Quote karetaker="karetaker"I still have no issue with Powell yet, but when Longbarn Wire dropped that grenade about trouble in the camp it seems maybe some players don’t want to play for him. What do you do get rid of the coach or get rid of the players.'"
Well that depends on how much trust you have in either party. If it was players like, for example, Ratchford, Currie, D Clark and Cooper then I would be really concerned. These are good pros who have served the club well and have earned their voice. I would expect these people to have the club at heart. I’d turn Powell over before these individuals.
If it was players like Walker, Thewlis, Wrench, Longstaff, Dean etc who are products of the club, and while having a sniff at the first team, aren’t getting as many minutes as they think they should, I would also have a bit of concern. These people are in a position to build a successful team for the next decade, we need them on side and buying in to the ethos. This should be handled delicately.
But… if it’s Williams, Widdop, King, Charnley, J Clark then I would be inclined to show them the door. The value for money aspect is a factor here, they aren’t died in the wool, they are paid handsomely to come and do a job, if you don’t want to, fine.
That said, Powell needs to be able to handle high value players. He needs to learn how to control, coerce and empower these people for the betterment of his team. He has worked with stars before, but only really one or two at a time. Hardaker was a star, but he failed to get him in line, Chase was a star but he really struggled for consistency, Solomona/Carney we’re both moved on pretty quickly, granted for money, but still that shows that they didn’t buy in to the clubs spirit and plan. Powell needs to get a grip of these stars and get them delivering. If he can’t do that, then he can’t be a coach of a club that expects to win things.