Having slept on this McAuley issue I find I am still raging about this(please god let this be a wind up) I totally bought into what Hurst was all about and it is clear that when ME employed him it was with the brief of assembling a squad of younger hungry players from the lower leagues with passion and fire and determination to succeed. We all understood that this is very much work in progress but if he is allowed the time things will get better and better For a football manager, their integrity, their beliefs, their philosophy of how football should be played is paramount, and the whole football club is set up to reflect this, from training pitch tactics, formations, right through to transfer policies, everything is based on the manager`s beliefs Now that Hurst has been allowed to assemble a squad of players to follow his mantra, at the first sign of pressure he is willing to ditch these principles and sign a 38 year old washed up has been, 38 ffs is he mad. Where is his philosophy, where is his self belief, where is his trust in his players that he signed only a short time ago, what sort of message is he sending to the whole playing staff if he believes that a 38 year old (38 Jesus) can do a better job in defence than anyone there On a football pitch the worst possible position to play in if you lose a yard or two pace is in the back four, when your legs go you are finished as inevitably you arrive a tad too late in tackles leading to dangerous free kicks/penalties, red and yellow cards in abundance, you only have to look at some of the greats e.g. Neville, Terry, Carragher they all new their time was up when their legs went. In other positions you may get away with it for a couple of years or so as they can allow the ball to cover their failing legs but defenders cant do this as tackling is a major part of their game You can measure a man by his principles and integrity and if that man sticks to those principles in whatever walk of life no matter how others view them, then that man demands a certain level of respect.Even people I have really detested (Margaret Thatcher) received my respect because she fervently believed in what she was doing and stuck by her principles and beliefs right up until the end. The same can be said of MM because no matter how much I thought his football was outdated and dire he believed in them and stuck to his guns therefore in my eyes commanding a modicum of respect This is not a sign of desperation it is a clear sign of abject panic and if any manager is willing to compromise his beliefs because the pressure is getting too much then in my eyes that man should not manage any football club And if Hurst completes this signing and they go on an unbeaten run all season and get promoted Hurst will always be a spineless coward to me, who don't have the courage of his convictions to see it through and will lose all respect I have of him as a manager and as a man Westy- you can take the piss as much as you like, but any man who cant stick to his principles is no man in my eyes, and as for telling me to get a grip that's a bit rich from someone who spouts **** on here on a daily basis 38 year old defender, still cant believe it Yes still raging!!!
I will - you're throwing your toys out of the pram akin to a child after 5 games - yet I'm the one who talks rubbish. Comedy gold. Not sure why you and the other Yorkie think it's okay to have personal attacks quite so often but there we go. Lovely world we live in. We're supposed to be ITFC fans. We're supposed to want the best for the team. Yet some people seem to constantly be so dismissive argumentative when someone makes a point they don't like. I write on here subjectively often, try to give an insight. I'm sorry you don't agree with me. On the flip side, I don't agree with a lot of what you write - however that's your opinion and your entitled to it. It's a forum, not a dictatorship................ Re McAuley - he's a good player, however like you and others age is a concern. Clearly pace wise he cannot play together with Chambers - would be potential suicide. Perhaps Hurst wants some experience - but it's very late in the day for me and he should have thought about this a bit more over the course of the summer.
I really don't get the need for some posters on here to resort to personal insults. It was never like this before, even during the worst days of Mick McCarthy. We all want what's best for our club and we all have our own opinions. Of course we're going to disagree and debate each other, and that might get heated at times, but resorting to personal insults? Christ on a bike.
Firstly, if it the story does have a lot integrity to it, and Hurst is serious about this, then i think that is such a ridiculous idea. Surely we can get someone younger to do a better job. Secondly, Yorkie - you can keep your integrity, beliefs, philosophy etc as a manager, but still change/adapt slightly. Sometimes you need to try something different, as that may be a better idea on the day. If you stick to one system, one style of play week in week out, then eventually you'll get found out and you'll be easy to play against. And to say that Hurst will be a spineless coward, even if we did end up winning the league, is, in my opinion, rather ridiculous - all just because he's interested in signing a 38 year old. Maybe he just wants to use him to coach the youngsters, and be a back up if called upon. Surely his experience, like Walters, is invaluable when you have a lot of inexperienced players in the team. I'd be extremely surprised if a) this is true, and b) if he would actually start a game.
Totally agree on the insults question, we should be able to disagree without resorting to personal attacks, apparently Westy and myself are intellectual pygmies or words to that effect for disagreeing on another post. On the McAuley issue if it actually happens, this is a panic move driven by Nsialas enforced absence and our inability to defend set pieces even when he is available, young hungry players are fine but experience in reading the game, spotting potentially dangerous situations before they happen, and advising young players is a bonus you get with older players, and not forgetting of course that Evans won't pay for anyone of quality even though he's £10M in pocket on the summer transfer business. Would it be a good short term move? I think its wait and see time.
I just think that if we sign him it would send the wrong message to the new lads, and as for Nsialas`s absence we are talking 3 games no more
Well he brings a wealth of experience with him, may be good behind the scenes to have around the place. Knows the game well. Providing he hasn't lost any more speed, then he potentially could be an upgrade on Chambers - who in my opinion, hasn't had a great season to date. We'll see. I think Woolfenden looks to have ability, and I'd like to think he'll get the chance Sunday. Won't be happy if Knudsen comes across to CB, with Kenlock LB unless we win of course - then whatever!
Hurst's caught between a rock and a hard place to some extent. He brought in a lot of younger, lower league players and was slated because that didn't work out immediately. One of the big criticisms was there was too little proven quality/experience. He tries to address that by signing Walters and possibly McAuley (although that's looking increasingly unlikely) and that draws flack because, all of a sudden, he's sold his soul to the devil and compromised his principles. I'm still at the stage that I'm patient with this a work in progress, but wouldn't a win on Sunday make us all feel better! COYB!!! Edit.We now appear to be after Matthew Pennington from Everton.Young player from Prem Club,wonder how the moaning Minnie's will put a negative spin on that!?
Nuggets, why don't you just shut the hell up and take your moronic, boring long posts and shove them where the sun don't shine!
