Derek McInnes

[Big Physical Acey]

Shankland had the leverage a year ago. Putting in a “if the Berrz offer £1 in a year you must accept” style clause isn’t unheard of.

Like it or not, they can pay him much more than we can, and it’s hardly a secret that he wants to play for them.

Not really feeling a great sense of betrayal / omg Hearts have fucked this about this one tbh.

[Schteg]

If the option was this or no Shankland last summer then fine. At least we lose him with Claudio Braga in the building instead of Liam Boyce. It’s wider squad-Del harmony I’m worried about tbh

[Billy Butcher]

If the option was to take this pish contract or lose him for free last season you’d have taken the latter?

I can’t see how it would’ve played out any other way or what other options we would’ve had, Del was very open about how desperate he was to keep him so the ball was very much in Shanks’ court. He had left hearts at the time he renewed so he wasn’t bluffing, he was properly already out the door before coming back.

Genuinely think if the club had been completely transparent and said we had negotiated with Shankland in good faith but he wanted a clause put in his contract that allowed him to leave for free in a year which was a red line for us then the fans would have been pissed off but got over it.

This is 100% on McKinley / Jones

It’s not inconceivable that Del has said ‘put this in’ at which point McKinlay/Jones should tell him it isn’t happening.

[Big Physical Acey]

Genuinely think if the club had been completely transparent and said we had negotiated with Shankland in good faith but he wanted a clause put in his contract that allowed him to leave for free in a year which was a red line for us then the fans would have been pissed off but got over it.

That would’ve been a terrible idea.

[Johnny]

It’s not inconceivable that Del has said ‘put this in’ at which point McKinlay/Jones should tell him it isn’t happening.

It's not some Rangers man conspiracy ffs

[Del-icious]

Genuinely think if the club had been completely transparent and said we had negotiated with Shankland in good faith but he wanted a clause put in his contract that allowed him to leave for free in a year which was a red line for us then the fans would have been pissed off but got over it.

Aye maybe but their decision making to keep him with the shite clause has led to a photo finish title race and one where we really should’ve won if it wasn’t for all the nonsense.

I actually give credit to hearts for this rather than criticise them, if that’s what it took to deliver what we did this season then it was worth it imo. Shame we didn’t get over the line but that decision to renew is a huge part of the reason we finished where we did.

Shite he’s going but his mind was obv made up last summer, if anything it’s a fucking riddy for him that he was still flashing his knickers at them and negotiating a hypothetical move for himself even when they pied him on a free transfer but that’s old firm footballers for you.

[Felix]

It's a bit like when Hartley left to Celtic - was up front with the board/Romanov, we got a Cup and he went . It's a bit shit we don't get any money, but that's on the board as opposed to Shankland, but it is what it is.

Confident his best years are behind him now anyway.

[Billy Butcher]

If we’d got over the line then brilliant, but we didn’t and there is every chance Rangers will either him next season.

Acey - I don’t think it’s a terrible idea at all considering how tin pot we look now. The wee Huns putting in a Rangers release cause so one of their hun players can go and play for the big Huns

[Big Physical Acey]

Is it any more tinpot than Hearts / other clubs have looked for the last 40 years? The OF is the only show in town, in our lifetimes.

[Del-icious]

If we’d got over the line then brilliant, but we didn’t and there is every chance Rangers will either him next season.

Acey - I don’t think it’s a terrible idea at all considering how tin pot we look now. The wee Huns putting in a Rangers release cause so one of their hun players can go and play for the big Huns

It wouldn’t have just been a good decision if we finished top though. Hearts exceeded all expectations this season, even finishing comfortably third would’ve justified the deal considering the state we were in before Del.

The board have made a decision that gave us the best chance of immediate success, maybe we won’t see eye to eye on this but it’s just something I canny logically criticise them for. I only see it as good business. Losing him for free is shite but that was already happening so anything you get above that is excellent and what we got was ridic good.

[Floyd]

Is it any more tinpot than Hearts / other clubs have looked for the last 40 years? The OF is the only show in town, in our lifetimes.

For me it’s the optics around the club giving it the big, he’s signed for “3 Years” when he clearly hasn’t.

Feels like the fans are being led down the garden path a wee bit. But that’s football sadly.

[Sarkozabal]

Oh no we look a bit tinpot, therefore it would have been better if we hadn’t signed (for free) the best player in our best league season in living memory

[Del-icious]

Is it any more tinpot than Hearts / other clubs have looked for the last 40 years? The OF is the only show in town, in our lifetimes.

I think it probably is one of the worst (best?) examples of tinpottery in Scottish football that I can remember tbh but not necessarily for hearts.

I can see why we felt we needed to accept but the fact that a player of his level would ever put that on the table as his terms is so embarrassing for scotch fitba as a whole especially considering the club he’s leaving were so close to such a ridic achievement to go to a club that were nowhere near it

Lafferty taking a wage cut to go and sit on the bench and not play for rangers is up there anaw.

[Rogers Mako]

Listen to Sarkozy everyone, he sees The Bigger Picture.

[Charlie Kelly]

If we’d got over the line then brilliant, but we didn’t and there is every chance Rangers will either him next season.

Acey - I don’t think it’s a terrible idea at all considering how tin pot we look now. The wee Huns putting in a Rangers release cause so one of their hun players can go and play for the big Huns

I mean it's clearly not a Rangers clause and it's been widely reported it's not a free transfer, you boob.

It's one of these things, we did what we could to get him in and despite not winning the league, it absolutely paid off, we were minutes away from winning the league for the first time in 60 years, finished 2nd for the first time in 20. We can bitch and moan about not winning the title but we had an unbelievable season and he was very much a part of the reason we did that. The club aren't to blame here.

[Sarkozabal]

Listen to Sarkozy everyone, he sees The Bigger Picture.

I am not the one doing galaxy brained takes about how we shouldn’t have signed him last summer, or the even weirder Lawson-style takes that this might actually be a good thing.

[Rogers Mako]

I am not the one doing galaxy brained takes about how we shouldn’t have signed him last summer, or the even weirder Lawson-style takes that this might actually be a good thing.

Guy who has been on Hertz fora for about fifteen years discovers with horror that football fans overreact sometimes

[Groot]

I don’t see why everyone is quick to blame the club here, if the clause is there because Shankland / his agent wanted it and the desire to get him in outweighed the risk of him actioning the clause 

It’s not there because we wanted it and they were probably willing to take the risk because Rangers have never followed up with a concrete bid at any time previously even when they could have had him for a free last summer. Unfortunately because Rangers are weak as piss with no character their solution is to throw a bunch of jock players at it!

[Felix]

Imagine Del didn't know about it, and the first he hears about it is scrolling through Twitter whilst topping up his tan on the beach in Dubai.

[Groot]

Imagine Del didn't know about it, and the first he hears about it is scrolling through Twitter whilst topping up his tan on the beach in Dubai.

He’ll know, no chance he won’t