Conor & Sam

We have lost 3 players in January.

I'm leaving James Bree out, as he as yet to achieve the potential that Villa invested money in.

The other two are amongst the best players we've had in a decade. Sam, probably the best since Neil Shipperley , and Conor the best since Burns / Drinkwater & possibly even Redfearn.

Why then is Sam despised & derided & Conor respected?

Is it really that Sam signed for local rivals, Sheffield Wednesday & Conor signed for Villa?
Well. No. Not really. David Hirst left us for Wednesday after a handful of games & never got that abuse.
Our beloved Danny did the same & we took him back, like a forgiven unfaithful lover.

The difference is the manner of the departure.

I don't know if he would have stayed, but in my heart i'd like to think that if we'd got anywhere near the quadrupled wages Conor allegedly is getting at Villa, that he might have. The fact that he has taken time to speak on a Barnsley fan's radio show (which is excellent listening btw, if you have Player), says it all for me.
Even explaining why he couldn't go over to the fans after we beat them away. Strikes me as a very balanced & likeable young bloke & one I'll applaud whenever he comes back to the 'well. He didn't rule out a return at some point as a player or coach & that too speaks volumes.

Then we have Sam.

Equally as key in his goals in the last 12 months. Great leader of the line & goal poacher. Since his departure our goal tally has collapsed, (as has his without the supply from Conor).

His last game he kissed the black arm band that he was wearing & spoke after the match about Rimmo.

Why oh, why did he not go to the funeral, or pay his own private respects that day & then, as was inevitable maybe let his agent sort out the move later in the week. Instead he's pictured with a Wednesday shirt, on that day when we remembered a TRUE legend. One from a different time, when there was little money in football & the game was about local pride & endeavour. That is the rub. In my mind pretty much unforgivable.
That said, some kind of public statement, making an apology for the crassness of what he had done would have gone a country mile, but there was no interview, no kind words.

Hence the abuse & the Pippa Pig incident.

The over celebration of his tap in was childish too. He's a young lad, so maybe I could understand, but for the fact he then goes over at the end when the Barnsley players are applauding the fans & tries to join in.
Was it provocative, or a genuine attempt to build a bridge in fast flowing waters, without the tools?
Who knows? The look on Adam Hammill's face said it all. Incredulity.

So. We have 2 players. That have left. One the departing hero & one the Snake, the Pig, whatever, you choose.

Sam, it didn't have to be this way. Learn something from this.
It is the fans & the folks behind the scenes that make football clubs, yer Norman's, Patrick's, Spud Murphy's, etc.... not the players. You disrespect them at your peril.

Yer a Dee-Dar now.

 

Well said John.

 

Good post JP, I agree completely. The reception that Brownhill got when he returned with Bristol City recently underlines your point. Furthermore the reception that Conor will get next season will be in complete contrast to the reception **** got on Saturday for exactly the reasons highlighted by you.

 

I don't understand why he didn't make a statement after the picture came out on Rimmo's funeral. It could have been a huge error and leaked early, which I'd like to think it was, except for the fact that he has never apologised for it, not even informally on twitter. I think another thing that added to his reception was how he thanked his agent for the move first and then mentioned us as an afterthought when someone brought us up to him, compared to Conor's letter and then appearance on the Red's Report. I'm sure there will be players previously who have done the same but the only person I remember making contact with the club wanting to leave a message for the fans after signing elsewhere was Luke Steele and I hugely appreciate them both for doing that.

 

Let's face it he's a lovely person.

Was lucky to meet him, Conor & Hecky at a pre-season game with a former big time poster on here.
He was the only one I didn't get a positive feeling from. Think he may worship the hatred. I don't give a f@@k about that. My Dad was 12 years younger than Rimmo, grew up in the same village & after he stopped goalkeeping he trained my dad at North Gawber Colliery. I only hate people for a reason. That C@@T is Sam Winnall.

 

I agree.

Hourihane showed true class in the aftermath of his departure. Taking to social media to thank the club and the fans. He might have made it all up, but at least it gave us something to remember him by in what was a turbulent week where his current clubs owner was otherwise disrespectful.

I was willing to overlook the timing of the Winnall transfer. On the day that the club paid tribute to its greatest servant. It was allegedly Winnall's agent who leaked the transfer, and whilst the timing of the incident left a sour taste in the mouth, the football world had to carry on in the background. But it was the aftermath that did it for me. After the seemingly impatient way he was revealed as a Barnsley player, he immediately thanked his agent for the move, publicly on twitter. The same agent who'd soured the occasion of Rimmo's passing. It no longer felt like inconvenient timing, it felt pre meditated.

I don't understand why footballers use Twitter. He's left himself open to attack from the mindless idiots giving him death threats. Nobody deserves that. But at the same time, he'd have saved himself a lot of grief by avoiding twitter.

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Jacob Butterfield did a 20 minute interview on Player after he left.

 

Twitter can be used for good effect I suppose in Sam's case he could have used twitter to apologise for his agent leaking the pictures on the day of rimmos funeral.
I heard winnall wasnt happy scince the club knocked the leeds move back. True story is this belive it or not I was sat next to one of conor hourihanes mates who he had grown up with at wembley in the play off final. I got talking to him and before the ball was kicked he had told me wigan want to sign Conor in the summer but conor told his agent he didn't want the move to wigan and let's face it wigan would have paid him more than we could. If the same had happened to alot of players we wouldn't had seen them for dust.

 

I'd be interested to see the 'Unseen Footage' of the lads applauding at the end on Saturday with Winnall butting in. I wonder whether there were any comments picked up that would mean the audio can't go out.

 

It will be uploaded later today, pal. The chorus of ****** will have to be silenced or cut though, obviously.

 

I look forward to viewing!

 

I have a black hole around that time in terms of all things BFC due to moving to uni and not having time/money to invest in Barnsley at that point. I know he played for us obviously and I've seen highlights etc. but I don't remember his time here so I didn't know that. Will it still be on there in the archives do you think?

 

I have to admit to trying to spot who went over to him and who didn't in the tunnel, after the game etc. Gutted that the formation covers the screen as they line up and shake hands as I wanted to see how our players reacted to him.

 

Aye, just type Butterfield into the search on Player and it'll pop up.

 

The video will be on our YouTube channel in about one more hour or so. Had to cut a fair bit from the post-match footage due to the chanting.

 

From the players?!

 

LIKE

 

No. The supporters as he got to the centre circle.

 

I remember he did a very good Radio Sheffield interview straight after joining Norwich as well. Very complimentary to Barnsley for making him in the professional game and said he'd have loved to play in the Premiership with Barnsley but couldn't turn down the chance to move up there when it was offered.

 

Hi mate

How come no footage hasn't been uploaded from after the final whistle ?


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