Ex Player Mark Sykes goes to Bristol City.

[Golden Dr Otto]

Reading their critiques of COD, who was better than Sykes, young Mark will get crucified within weeks

https://www.otib.co.uk/index.php?/topic/216325-callum-o’dowda-what-a-bargain/page/6/

 

[Malc]

Sykes having medical at Bristol.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Sykes having medical at Bristol.

Hope he passes it.

 

[Witneyoldfella]

Hope his right arm passes the test, as he had a serious problem raising it to acknowledge the supporters after games !!!!

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Its a real shame how it ended , Good player who when offering little end product was supported pretty well by the fans I thought and we were all delighted for him when he started scoring and adding that to his game.
Never really cemented a position and as soon as he improved seemingly couldn't wait to get away and absolutely showed it .

 

[Manorlounger]

He's young, ambitious and has a young family. He's making a career in a known short term profession and is looking to improve his chances of financial security. He, like others, would have bought into the idea of promotion with OUFC and the increased earnings potential that should have brought. It didn't happen, not just once but three times. Who can blame him for wanting away and a better deal?

 

[RyanioBirdio]

He's young, ambitious and has a young family. He's making a career in a known short term profession and is looking to improve his chances of financial security. He, like others, would have bought into the idea of promotion with OUFC and the increased earnings potential that should have brought. It didn't happen, not just once but three times. Who can blame him for wanting away and a better deal?

Especially since we were very interested in selling him in the summers of both 2020 and 2021. Fair is fair.

 

[greatunclekip]

See you Mark. Glad to have been the stepping stone for you. Don't let the door hit your a**e on the way out.

 

[Discoland]

He's young, ambitious and has a young family. He's making a career in a known short term profession and is looking to improve his chances of financial security. He, like others, would have bought into the idea of promotion with OUFC and the increased earnings potential that should have brought. It didn't happen, not just once but three times. Who can blame him for wanting away and a better deal?

Especially when the club was sold to him as a stepping stone, probably along the lines of "Come here and play well we'll get either get you into the Championship or sell you to a club there".

The club actively promote this line and have a proven history over the last 7-8 years of doing so. He's said this from day 1 in his welcome interview and fair play to him, the immaturity of some posters on here as if this was anything other than the case is boring.

 

[Discoland]

Especially since we were very interested in selling him in the summers of both 2020 and 2021. Fair is fair.

The old KR 'give-him-the-Number-10-for-an-extra-250k' didn't quite work out this time as well as it did with Whyte. Maybe he should have given it to Agyei.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Especially when the club was sold to him as a stepping stone, probably along the lines of "Come here and play well we'll get either get you into the Championship or sell you to a club there".

The club actively promote this line and have a proven history over the last 7-8 years of doing so. He's said this from day 1 in his welcome interview and fair play to him, the immaturity of some posters on here as if this was anything other than the case is boring.

Yes all this bitterness is childish, a player is moving on after his contract ends. He’s not your servant

 

[Pgyellow]

I do think there are ways of going about it though

 

[OxfordYankee]

I don't blame him for wanting to better himself, but I think he did let himself down (and us) after the hoped-for move in January didn't materialise.

I won't remember him with affection. It always felt like a transactional relationship.

 

[Discoland]

I do think there are ways of going about it though

He played out his contract and left. If i was in a job on a fixed term contract with a 4k a week pay rise elsewhere once my current contract expired you can bet your life I'd be moving on as soon as I could.

 

[Sarge]

Sykes having medical at Bristol.

Oxford United’s Mark Sykes having medical at Bristol City – reports

MARK Sykes is reportedly having a medical at Bristol City today, ahead of completing a free transfer from Oxford United.

www.oxfordmail.co.uk

 

[Manorlounger]

I do think there are ways of going about it though

What ways would that be?
Doff his cap and humbly beg for a transfer? He's out of contract. He's been offered a deal that is almost bound to be better than what OUFC would/could have offered.
He showed how disappointed he was at not getting promoted after and during the Blackpool game. He stayed for another season, got a chance of international level football and yet, was still employed by a League 1 side.
People talk about loyalty, how about loyalty to himself and his family?

 

[werthersoriginal]

What ways would that be?
Doff his cap and humbly beg for a transfer? He's out of contract. He's been offered a deal that is almost bound to be better than what OUFC would/could have offered.
He showed how disappointed he was at not getting promoted after and during the Blackpool game. He stayed for another season, got a chance of international level football and yet, was still employed by a League 1 side.
People talk about loyalty, how about loyalty to himself and his family?

He’s just not very good at the PR side, kissing the badge and all that.

 

[Manorlounger]

He’s just not very good at the PR side, kissing the badge and all that.

Fair enough but, having seen him a few times with his family post match, he always came across as a decent bloke.

 

[Jason N]

Like all players who move on from the Mighty Yellows, I will monitor his progress and really hope he does well. I don't watch a massive amount of football on tv, but if an ex-player is on the box it does spark my interest. If I liked them, I want them to win (unless it is to the detriment of our club), if I didn't like them I want them to lose.

I liked Sykes and would have liked him to stay but I don't think he is a player that is key to us being successful, like Cameron Brannagan.

In fact I think most of the squad is replaceable, Cam is the only player I would be really gutted to lose, even it is inevitable that it may happen in the not too distant future.

 

[m]

It'll be genuinely interesting to see how he does at a higher level.