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Risky Strategy

So Yogi questioning a player/players desire to play through injury.

He obviously knows who he is targeting, but I can't help feeling it's a dangerous route to go down.

Given our players are a close bunch I can't see what good this kind of thing is going to do.

The reaction Yogi is looking for may work in the opposite way.

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  • old caley girl
    old caley girl

    Maybe but personally I'd have rather he'd done it less publicly

  • bughtmaster
    bughtmaster

    Why do so many people like having a go at John Hughes, our most successful manager, at any given opportunity ? These same people are praising him up when things are going well but are so quick to

  • We are indeed but this is a football forum where fans are encouraged to express a view and not an alter to worship uncritically  at the Shrine of St John The Faultless...

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6 minutes ago, Broonerz said:

So Yogi questioning a player/players desire to play through injury.

He obviously knows who he is targeting, but I can't help feeling it's a dangerous route to go down.

Given our players are a close bunch I can't see what good this kind of thing is going to do.

The reaction Yogi is looking for may work in the opposite way.

Not Garry Warren that's for certain Captain courageous! 

I'm in two minds over the words from Yogi in today's paper. First and foremost, I think that unless a player medically clear to feature in a game they shouldn't be risked. On the other side of the coin, Yogi is a very honest guy and tells it as it is, he may be feels that there might be a couple players that could play but unwilling due to the opposition, but would if it was the Scottish Cup final. That problem unfortunately isn't just us but football as a whole. 

13 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

Oh dear. This is not what we need.  :sad:

Agreed. For all that honesty is a great virtue, it can also land you in hot water. There is absolutely no need for this to have been put in the public domain. As for the issue itself - decisions about fitness to play are made with medical/physio input. In the end, though, only the player himself knows whether he is willing to risk playing with a niggle - it isn't always the wisest thing to do. Draper playing on at Killie in October probably cost him a few weeks on the treatment table, so this is a double-edged sword Yogi!

53 minutes ago, Kingsmills said:

Surely if there is an issue it needs to be dealt with in private. Very poor man management in my view.

And what man management experience do you have?

10 minutes ago, caleyboy said:

And what man management experience do you have?

About twenty five years worth,  you ?

I just wonder if what is printed is what Hughes actually said or meant. Did he actually have a go at his players or was the conversation along the lines of 'Players get a bit of a knock nowadays and are out for a few games whereas in my day we had balls and worked through the pain' etc etc. Modern journalists seem to be trained in twisting and spinning any quote.

I'm with Kingsmills on this.  I note what Alex says but I would have thought that had Yogi been quoted out of context he would have very quickly put the players right on what he said. 

It is, of course, important that players are honest with the club about how they feel injuries are progressing.  If the player thinks they are fit enough to play, the manager can then decide whether or not he feels it is in the interests of the team to take whatever risks he perceives exists. From the player's point of view, they will know that coming back too soon can risk worsening their injury and they will be taking professional medical and physio advice on just what they can or cannot do.  In most cases, players will not want to risk their long term health by coming back too soon.  However, if they had possibly a one off chance of playing in a cup final, they would be prepared to take a greater risk provided the manager also felt it was in the team's interest to take the risk. I therefore see absolutely nothing wrong with a player saying they are not fit to play in a 4th rd replay against Stirling when they might have said something different if it was the final.

If any player is not being honest about how his recovery is going, then that would be a different matter, but it is really poor if the manager is putting pressure on players if professional advice is that they are not fully fit to play in a match.  Lets face it, these lads will be looking for an offer to renew their contract or to attract offers from other clubs.  They need to be on the park demonstrating their skills, playing the game they love.  What they will not want is a team mate coming into the side, doing very well and preventing them getting back in the side when they are fully fit.  I really find it pretty hard to believe that if a player had recovered enough to feel fit enough to play, he would not be knocking on Yogi's door to tell him so.

20 minutes ago, Alex MacLeod said:

I just wonder if what is printed is what Hughes actually said or meant. Did he actually have a go at his players or was the conversation along the lines of 'Players get a bit of a knock nowadays and are out for a few games whereas in my day we had balls and worked through the pain' etc etc. Modern journalists seem to be trained in twisting and spinning any quote.

