Originally Posted by
jon1959
I am surprised that almost everyone commenting on this un-sourced story believe it to be true. There has been no corroboration and the only news story I have seen that backs it up is Coventry Mad who seem to be quoting this Board (or ****).
I think Turner is out of contract on 1st July - so 6 weeks away. The club haven't appointed a new manager (coach) yet.
There are more stories today linking Manga to a move away with one year left on his contract - this time saying Palace, Swansea and West Ham are in the frame. Manga was rightly Player Of The Year in 2014-15, but inconsistent and injury plagued in the last season. If a reasonable offer comes in I would expect the club to sell.
That leaves Connolly, Morrison (out injured until mid summer and will miss part of pre-season at best), Oshilaja and Ajeyi. Peltier could cover at CB but that is only a short term fix. Given that picture I wonder why the club would make a decision now (before the manager appointment and before assessing Manga interest, and before getting more information on how Morrison is recovering) and decide to jettison Turner.
In my opinion Ben Turner is a smart and very effective defender. He may not have much pace and he may be an average footballer, but he does his main job very well - certainly at Championship level. He is also an impressive personality who speaks clearly and honestly about the club and the team. He is a 'captain' even if he doesn't have the badge.
Every time Russell Slade has spoken about Turner in recent months it has been glowing. He seems to rate him very highly and all the signs seemed to suggest to me that a new contract for him was in the offing. Slade may not have any serious input into decisions about the playing squad any more (I assume he is still trying to find a Job Description?) or the medical opinion may be that Turner is much too prone to further injury to take a risk. If so, that would be sad but fair enough.
However, if there isn't any evidence to suggest that Turner will spend most of next season injured, I would like to see him given a new contract - even if only for one year with an extension option. If Coventry or some other club then come in and offer him a longer term deal that gives him more security and prospects of playing, and he likes that better, then (again) fair enough and we can say goodbye with thanks.
But dumping him now - if that is really the club's decision - seems daft to me.