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Conor Hourihane (podcast)
- Thread starter Belfast Green
- Start date
He passed ‘sideways’ a lot because there was nothing going on in front of him and therefore he wanted to retain possession. He was on a different wavelength to and significantly better than all of his teammates.
Exactly, and this was SO obvious to anyone with even the merest knowledge of football that it always amazed me how much stick he came in for at Home Park.
I have a pretty mere knowledge of football and I see where you are coming from .. but ..
He obviously played to 'orders'. He was also a young, 'modern' player; brought up on stats, retain possession, pass completion etc.
So he rarely tried to thread a pass between two defenders, or knock it over a defender's head for someone to run on to. Rarely played a quick flick or wall pass. Too concerned that the ball would be 'lost'. Less concerned that the game could be won.
Great players take a risk, play fast not over considered, play instinctively; once you've considered what your Manager might say if you 'fail' or take an 'unnecessary risk' the moment has gone.
Very nice lad, very talented player, too constrained by modern 'management'.
Let the lad play FFS!
He obviously played to 'orders'. He was also a young, 'modern' player; brought up on stats, retain possession, pass completion etc.
So he rarely tried to thread a pass between two defenders, or knock it over a defender's head for someone to run on to. Rarely played a quick flick or wall pass. Too concerned that the ball would be 'lost'. Less concerned that the game could be won.
Great players take a risk, play fast not over considered, play instinctively; once you've considered what your Manager might say if you 'fail' or take an 'unnecessary risk' the moment has gone.
Very nice lad, very talented player, too constrained by modern 'management'.
Let the lad play FFS!
Conversely, I think it retrofits his subsequent career to a narrative of his time at Home Park.
He was evidently a good player, but very timid and peripheral, certainly in his first couple of seasons. Having such a willowy and lightweight presence in the midfield engine room was every bit as much a reason why we almost went out of the league - twice - as the technical limitations of Hourihane's teammates.
I'm not surprised he has fond memories of Argyle because pretty much no other club would have enabled him to get 100 or so league games under his belt aged 20/21. It's quite probable that he'd never have ultimately developed into a PL/Championship player if he'd spent that period at another club stagnating in the reserve team.
Interesting. We don't agree about this at all but that's fine, we don't have to!
BG, do you have a link to this podcast - I cant find it anywhere. Thanks in advance.
