Hasselbaink: In happier times

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Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale claims he came to a verbal agreement with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to waive the contract clause that is currently the subject of a Professional Footballers' Association mediation.

The two parties are engaged in dispute as Hasselbaink wants a new deal at Ninian Park; a request that should have been facilitated by terms in his contract that entitled him to another year if he featured in more than 23 games last season.

Cardiff released the player in the summer, against his wishes, after claiming a verbal agreement had been struck to have the clause removed following talks with both the player and manager Dave Jones.

Open and amiable

Ridsdale told the South Wales Echo: "(Jimmy) was open, amiable and acknowledged what we said. He told us he felt 42 games a season was too much and something he didn't want to do again.

"He was happy to renegotiate the clause and we agreed we would talk again in the summer.

"The automatic extension was waived and I wrote to him with the details of our meeting. I asked him to sign and acknowledge. His response was 'I am a man of my word, I don't need to sign. We have agreed'.

"You could argue that I should have said I don't give a damn - sign it or else. I took a view that I had said it in writing. Dave Jones was with me at the time and I decided we would accept Jimmy's word.

"That was, in hindsight, a mistake because he is now arguing that he has an agreement. We are seeing the Professional Footballers' Association and I will be as blunt with them as I am being with the shareholders now."

Hasselbaink, 36, played in a total of 44 matches last season.