PETER Phillips has hit back at criticism over his decision to reach a modest settlement with Stockport for Warren Feeney and said: "I am paid to make those judgements."

The two clubs finally agreed on £45,000 and a 20 per cent sell-on fee for the Northern Ireland international yesterday (August 18) after several months of haggling over his valuation.

Both parties were set to attend a Football League tribunal in London on Monday but discussions between Phillips and Stockport chief executive, Niels de Vos, concluded yesterday to avoid the need to go to the tribunal hearing.

Phillips told the Daily Echo: "I believe that this is the best deal the club can get. I think it would have been risky to have gone to the tribunal and we could easily have ended up with less.

"Our asking price was £150,000 but you have to be realistic about what we would get. All the indications we were given suggested it would be something between £30-50,000."

Although some fans have suggest that the club have been short-changed once again, Phillips countered that the tribunal system only takes into account the development costs and not the supposed market value of a player. Stockport's highest offer for the ex-Leeds forward reached just £35,000.

Phillips said: "We always get some stick from certain quarters but I think most fans will realise we've got a reasonable deal. After all, if he'd have been a year older, we'd have got nothing for him.

"I think we have done as well as we possibly could, bearing in mind he was out of contract.

"I am paid to make those judgements. We didn't think £35,000 was sufficient, but the advice we were given suggested we wouldn't get much more than that in the tribunal. I guess we'll never know now.

"It is not as if he was under contract so it is all very well comparing some of the other fees this summer. The tribunal would only take into account the extent we are seen to have developed the player. It doesn't compare his market value and while we think he is worth far more, we wouldn't have got it."

If Feeney goes on to make a big-money move in the future, Cherries will receive a fifth of the transfer fee and although Phillips is not holding his breath for the extra revenue, he believes it will be a bonus if it arrives.

He said: "The club has never done very well out of sell-ons in the past. We had one for Jamie Redknapp and Matt Holland and look where that got us. We won't be building any sell-on fee into our cash flow forecasts. But if he does get sold on, at least there will be something in it for us.

"It certainly didn't replace any cash equivalent and, in my opinion, this is the best deal for us."

Feeney himself is thought to be entitled to a percentage of the fee although the chairman stressed it was "not a vast sum." Phillips did, however, reveal that 40 per cent of the fee will be made available to Sean O'Driscoll via Playershare almost immediately.

He said: "This is the first opportunity for Playershare to see a return on their money. Most of the shareholders are keen to see the money ploughed back in to the club so £18,000 will go to Playershare and my understanding is that the money will become instantly available to Sean to bolster the squad.

"This money may help Eddie Howe stay here for another month or two or help to bring in Deogo Andrade from Portugal."