Hourihane vs Mowatt

Probably shows how thick I am, then, as I believe the 1981/82 team is the best Barnsley team I've ever seen.

 

I think the 99/00 team is the best Barnsley team I've ever seen but it wasn't better than the 96/97 team.

 

The 1996/97 team certainly had the greatest success. But being a total thicko, I believe the 1981/82 team is the best.
By the same token, I think Eric Winstanley was a much better centre half than the likes of Chris Morgan, Scott Jones, Mark Ogley & Simon Jeffels, even though he only played in the third & fourth tier and all the others played no lower than the second tier.

 

Absolutely.
Best team. Best of times.

 

“Best” and “most successful” are not necessarily synonymous though.

Seems silly to pretend that they are.

 

Impossible to quantify. The 96/97 team set the benchmark for achieving a one off success *. But there is no measure for how the 81/82 or 99/00 teams would have faired aaginst the same opposition.
I'm with Lil. Sir Norman of Hunters team was the best memory for me. If they'd played in 96/97, they would have gone up with 200 points, unbeaten and still be in the Prem today But that is just an opinion!!

* soon to be repeated, I hope.

 

Yeah my Dad insists that the 81/82 side was the best he saw. How he feels about that team is the same as how I feel about the 99/00 team. I reckon the 99/00 team might have stayed up as it had more players that had played in the top flight.

 

Just for comparison...

Conor Hourihane Championship Stats (BFC in brackets)

Apps: 157 (25)
Goals: 31 (6)
Assists: 29 (11)

Alex Mowatt Championship Stats (BFC in brackets)

Apps: 216 (100)
Goals: 24 (12)
Assists: 27 (15)

Obviously, they've both excelled with us in League One too, whilst Conor also had 31 appearances in the Prem.

The fact we're even able to be having a debate like this, says a lot. Alex was Conor's replacement. And what a fine piece of business it's proven to be, four years down the line, with bumps along the road.

They are both incredible professionals, two cracking lads and shining examples to others, on how to succeed in the game. Both rocked up at Oakwell with undoubted talent, great left pegs and were highly-regarded as youngsters. But they both became much more than mere talent once at Oakwell. They became all-round central midfielders, able to marry that ability with the hard work and graft required at this level.

If we can replace a modern day club legend with another modern day club legend, the next bloke has some serious boots to fill.

 

Horn
Joyce
Evans
McCarthy
Chambers
Glavin
Banks
Barrowclough/Campbell
Aylott
McHale
Parker

Right team.

 

Shipperley Dyer Hignett in their prime.were quite a formidable attacking trio.

Sadly we were not as solid at the back in 99/00 as our 96/97 team. And had we been we would have easily gone up automatically.


De Zeeuw Davis Moses.

 

I think those stats bear out just what i was saying.

Extrapolate that data in a BFC shirt for Conor and you'd have 24 goals and 44 assists compared to Mowatt with 12 and 15 respectively. He'd have had an absolute field day in this side given how reliant we are on set pieces.

Don't get me wrong, I like Mowatt and he would have been my player of the season and he's had his best season for us by a mile which has also manifest into assists and goals.

But its just not a contest, even more so with the actual stats at hand. Thanks for taking the time to share them.

 

Just out of interest... and you may not know, or you may not be allowed to say even if you do.

In terms of recruitment, do we use any metrics on the targets personality and character, any psychometrics for example? In terms of professionalism, attitude, likeability, how they may fit in with others etc.?

 

W

Would imagine there'll be something like the Thomas International PPA test. I've had to do that for my last couple of employments.

 

Yes, there are plenty of them out there. I just wondered if they had been adapted in football and if they form a basis for deciding on players rather than something more subjective and opinion based. Must have consent of the player to do it, the club they are at I'd suspect and then the waiver that they can be shared widely for other clubs to pick up and assess in their recruitment choices.

 

To be fair to mowatt he was starting in redferns leeds side in the championship at 19. We didn't sign conor untill he was 24 and didn't see the best of him untill 26 the age mowatt is now.

 

Mowett, conor is a fantastic player but i see Alex as a better leader...

 

I thought he was 23 when we signed him?

All valid points. I'd still have Hourihane in his pomp compared to Mowatt at his best so far.

 

All about opinions but Redfearn was better than both.

My all time top BFC and I am old enough to remeber Glavin in his pomp. (Sorry JLWBLi)

 

Hourihane (2017 vintage) v's Mowatt (2021 vintage) = Hourihane

Hourihane (2021 vintage) v's Mowatt (2021 vintage) = Mowatt

 

Nothing to be sorry about, old mate, just your spelling!