Nigel Clough

[Glad2BeAPie]

Listening to Clough, the Crawley boss, Kewell didn’t do a post match interview. We’re very fortunate to have Burchnall. Coherent, insightful, forward thinking and when things were tough at the beginning of his reign, he certainly didn’t dig players out.

We need to remain supportive of him the next time we hit a tough patch.

Isn't Harry Kewel the Barnet Manager

[jackal2]

That’s no way to manage people in any walk of life, not just football, and it might not be long before we hear the phrase “lost the dressing room “.

My advice to the Mansfield dressing room is that if you have to make a choice between Nigel Clough and Elliott Hewitt, in terms of who is most likely to lead you on to achieve something in the game, I'd back Nigel Clough!

Nobody should ever be criticised for lack of ability, because you've either got it or you haven't. But if someone has seen enough in you to sign you as a player, and you're getting criticised for lack of effort, which appears to be the case here, then look at yourself in the mirror and if the cap fits, wear it and work harder in the future.

[Killerkline]

Isn't Harry Kewel the Barnet Manager

Kewell is the Barnet manager. To make my sentence correct it should of read Crawley Manager and Kewell.

[SwalePie]

Isn't Harry Kewel the Barnet Manager

No, that's Harry Kewell.

[KCNotts]

It's unusual for a manager to publicly slate a player like that, but Nigel Clough does do this from time to time. He did the same with Dean Leacock and Paul Green when he was at Derby: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ty/9326949.stm

If Clough was some young, brash manager with no record of success I'd be more inclined to question such an 'outburst', but maybe this is his way of trying to get a reaction out of players who don't react to anything else. We saw Dean Leacock playing for us after his Derby career and I sometimes wondered if the guy even gave a damn. He had ability, but he often only used 50% of it and seemed half asleep at times. Maybe Clough takes the view that if it takes public humiliation and provocation to jolt a player out of their lethargy, potentially saving their career from terminal decline, then it's an action worth taking.

Elliott Hewitt's career is certainly on the verge of terminal decline. Any player who twice finds himself with a team losing its league status would be hard-pressed to argue that they aren't part of the problem. He is the worst right full-back I've seen in my thirty-plus years watching Notts County. He didn't react quickly enough, he didn't close down, he didn't tackle and he didn't show any passion or aggression playing in a position that demands all of those qualities.

I've been critical of Kevin Nolan in some respects, but something I definitely give him credit for was moving Hewitt into centre-midfield where I saw for the first time that this player actually did have something to offer, forming a very good partnership for a while with Ryan Yates. He was a pretty average central defender at best, so maybe his future (if he has one) is in midfield. So far, his career is one of meandering under-achievement.

Agree with a lot of this but worse RB in the last 30 years? Please sir. How could you forget Brian O'Callaghan?

[Robertomac]

Elliott Hewitt's career is certainly on the verge of terminal decline. Any player who twice finds himself with a team losing its league status would be hard-pressed to argue that they aren't part of the problem. He is the worst right full-back I've seen in my thirty-plus years watching Notts County. He didn't react quickly enough, he didn't close down, he didn't tackle and he didn't show any passion or aggression playing in a position that demands all of those qualities.

I've been critical of Kevin Nolan in some respects, but something I definitely give him credit for was moving Hewitt into centre-midfield where I saw for the first time that this player actually did have something to offer, forming a very good partnership for a while with Ryan Yates. He was a pretty average central defender at best, so maybe his future (if he has one) is in midfield. So far, his career is one of meandering under-achievement.

I agree completely with the first paragraph and to an extent, the second. When moved to midfield, Hewitt definitely looked a better prospect but I actually think it was because of Ryan Yates. Essentially, alongside a much better player he looked decent enough, but take away the better player and there wasn't much left... as two league relegation on his CV demonstrate.

Whether Clough should have publicly called him out, I'm a bit on the fence. If he felt Hewitt had taken it easy because he was mates with his opponent, then I think he's justified in his rebuke.

[Stan Marshall]

I agree. He takes it to a whole new level by stating that Hewitt wouldn't tackle because the opposition player was his mate. That's the bit which is really nasty.

That’s just ignorance from Clough. Hewitt didn’t tackle ‘cos he can’t. Nothing to do with playing against a mate. Anyone who saw him at Notts would tell you he can’t tackle and can’t defend.

[bule1]

To call a player out for having a bad game or not putting the effort in is one thing, to specifically accuse them of not trying because he was playing against his mate is something else. That directly states to the fans that the player puts his friend above the club he gets paid to play for, that oversteps the mark imho. Also why the hell did he not sub him if that was his belief.

[Chicken Balti Pie]

To call a player out for having a bad game or not putting the effort in is one thing, to specifically accuse them of not trying because he was playing against his mate is something else. That directly states to the fans that the player puts his friend above the club he gets paid to play for, that oversteps the mark imho. Also why the hell did he not sub him if that was his belief.

If that was his opinion, why didn't he haul him off? They had another right back on the bench

[Riverleeno]

Listening to Clough, the Crawley boss, Kewell didn’t do a post match interview. We’re very fortunate to have Burchnall. Coherent, insightful, forward thinking and when things were tough at the beginning of his reign, he certainly didn’t dig players out.

We need to remain supportive of him the next time we hit a tough patch.

Yep