On Friday the club announced that Jonny had "committed his future to the club and agreed in principle a two-year extension to his contract". Phil Wilkinson, Jonny's father, spoke to
The Times saying:
"Jonny is very comfortable with the deal. We didn't want this to run and run and develop into a rat race with speculation every day about what Jonny might be doing. He has a great loyalty to the club and his intention has always been to help them out of relegation trouble. If they go down, he'll stay for at least a year and hopefully help them to come straight back up. There are a few i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed, but the contract should be in place and signed next week."
Despite the reassuring comments from Jonny's father, Phil Wilkinson, Falcons' fans were understandably a little more wary, remembering Rob Andrew's widely reported pre-Christmas remarks (see our article -
"A reason to be cheerful..."), that Jonny had agreed a two year extension to his contract. Unfortunately Rob's remarks seemed to be rather premature, as pen was not put to paper and the rumours began again.
However today Jonny finally ended all the speculation with an article on the
BBC Website confirming that he signed his new Falcons' contract last week.
"I am very pleased I know where I stand now and can move forward and plan for the summer
and beyond. I am committed to the club even if we are relegated and I cannot deny that is something that I thought about before deciding to sign."
Wilkinson believes he has made the right decision "no matter what happens" but remains determined that relegation will be a non issue stating:
"We are just going to make sure that we are not relegated so it does not become an issue.
I have had six great years at the club and hopefully the next two will be just as good."
Rob Andrew praised Wilkinson's loyalty to the club,describing his signing as "tremendous news", he continued:
"On a personal note, I am absolutely delighted and hope that Jonny stays and helps the club develop over many years."
Jonny is a huge draw for Newcastle Falcons - how many times have you heard away fans say one of the main reasons they made the long trip up north was to see Wilkinson play? From a business point of view having one of the best players in the world turning out for your team is a huge selling point, something which John Parkinson, Chief Executive at Newcastle Falcons, is well aware of.
"Jonny's commitment to the club is fantastic news for the team, sponsors and fans. We have invested a great deal of time and money developing the Newcastle Falcons stadium into a world class sporting facility, attracting and harvesting world class players. This deal puts us in an enviable position and maintains our position as one of the top sporting businesses in the region."
And the fans what do we think? To be honest I think Charlie Says' comment on the Message Board sums it up...
"Fan-bloomin-tastic!"
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