Martyn - I have had to edit your posting and Henry Crun's to remove the http code under stats as this was causing this page to exceed the screen width.

Admin

Before you all ask, I am not George Dobell,although I did tell you all about Kabir wanting to go, and his reasons for wanting to go, and George has just copied me ! The money is a side issue for the leaving players under contract. Try lack of faith in management and captain ?

Admin - many thanks for sorting the width issue out.

As for Murali, a dreadful chucker whose test wickets record are a stain on the game. Only a spineless ICC ( fearing an Asian backlash ) could have amended this elbow flexing claptrap to 15 degrees, which fortunately Murali apparently sneaks under. To make matters worse, umpires who have called him for chucking then get mothballed. A disgrace.

I did specifically state " for the leaving players UNDER CONTRACT ". Those out of contract, money will matter for some and not so much for others.

In a losing team, everyone blames each other - fact of life.
However I understand that the dressing room is not the easiest place to express views, and that the atmosphere is less than ideal. The promotion of two players to coaches hardly adds to any freedom of speech either.

As for Vik's captaincy ? Hardly inspirational would be my comment, and more re-active than pro-active. As he also has the say in team selection, it makes the failure to leave out poor performers like Batty even more difficult to explain.
As for Moore, a poor season with the odd highlight. Perhaps the bowlers in Div 1 are that bit better, or after the bright lights of the England Lions has he wanted it as much as last year ?

I would agree with Hotels here on the issue of players leaving - its NOT for Money.

I believe that Kabir had turned a benefit down, and it would not have been too far away that Batty was due one (he came in same year as Smith I think) and Davo would not be too far behind (4yrs or so maybe)

THEY ARE NOT LEAVING FOR CASH !!! SOMETHINGS WRONG AT OUR CLUB IN THE MANAGEMENT.

Still Always a Pear, and will continue to support

In reply to Rackham & co, and a lot of emotional postings. This season I've gone from being optimistic, to concerned, to angry as various wheels have fallen off. Over the past month I've kindof felt a bit of pity. Now I'm just resigned to the fact that this is a 'clear out' season and we start rebuilding for the future from today.

What else can we do ?

If players are not leaving for cash, then their reasons for leaving and their non-performance are totally unacceptable. They are professional players who have signed contracts and their job is to perform and entertain. Once the players cross the boundary there's little a coach can do.

Warrior says there's a problem with club management - maybe there is but the main problem is that we've got a group of players with big egos and a high opinion of themselves.

NO player is bigger than the club. We're too small a club for big egos and to carry non-performing players.

Let's get some young blood in, guys who are fit and actually play matches and who want to be at the club.

Secrchers has summed up exactly how I feel, so thank you for that. Hope things are looking better when I return from holiday, but I suspect not

Admin,
I hear what you say about the Forum. I guess my disappointment led me to take my frustration out on the Forum that is actually the best thing about WCCC at the moment.
The Newt dips in and out with contributions.I just wish the summary of his financial presentation at the Members Forum could be published. I understand that it suggests that our financial position is better than most other non-test match ground counties.
If this is the case why is no other "small" county losing players.This exodus is unprecedented.
If we are going to release any player still contracted to the club why have contracts of more than a year?
I can see how having Mason and Smith in the dressing room is divisive.Smith should have been dropped months ago and Wheeldon given a chance.
Asia Exile what is Smith's county championship average this season? Under 30 i guess.
Solanki should resign because he must be a factor in all of this BUT if he left as well the stewards will end up playing to make up the numbers!
Either way the Management has to convince us that there is a recovery plan on the pitch or we will lose 20% of the membership. I get to one game a season now that I have child commitments and I have to pay for transport and accommodation. I pay a country membership for this for 4 day's cricket! I am gifting money to the county every year like many others. I look forward to being convinced why I should do this in 2010.
I am going to the Hampshire game and will see the Hick pavilion for the first time. How sad that I will be saying good-bye to so many players. I guess Kabir has played his last game for us.Smith and Mason will not be with us in 2011 as players so what then????????
So so sad

With the playing budget needing to be cut by £300,000 it seems unlikely Moore, Davies, Noffke, Batty, Kabir and Simon Jones will be replaced which will leave a big hole in the team! Who will open with Mitchell? Presumably Kervezee or Wheeldon. Who will be the frontline spinner (surely not Fisher who is extremely lucky to still be at the county)? In the absence of Kabir and Jones who will take the new ball? Presumably Mason and Whelan. Who will keep wicket for 1XI next season? Adshead maybe?

Im very much an outsider so shoot me down if this is wrong. Arent you in some ways the victim of circusmtances. You came up with a first division attack on paper - Jones, Ali, Mason, Noffke, Batty - that never played and in some cases never performed. This left you in trouble anyway, whatever management did. At the same time Surrey decided to be the first county to really splash the cash, Davies' contract ran out, Kabir missed virtually the wholse season which means he has little time left to realise his international ambitions, and Moore came to prominence with his 100 V Aussies just when the perception - if not the reality - has been growing that first division cricket is vital for international ambitions (Bopara's ashes struggles highlighting the difference between tests and div 2). His relegation clause was also unfortunate. Lethal combination.

As for why other "smaller" clubs arent being (still potentially only), pillaged, well other smaller clubs dont have the players worth pillaging!. A player like Davies out of contract at Leicester would have been a huge lure to anyone with loada money.

I may be 100% wrong here though.

Doubt it helps but under Mark Greatbatch, Knight retired early as did Alex Loudon and we lost Moeen, Mark Wagh and Wagg. Our players also wanted to report him to the PCA for his management and e suffered double relegation. It was terrible, but these things do pass.

I would agree with a lot of what Kim says. The club has been hit by a perfect storm in the past few years. thenewts stirling work with recouping the losses of the floods means that had that not been there then there would have been more money for other things, a poor place to start. The problems in the dressing room have to be the result of both sides and I would suggest that there are a lot of egos in there and the wrong mix will have been difficult for anyone to manage. Had Jones or Kabir been fit then we would have won at least a couple of games. Had one of our batsman been able to work out which end of the bat to hold in four day cricket then we would have won a couple of games.

Each time someone leaves it is Rhodes head that is called for. If the dressing room atmosphere is as toxic as we believe, who really thinks, hand on heart, that removing the coach would have made any difference next year? Davies would have gone anyway (if what he says is true), Batty and Moore probably as well.

Kabir's best years are almost certainly behind him and while I do not want to see him go I am afraid I have got to the point where I am resigned to the fact that the next few years will be hard. I am with Bumpy. If you want to go, go. No one player or even several players is bigger than the club.

I wholeheartedly agree with the last three posts from Kim, manandvans and xray. There's not much we can do about players being injured and one or two just haven't performed at the higher level - once again.

But you know what ? When the chips are down you want a bunch of guys prepared to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in. You want people who will take personal responsibilty for the plight that the club as a whole faces.

Any player who decides to walk away when the club needs them the most is nothing more than a coward in my eyes. Of the players who might still be with us - Moore and Kabby - I would say to them here, in public : Guys, grow up and take responsibilty. Show some leadership, guts and determination and get behind the club. If you can't do this then good riddance to you and all the best in finding any club which doesn't have internal problems now and again.