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Reid fires parting shot
Dean Wilkins
Dean Wilkins

Paul Reid has directed a parting shot at Albion boss Dean Wilkins and his management style.

The normally mild-mannered Australian is seething over the the handling of his departure from the Seagulls.

Reid claims Wilkins: l Does not communicate enough with his players l Lacks man-management skills l Shows disrespect in his treatment of senior pros Reid was among ten players released by the club yesterday in an end-of-season clear-out.

He has been joined on the dole queue by long-serving trio Kerry Mayo, Gary Hart and Guy Butters, plus Sam Rents, David Martot, Shane McFaul, Sonny Cobbs, Chris Winterton and Lloyd Skinner.

The versatile Reid, hit by a succession of long-term injury problems since the start of last season, says he knew what was coming when he walked into Wilkins' office at the training ground at Falmer yesterday morning.

The 28-year-old from Sydney, signed on a free transfer from Bradford City four years ago, forced his way back into the first team in January but then suffered medial knee ligament damage.

Reid said: "When Dean Wilkins said they were not going to be giving me another contract, I sarcastically said to him shock, horror'.

"I knew just from what has gone on over the last few months and even just the last few weeks really. I strained my medial ligament at the wrong time. I had just got back into the team and I was unlucky with that injury.

"For the last six weeks that I've been back I've played five reserve games in four different positions. It gets to the stage where you think if somebody wants you at the club they would give you an opportunity to shine and prove your worth.

"The reserves played Leyton Orient away and I played left midfield. I know I was our best player in that game but I didn't get in the first team squad that weekend. You know deep down that when your face doesn't fit you have got no chance.

"I was coming back at the start of the season from a serious knee injury. You have got to get back into the swing of things and the feel of playing football again.

"When you haven't played for so long you need a run of games where you are given a bit of a chance and I haven't found that this year.

"The medial ligament injury didn't help but, even before that, I travelled with the team to all the games and Sam Rents and I were always the ones left out.

"You have got to stay positive but when you don't get any feedback from the coaching staff, any communication between them and you, then it makes it difficult. You keep putting in 100 per cent in training and don't complain and that's what Sam and I did."

With his contract running out and his future up in the air, the frustration mounted for Reid and other senior members of the squad as they awaited their fate.

He said: "You would think someone who has played should know how to man manage people. All players want is honesty. If the manager doesn't want you then you just prefer them to be honest with you, so you can look elsewhere.

"They don't want to be left out in the cold, get to this stage of the season and then get told you are not being signed next year. It makes it difficult when you have given your all in every game you have played. I have done so much for this club, on and off the pitch.

"You understand that sometimes a manager likes you, sometimes they don't. If they don't then you would prefer to know there and then that you are not wanted so you can move on and look for other things.

"That is the main thing. I have spoken to all of the players and, as you can imagine, none of the players are happy with the way it has been dealt with. It has been left so late.

"It is a bit of a lack of respect to us as players. A lot of these players have mortgages and families. This is their livelihoods.

"I made it clear in my meeting yesterday that it's not great leaving it so late and Dean Wilkins agreed.

"He said the timing wasn't great but then said he is not fully to blame and that, seeing as I know the chairman so well, why don't I speak to him about why it was left so late?

"The management and coaching staff deal with the players on a daily basis and it seemed like he was shifting the blame on the chairman, when it should be the management who are making the decisions.

"They know what the players are doing in training, how they are performing and what sort of characters they are."

Reid admits the whole experience has left him with a nasty taste in the mouth after six goals in 104 appearances in midfield and at full-back for Albion, which included helping them to promotion in his first few months at the club and then staying in the Championship.

He said: "I love being at this club and I am normally a person who sits back, doesn't let things bother me.

"If the manager asks me to play in a certain position I won't complain. I have been left out most of the season and I don't cause any trouble.

"I have respected the management and the club and to be treated like we have been and left out in the cold shows a lack of respect.

"I am angry so people like Kerry and Harty, who have been here for ten or 11 years, must be pulling their hair out."

