Conor Hourihane

[Quinny]

FFS - has everyone got short memories regarding Hourihane? Argyle wanted to keep him and offered him an extension on his contract: he didn't want to stay and wanted to play at a higher level. Argyle weren't in a position to play tough with the negotiations: they had to accept the first semi-decent offer they received, or risk losing him on a free the following season. The £200,000 we got for him was pretty good, all things considered.

 

[Josh Pope]

I don't really buy into the fact we had to sell him for £200,000. We weren't so desperate for money that we had to accept it, and I'm sure we could have pushed for a decent amount, if not a lot more. Irrespective of what the player wants, you're at the top and you're in charge. You tell him "Conor we do want to let you go, but only want to sell you for an appropriate amount so we're going to push for a bid closer to what we believe your true value." It's not a hard concept to understand.

Ah well, what's done is done. Either way I'm sure Barnsley will sell him for a few million quid and will be laughing all the way to the bank. :thumbs:

 

[Greenskin]

FFS - has everyone got short memories regarding Hourihane? Argyle wanted to keep him and offered him an extension on his contract: he didn't want to stay and wanted to play at a higher level. Argyle weren't in a position to play tough with the negotiations: they had to accept the first semi-decent offer they received, or risk losing him on a free the following season. The £200,000 we got for him was pretty good, all things considered.

Really? How much more would have come into the coffers had Hourihane stayed and Argyle had attained automatic promotion, the chances of which would have been considerably enhanced by his presence. Argyle didn't have to accept the offer-there have been numerous examples of clubs who play hard ball with wantaway players and get the benefit of their intransigence rather than taking the easy option-who knows, Argyle may even have been competing on an even footing with Barnsley by now. I've got a very long memory about Hourihane and many other talents who have been sold off over the years-I viewed it as a thoroughly bad decision at the time and nothing happened in the interim to change that opinion. Very worrying is all these players being signed on one year contracts, may make an even better excuse to take the money rather than build a team that may just be able to compete successfully.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

I don't really buy into the fact we had to sell him for £200,000. We weren't so desperate for money that we had to accept it, and I'm sure we could have pushed for a decent amount, if not a lot more. Irrespective of what the player wants, you're at the top and you're in charge. You tell him "Conor we do want to let you go, but only want to sell you for an appropriate amount so we're going to push for a bid closer to what we believe your true value."

Connor's agent : "and what do you consider his true value to be because it doesn't seem to be reflected in his current salary?"

Whispers to Connor: "If Argyle insist on more it could affect your signing on fee not to mention what I will get from Barnsley. Tell them you want to go and I'll make sure they back down. They know full well you can walk for nowt in 12 months"

Ah well, what's done is done. Either way I'm sure Barnsley will sell him for a few million quid and will be laughing all the way to the bank. :thumbs:

 

[Ollieargyle9]

I don't really buy into the fact we had to sell him for £200,000. We weren't so desperate for money that we had to accept it, and I'm sure we could have pushed for a decent amount, if not a lot more. Irrespective of what the player wants, you're at the top and you're in charge. You tell him "Conor we do want to let you go, but only want to sell you for an appropriate amount so we're going to push for a bid closer to what we believe your true value." It's not a hard concept to understand.

Ah well, what's done is done. Either way I'm sure Barnsley will sell him for a few million quid and will be laughing all the way to the bank. :thumbs:

I'm guessing you get sacked from most Football Manager saves because of player uprisings :greensmile:

 

[jerryatricjanner]

Lundan makes a valid point. Argyle tell Barnsley he's worth 500k and his agent retorts to the effect then why are you only paying him 1200 pounds a week for example. You can't have it both ways. A 500k player is probably worth a wage of several thousand a week so that's what Argyle would need to offer for him to stay beyond his contract. The player was determined to go to Barnsley. It's not pre Bosman when the club had all the power. Argyle had little choice at the time and I find it surprising that some still think there was much we could have done to keep him or that we could have got a much better transfer fee in the circumstances. As for him leading us to promotion and then leaving us on a free that was only a possibility not a probability under Sheridan. The player would possibly not have his heart in it and if we had kept Hourihane is there any guarantee we could have signed Hartley, McHugh and O'Connor for example?

 

[Quinny]

Thanks to jerryactricjanner and Lundan Cabbie for explaining it a whole lot better than me :greensmile:

 

[NLM FC]

He was clearly always good enough for us but the frustration came from the fact that he would play the safe ball rather than drive us forward as he clearly now does with Barnsley.

Whether it was Fletchers tactics, playing in a poor team or his relative inexperience who knows but we only saw his potential being realised in his final 6 months with us when really started to boss midfield
Fingers crossed he continues to improve and we get a decent windfall from the sell on.

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I firmly believe that it was Fletchers tactics. I remember seeing him play against Truro as a trialist IIRC and I think Saltash too. I remember being impressed by his passing range and how he got forward well, and quickly too.

