The Captain.

[Comrade 86]

On 16/11/2023 at 08:37, angieram said:

I wasn't there but  I watched on tv and  scored him 6.5, so better than average. Of course, I prefer to be at the game so I can note positioning, work off the ball better, but that was what I picked up from the screen.

I always look at a player's performance on the day from scratch and I have given Hourihane some good scores this season as he has been really committed in some games. As I say, a 7 against Barnsley.

But he has a tendency to put in these below par performances. I was there on Tuesday and I thought he was awful. (He wasn't the only one!)

I expect Warne is as frustrated with his variable performances as I am. 

I've long thought the same about Conor. He puts in decent performances, but also throws in stinkers and the latter seem to leave a longer-lasting impression with many than the former. It's disappointing to hear he looked off it against Crewe, but I'm hoping for a very different performance from all the players back in the league against Bristol, not just Hourihane. 

[angieram]

1 minute ago, Comrade 86 said:

I've long thought the same about Conor. He puts in decent performances, but also throws in stinkers and the latter seem to leave a longer-lasting impression with many than the former. It's disappointing to hear he looked off it against Crewe, but I'm hoping for a very different performance from all the players back in the league against Bristol, not just Hourihane. 

Me too, I feel if there are matches that certain players aren't up for, the manager needs to ring the changes a bit more in those games.

I would hope that the league is our priority this season, and our performances should reflect that.

[Malty]

Is anyone else struggling with Hourihane?

He has a lot going for him. From 16 yards out I would back him to score every time. He scored a great goal last night vs Burton and another one in December against Lincoln. 
 

He seems solid enough in our midfield and I’m sure he does the off the field stuff (whatever that is) really well. Other player speak well of him too.

But as a fan, I can’t help but feel like he’s the friend that is making-do-with-you-until-something-better-comes-along.

There are some players in the team that are bred through our academy at Derby and you know they want to play for us. There’s others that show that much commitment in games that you know they really want to play for the shirt … and then there’s Conor. I really want to like him and for him to be part of the team but I just have this nagging doubt that he’s not really one of us. 
 

It’s such a shame. Maybe his heart was at Villa all along. 
 

Sorry Conor. I feel bad, I’m just saying it as i see it. 

 

[Mucker1884]

20 minutes ago, Malty said:

Is anyone else struggling with Hourihane?

 

No.  I'm ok with it.
It's Barkhuizen I struggle with... There must be 5 different pronunciations spread around Radio Derby alone! 🙄
I ain't got a clue how to pronounce it!

... I also used to struggle a lot with Stefan Schnoor, but that was more to do with my lisp, to be fair.

 

 

 

[Curtains]

He’s a good player as is Bird .

Conner is great 

[BathRam72]

If his heart wasn't in it, I doubt he would be captain.  The players chose him because they must have seen him as the best leader, figure head and role model. So, no I don't feel the same way.

[angieram]

He looked like his heart was in it when he celebrated that winning goal! 

I think he will be gone at the end of the season, and then we'll see what transpires.

Hourihane and Bird will always attract criticism while they're the only two midfield players. 

I'm not a fan of only two in there, but Warne is. 

We're winning plenty of games set up that way, so what do I know?

[ram59]

23 minutes ago, angieram said:

He looked like his heart was in it when he celebrated that winning goal! 

I think he will be gone at the end of the season, and then we'll see what transpires.

Hourihane and Bird will always attract criticism while they're the only two midfield players. 

I'm not a fan of only two in there, but Warne is. 

We're winning plenty of games set up that way, so what do I know?

I think that this is why Warne wants to play 3 at the back. Ideally, we need 2 strikers, a wide player on both wings and 3 in the middle. Unfortunately, that only leaves 3 players at the back.

This calls for a special type of player to play in the wing back positions. You can end up with players who don't do enough as a winger or a fullback in this situation or are stronger in one of the positions.

[Crewton]

2 hours ago, Mucker1884 said:

No.  I'm ok with it.
It's Barkhuizen I struggle with... There must be 5 different pronunciations spread around Radio Derby alone! 🙄
I ain't got a clue how to pronounce it!

... I also used to struggle a lot with Stefan Schnoor, but that was more to do with my lisp, to be fair.

 

 

 

Shaun Barker struggles with it - he calls him Hanrahan.

Hourihane is the player I'm probably most critical of during games, but then I'd rather see him playing where he can get half chances like last night than sitting deep. And being on the edge of the opposition penalty area at corners, not taking them, despite his occasional successes.

[LeedsCityRam]

2 hours ago, Malty said:

Is anyone else struggling with Hourihane?

He has a lot going for him. From 16 yards out I would back him to score every time. He scored a great goal last night vs Burton and another one in December against Lincoln. 
 

He seems solid enough in our midfield and I’m sure he does the off the field stuff (whatever that is) really well. Other player speak well of him too.

But as a fan, I can’t help but feel like he’s the friend that is making-do-with-you-until-something-better-comes-along.