Reid now aims to prove Albion are wrong to let him go by continuing his career in England, rather than returning Down Under. He said: "My wife and I have settled here. I have just become a British citizen and I have already turned down a three-year deal to go back to the Australian A League. People must think I'm mad but we want to stay here.

"I want to prove them (Albion) wrong. They said since I have been here I have not made one position my own. I thought being versatile and filling different positions has benefited the club and the team. "Now it seems like that has been one of my downfalls."

Wilkins said: "I always knew a big part of the job would be to bring to a close a very successful era in the club's history. A player's time, however successful, always eventually comes to an end.

"All the contract decisions that were made were entirely for footballing reasons and nothing else. I don't take any pleasure delivering this type of news to players, having suffered it first hand in 1996 along with our first team coach, Ian Chapman, who had just been voted player of the season, but it is part of the game.

"Equally, the timing of informing the players is part of the profession. About 90 per cent of Football League clubs inform out of contract players at this time of the season. Officially we have until May 17 and some clubs still have not announced their retained lists.

"I would like to be able to tell players earlier but that was not practicable as opinions and decisions were not finalised. I thank all the players I had to see yesterday for their professionalism on the pitch throughout their time at the club and I wish them all the very best for the future."

7:00am Wednesday 7th May 2008

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Posted by: Mark, Haywards Heath on 7:19am Wed 7 May 08
Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Wilkins was right to remove the dead wood and Reid, who was hardly fit, was dead wood! Even when he was fit he couldn't get in the side on ability alone. Sounds a little bit like sour grapes to me.
Posted by: Georgie Worst, Australia on 7:53am Wed 7 May 08
Whats this ,take out British citizenship and become an instant whingeing Pom ?
C'mon Reidy take it on the chin - its reality, its life. You tried hard but werent quite good enough. (Youve always got our A league to fall back on if you cant get a real job !)
Posted by: Bark, Cardiff on 7:54am Wed 7 May 08
It is not like Reidy to be outspoken and when he is fit he is a decent midfield player. Is this sour grapes or another example of poor communication ?
Posted by: mark, brighton on 8:00am Wed 7 May 08
slightly worrying the way dean says decisions were not made till recently, does he mean players got contracts based on the suusex cup final? chamberlains goal was acracker, but the lad cant tackle a sandwich, fogden is not a full back as he is too small, but played well and doug loft got one as he is friends with white and dk
Posted by: gully, hove on 8:17am Wed 7 May 08
Andy Naylor should watch what he says - he is full of **** I can tell you for one there is NO dole queue for promising young pros including Rentzey who already has interest from 2 other clubs! Shame Naylor isn't on the dole queue-get your facts straight mate.
Posted by: Clive Rawlings, SW France on 8:21am Wed 7 May 08
Let's hope Sam Rents doesn't come back to haunt us....one of the best left footed crossers of the ball I've seen in ages!
Posted by: rob, Portslade on 8:25am Wed 7 May 08
Reidy has let himself and the supporters down in going to the press with his views...Up until this point, i'd had nothing but respect for him, but now I'm very disappointed by his comments which are only HIS opinion...I'd have expected better from a professional footballer of his calibre.
Posted by: gully, hove on 8:36am Wed 7 May 08
Rob
I disagree - Reidy is basically telling it how it is - there is unresy=t at the club and he is right him and Rentzey have been let down and totally disrespected they are both pros and I wish them both luck and of course all the others as well - I hope DW regrets some of those decisions - Loft and Hinsch Ya well done white for sorting them out!!! Great decisions!! Maybe a question or 2 should be asked Loft? he is so not up to it.
Posted by: justin, B HIll on 8:39am Wed 7 May 08
I will miss Reid. Been unlucky with injuries but versatile, never moaned about playing out of position and also chipped in with a few goals from Midfield when he played there. Some people above seem to have memory problems!

