[BFC SITE] Conor Hourihane | Pre-Wigan Athletic Press Conference

Our Interim Head Coach shared his thoughts ahead of the trip to Wigan Athletic this weekend in Sky Bet League One.

On injuries


It’s not as bad as everyone probably thought initially. Obviously, it was really disappointing for Benno. As I’ve mentioned before, he had been a positive for me over the ten days leading up to the Cambridge game, so I was really, really disappointed for him. We don’t think it’s going to be a six-week absence, which can often be the case with that kind of hamstring injury. Instead, it should only be a couple of weeks, so fingers crossed that’s the case.

Robbo (Marc Roberts) is back in contention, which is good. He’s passed all the concussion protocols, so he’s available again, which is great for the group.

Jackson (Smith) is going to be out longer than Benno, Josh Earl, and Neil Farrugia. His injury will keep him out for a longer period than those guys, and he won’t be with us for the foreseeable future.

As for Joe (Gauci), we’re getting updates through the Villa connection. His timeline is similar to Josh Benson and Neil Farrugia in terms of recovery.

On Connor Barratt and Bayley McCann


They’ve come back fine. It’s always great to receive international recognition, regardless of the age group, so credit to them. They both had a good time away with their respective countries, but now it’s back to training and preparing for selection.

On Fábio Jaló


He’s got real quality- something different from most players at this level or in this squad. He’s a fantastic dribbler, especially in 1v1 situations. Our wing-backs aren’t really big dribblers, but he’s a dynamic, explosive player with the ball at his feet.

It’s been a tough season for him; he wanted to play more, of course, but now that he’s back from injury, he made a brilliant impact at the weekend. He’s eager to finish the season strong, and I’m eager for him to do so as well.

He excites people. He wants the ball, plays with freedom, and has power and explosiveness. But like anyone else, he has to apply himself every single day. He has to train hard, be on time, and stay focused. Not that he doesn’t already - but the ball is in his court now. He’s got eight games to prove himself. If he keeps applying himself, training well, and making an impact like he did last week, he’ll be at the forefront of my thoughts for every game.

So, it’s up to him. How much does he want this opportunity? How much is he willing to sacrifice and push himself? That’s what I’ll be driving home to him every day.

On players knocking on his door


I like it. If players are training well every day and feel they’re being overlooked over a period of three or four weeks, I understand their frustration.

I’ve made things very black and white for the players. If you don’t turn up on time, if you’re late for meetings or gym sessions, there will be consequences - something I felt the club needed.

The players in the team know what they need to do to stay there, and those just outside the team need to keep pushing to earn their spot. It’s about a collective effort from everyone for the remaining games.

On Wigan Athletic


We’ve been analysing them, of course. Lowe has only taken charge of one game so far, and I know him a little bit. That game was tactically tricky, so our focus is more on ourselves - how we approach the match, our game plan, and what we need to do.

His one game in charge was against Charlton, which was a tough fixture. We’ve studied that game a lot because it’s the only one he’s managed so far. But ultimately, it’s about us - our preparation, our approach, and how we set ourselves up. If there are any unexpected changes in the game, my coaches and I will be ready to react accordingly.

On divisional best away wins


We have to keep that up. We know Wigan won’t be an easy game. It’s Lowe’s first home game, so there’ll be a bounce in their camp. They’ll be fired up.

They also didn’t play last weekend, so they’ve had extra time on the training ground. That makes it even tougher for us. Our mindset and game plan need to be at the highest level to get a result. That’s been my message to the team over the past few days, and hopefully, we’ll put in a strong performance and get a positive result.

On the Reds' struggles compared to other teams


If you look at Rotherham, they’ve got a big squad and a big budget, yet they’ve struggled. Wigan and Blackpool have only recently started to find form. Have they left it too late for the play-offs? Only time will tell.

Blackpool, for example, struggled for most of the season despite having a strong squad, a good team, and a good manager.

For us, it’s been frustrating and inconsistent. Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not. We need to be pushing for the top six because that’s what this club demands.

Hopefully, over these final eight games, starting with Wigan, we can put in positive performances, pick up results, and finish the season strongly. That’s crucial heading into next season.

Fixtures

• Wigan Athletic Vs. Barnsley - Sat, Mar 29 2025, 15:00

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Connor mentions lateness and how the rules are black and white. Lewis mentions something about being professional and Connell talked about things happening behind the scenes. I take from this that there must have been issues around training under Clarke.

 

You should become a detective

 

Watched both Conor's and Jon's press conferences today, and both were great to watch/listen to.

 

"I’ve made things very black and white for the players. If you don’t turn up on time, if you’re late for meetings or gym sessions, there will be consequences - something I felt the club needed."
I mentioned one of the pluses hopefully for Conor is that he's had a career at a higher level, one of the highest, and know how much the margins add up, and slackness and unprofessional behavior shouldn't be tolerated as it translates to bad attitudes all round - imagine you're turning up on time and not getting a game and someone who's wandering in or leaving the gym earlier gets a game?

 

Speaks far better than the previous incumbent and good to see us concentrating on us and what's in our control.

It'll be an interesting game to watch, with both head coaches being new, and see who's able to transform fortunes.

 

Just listened to the interview now. Certainly sounds like standards slipped under Clarke or at least weren’t up to Conor’s standards.

I never doubted it for a second but seems like Conor is working extremely hard at this. Just like he did as a player. Hard work will never be an issue for him, let’s hope he also has the tactical brains for it too.

 

Or someone who can't be ar5ed in the half time warm up.

 

It’s been obvious for some time that there has been issues within the team, and now it looks like that that there may have been issues with discipline, unprofessional behaviour and a drop in standards. Add all these things together and perhaps that explains the recent on field performances

 

Who are these players and what has Connor changed?

 

While it probably wont affect on the pitch performances and results.
I'm glad to hear Conor's being serious about attitudes and professionalism etc.
Whether Clarke just didn't care or whether they just didn't respect him, maybe it was a bit of both. But obviously, some standards have slipped poorly.

 

If only Connor had been here all season.

 

Nothing but deflection in my opinion, he's got 1 point from a very winnable 6

 

I find it astonishing any of this might even need to be said. If it does, it reflects incredibly badly on Clarke and his team.

I coach an 13 team, and every single one of them knows with absolute certainty that if they're not where they're meant to be on time, it costs them their place in the team. And it's not even their fault if they're late!

 

Yeah maybe.
Because despite the injury situation, we should definitely have beat Cambridge (but we couldnt do it, for the second time this season!).

 

Connor certainly talks a good game, I suppose we just have to wait and see how things unfold.

 

It might sound unfair on Conor, but I've already made my mind up about who I'd prefer us to appoint, in the summer.
He's gaining coaching/managerial experience now and hopefully that will work out for him in the near future.
But I don't think he's the 'right choice' for us, at this current very important time for the club.

 

Yeah, nothing sits right with me regarding Connor but I suspect the job is his if he can win a few of our meaningless games

 

Let’s be straight here - it’s not just Clarke to blame here.

The culture exists in society - so it’s hard to nail it a professional environment at times - especially when players are paid a lot of money and on long contracts. It might explain why certain players may be on the bench and not starting.

An ex Prem player automatically commands that bit more respect, so that helps.

But questions also have to be asked over Devaney and Stead too - especially with Tom Harban being promoted pretty quickly.

 

I think all coaches including Connor are accountable for allowing slackness in camp. Why has he waited while now to open his mouth. Surely he could have questioned the players discipline whilst working under Clarke.