There are some players in the team that are bred through our academy at Derby and you know they want to play for us. There’s others that show that much commitment in games that you know they really want to play for the shirt … and then there’s Conor. I really want to like him and for him to be part of the team but I just have this nagging doubt that he’s not really one of us. 
 

It’s such a shame. Maybe his heart was at Villa all along. 
 

Sorry Conor. I feel bad, I’m just saying it as i see it. 

 

I think that's a bit unfair personally. Considering Hourihane is clearly a cultured midfielder, he has adapted surprisingly well to Warne's more energetic style of play - the problem is he simply doesn't have the legs to keep that effort up & Warne seems disinclined to sub him, probably because he has the type of game changing quality in his locker that we saw last night. It would appear that some are mistakenly confusing that tiredness with a lack of effort/passion. As others have also mentioned, he certainly looked very happy with his winner last night & leads the team well in terms of professionalism/high standards on & off the field.

I've noticed a few folk calling out Max Bird as well over the past 24 hours despite the fact I thought he played well last night especially defensively. The real issue is that the blend isn't right in midfield with both of them in there. We need an energetic midfielder amongst both of them or in place of one of them. Contrary to the majority on here it seems, I strongly believe that should be Fornah.

[r4derby]

3 hours ago, Malty said:

Is anyone else struggling with Hourihane?

He has a lot going for him. From 16 yards out I would back him to score every time. He scored a great goal last night vs Burton and another one in December against Lincoln. 
 

He seems solid enough in our midfield and I’m sure he does the off the field stuff (whatever that is) really well. Other player speak well of him too.

But as a fan, I can’t help but feel like he’s the friend that is making-do-with-you-until-something-better-comes-along.

There are some players in the team that are bred through our academy at Derby and you know they want to play for us. There’s others that show that much commitment in games that you know they really want to play for the shirt … and then there’s Conor. I really want to like him and for him to be part of the team but I just have this nagging doubt that he’s not really one of us. 
 

It’s such a shame. Maybe his heart was at Villa all along. 
 

Sorry Conor. I feel bad, I’m just saying it as i see it. 

 

It’s something I’ve noticed for a little while. Ever since the argument with away fans in Autumn, around the time we were underperforming and the away support was very vocal. Since then, I’ve thought Hourihane has been more reserved, like there’s been a disconnect. I’m not suggesting he’s been unprofessional, just removed from the celebrating at times.

However, last nights celebrations were very much him enjoying the moment with the fans. Great goal, and he deserved that moment. 

[eddielewis]

Captaincy means nothing as long as the team has multiple leaders. It's just an armband. For near on 8 years we had what we all thought was as great example of a captain on and off the pitch in Keogh until he did what he did.

[Dimmu]

Conor Herohane.

Undroppable along Collins and Nelson with his goal contribution every other game.

 

Man who doesn't make mistakes in football or life.

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

23 hours ago, eddielewis said:

Captaincy means nothing as long as the team has multiple leaders. It's just an armband. For near on 8 years we had what we all thought was as great example of a captain on and off the pitch in Keogh until he did what he did.

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

On 16/01/2024 at 18:10, Mucker1884 said:

No.  I'm ok with it.
It's Barkhuizen I struggle with... There must be 5 different pronunciations spread around Radio Derby alone! 🙄
I ain't got a clue how to pronounce it!

... I also used to struggle a lot with Stefan Schnoor, but that was more to do with my lisp, to be fair.

 

 

 

Have Radio Derby stopped Steele telling everyone that (add name) has plenty of nonce. 

[RodleyRam]

I would say CH was the driving force behind the come back at Oxford and on a few other occasions come up with the goods when it counts.

I think he's a decent, stable leader who has the respect of the group. He's solid. In League 1 that kind of consistency and staying power over long periods go a long way.

Agree with others about the midfield balance, don't think it's dynamic enough, gives us enough control or gets the best out of Bird or Hourihane but we have been the form team in the division for a few months, so my opinion is highly questionable.

[On the Ram Page]

I think we all agree that he is not as quick/mobile as we would like. Although he cannot compare to the great Dave MacKay, there are similarities - using his experience, calm head and chipping in with a few goals. Got us promoted and then eventually replaced by the more mobile, speedy Colin Todd.

[Premier ram]

IMO, the skipper is playing some of his best football in a Rams shirt at the moment

[europia]

On 16/01/2024 at 21:29, Crewton said:

Shaun Barker struggles with it - he calls him Hanrahan.

Hourihane is the player I'm probably most critical of during games, but then I'd rather see him playing where he can get half chances like last night than sitting deep. And being on the edge of the opposition penalty area at corners, not taking them, despite his occasional successes.

Barker just struggles with the co commentary in general. But he seems a decent guy and well respected as a good defender, during his time as a player. 

[RadioactiveWaste]

I think on the Pugwash-John-luc Picard metric he's been hovering around Hornblower, but on the Flintoff-Cook metric he's been vairiable between Strause and Hussain, whilst further still, on the hindsight-obvious metric he's best when he's five years younger that he is now.