Seems silly to get rid now he is fit. Technically one of our better mids. Perhaps 6 months would have been a better option
Posted by: GitFace, Planet Reality on 8:39am Wed 7 May 08
It's just sour grapes from the Aussie - and if someone uses the words 'Rents' and 'haunt' one more time I'm going to go nuts! Every single story about players going has had an idiot saying Rents is going to haunt us - cobblers! He'll end up non-league and we'll never hear of him again
Posted by: Ed, Brighton on 8:49am Wed 7 May 08
rob wrote:
Reidy has let himself and the supporters down in going to the press with his views...Up until this point, i'd had nothing but respect for him, but now I'm very disappointed by his comments which are only HIS opinion...I'd have expected better from a professional footballer of his calibre.
Reid going to the press is no different to the club washing their dirty laundry in public, which they have done repeatedly over the last few seasons.
Posted by: Scudster, Hove on 8:59am Wed 7 May 08
So how far in advance of the end of the season do you want to be told you're not getting a new contract Reidy?? One week, one month? And then what happens if you suddenly get on a run of form which changes the managements minds?? Telling everyone at the end of the season to give them the whole summer to get fixed up elsewhere seems reasonable to me...
P.S. Nice to see a central midfielder with an eye for an attacking pass on Saturday...
Posted by: ben, brighton on 9:02am Wed 7 May 08
GitFace wrote:
It's just sour grapes from the Aussie - and if someone uses the words 'Rents' and 'haunt' one more time I'm going to go nuts! Every single story about players going has had an idiot saying Rents is going to haunt us - cobblers! He'll end up non-league and we'll never hear of him again
You havn't got a clue gitface. Reidy is right and i no that first hand, The way the club handle players is a disgrace. I bet you even the players that have been offered deals would agree with reidy. As for Sam Rents he was by far the best left back at the club and again most of the team would agree with that. He is already in talks with two league 1 sides. the way they were both treated is disgusting and they never mentioned a word about anything when left out the side or anything like that.
Posted by: Auntie Sledd, Highway To Hove on 9:06am Wed 7 May 08
Getting rid of the dead wood eh? Then how in God's name can the club get rid of Paul Reid (when he was well on his way to regaining full fitness) - yet they give Doug Loft a 1 year contract??! Does anybody on here actually been to any of the matches?
Posted by: steve, climping on 9:08am Wed 7 May 08
Just Naylor windind it all up again!
Deadwood gone !!!...LETS MOVE ON
Posted by: Simon, far far away on 9:27am Wed 7 May 08
ben wrote:
GitFace wrote: It\'s just sour grapes from the Aussie - and if someone uses the words \'Rents\' and \'haunt\' one more time I\'m going to go nuts! Every single story about players going has had an idiot saying Rents is going to haunt us - cobblers! He\'ll end up non-league and we\'ll never hear of him again
You havn\'t got a clue gitface. Reidy is right and i no that first hand, The way the club handle players is a disgrace. I bet you even the players that have been offered deals would agree with reidy. As for Sam Rents he was by far the best left back at the club and again most of the team would agree with that. He is already in talks with two league 1 sides. the way they were both treated is disgusting and they never mentioned a word about anything when left out the side or anything like that.
Sam Rents - great left foot, etc, etc,blah, blah , blah.

He's a left back who can't tackle. Good luck elsewhere Sam, and thanks for your efforts.

As for coming back to haunt us - I would LOVE to see him try to mark Cox next season, I really would.
Posted by: Bertie Bumfluff, West Pier on 9:36am Wed 7 May 08
Reid has a point, he is not complaining about his contract, it is the general lack of communication from the club management that is the issue.

Wilkins has a tough job on his hands with the club losing £8,000 a day, but seems to have lost the respect of the players.

If you know your job is on the line, have a family to feed and a mortgage to pay, then all you ask is for those in charge to be up front with you.

Plenty of other clubs have already announced their retained list before the Albion, and these players have had a bit longer to get their names circulated to other interested parties, and so increase their chances of a job next season. It's a shame that DW could not do the same.




Posted by: Phil, in the middle on 9:36am Wed 7 May 08
Taken in isolation this does look like sour grapes.

However, set against the comments of other older players lately, it does look like Wilkins struggles to manage players over 18.

