Interview for comms job. Commentator: Raúl Meireles! Bialkowskí! Blasczikowski! Beszczaszcznikh! Interviewer: Yup, perfect. Now say "Hourihane". Commentator: Howthefuq
If Villa offered him on a golden plate to us, paid his wages, and said we could keep him, our lot would turn him down.
It sounds ridiculous... but I suspect there is a large semblance of truth in that. I watched the play off game back last night and even then, he was organising and orchestrating where players needed to be. I always thought he'd do well in the PL because so many of his best skills are striking a ball. Outstanding player and it baffles me why he isn't a guaranteed starter at Villa. I think he's signed a new contract though, but despite so much competition in midfield there, he's solid and has such a good allround game. When you think the combined upfront fees for Hourihane, Winnall and Stones were only in the region of £4m. Frightening
I think the first time I saw that one was at Northampton when we played Coventry there early in his first season I dont think everyone hated him - there were a vocal minority who did including one particularly fervent West Yorkshire based fan - He was always good at shooting and passing - but his all round game definitely improved significantly under Johnson and Hecky. No question for anyone now that he is good enough to play in the Prem - good luck to him - one of my all time favourites - though I never actually fancied him
For me when he first came, the frustrating thing was his lack of being a team player and his lack of defending after loosing the ball that`s why he was played out wide. Once he put the effort into the winning the ball back and was reinstated in the centre his all round game improved into what we now know. The coaching he had here made him.
That’s how I see it tbh, We never gonna see the likes of Hourihane as he is now sign for us , we gonna have to make em from what he was it would have been nice to see him for a bit longer before he went . How we dint revisit contracts after the JP trophy or even just before was the mistake imo,
