McGhee - "Leon was absolutely INEPT tonight"....

[Trish]

Sadly, I fear McGhee has "lost" the player already though. A rift has clearly developed between the two of them for one reason or another, and thats not going to heal if McGhee gives him the kind of public slagging off he did tonight. Looks to me like its only a matter of time before Leons on his way I'm afraid, which is a great shame. He'd have been twice the player under Coppells careful guidance.

I fear Easy 10 could be right. Another worrying thought is that, if MM speaks about his out-of-form players like that in public, what is he saying behind close doors? We could end up with quite a few demoralised players.

 

[Dancin Ninja BHA]

We had a better team in Division 3.

Whatever

Tonight was still dire, and I really can't be arsed at the moment, which is a shame as I've been home and away for over 15 years now, but there is only so much garbage I can accept to watch

 

[Dover]

Easy. Leon is a player who has come from a big club and has not settled. I think we could have been his last chance, and although he is our leading scorer, just listen to the mutterings around the ground.

I have always belive Knight is here to make himself a name, and get a transfer to a club he wishes to play for. McGhee on the other hand wanted this job and is prepared to stay here.

 

[Blackadder]

What a shit match tonight, kinda glad i'm not renewing my season ticket after that rubbish. About £18 a ticket, you're having a laugh. When was the last decent game?

The last two home games, Plymouth and Bournemouth.

 

[CAFC Matt]

I was at Withean today and as a neutral would like to know what you see in him. He is lazy, moans, shouts at team mates and half the time looks as though he can't be bothered

 

[Turkey]

Some people wanted a manager who wanted to give the players a kick up the backside. I think someone (Gareth Glover?) even complained that he was too nice.

Well the going is getting tough and McGhee is showing he's a strong man. If Leon doesn't give 100% then he'll lose his place to a teenager.

 

[El Presidente]

Some managers e.g. Clough could get away with public slangings. Persoanally I take the view that in situations such as these silence, like showers, is golden

 

[fosters headband]

Have you thought that McGhee has already tried the behind close doors approach and it hasnt worked.
We would all be saying why doesn't he do something about him.
Well my honest opinion is that Knight has a reall attitude problem and thinks he is better than he is.
So this could be McGhee's last attempt to bring him into line.
I would rather go with Robinson for the rest of the season giving it his all, than Knight just going through the motions.

 

[Easy 10]

Easy. Leon is a player who has come from a big club and has not settled. I think we could have been his last chance, and although he is our leading scorer, just listen to the mutterings around the ground.

I have always belive Knight is here to make himself a name, and get a transfer to a club he wishes to play for. McGhee on the other hand wanted this job and is prepared to stay here.

Don't forget, Leon had a straight choice in the summer between joining the Albion, and joining QPR. He had an offer on the table from Holloway to play for QPR, and being as the club was on his doorstep, I was amazed and delighted when he turned them down and joined the Albion, despite the SHIT facilities we have down here. Leon Knight picked up an awful lot of credit in my book for that decision alone.

As for wanting to make a name for himself and get a transfer - isn't that what ALL young players want ? I'm sure Leon doesn't see Brighton as the final club of his career, any more than Bobby Zamora did. All we can ask is that in making a name for himself, he does the business for the Albion, so we both benefit from his performances.

McGhee and Leon need to get together and sort this rift out, sort out their differences, so we can get the lively Leon Knight of August - November back, instead of the sulky morose one we've got at the moment. They are both paid professionals, they are paid to do a job for us. So sort this out and get on with it.

 

[chips and gravy]

Pardon me for butting in on this, but did he actually say inept? I thought he said inert - that's a completely different adjective and one that was appropriate tonight given the fact that Knight had about 5 defenders marking him. Any player would be inert with that kind of attention.

 

[Turkey]

Some managers e.g. Clough could get away with public slangings. Persoanally I take the view that in situations such as these silence, like showers, is golden

Why? Leon hasn't been playing well for a long time. Untill the Plymouth game wasn't his only goal from open play back in October or something rediculous?

He's a very good player and if we're going to push for promotion this season we need him playing well and scoring goals. He hasn't been for awhile and I think this is McGhee's way of trying to kick his arse into gear.

Benjamin won't be here for the playoffs. If we want any chance of going up we need Leon scoring goals from open play. Ultimatly it's down to how Leon reacts now. Will he have a point to prove or will he sulk. If he sulks we're better off without him anyway.