Totally agree with this.  I just wonder how much of this article is actually what Hughes said, and how much is journalistic spin.  I certainly hope there will be no fall out between Hughes and the players over it.  I'm sure Hughes is experienced enough to avoid the article creating a problem.

Might be a storm in a teacup, but if the Meekings tweet is a response to the reports of what Hughes said, then it's.not a very healthy sign. A player publishing something implicitly critical or even mocking of his manager suggests a serious lack of respect, and I can't imagine Hughes is the sort of guy who would let that go easily. Hopefully I'm wrong though: the last thing we need at the moment is a situation where Meekings ends up out of the team eve when he is fit again.

FWIW, I assumed Hughes' comments referred to Doran when I read them: after all, he took a gamble playing Doran ahead of Williams in the Scottish Cup final when Williams had been doing a fine job in most of the preceding matches, and since than we haven't seen or heard anything of Doran. I thought Hughes' reference to the cup final seemed quite pointed when I read it.      

Edited by alternative maryhill

8 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

About twenty five years worth,  you ?

37 years actually

Even Fergie questioned players out injured a lot with no obvious injury. Vidic his captain and Hargreaves being 2 off the top off my head. 

If the player is genuinely injured then fine, but it's the line between carrying a niggle and being able to play or opting out. It's rare that a player is going to be 100%. They all carry knocks and strains, aches and pains. Sometimes it's about the mental barrier as much as anything. 

When a team is winning and doing well no one wants to miss out as a week out because they might not get back in the side. Yet if it's a bit of a tricky year it's easier to hide behind a niggle. 

I don't have Twitter so I don't know what else has been said on his page!! But if anyone can guarantee that Meekings is referring to yogis comments then I'll get worried...but until then I'll ignore the fact he ever said anything! 

Yogis comments though are very risky. After what the majority of these players have done for us and him in the last 2 years, there's no way should be questioning them! But again, like said before, it could all be real quotes, maybe just parts have been missed out! I'm sure Hughes is smart enough to know that he, if not anyone else, needs his players onside and supporting him. 

7 hours ago, DEANO96 said:

I don't have Twitter so I don't know what else has been said on his page!! But if anyone can guarantee that Meekings is referring to yogis comments then I'll get worried...but until then I'll ignore the fact he ever said anything! 

Yogis comments though are very risky. After what the majority of these players have done for us and him in the last 2 years, there's no way should be questioning them! But again, like said before, it could all be real quotes, maybe just parts have been missed out! I'm sure Hughes is smart enough to know that he, if not anyone else, needs his players onside and supporting him. 

I thought he was referring to this forum.

On ‎19‎/‎01‎/‎2016 at 5:09 PM, alternative maryhill said:

Might be a storm in a teacup, but if the Meekings tweet is a response to the reports of what Hughes said, then it's.not a very healthy sign. A player publishing something implicitly critical or even mocking of his manager suggests a serious lack of respect, and I can't imagine Hughes is the sort of guy who would let that go easily. Hopefully I'm wrong though: the last thing we need at the moment is a situation where Meekings ends up out of the team eve when he is fit again.

FWIW, I assumed Hughes' comments referred to Doran when I read them: after all, he took a gamble playing Doran ahead of Williams in the Scottish Cup final when Williams had been doing a fine job in most of the preceding matches, and since than we haven't seen or heard anything of Doran. I thought Hughes' reference to the cup final seemed quite pointed when I read it.      

Perhaps because Doran is out injured??. Still think we are a better team with Doran is playing and these comments do not directly relate to Doran at all in my opinion.

My guess is - and it is only a guess - that the comments were aimed at neither Doran nor Meekings (both of whom have had quite serious knee injuries (very serious in Doran's case) - perhaps more aimed at the likes of Tremarco and Vincent who seem to nip and out of the squad with niggles? :shrug:

2 hours ago, Huisdean said:

Perhaps because Doran is out injured??. Still think we are a better team with Doran is playing and these comments do not directly relate to Doran at all in my opinion.

Fair enough. I did say it was just my sort of gut reaction / idle assumption when I read the comments, but given that I'd forgotten what the injury that has been keeping Doran out actually is :blush:, it was maybe a slightly unfair thing to post without checking first.   

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