Bowe

[RedKC]

Heard rumours Leicester were interested but ospreys made the move offering big money, house, car and a job or his lady. Ulster belatedly matched the offer but well after tommy had decided due to feelin so let down by Ulster and the IRFU and O'sullivan

[Heres me WHAATT!]

Ulster didn't matched the offer he got at the O's not even close!

Dont have that sort of money!

[GerryO']

Heard rumours Leicester were interested but ospreys made the move offering big money, house, car and a job or his lady. Ulster belatedly matched the offer but well after tommy had decided due to feelin so let down by Ulster and the IRFU and O'sullivan

You were goin well till after that full stop.

[Rooster]

Bowe hadn't said diddly squat to the squad at large about leaving ditto Wilson, many of the players as shocked as we are reportedly.

Believe you about Bowe but even I heard Wilson basically had his mind as good as made up in November, so some players had to know that.

[Rooster]

I would put majority of blame on Eddie for Bowes departure, the full story will eventually appear as always happens, I will be extremely surprised if he rejoins the Irish team this week.
Wilson will have been swung by the theory that Ferris is a number 8 in O'Sullivans eyes and therefore would be reduced to benchman and injury cover.

[pwrmoore]

if players are not prepared to wait and see the outcome of the 6N and whether he gets sacked and i dare say they'd be in a better position to know than most of us.
Another depressing day for Ulster rugby.

Perhaps the players think that the requirement to be based in Ireland is an Eddie O'Sullivan conceit. It could be that they think that as long as EOS in in place they don't have a chance of an Ireland shirt but that once he's gone the replacement will likely be more concerned with getting the best players for the team and less concerned about where they play their rugby.

[Rooster]

Agree with the Eddie theory, no point in staying at present as Eddie only picks favourites, origin in Ireland not compulsory as Murphy, Easterby and Reddan have proved, Eddie probably here for 4 more seasons so possible to clear off for a while improve your game and come back when Eddie goes if you feel like it.
Southern players have tax rebate to keep them at home but Ulster players might as well go make some cash if they are not getting the Ireland appearance bonus.

[pwrmoore]

It is truly depressing to look at the exodous of so many of the players who we have been looking to as the new generation, the lifeblood of Ulster Rugby. But it is also true that players who want to leave, whatever the reason, will not be giving their all if they stay.

Matt Williams has a job ahead of him to be sure, but he also has a clear canvas to work with and there are exciting young players in the academy and elsewhere who have the potential - if not the developed skills - to replace those who are leaving. Our biggest worry is (as always) in the positions of weakness. We desperately need a couple of young and talented props with international potential, and we need a couple of locks, O'connor looks like a decent prospect at 10 but we currently don't have a back-up. We seriously need to develop some depth of cover everywhere.

We will survive this and come back stronger. Ulster still is more than just a rugby team and there will always be players who understand the Ulster way and want, more than anything, to pull on that shirt.

[bigchiefally]

Given how poor we have been the last year and a half (pretty much since the Toulouse 06 home game...) I think a clear out was in order, and I am not really going to shed any tears over Bart, Harrison, McMillan, Campbell or even Neil Best leaving. A lot of them are on their way out as players so lets bring in a mix of our own young players and maybe some proper world class foreigners to replace them and then say good luck to them in a new club.

I'm not sure how I would feel about Wallace, suppose I think he is someone he is useful to have around, but maybe not as a starter at 10.

Bowe, Wilson and McCullough (should he go) are terrible losses though. Local, in the peak of their physic powers and all at least reasonably talented they should be the type of mainstays who are locked up for years.

Without being privy to the exact thoughts of Bowe and Wilson, who may well simply just want to try something else, and without knowing the negotiations that Ulster rugby have really had with them it is hard to categorically blame the ineptness of Mike Reid and the UB in their departures.

What we can do though is question how Mike Reid allowed a situation where so many of our players are out of contract in one go, and why the really important ones were not given, or at least offered, extensions a year ago. The failure to do that does reek of the sort of ineptitude that has seen Ravenhill's redevelopment charging ahead with the, ahem, breakneck speed it has been showing the last 10 years...

[Rooster]

What we can do though is question how Mike Reid allowed a situation where so many of our players are out of contract in one go, and why the really important ones were not given, or at least offered, extensions a year ago. The failure to do that does reek of the sort of ineptitude that has seen Ravenhill's redevelopment charging ahead with the, ahem, breakneck speed it has been showing the last 10 years...

The number out of contract has been well discussed, it is not abnormal to have this number each year, although the extensions idea is a good one, Tommy has a 2 year with and extension to 3 in Ospreys, presumably there is a cut off date that he has to state his intentions and at that stage if both parties agree there is no reason that a further 2 years with a possible extension cannot be offered.
Even the likes of Rory who has a 2 year contract should they not be approaching him this time next year with a view to adding another year and turning it into a rolling 2 year contract, with wage change etc written in ?

[ding dong2u]

No mater what way you look at this, something is radically wrong at the core of Ulster rugby when so many players pack their bags and go ......... the CEO / PTMC have a lot to answer for ........... and thier have to be cahnges made in the way UR is structured or this is likely to happen again The loss of the core of the team is a disgrace

[mikerob]

Is the situation regarding the number of contracts expiring that significant?

If it comes down to a choice between a player leaving, or a player who gets locked into a contract for another 2 years, hates "coming in to work" each morning and isn't happy... then I'd rather they left.

There might be an argument that if more players were locked in by contracts, then Matt Williams would have more time to do a turnaround, but would he want players who felt "locked in" or players who genuinely wanted to be there.

I'd rather UR focussed on some of the underlying reasons why players are leaving... but playing for the badge and getting paid aren't enough, and if it is like most other jobs, people will be looking for somewhere that has a good atmosphere, is well-run, ambitious and where they feel they can progress and make a difference.

[Rooster]

mike if a player still has a contract and does not want to be in the side but has another team in mind there is nothing to stop UR releasing him from contract as happened with Barker, problem would occur though if a player quit playing and just decided to stay out his time and lift wages.

[bigchiefally]

I really dont see why it is considered normal to let key players get into the last year of their contracts without having attempted to negotiate an extension? To not attempt that is stupid. Regardless if it is normal or not it is still stupid.

Maybe they did try and sign up Bowe, Wilson, McCullough and Best a year ago but the players simply didnt want to stay - and you cant force someone to sign a contract when they dont want to. That is fair enough. My concern is if no one even made a serious attempt to sort this out 7 months ago.

[GerryO']

I would put majority of blame on Eddie for Bowes departure.

I wouldn't put any of it. he has other serious charges to answer, but not that one.
Unless he is going to Wales to try to improve himself to get on the team. But to suggest he is going off in an anti-Eddie strop is a bit hard on Tommy. IMHO