We have a lot to thank Fletcher for, genuinely, but I don't think his development of Hourihane into a pass sideways DM is one of them.

Although having said that at least he was getting game time.

My point really was that he was another who the green army loved to get on his back, and those that were deemed not good enough such as Mackie, Barnes, Puncheon etc have all gone on to flourish when leaving Argyle.

Did anyone ever get on Puncheon's back and claim he wasn't good enough? From what I can remember we were all annoyed that he wasn't being given a proper chance in the side

 

[Old Gunner]

The amount of players doing well for themselves at a higher level than us now that weren't good enough for the green army beggars belief.

He was clearly always good enough for us but the frustration came from the fact that he would play the safe ball rather than drive us forward as he clearly now does with Barnsley.

Whether it was Fletchers tactics, playing in a poor team or his relative inexperience who knows but we only saw his potential being realised in his final 6 months with us when really started to boss midfield
Fingers crossed he continues to improve and we get a decent windfall from the sell on

He didn't play the safe ball--he played the ball that meant we kept possession. It was difficult for him to play a killer pass because most of his team mates didn't have the foggiest about how to create a yard of space. Very good player who will get a shot in the Premier League---I can remember sitting in the Lyndhurst when Conor was here listening to the abuse he got because he didn't lump the ball forward--unbelievable.

 

[BadBoy]

The amount of players doing well for themselves at a higher level than us now that weren't good enough for the green army beggars belief.

He was clearly always good enough for us but the frustration came from the fact that he would play the safe ball rather than drive us forward as he clearly now does with Barnsley.

Whether it was Fletchers tactics, playing in a poor team or his relative inexperience who knows but we only saw his potential being realised in his final 6 months with us when really started to boss midfield
Fingers crossed he continues to improve and we get a decent windfall from the sell on

He didn't play the safe ball--he played the ball that meant we kept possession. It was difficult for him to play a killer pass because most of his team mates didn't have the foggiest about how to create a yard of space. Very good player who will get a shot in the Premier League---I can remember sitting in the Lyndhurst when Conor was here listening to the abuse he got because he didn't lump the ball forward--unbelievable.

Well he didn't run around like a headless chicken so he was never going to be a favourite, they love a runner at HP I give you the ineffectual Allesandra as evidence.

 

[StevePAFC]

The amount of players doing well for themselves at a higher level than us now that weren't good enough for the green army beggars belief.

He was clearly always good enough for us but the frustration came from the fact that he would play the safe ball rather than drive us forward as he clearly now does with Barnsley.

Whether it was Fletchers tactics, playing in a poor team or his relative inexperience who knows but we only saw his potential being realised in his final 6 months with us when really started to boss midfield
Fingers crossed he continues to improve and we get a decent windfall from the sell on

He didn't play the safe ball--he played the ball that meant we kept possession. It was difficult for him to play a killer pass because most of his team mates didn't have the foggiest about how to create a yard of space. Very good player who will get a shot in the Premier League---I can remember sitting in the Lyndhurst when Conor was here listening to the abuse he got because he didn't lump the ball forward--unbelievable.

Well he didn't run around like a headless chicken so he was never going to be a favourite, they love a runner at HP I give you the ineffectual Allesandra as evidence.

And Feeney.

 

[Mazza26]

Anyone watch the Everton v Barnsley game last night? For a good proportion of the game Hourihane was the best midfielder on show. He was slightly at fault for Everton's fourth where he failed to close his man but apart from that he showed some real flashes of quality, and nearly scored a peach of a goal at 3-3 when his shot hit the bar. Great player, will shine in the championship one day.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

Anyone watch the Everton v Barnsley game last night? For a good proportion of the game Hourihane was the best midfielder on show. He was slightly at fault for Everton's fourth where he failed to close his man but apart from that he showed some real flashes of quality, and nearly scored a peach of a goal at 3-3 when his shot hit the bar. Great player, will shine in the championship one day.

He is the wise old head in a very young team. I think you're right, he could very well be another league higher one way or another next season.

 

[Cobi Budge.]

An excellent player, but I get the feeling Carey could become even better, I know he's older but he's much more advanced than Hourihane was when he arrived. From what we've seen (too early to be sure) he perhaps already is better than Hourihane was when he left.

 

[Jasa]

An excellent player, but I get the feeling Carey could become even better, I know he's older but he's much more advanced than Hourihane was when he arrived. From what we've seen (too early to be sure) he perhaps already is better than Hourihane was when he left.

Are you comparing a 20 year old's development to a 26 year old's development?

You continue to say that a player who is 26 (close to his prime) is better than a guy who was 23 when he left.

Also, a player who has 2-3 years of improvement (Carey) will be better than a player who has 4-5 years of development left (Hourihane), the player who is already playing at the higher standard.

:wave: