[i I spoke to my agent, Frank, and he suggested the idea of playing in Australia.[/i Why would you speculate as you have given this quote? This reads to me that Wests was Frank's idea, not Flan's.

Because i rarely take what a player or a coach says as gospel when a change of club goes through especially when it is so far out of left field in this case, call me a cynic if you like.

Cynic.

Either way what ever happened the lads gone now, let's not forget we more than any other club have a knack for bringing through backrowers and even with his departure it doesn't leave us short.

My only hope for the lad is that he makes a big success of it, and if he does one day wish to come back to the UK and were interested in him then he may choose us over others because of are history with him.

I don't think that was so much the case. I think it was more fans had never seen him play in the first team so they had no idea how good he was/could be.



I don't think this is the case (if you are referring to Flanagan) because Brian Noble is his godfather.

True but had



We could have made a much more suitable and accurate judgement.

Which players are you referring to?

It's also because he wasn't doing much in the reserves, so many of those who did see him play weren't massively impressed.

He surprised quite a few people with his first-team form, but by then his decision about Aus seems to have been made.

We should also remember that he's now something like 21. That's some way down the line for a club 'junior' to start showing what he can do. The likes of Sam, Ainsough, Farrell, Thornley, etc, came to general notice quite a bit earlier, even if they didn't make the first team then.

If this is the case then why weren't "the others ahead of him" given a shot?



The fact that he has been 'less impressive in the reserves as others' but has made an impressive impact in the first team just goes to show how inaccurate judging players by their performance in the reserves is.

IMO the only true measure of how ready a player is is by giving them a shot in the first team.

Well the bit you mention about the reserves suggests to me how inaccurate people's judgements of players are from their performances in the reserves. Take a lad out of his comfort zone either in the first team or on loan and you will make a more accurate judgment.

If what you're saying here is that Brian Noble's judgement is sometimes flawed, I heartily agree. That's why I hope we replace him with someone who's proved the opposite about himself.

But what you also seem to be suggesting is that, because the reserve competition is weak at present, lads need to be pitched into the first team on a regular basis to see what they can do, regardless of their form in the reserves. Yes?

If so, I disagree. The first team should certainly be made available to youngsters who the training staff feel have qualified, but it's not a training ground for just anyone.

I've slagged Brian Noble off for many things this last year. But I'm not going to slag him off over this Flanagan business, because no-one else I know thought that Flanagan was going to make it big either. And I don't buy this business about Noble never speaking to him - especially if, as you say, Nobby is close to the Flanagan family.

Mossop and Tomkins have.

You cannot just throw players in unless they earn there shirt though, that is a ridiculous notion.

It is up to him to earn his shirt.

If he played like he has in the first team in the reserves showing the same amount of desire and commitment he would have got his shot earlier.