Quote: PopTart "An old boss of mine once surprised me when he announced to the whole team that he had favourites in every team he managed.
He went on to explain his favourites were always the ones who worked hard, had integrity in what they did, and delivered the goods.'"
I've said that to my team many times - sometimes when accused of having favourites; I've always responded the same way - my favourite people are those who work hard, get results, and add something positive to the team - so everyone has the capacity to be on the list.
I've never subscribed to this theory that coaches don't play a player because of some personal beef - it seems perverse and obtuse to hamstring yourself in a performance business by denying a place to someone who could deliver better results, because of a falling out or random dislike; I'm sure it's happened - but it's probably rare. What's more likely is that a player is left out because of an issue in training, with attitude, fitness, injury, form or some other legitimate reason - but because some fans disagree with their lack of selection and have no information to the contrary, they create their own story.
That said, I do think some coaches, Agar was one, have a fear of playing kids; Chester may have the same tendency - particularly in the face of a run of losses. Better the devil you know and all that jazz.
