Harding...

[Barnet Seagull]

Jesus.

Sad, obsessed and bitter.

Nice review of the bible.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Im not upset that he left.

I always thought he was crap. And I said so since he first broke into the first team. I couldnt see any talent there. But then Im not the manager.

However I am upset with the way he treated the club and I would reserve my vitriol for anyplayer who did the same crap or not.

We are a better team without primadonnas like Harding who believe their own hype.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Absolute rubbish. He normally falls into belittlement mode, presumably frustrated because people don't accept what wise old LI has to say. And the reason is that sometimes - just sometimes - he talks absolute shite, just like the rest of us.

Yeah whatever you say Simster

 

[Seagull73]

The only reason that I can see that McGhee persevered with Harding, was that MM knew fine well that Harding was not going to sign his contract, and had to keep playing him to make sure that we got the right price at the end of his contract.

The similar alternative MM had was Kerry, and McGhee realised that he couldn't play Kerry if he wanted some money in the summer to help re-build the squad. Decent forward planning if you ask me. McGhee just had to be sure that it was a gamble worth taking because of the number of mistakes he made.

In the end it wasn't much of a gamble because Kerry is as error-prone as Harding...

 

[Uncle Buck]

The only reason that I can see that McGhee persevered with Harding, was that MM knew fine well that Harding was not going to sign his contract, and had to keep playing him to make sure that we got the right price at the end of his contract.

The similar alternative MM had was Kerry, and McGhee realised that he couldn't play Kerry if he wanted some money in the summer to help re-build the squad. Decent forward planning if you ask me. McGhee just had to be sure that it was a gamble worth taking because of the number of mistakes he made.

In the end it wasn't much of a gamble because Kerry is as error-prone as Harding...

Sorry, but that cannot be the truth. At the end of the day McGhee did drop Harding around Christmas as he was playing complete pish, but once Mayo got injured Harding came back in and actually did reasonably well in the final third of last season and deserved his place. Harding was the best option at left back last season and the fact that Mayo was fit on Saturday, but the right footed Reid played at left back suggests that there are some doubts about Mayo.

 

[Simster]

Yeah whatever you say Simster

 

[Seagull73]

UB, McGhee eluded to it himself at points last season. I honestly don't think he was that bothered about losing Harding, he was just p*ssed off at the way Harding buggered us about, but he knew Harding was going to walk away, so kept playing him to ensure we got maximum price at the end of the season.

And as for this Saturday just gone, would you have changed the team around from the one that played against Plymouth by choice? I certainly wouldn't have done..!!

 

[Uncle Buck]

UB, McGhee eluded to it himself at points last season. I honestly don't think he was that bothered about losing Harding, he was just p*ssed off at the way Harding buggered us about, but he knew Harding was going to walk away, so kept playing him to ensure we got maximum price at the end of the season.

And as for this Saturday just gone, would you have changed the team around from the one that played against Plymouth by choice? I certainly wouldn't have done..!!

I would have played a left footer at left back, simply because it slows the play down when Reid has to get the ball on his right foot.

Regarding Harding, I felt he got better as last season went on and certainly looked more composed post Cullip. However he did make some fairly high profile cock ups and why he used to let the ball bounce before controlling it is beyond me as it gave players like Akinbyi the chance to barge him off the ball.

 

[Albion Dan]

UB, McGhee eluded to it himself at points last season. I honestly don't think he was that bothered about losing Harding, he was just p*ssed off at the way Harding buggered us about, but he knew Harding was going to walk away, so kept playing him to ensure we got maximum price at the end of the season.

And as for this Saturday just gone, would you have changed the team around from the one that played against Plymouth by choice? I certainly wouldn't have done..!!

/\/\/\/\

What he Said!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

And it doesn't ever give you pause for thought that footballing professionals like McGhee, Taylor and Blackwell, for some earthly reason, pick him?

I guess the zealous scapegoating minority on football messageboards are a truer barometer of footballing talent

Sorry mate, but on this occasion I'd back my judgement as a spectator against all three managers.

McGhee - Inherited Harding, had the oh-so-difficult choice between Dodgy Dan and lardy good servant Kerry Mayo. Even then, the choice wasn't that easy.

Taylor - Hm. One for the conspiracy theorists maybe. Reckon there might be an untold story in there somewhere Suffice to say that BZ, an obvious choice for the Under-21s struggled to make a mark at that level, even if they did play him out of position.

Blackwell - very much doubt he ever sent a scout to watch him. Cos that scout would have thought he was having a larf, same as the alleged Everton/Rangers scouts, who, if they existed, took one look and said thanks but no thanks. Blackwell probably just thought he was getting an Under-21 cap on the cheap.

In the immortal words of Tommy Boy: I KNOW MORE

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Good one Tom Hark

I would just like to add that Watto of course was a left footed right back.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Good one Tom Hark

I would just like to add that Watto of course was a left footed right back.

Indeed he was, who had played at right back most of his career and towards the end was not very good.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Indeed he was, who had played at right back most of his career and towards the end was not very good.

Yeah thats true. But I suppose I just wanted to say there is no real reason why you cant have a right footed left back!

 

[London Irish]

the needless smilies indicating belittlement

 

[Jim D]

I also heard Craig Brown say nothing but good things about Dan when commenting on one of his U21 matches. He was very impressed with his passing and positional sense. But of course he's just a has-been.

 

[London Irish]

Sorry, but that cannot be the truth. At the end of the day McGhee did drop Harding around Christmas as he was playing complete pish, but once Mayo got injured Harding came back in and actually did reasonably well in the final third of last season and deserved his place. Harding was the best option at left back last season and the fact that Mayo was fit on Saturday, but the right footed Reid played at left back suggests that there are some doubts about Mayo.

Agreed, there is no denying that Harding made mistakes (as he did on Saturday) but it's a shame people can't weight that against his positive contribution and then make a balanced assessment.

I'm a little sceptical of your Cullip theory, I would lean towards the view that the final-third-season form was greater experience and adjustment to the demands of the second tier.

While people always remember his great Akinbiyi error and subsequent dropping in the Stoke game, which was after Cullip had left, people always forget that he was dropped for ONE GAME ONLY. McGhee knew a talent like Harding had to be accomodated somewhere in the team, and he then played well in midfield, including the great test of the Spurs game.

I would also flag up the fact that Harding wasn't uniformly underperforming early season either. I recall particularly the Gills game away, when he was outstanding in a defensive effort. The Meridian commentator compared a tackle he made at the end of that game to rob a Gills forward in a goal-scoring position to Bobby Moore's at Mexico 1970

 

[Albion Dan]

You mention the Spurs game, where Harding played well, in MIDFIELD, which I would say was his natural position and indeed where he plied his trade until shoved at Left back by Mcghee to cover injury to Mayo.

As a midfielder I had no problem with him in the side. I would still say that is where he should play.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

As you know I have never loved Harding.

In fact I hate the !!!!.

Here is my balanced assessment: I would concede Harding was very good going forward and was ok in midfeld. Defensively tho he was decidedly ineffective. And thats being polite.

I would rather say he was a useless c unting tosspot who didnt want to spoil his hairdo and believed his own hype. Christ the spin doctors behind him could teach Prentiss & McCabe or this Labour government a thing or two.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I always thought Harding was best as a wing-back.

 

[London Irish]

You mention the Spurs game, where Harding played well, in MIDFIELD, which I would say was his natural position and indeed where he plied his trade until shoved at Left back by Mcghee to cover injury to Mayo.

As a midfielder I had no problem with him in the side. I would still say that is where he should play.

Well, thank you for a civilised reply that didn't contain an ad hominem character attack