on an answer now. Maybe he has something else, that’s his prerogative, I don’t know.

“It’s a little bit different with David Norris, there’s a bit of toing and froing with Chuck but it’s not my place to discuss it and I don’t really want to discuss it.”

Town had set deadlines for the agents representing Colin Healy and Brian Murphy to get back to them regarding their deals but Jewell admits these timescales have now moved: “A little bit, yes. We’ve offered what we think they want but it’s certainly not going to be resolved before the Leicester game.”

More than anything, the Blues boss is determined to avoid the same thing happening again: “We don’t want to be in a situation next season or in future seasons where we let our better players run out of contract.

“It’s been tough here with so many players out of contract at one given time. I’ve had more questions to deal with about contracts than games.

“Protracted negotiations have been going on for a while now and I’m really fed up of talking about it, although I know you guys [the media] have to ask about it.”

Jewell says those negotiations continue, as do conversations with his summer targets: “There are always talks [with current players], but my main concern now is to talk to players that I’m trying to bring in."

Photo: Action Images

EatonBlue added 21:26 - Apr 28 Set deadlines and stick to them. I'd be sorry to see Macca go but if he is looking elsewhere then so be it. Clearly some players have been affected by the situation and it shows.
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Bobby_Petta added 21:29 - Apr 28 If they don't sign now, let them go. Had longer enough to decided, just waiting to see if they get a better deal, on the evidence on the last few games I'm sure they will get many offers. McAuley would be the one I would like see sign, Should let Norris go, his not that good, use his wages to get Bullard who is Class. Think it would be a good thing to start over we some new faces, I trust Jewell to buy some decent players.

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Bobby_Petta added 21:33 - Apr 28 We the above, meant to say they won't get many offers!
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PunchNoHopers added 21:49 - Apr 28 Obviously with the recent Clegg outburst they are playing wait and are clearly now able to play the waiting game to see who gets promoted/relegated to await the other offers, and I guess will re-sign only if they don't get other better offers.
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Blue_Heath added 22:05 - Apr 28 Get rid of them simple as that, would rather go down with players who play for the shirt, than be an average mid table side full of players who couldn't give a stuff. Get a decent keeper, Central Defender, Bullard and Wickham for the spine and build round it.
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GeorgiDoundarov added 22:07 - Apr 28 Wow - PJ also uses the "irons in the fire". Remeber Jim who always had some "irons in the fire" but never really managed to get them through! Hopefully this is not a bad sign. Ha-ha. As of the players wh are still protracting signing their contracts - I don't blame them. As much as I like McAuley and Norris to stay, I can put myself in their pants. We are fans and we want the best for the club but they are "employees" and they are always looking for something better. I just hope they don't get any better offers:) Also I hope PJ will do a "miracle" and get some great players through the summer!

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guildford_blue added 22:41 - Apr 28 Quite frankly if they do not want to be here let them go. Sick of this nonsense about McAuley and Norris and contract deadlines, lets's get hard and actually set one rather than talking about it. Shambles. If Evans is serious in what he set out to do, let that troll Clegg walk and get someone capable in to be CEO - because, whilst not all his fault (he is a pimp for the Olympics, an out of his depth, mouth piece) we have been embarassed by our neighbours and teams that we should be so far ahead of, which 4-6 years ago that would have been the case. If we think about relegation after the awful 9-0 (I was there) and how we approached the rebuilding with an actual plan, we had strategy - now we have f@ck all direction. I work Lloyd's of London with a number of Norwich fans who will not shut up, however, they have done it correctly and if Evans is the business man he thinks he is he should look on how they have taken about being a football club and not a marketing machine. Keane was a mistake which I think this Club will take years to recover and Clegg is just a fool. Forever Blue & White.

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Blue041273 added 22:48 - Apr 28 Wow, the concensus is clear. The fans are clearly prepared to let the dissident potential re-signees F off. I sincerely hope that, the players, if they actually receive these messages realise what they are doing. For my part I would love them to stay and, in some part, understand the situations they are in (and the recalcitrant stance they seem to be adopting). However, I agree, their positions are becoming increasingly insulting and untenable, with a large fan concensus rising against their postures, and they need to understand that that they should not play fast and loose with the fans' affections. in the eyes of many, their 'use by date' is very fast approaching. In my view the summer of resolution is not an option and a deadline should be set, say 30/04/11, when if contracts offered are not signed, they are withdrawn. We need to move on from this contract morass and don't need to make the potential summer transfer dealings any more complicated than they need to be.

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bluearmy4life added 23:08 - Apr 28 Really dissapointing this saga is continuing. Should of never got to this stage RK, ME, SC Have to take the flack for this. We need to build a team that can challenge for promotion and players who could step up to the big time if and when that happens. For me GM & DN Don't fit that bill. On the day both good championship players but when they are playing poorly very average at best. We need a Tony Mowbray figure at the back with a little bit of pace!!! and a midfielder who is a play maker Ie Jimmy Bullard. If they don't sign which looks unlikely now I do wish them the best of luck but they have to get on with making there decision sharpish.

