Phillips

Again I'd disagree with the best player bit but that's football with regards to opinions - all very subjective. I agree with the regards to batting it back and forth as we've both got better things to be on with !

It's not a dig at you by the way , just a difference in opinion . I agree that CH should get the job as you've mentioned before and we should just crack on. AP is probably a good bet to score in 90 minutes at Birmingham after this!

 

Aye he's been a good one.

 

With regards to better Pro's/working harder I dont see the daily goings on at Oakwell - however what I would say is that if you are grafting more than someone and do as asked , yet someone doesnt and still gets picked , it doesnt send out a good message - ability for me would go straight out of the window. The clear message has to be that no one is bigger than the club

With regards to other midfielders, I ain't going to be holding any of them up as shining lights as they've all been bang average this season and way too inconsistent. Unfortunately though, if AP is not toeing the line (allegedly) then resale value / ability should not enter the head coaches mindset (which you could argue would come from the powers that be above having a word)- as these actions can be more damaging throughout the team. To allow someone to simply do as they please sets a very bad tone for everyone else. To suggest I'm being naive just because the season is over is basically buying into the owners' model as you are prioritising value over authority. I would guarantee that if Ferguson had a player that crossed him, irrespective of value , he would be out of the door

By not having an authoritative stance CH would succumb to player power and create the attitude if he can do it so can I - and unfortunately alot of footballers are like children in adults bodies (in my opinion) and need bringing in line rather than trying to push boundaries

 

Been say this since October. Tried his gonads off to get a January move. Downed tools and now acting a tool.

 

You assume alot in your opinion on what Hourihane has said I appreciate you have been in a position in the past that gives you a better incite of the inner going ons. In this situation you've no idea the circumstances or importance of said meeting Hourihane deemed it serious enough to call him out from that I assume it was more than a run of the mill meeting.

 

Hang on. You’re having a go at me for assuming, but then assuming yourself in the end.

I fully agree with Conor that you have to have rules. And if, as he states, Adam broke them, he deserves to be punished. I just don’t think it needed to be publicly disclosed.

It really isn’t any deeper than that.

 

Conor letting them know, there's no where to hide, flexing his muscles and showing them he's no longer one of the boys, he's now the gaffer.
Guess he's not allowing him self the same problems that John Hendrie found to his disadvantage, when crossing the floor.

 

Insight.

 

I thought part of Hendries problem was that he was too authoritarian with the players? Weren't there various rumours of tea cup throwing and throat grabbing?

 

At what cost though? To what potential benefit.

Is there not a limit?

CH is trying to assert authority and that’s not a bad thing; though unless he knows something we don’t (I.e that he’s getting the job), then why is it that good an idea?

Conor isn’t Alex Ferguson, and we aren’t Manchester United. The days of clubs having managers in control of everything in the mold of Sir Alex or Brian Clough are long gone.

Players do earn too much, and do have too much power. I offer no argument against that. But Barnsley Football Club taking a stance against it or even trying to helps neither man nor beast. We aren’t single handedly changing what the game has become. And players will just go elsewhere anyway if we try to be authoritarian in every aspect. That said I’m not suggesting we just submit to any player’s whim.

What I’m saying is that given it is massively unlikely that AP is still here come July, it would serve the football club a lot better to look after its own needs first and not detriment his sale value. Same for the rest.

Say for example DKD missed a team meeting or was late for training, do we freeze him out too? If not why?

 

I get your points and I'm not here to rile folk, so apologies if I have done that. For me there is no limit (Just my opinion) and rules are rules, if you break them there are consequences. You can argue that if they chose not to come to us for those reasons then you have dodged a bullet - we might (And this is without any foundation!) have a reputation as a bit of a soft touch in footballing circles. I've said it many times that I would rather see players who give everything and fail - I can handle that far more than having players who could be better but cant be bothered.

As for that with DKD, again it's a professionalism thing and sends a clear message to the others - these are people who are paid annual salaries commensurate with people at the heads of large organisations. If there are personal circumstances / reasons why they cant attend a meeting etc (Childbirth, family issues etc) then fair do's - if someone disciplined someone for that then any respect for the manager would go out of the window

I just dont agree with someone playing purely based on resale value if there attitude stinks the place out (I'm not saying that is the case with AP as it looks like they have both drawn a line under it). For balance looking back at the DW era, I think the first time he criticised the team was after the Southampton PL defeat which was about 4 years into his tenure). Personally I would've done what CH did, but behind closed doors and protected the player and said he had an illness or a niggle and let the rumour mill strut its stuff- the other players wouldve know exactly why AP didnt start / make the squad, so the point is proven to the players behind closed doors and can be served as a warning. But there's no excuse for him not toeing the line in my opinion

 

Andy, I’ve pursued this hobby for a lot longer than you have, and agree that, in patches, Phillips has looked a very decent player for this level. His statistics are certainly decent. But he absolutely disappears for long periods, and given he is at an age now when consistency is more less expected, he qualifies as one of the most frustrating players I have seen playing for the club. He may well get a move to the Championship, but I would suggest that there would be significantly less tolerance of his shortcomings if that is where he ends up.

 

As @YT states above, he's already being played out of position, which is affecting his contribution, so why not try him out of position, where it might improve his contribution.

 

Based on what?

 

He ticks boxes by way of having worked his way up through the leagues - players can buy into him and what he achieved from humble beginnings

he’s young and hungry for success - if memory serves me right DW only won 1 of his first 10

he gets the club and knows what we’re about

in patches last night we looked decent , but consistency is the key - I also don’t think we’re fit enough

the board need to stop meddling in football matters as they sack coaches for not being successful in the right way whilst not backing them

I might have it wrong, but he seems a good fit to me - unless the next 7 games are an absolute disaster it should be his job to lose

 

Apart from addressing the regular individual errors, capitulation after 75 minutes, our home record, losing in general, etc., I just want to be entertained again.

For large parts of this season I have just been bored senseless watching our glacial build-up play.

The quick breakaway and slick passing last night which led to our goal, is what I want to see.

We are so slow in our attacks, spending so much time passing around the defense, then the midfield, and then when it eventually reaches the forwards, they don't know what to do.

They shoot, when a pass is the easy option; pass repeatedly, when a pop at goal would be the best option, or just run into trouble and lose it.

Much of this is encapsulated in the number of times we have a free kick / throw-in in the final third, and 2-3 passes later it's back in the hands of our goalkeeper.

 

Sorry bud, to be clear I wasn’t riled nor was I trying to rile you - to be honest it was nice to have a conversation on it without it reducing to individualised insult.

(And I don’t claim not to have done so on any occasion myself).

I reciprocate your apology if you felt I was trying to have a dig. Certainly wasn’t my intention.

 

I wish the rest of the team contributed as “little” as Adam Phillips. If only he would stop scoring and assisting and run around a bit looked “interested”.

 

I appreciate you sharing your opinion with me. It'd be boring if we all agreed.

My favourite Phillips fact is not the 49 goal contributions in 102 games, it's this one - those goal contributions across three seasons have earned the club 42 points. As in, goals that won the game, or secured a draw.

If only he didn't go missing, we'd have one hell of a player!

 

Well, Phillips has sat down with Conor & apologised and doing well in training and Hourihane says will be in contention for weekend. End of story...