Liam Kennedy: An inside look at Dundee’s sale of Kane Hemmings

[News Bot]

The Kane Hemmings transfer saga has finally come to an end, an unsatisfactory one if you’re a Dundee fan.

The 24-year-old penned a three-year deal with League One outfit Oxford United yesterday, with the Dark Blues receiving £250,000 for his services, as per the clause in his deal.

I have to admit that this deal is by far and away one of the most complex I have ever come across and here I will try and explain the intricacies, which confused a few and led to many feeling lied to.

What this does do is highlight the murky world of football transfers with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster and a lot of game playing to boot.

Hemmings’ route from Dundee to Oxford might well have been completed in a day, or so they say, but the makings of this transfer stretch back months.

Let’s roll back the clock to the back end of last season.

Reports surfaced of a clause in the striker’s three-year Dundee deal, as printed in the Tele in April.

While many punters believed this not to be the case, it has eventually turned out to be correct.

Three months ago, armed with that information, I checked this out with the club.

The message from numerous sources within Dens was that there was no such thing.

It was hinted that this was all the dirty work of an agent, playing games to engineer a club to bid for Hemmings.

So, as any good journalist will do, I checked this with the other side – the player himself.

While happy to remain at Dens Park, where he was getting games, scoring goals and enjoying his football, Hemmings’ desire to return to England was strong.

One May night, packed away in the corner of the press area at Dens in the aftermath of the Doon Derby, Hemmings made no secret of the clause. Asked again he said 100%.

Since then we’ve seen claims and counter claims from fans ‘in the know’ about the deal, all the while the player himself and his representatives maintained their stance that the clause was indeed in place.

While away in Austria I did a fantastic sit down with Hemmings, his last as a Dundee player, where he admitted how happy he was to be at the club.

He even stated that he was desperate to be more than a one season wonder, having netted a remarkable 25 goals the season previous.

But, often as these things do, situations can change very quickly.

And from netting twice against Dumbarton with no clubs bidding, despite faint interest from a host of English Football League sides, on Monday the landscape changed.

The deal (medical, personal terms, etc) was all done on Wednesday – as stated, in a day – but the original contact from Oxford came two days previous.

After the bid had been lodged by Michael Appleton’s board, laden with the £3million they recently received from Leeds United for star striker Kemar Roofe, Hemmings and Paul Hartley met.

At that meeting, which took place on Tuesday prior to the League Cup clash with Peterhead, Hemmings told his manager of his desire to move.

Financially the deal made sense to Hemmings. Not only that it was also a chance to move closer to family and right a few wrongs from his unsuccessful spell at Barnsley the season before last.

On signing, the former Rangers and Cowdenbeath forward said: “I’m delighted to be here now and looking forward to getting going.

“Oxford are an ambitious club with an ambitious manager and a good squad – I watched them in the JPT final last season.

“Everything about the club just seems right.

“You like a manager who can develop a player to the best of their ability, hopefully I will be another one of those players and I can succeed here by scoring some goals.”

Score goals and develop as a footballer he did at Dens.

No one could have predicted quite how special Hemmings would be when he signed, especially after his first few weeks.

Twenty eight goals later, he proved his talents were set to take him to a higher level than Dundee.

It is a shock to see him rock up at Oxford, but that is the reality of the Scottish game these days. That’s who the Dundees of this world are competing with.

Not only that he was a great lad and a pleasure to deal with. And I certainly wish him all the best, as I’m sure the Dark Blues faithful will also, despite their anger and disappointment.

Finally, today the fated ‘clause’ claimed to be a damaging rumour, cooked up in stuffy offices of DC Thomson, or out in the west, became truth.

John Nelms and Paul Hartley both both admitted that it was the club, in the end, who were the game players. Justifiably so, of course, given they were trying to get the right deal for the club.

It just goes to show transfers are never as straight forward as you may think.

View the full article

[JoeCovenant]

Please read the above as:

"SEE! Telt ye! Eh wiz right!"

Also note his attempt to justify his insistence that this all happened in one day by saying "The Deal" took place in one day... except he said in his original posts this came "out of the blue" something in place two days before is NOT out of the blue... what he means is.. he didn't know!

Self-aggrandizing nonsense, trying to belittle Dee fans who are hurting at the moment.

NB: my opinion.

[JoeCovenant]

Sod it... Breaking this down....
(Sorry.. it's a BIGGIE!)

The Kane Hemmings transfer saga has finally come to an end, an unsatisfactory one if you’re a Dundee fan.
The 24-year-old penned a three-year deal with League One outfit Oxford United yesterday, with the Dark Blues receiving £250,000 for his services, as per the clause in his deal.