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garethch added 05:06 - Apr 29 Just concentrate on keeping Bullard instead, but if GMc goes we are going to need 2 central defenders, unless Smith or another youngster can step up. Delaney should only be 3rd choice even with his experience. Agree with bluearmy that we need a Mowbray type. Norris & Healy...goodbye.
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RevAdrian added 06:28 - Apr 29 What else can be concluded other than (largely what people have already said) that a) Paul Jewell knows what he is doing, needs backing, and for whatever reason is being left in a position of far too much uncertainty when he needs to be free to get on with things. b) Somewhere in our top management something is dreadfully wrong because firstly we should not be in this position and secondly there doesn't seem to be any clear plan to get us out of it rather than just let things drift on. c) Those pointing fingers of fault mainly do so at Simon Clegg but, because of the cloak of mystery surrounding ME, it is hard to see if that blame is being properly directed - if it is surely it is time for a change (and fast) - if it is not down to SC then we can only hope and pray that ME somehow himself changes (cos' if the problem is not of SC's making it surely is of MEs). d) We are not going to get rid of the player's agents problem (though one day please let us!) but if there is an upside to this shambles it is that it does give Paul Jewell a chance to get rid of whichever players he doubts will make the grade we need to progress, or the players who could make the grade but are not really bothered. e) In the overall context of the situation the 'let's start again' option seems less of a drastic option and more the option of real hope.

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DiamondGezzer added 07:31 - Apr 29 What a boring, ridiculous situation ! Whatever the outcome now, how can we ever see these guys again in the same light, when we know that they will not be playing for the club but the pound coin at the end of the day. The club have agreed to their demands and yet they still have not signed, and I thought it was the club messing them about !
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happybeingblue added 08:45 - Apr 29 i think after last thursday the mood of all fans has changed from being patient to being angry!! we were given our deadlines to renew season tickets ie early bird,and show our loyalty by renewing,and you have to wonder why these players wont sign if they say they are happy here! i believe other players ie leadbitter,edwards,fulop,who keane brought in are on bigger and better contracts/wages. maybe this is causing disharmony with clegg being unwilling to match their wages.lets face it this happens at most clubs,but think about it norris/macauley. one is club captain and the other is an established international with n ireland. both were brought in before keane so probably on less wages.i think these two at least deserve to be two of the top earners if this is the real issue!! UP THE TOWN!

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DrJeckyll added 10:58 - Apr 29 Hopefully within the next couple of weeks we will have signed their replacements and we can withdraw the offers, Norris can go to Portsmouth where he will have sleepless nights wondering whether he is actually going to get paid at the end of the month and McCauley can sod off to Scotland to play in front of 300 fans for most of the season, good defender but lack of bottle exposed when the going gets tough. We have too many players who crack under pressure in our squad, the sooner we are rid of them the better. Still people on here slagging RK off, but PJ is saying much the same things he was. Because many of RK's preferred targets were allowed to slip through the net he was left in a situation where he had to get anyone in. Are we going to be giving PJ the same treatment next season when the club fails to land his preferred targets? How much different would this season have been if we had managed to sign Derry?

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SmellyGreenVeggie added 12:24 - Apr 29 Get ridd, start afresh next season. Shame Delaney signed, he's toilet.
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AndrewPC added 12:48 - Apr 29 All of this subject has been badly handled by the club; and the fans and public will probably never know who is culpable. The players are well within their rights to assess contract offers from the club relative to what else may be available elswhere. Equally, the club should require some deadline for final decisions to be made. We, the fans, are jaundiced and worse, even angry at the performances of some of these players. However I think it would be a major mistake to "throw the baby out with the bathwater" by saying let them all go. Town undoubtedly require a much better squad if we are to have any serious chance of being in the play-offs next season. An immediate clear out of a significant number of core first team players would not contribute to that. Some degree of continuity and stability is required. You cannot just rip the heart out of the squad overnight. Better, encourage these players to stay for footballing reasons. Of course, let them go IF they come up with better offers (no gazumping). I think many of the core first team players will have found PJ's management capabilities and style a breath of fresh air after the turbulence of the Keane era. They will stay unless they get significantly better deals in writing. I suspect the only one who may succeed is McAuley who would survive at a higher level in my view.

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h32 added 16:25 - Apr 29 .......... agreed we have avoided relegation, which at one point was a real possibility - but what a fine mess to end the season in, yet again. People talk about shipping all these players out - but don't be too sure that adequate replacements will be forming a queue to come in. We are far from the attraction we once were - and several attempted signings have already declined a move here in recent times, as we all remember - although some, no doubt, will prefer not to remember such things !! , and of course continue to believe every player would want to sign for us. Not the case I'm afraid. Smell the Coffee time.

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