 

[Easy 10]

No. He DID cdescribe him as "totally inept".

 

[London Irish]

I like the totally inert theory, chips, but I fear that's not a staple of most Div 2 managers' vocab.

 

[Easy 10]

He hasn't been for awhile and I think this is McGhee's way of trying to kick his arse into gear.

I've had a team of 10 people under me in an office environment before. OK, its very different to running a football team, but some of the principles of man-management remain the same. If I felt that someone wasn't pulling their weight, or had an attitude problem, I could deal with it a couple of ways.

1. I could speak to the person in private, try to get to the root of the problem, find out what it was they are unhappy about. Administer a proverbial kick up the arse if I felt it was needed, but keep it within four walls.

2. I could publically slate the person in front of the rest of the team, and everyone else in the office, letting them know in no uncertain terms how crap I thought they were, and tell them to buck their ideas up.

Which way do you think would provoke a more positive reaction ? Now, I acknowledge that for all we know, McGhee has already tried number 1 and its got him nowhere. But I'd have to be a long, long way down the line before I'd resort to number 2, if EVER, with a member of my team who I wanted to get the best out of.

 

[Dover]

OK he may have been offered a contract at QPR, Easy. But I do agree that all players (and managers) have primarily come to the club to better themselves, Knight has not been the same ambassador to the club that Bobby was.

Because of ths, and his perpetual diving, he has not endered himself to a fair few fans. Think for a moment that MM has an idea of how he wants the team to play, and Knight does not play in that manner. Could this have sparked the cry of ineptitude?

It strikes me that McGhee wishes for the team to keep possession and be more pateint. If this is the case Knight is not that type of player, and due to his play is more likley to be booked.

 

[Bwian]

No. He DID cdescribe him as "totally inept".

And he'd be 100% accurate in his assessment of his game and if we're being totally honest, he's been that way for months. He's a lazy little f***er these days, appears to be lacking bottle, is a little cheat and clearly doesn't give a damn.

If that's his way then I'd rather we got rid, grab a few quid-although goodness knows who would actually give money for a lazy, cheating forward who has lost the knack of scoring.

Jake looks a better bet at the moment. Alright, he may still be lacking experience but he more than makes up for that with his 100% effort. Jake giving 100% or Leon giving less than 10%? Hmm, let me think about who I'd have on the teamsheet for the Tranmere game!

I also think there was nothing wrong with McGhee saying what he did. The man is no fool and I'm pretty sure he's tried everything possible behind closed doors in an attempt to motivate Leon. Tonight may be his final attempt? Put out for the team or push off? On recent performances I wouldn't be sad at his departure-he's obviously talented but there is no fire in his belly anymore.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Was Leon any more inept (if that's the right word - and I don't think it is. seems a bit harsh) than usual? Seems to me he played more or less his usual game. McGhee just seems to have let his tongue run away with him, maybe cos Jake's his idea of how a young player should put himself about on the field. But that's not really an excuse for having a pop at Leon.

 

[The Famous Grouse]

I think going public was wrong, the players loose repect, especially something as damning as that.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I only caught part of the commentary on SCR tonight (and none of the post match interview). But I do remember the moment that Leon was replaced by Jake.

Andrew Hawes commented to John Byrne that Leon looked unhappy at the substitution and he wondered what McGhee was thinking. John Byrne said something to the effect that, "if you're brave enough, you can ask him after the match" - implying, I think, that from the point of view of a professional footballer, those sorts of questions are best not asked publicly.

So Hawsey jumps in and asks the stupid question. And McGhee gives a stupid answer. Good journalism, but maybe McGhee wasn't ready for the question?

This could set the scenario for Leon Knight and Mark McGhee to kiss and make up - if McGhee is big enough to apologise. Or it could mark the moment when the rift between the two of them becomes unbridgeable.

A defining event in the season, in my opinion.

One thing I'm fairly certain about is that Jake Robinson hasn't got the experience to step into the role of a first-choice striker for a team that will win promotion. And that's no criticism of him.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Remember what happened with Knight at Wednesday. Turner got pissed off with Knight and shut him out of the team, and the fans all supported Turner.

Despie Knight banging in the goals at the start of the season, Wednesday fans still maintained that he was a lazy, arrogant, big-headed player and 'we would see'.

Is this happening? Can McGhee sort it out? Does he even want to? As far as he can tell, hes playing a player on reputation only, who hasn't performed for him at all.