@Canary Rob Exactly. We've not seen overly much of Ryan Bennett because Hughton is so rigid with his selections - barring injury, of course, but RB has done a sterling job when called on. But I betcha a stick of Cromer rock that Bassong and Turner get to start on Saturday, despite being average / abject last weekend - how is that supposed to make Bennett feel?
@Canary Rob Exactly. We've not seen overly much of Ryan Bennett because Hughton is so rigid with his selections - barring injury, of course, but RB has done a sterling job when called on. But I betcha a stick of Cromer rock that Bassong and Turner get to start on Saturday, despite being average / abject last weekend - how is that supposed to make Bennett feel?
That's not entirely true - you can tell by the content of what they're saying how much has been coached and whether they are holding back. Take, for example, Fer's comments after his "goal". That was definitely not coached. Martin's comments, on the other hand, were carefully coached. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be believed, it just means you have to consider the content with greater care. Usually, when a player has been carefully coached they will say a lot without saying much at all - I seem to remember Gerrard was very good at this when Dalglish was in charge. So if the player says something black and white in those circumstances, it's probably true. If anything, I'd say that Martin's interview was the very opposite of a "token gesture" - it was a very deliberate, planned, statement. All major businesses have this sort of coaching - it's essential. I can tell you for free that all the Premier League players have had, for example, detailed presentations on the danger of using social media from a legal point of view (particularly in terms of breaching their own contracts of employment). That being said, it is of course difficult to know exactly what they mean (and particularly Martin here, who was careful), but that doesn't make it meaningless. You may not take notice of what the players say, but trust me, lawyers, the club and the manager take very close notice.
