Opinion: Greg Tansey's stance is understandable - but his commitment to Caley Thistle won't change
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ANOTHER January comes and with it, more speculation about the future of a star player. The ghost of Christmas yet to come is redundant in the The Caley Thistle Carol – we have seen this story before.
Andrew Shinnie, Graeme Shinnie and Marley Watkins have all gone that way in the past. Contract extensions have been put on the back-burner, stock lines about focusing on football have been wheeled out en-masse and as time dwindled down on their Caley Thistle careers, a begrudging acceptance from fans that their time in a blue shirt was numbered.
The man in the middle this time is Greg Tansey. Richie Foran said this week he would be unwilling to sign a new deal and he was “80 per cent” convinced the player would be away at the end of the season.
Tansey has come in for some criticism this season from supporters, some of it unmerited in my view. He responded in the paper today, rejecting suggestions he is motivated be money and will not be hurried into making a decision.
Performance-wise, he does not have as much free reign to influence games as he once did. Foran and, for the latter part of his tenancy, John Hughes, earmarked a more defensive role for him, screening in front of the back four and building play from there.
There is, of course, frustration. He wants to be charging higher up the park, making more key passes and making use of his proclivity to shoot from range; Tansey has just two goals this season, compared to six at the same stage a year ago. But he is also one committed to the team’s cause and will do as the manager asks.
Then there was the January transfer saga involving Aberdeen, which greatly frustrated him with the way it was handled. Far from saying he wanted to leave the club, Tansey did not want to annoy anybody at Caley Thistle, particularly the fans, with public criticism because he has greatly enjoyed his time here. But the to-ing and fro-ing between both parties, with the player stuck in the middle, left a sour taste in his mouth.
As evidenced by his comments today, he could have made a bigger deal publicly about that situation but he didn't. He also could have been more outspoken this week at suggestions he was a "money-grabber" but defended himself, rightly, in a sensible and assertive manner.
It remains to be seen whether the Dons will come in for him again. They are supposedly keen on another central midfielder, so it is whether he could contest for a spot with Ryan Jack and Kenny McLean or replace James Maddison, whose loan will expire at the end of the season, in a different role further forward.
I spoke to Tansey back in September, when it emerged that he and Josh Meekings had knocked back contract offers. One consideration he brought up, which I whole-heartedly empathise with, is the difficulty in being away from family for a long period of time.
For the last five-and-a-half years, he has lived in Inverness and London, a great distance away from his family on Merseyside. There comes a time in life when priorities have to be re-assessed and at 28, Tansey may well be at the stage where he wants to plan his long-term future.
He stated at the time that may be the point most people could empathise with. Being in a similar position myself, I certainly do. It is a concern shared by Meekings, whose family are even further away in Suffolk.
If you look at it from a purely football perspective, he has more than done his duty at Caley Thistle. He has barely been injured, made himself a regular pick under two different managers and been a key part of a Scottish Cup-winning side. Of all the highs in the last three years, he has been involved in the majority of them.
I like to think I have got to know Greg pretty well in my two-and-a-half years in this job. He is affable, focused and above all determined. After a defeat he is always honest and demanding – exactly what you are looking for in my position. There will be no question of him letting up, as the weeks remaining on his contract turn into days.
The ideal way for him to sign off, if he so chooses, would be in similar fashion to Shinnie and Watkins, in a moment of glory. That may be pie-in-the-sky thinking, based on Caley Thistle’s current predicament, but it would be fitting nonetheless.
I sat down and watched The Muppet Christmas Carol – undoubtedly the best festive movie – on December 24 and despite knowing exactly how the film would play out, I was still invested in the story until the end.
Greg will remain invested in the Caley Jags until the very end.