So - Here Kennedy is stating KH went for £250k. Which means someone has told him what the fee was. Which means someone has broken the "undisclosed" fee deal.
OR - he is assuming that because the clause said £250k was available for KANE to accept first offer or any offer of, that is what he actually WENT for.
This becomes more relevant as the article goes on... that the £250k is NOT quoted when actually (allegedly) discussing the clause with KH.

I have to admit that this deal is by far and away one of the most complex I have ever come across and here I will try and explain the intricacies, which confused a few and led to many feeling lied to.

...Due to statements made by... Liam Kennedy.

What this does do is highlight the murky world of football transfers with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster and a lot of game playing to boot.
Hemmings’ route from Dundee to Oxford might well have been completed in a day, or so they say, but the makings of this transfer stretch back months.
Let’s roll back the clock to the back end of last season.
Reports surfaced of a clause in the striker’s three-year Dundee deal, as printed in the Tele in April.

"might well have been completed in a day, or so they say.." But who actually reported that?
Umm... Liam Kennedy! So either they did, or they did not, but HE reported it as being so, and now attempts to discredit the club by questioning the very thing he reported.

While many punters believed this not to be the case, it has eventually turned out to be correct.

Remember this sentence....

Three months ago, armed with that information, I checked this out with the club.
The message from numerous sources within Dens was that there was no such thing.

Numerous sources? Such as...?

It was hinted that this was all the dirty work of an agent, playing games to engineer a club to bid for Hemmings.
So, as any good journalist will do, I checked this with the other side – the player himself.

'Hinted' - IE, not actually said.
Read: "So as any tabloid scum would do, I went behind the 'club who took me to Austria''s back and schmoozed the player."

While happy to remain at Dens Park, where he was getting games, scoring goals and enjoying his football, Hemmings’ desire to return to England was strong.
One May night, packed away in the corner of the press area at Dens in the aftermath of the Doon Derby, Hemmings made no secret of the clause.

Made no secret of the clause... except to everyone else in the world but Good ol' LK... ?

Asked again he said 100%.

Asked WHAT again? What kind of sentence is *that*?!

Since then we’ve seen claims and counter claims from fans ‘in the know’ about the deal, all the while the player himself and his representatives maintained their stance that the clause was indeed in place.

Another little dig at the fans here. Even those who agreed with his self-penned rumour.
Can't help but notice there is still NO mention here of what Kane actually said the clause was...

While away in Austria I did a fantastic sit down with Hemmings, his last as a Dundee player, where he admitted how happy he was to be at the club.
He even stated that he was desperate to be more than a one season wonder, having netted a remarkable 25 goals the season previous.
But, often as these things do, situations can change very quickly.
And from netting twice against Dumbarton with no clubs bidding, despite faint interest from a host of English Football League sides, on Monday the landscape changed.
The deal (medical, personal terms, etc) was all done on Wednesday – as stated, in a day – but the original contact from Oxford came two days previous.

Love this bit.
Read: "I defended my claim that the bid came out of the blue and did not exist until Wed.
And it *was* all completed in one day... After *I* define what the word "Deal" means.
(Fingers in ears) "IWasrightIwasrightIwasrigthlalalalalalalalalalala"

After the bid had been lodged by Michael Appleton’s board, laden with the £3million they recently received from Leeds United for star striker Kemar Roofe, Hemmings and Paul Hartley met.
At that meeting, which took place on Tuesday prior to the League Cup clash with Peterhead, Hemmings told his manager of his desire to move.

Umm... Isn't that UTTERLY going against *the Deal* not being remotely a thing until the next day? (Sigh!)
AFTER THE BID HAD BEEN LODGED, they met on Tuesday... But the deal wasn't done til Wednesday... Bloody hell.
Maybe it wasn't *completed* til Wed. But it began on the Tues. Maybe even earlier (We don't know from the above when the bid was lodged)

Financially the deal made sense to Hemmings. Not only that it was also a chance to move closer to family and right a few wrongs from his unsuccessful spell at Barnsley the season before last.

At least here he states the deal made sense to Hemmings, not the club.

Edit of KH's comment
"...hopefully I will be another one of those players and I can succeed here by scoring some goals.”
Score goals and develop as a footballer he did at Dens.

So, is that last sentence a dig at KH? Or just really bad grammar?

No one could have predicted quite how special Hemmings would be when he signed, especially after his first few weeks.
Twenty eight goals later, he proved his talents were set to take him to a higher level than Dundee.

Contentious? Oxford Utd higher level than Scottish Premier League?

It is a shock to see him rock up at Oxford, but that is the reality of the Scottish game these days. That’s who the Dundees of this world are competing with.
Not only that he was a great lad and a pleasure to deal with. And I certainly wish him all the best, as I’m sure the Dark Blues faithful will also, despite their anger and disappointment.

