McGhee wants another striker

[London Irish]

That was not the original statement though.

With regards to Hinsh he was a regular under Coppell in Div 2 and seemed to fall out of favour when McGhee arrived, only to reappear last season. Harding was also playing regularly under Coppell and McGhee continued his develpment. The 2 he brought back from the dead were Virgo and Hammond.

Not for the first time, you are so wide of the mark, it's ridiculous. All that beer you consume at games must really do wonders for your memory! Name the period Harding was a regular first-teamer under Coppell, it exists only in your imagination. Hinsh, it is true, did get a run of games under Coppell, not because he was first-choice, but because of Watson's injury problems plus the unavailability at various times of Cullip and Butters.

McGhee was the first manager who displaced a fit Watson from his RB role and promoted a youth product in his role, but of course it was Virgo who got the nod over Hinsh at RB, and rightly so! (Watson was shifted into midfield and then eventually broke down again after a few games there).

McGhee had exactly the same choice to make with Mayo, who had been undisputed first choice under Coppell. McGhee stood Mayo down and promoted Harding over him within weeks of his arrival at the club.

Both Virgs and Harding then became undisputed first-choice players from then on, all the way to the Cardiff final and beyond to their sale to other clubs.

Hinsh joined them after the Cardiff final, not as an injury makeweight like he was under Coppell, but as a regular first-teamer in his own right.

This is what McGhee's reputation with the youth is, he makes them regular first-teamers over more experienced pros - this is what you for some reason (I think it's down to your dislike of McGhee and preference for Coppell) you fail to acknowledge.

 

[London Irish]

As for Coppell not rating Virgo, I'm not sure that was the case. He had access and funds for better players at the time, and brought them in..as all good managers should do.

Coppell owned up in the Reading game match programme that Virgs had proved him wrong.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Not for the first time, you are so wide of the mark, it's ridiculous. All that beer you consume at games must really do wonders for your memory! Name the period Harding was a regular first-teamer under Coppell, it exists only in your imagination. Hinsh, it is true, did get a run of games under Coppell, not because he was first-choice, but because of Watson's injury problems plus the unavailability at various times of Cullip and Butters.

From the beginning of the 2003/04 season Harding was involved and was then thrown into the games from Plymouth away onwards as Jones was suspended.

 

[London Irish]

From the beginning of the 2003/04 season Harding was involved and was then thrown into the games from Plymouth away onwards as Jones was suspended.

So that's your definition of regular first-team involvement, is it?

 

[Uncle Buck]

So that's your definition of regular first-team involvement, is it?

Well as he was in most squads and played a part at the beginning of that season, yes.

McGhee has brought a lot of the youngsters on, but he does not get a lot of the credit for bringing them in, simply as he did not introduce many of them into the first team to start with. What he did do, to great effect was perserve with them.

 

[Lokki 7]

There was a time when this thread was about something... but I've forgotten what that was

 

[London Irish]

Well as he was in most squads and played a part at the beginning of that season, yes.

McGhee has brought a lot of the youngsters on, but he does not get a lot of the credit for bringing them in, simply as he did not introduce many of them into the first team to start with. What he did do, to great effect was perserve with them.

There is no way Harding was a regular first-teamer under Coppell. It was McGhee that settled him in his best position of leftback and turned him into the player we could sell on.

We will have to disagree on how important "perservering" with a player is, for me, making a youngster a first-team regular is 90 per cent of the battle, anyone can give debuts to the likes of Marney, Wilkinson, May, Cox - the real achievement is figuring out whether they have something that is worth persisting with, and that has been what McGhee has been brilliant at, better than any Albion manager possibly in living memory.