Thanks guys.
There's not a lot of softness in Paul and he's had a brutal introduction as a coach. Was already hugely up against it and his luck has been awful. And I think to be fair even if he is being very hard, most players move on without too much issue, and if you have true quality you will find your opportunity again soon enough. Whereas for coaches this is typically a lot harder and can easily end a career before it really even began. He fronts the press, the owner, fans etc and takes responsibility in a way players simply never have to.
I wish I saw the FB post. It's so hard to know what's going on off the park and the jaded shit some people sprout as fact never ceases to amaze me. So appreciate you guys felt it best to hold back etc. I spoke with a senior player recently who talked about the attitude in previous years of some of the young squad members and how disappointing and unprofessional it had gotten at times. Not sure if some of Pauls ruthlessness may be attributed to this also, but chances are.
So while we can't really know what went down, always two sides like you guys said, just a few other thoughts regarding seeing them isolated at training and exclusion etc... We all know it's not that uncommon, and it's easy to feel empathy for the excluded players, but there are some other factors/repercussions in these scenarios. Caveat. I'm not saying these apply in the case of Fletcher and McDonald however as I don't know, but I think also worth considering.
- A good amount of players who don't feel they've been given their chance week to week turn poisonous. Especially when sides are not performing and criticism can be easily made of the starting 11.
- Players who know they are leaving can be especially poisonous.
- Even if players are deliberately not being poisonous and just trying to go about business as usual, its still very hard not to be at all affected day to day, and if your squad knows you and ironically worse cares about you, (the family club) it's very hard for them not to be affected in turn. Especially young players who won't have had as much exposure to the cruelty of professional sports at times. And as a coach you need everyones mind solely on the training and on up coming games etc.
- It can also affect the coach, obviously human too, and often feel terrible about having to make those hard calls. But they have to, and they need to be able to keep their focus as well, and that can mean not every time a player tries hard you feel bad for them or they do something good and you start second guessing your decision to release them.
- It's a hard example, but it can set an example. It creates fear (Popovic comes to mind) but that can make players lift.
- There's that vibe that comes with having everyone being enrolled in the vision and all feeling a part of it etc.. When you talk to a group and you give those speeches... and you look from eye to eye... and some people know its not really for them, and you know it to, and you know they know you do, it can feel pretty dishonest and uncomfortable. Some people are really good at it regardless. Some less so. I think Okon is a very honest/blunt guy - I think this would not be something he likes doing or maybe is just plain not any good at. In which case he just has to be true to himself and the hard ass he is.
- Practicality, one less thing to worry about in a session - your attention is only being given to those who are a part of your plans, now, or in the future (Peterson) its utilitarian and not likeable - but true.
Appreciate most already know and have probably considered these things, but still thought it was worth mentioning/putting down if we're having a public forum discussion for full balance.
TW being the loveliest bloke in the world didn't get us anywhere, so I am hoping Okon being iron fisted will. They had to be cut really and Okon needs to do what he thinks is best for the Central Coast Mariners first and foremost - which can sometimes conflict with what is best for an individual player. So I'm loathe to see this as a reflection of his character or as nasty or unnecessary as it may seem at a glance seem.
Re losing the cousins... Well lets be honest, they are quite literally the straws that have broken the camels back for us this year. Two foreign spots, two experienced players, presumably on higher coin than most, in two critical areas for us on the park... we desperately needed them. But we can't even get them on the park. However can we afford to pay them out and bring someone else in? Probably not right? So unless Tav is ruled out and we can get an injury replacement, would they bother cutting them right now? Maybe if Monty doesn't get his citizenship and they want Facundo I guess.
Going with my avatar and disagreeing with everyone on Fab though. I think in a poor midfield he made some mistakes, but did some good things also. He kept possession better than just about any other CCM player and had a decent dig at it considering it was his first full ninety there and I challenge people to watch it back and just focus on Fab, he was one of the only players who played with adventure, he did present consistently - unlike Powell and was involved a lot more. I think his hog and shoot moment was probably his poorest, but if it goes in he's a star and imo we don't shoot enough from outside the box. Not arguing he's a 10, but I've seen much worse efforts these past 3 years in yellow and I'm comparing him to Powell at present. He was also quite clearly good there the past two cameos he made and think to say otherwise for mine, is just not accurate or fair.
Don't get me wrong, I still want a real 10.