Umm... No, we're competing with the same as every other team. It was simply a lack of luck that when we signed KH we had this (in hindsight, very unfortunate) clause inplace.

Finally, today the fated ‘clause’ claimed to be a damaging rumour, cooked up in stuffy offices of DC Thomson, or out in the west, became truth.

A damaging rumour... which (apparently) DESPITE 'knowing' directly from KH that it was true. DCT reported that PH and JN had *denied*.
But, did they DENY it, or did they merely fail to acknowledge it?
You see... *I* have asked LK what was actually stated by PH and JN when the rumour was denied... and for a journo who is very quick to respond to people who make allegations against him.. he's stayed VERY quiet on this point.

John Nelms and Paul Hartley both both admitted that it was the club, in the end, who were the game players.
Justifiably so, of course, given they were trying to get the right deal for the club. It just goes to show transfers are never as straight forward as you may think.

Trying to get as much as they can for both their and the players benefit is Game Playing?

'And now, after implying that I was lied to by the members of Dundee FC, and just making that point one final time in *this* paragraph, I'll try to salvage some kind of relation ship with the club and keep getting my Euro invites by saying.. "Awh but who can blame them?" '
(Except, of course that PH still says he had NO knowledge of the contents of KH's contract until the bid was made.)
Transfers are never as straight as they can be... when you have the press poking their beaks in and stirring already troubled waters.

If anyone outside the club has culpability in making this unfortunate case even moreso... it's the man who wrote the article above.

(No, not ME you silly buggers!) 

[Gedee]

To use a well worn phrase ..... "Dinna shoot the shoot the messenger"

                                             Whit aboot if the messenger is Kennedy?

                                             And  chunks o' it are probably made up?

                                             Wha's gonna fire the first shot, me or you?

                                             Gies a minute, eh'm awa tae get meh gun

[mitch]

Kennedy and Duthie are a couple of prized patronising bell-ends

[Gedee]

Weel in that case mitch ....  We better tak the twa guns

[mitch]

Sounds good to me

[chomp my root]

Agree with a lot of what Joe is saying, especially about the 250K, this was bandied about months ago and came to nothing, I'd hazard a guess that if he could have gone for 250K he would have been away before now so colour me sceptical on that. 250K for even the lower league English clubs is buttons and worth a punt. I suspect its just ego that he's clinging on to this figure. If there were clauses (which seems to be the case with a lot of players) then it was either higher than 250K or something else like GGH's amount of games played to trigger an extra years extension type thing.

[JoeCovenant]

I think the bit that POs me the most is the two sentences

"One May night, packed away in the corner of the press area at Dens in the aftermath of the Doon Derby, Hemmings made no secret of the clause. Asked again he said 100%.
Since then we’ve seen claims and counter claims from fans ‘in the know’ about the deal, all the while the player himself and his representatives maintained their stance that the clause was indeed in place."

I mean.. what the hell is he TRYING to say?

KH is quite happy to tell a two-bit DCT journo that he has a clause in placer
And he and his reps *maintained their stance* that it was there...
WHEN was Kane Hemmings quoted at any time as saying "Yeah I have a clause" ? Where was this *stance* being maintained?

Ooooo the more I think about it.......................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(CUE: Chomp gif!) 

[TheDarkBlues]

13 minutes ago, JoeCovenant said:

I think the bit that POs me the most is the two sentences

"One May night, packed away in the corner of the press area at Dens in the aftermath of the Doon Derby, Hemmings made no secret of the clause. Asked again he said 100%.
Since then we’ve seen claims and counter claims from fans ‘in the know’ about the deal, all the while the player himself and his representatives maintained their stance that the clause was indeed in place."

I mean.. what the hell is he TRYING to say?

KH is quite happy to tell a two-bit DCT journo that he has a clause in placer
And he and his reps *maintained their stance* that it was there...
WHEN was Kane Hemmings quoted at any time as saying "Yeah I have a clause" ? Where was this *stance* being maintained?

Ooooo the more I think about it.......................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(CUE: Chomp gif!) 

 

If Hemmings has said that, then it would have been all over this forum like a rash and I think this is more or less after the fact statement.

The more I digest how the club handled this, the more I begin to understand why and the motives for not putting this clause into the public domain or twisting the truth to reporters.

As for the amount, I heard that we knocked back a hell of a lot more than £500k for Hemmings last week and I would find it hard to believe we would just accept £250 one week later. Maybe I am wrong, maybe this is just wishful thinking, but I would hope we would get a lot more than £250k for a proven goal scorer.

[JoeCovenant]

Yep... I said that in one of my first "Here's what might have happened" if the £250 was true...
I just... I can;t fathom it.

I think the accounts this time next year will be very interesting