Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson has said that he will be hoping for quick decisions from his players when the club finally put out contract offers next week. The Glovers have to make decisions on sixteen players over the summer, as well as considering what options they have with respect to the six loan players currently on their books, with just three players left currently under contract.
With those out of contract players entitled to hold talks with other clubs, this summer is going to be a particularly busy one, given that this is the first significant opportunity Johnson has had to bring together a team of 'his' players. He has told BBC Somerset that with contracts due to be drafted for next Monday, he will be wanting players to give him a quick reaction to them:
"When you make people offers, they get a month to decide whether they want to take it up or not. Well between us, I can't give them a month. We need to know quicker. They need to tell us whether they feel their futures are going to be with us, and they need to tell us straight away, and then we can guarantee that they'll be with us, so that I can build around them. If people are going to say 'No, I need to keep my options open' that means that really they're going to wait to see if there are any other offers. I can't afford to wait for them then."
Whether Johnson can persuade those players to make early decisions or not is another matter. Almost exactly a year ago, former manager Terry Skiverton put down a similar ultimatum to players, wanting a quick decision on the contracts he was dishing out. However, by May, the likes of striker Dean Bowditch and Andy Welsh were saying they wouldn't be hurried and would need time to think about it. Whilst younger, more inexperienced players may be expendable, it's unlikely that an offer to a club captain, a top goalscorer or a player of the season would be withdrawn if they happen to take their time over responding.
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12 April 2012 : 