Personally, I though that Reid played well for us at Championship level, but the injuries of the last couple of seasons (added to the lack of support in returning to the Team if he is to be believed), have made him probably a player we no longer need.

Strange that young Tinselhead has been given even more time to "prove his fitness", but proven players like Reid are shown the door after extended lay-offs?
Posted by: alex, kemp town on 9:37am Wed 7 May 08
i think reidy was one of the best players at the club, he was championship class and will find a new club eaasily! rents was a very talented left back and it is a shame he has gone as now we have no quality leftbacks left in our squad!
Posted by: BigGully, Brighton on 10:20am Wed 7 May 08
I am surprised that a fairly experienced player has decided to come out and explained his own particular disappointment.

Players always wish to know sooner, but generally you get a feel from the club/manager where you stand at anyone time and with his injuries was always likely to be vulnerable.

As for the timing, well the manager will decide when he wants this to happen within the guidelines set out and that must be right.

90% presumely decide to tell them at least this late and I can see why.

No manager wants to work with a group of players, some with their own grievances as shown so well by Reid whilst trying to continue to play league games.

Reid's real gripe isnt timing but the decision itself, its hurt him.

I note that he was also given a 'free' at Bradford, I wonder when he was told by them there that they didnt wish to retain him ?

It can be a tough profession at times, but he continues to have a career and if he stays fit he might get another few years of being paid a decent wage as a footballer, so in many respects he is fortunate.

He should spare a thought for the young scholars that were released yesterday, now they really have had there dreams shattered.

Posted by: GitFace, SeagullWorld on 10:52am Wed 7 May 08
ben wrote:
GitFace wrote: It\'s just sour grapes from the Aussie - and if someone uses the words \'Rents\' and \'haunt\' one more time I\'m going to go nuts! Every single story about players going has had an idiot saying Rents is going to haunt us - cobblers! He\'ll end up non-league and we\'ll never hear of him again
You havn\'t got a clue gitface. Reidy is right and i no that first hand, The way the club handle players is a disgrace. I bet you even the players that have been offered deals would agree with reidy. As for Sam Rents he was by far the best left back at the club and again most of the team would agree with that. He is already in talks with two league 1 sides. the way they were both treated is disgusting and they never mentioned a word about anything when left out the side or anything like that.
Okay Ben, HOW do you know all this first hand? Don't tell me, you're best mates with the entire squad and they all confide in you! Get a life... And good luck to Rents with the League 1 sides - he still won't get in the team! Also, it's the same at every club - you play the last game of the season and the deadwood gets cut. It can hardly be a surprise to a player who is out of contract having hardly played all season.
Posted by: Steve, Hassocks on 11:21am Wed 7 May 08
Doesn't suprise me at all.

Thomson will be leaving soon for similar reasons. He thinks the management are woeful and wants out.
Posted by: gully, hove on 11:23am Wed 7 May 08
You really are a GITFACE aren't you GitFace if you have nothing respectable to say then spare a thought for Rentzey and the others who are all no doubt better human beings than you. If you have nothing encouraging or decent to say don't bother boring us all. Both Rents and Reid are talented footballers and although at different ends of their careers I wish them all the best - so leave it out and find someone else to insult.
Posted by: mark, brighton on 11:33am Wed 7 May 08
its sad that his work at the club is tarnished, i also have heard that from being a coach that had time for ALL the players , he is now only matey with the tommys at the club, dean will need to get a grip if he is going to bring the rest of the ipswich reserve side down here. there has been words said by hammond and co before, lets hope dean gets off to a winning start or the contracts given to loft and sicknote will cost him his job.
Posted by: GitFace, Floating away on 11:48am Wed 7 May 08
I'm not insulting the players, only people who pretend to be be mates of the players. I have nothing against Rents (or Reid), he may be a really nice bloke, but that is no reason to offer him a new contract. If there were major parts of my job I couldn't do I'd be out. It's no secret that Rents can't tackle, which is a major problem for a defender.
Posted by: GFB, The Heath on 12:25pm Wed 7 May 08
I wish I'd been told at the end of my last season as a semi-pro that I'd been dispensed with - I just heard nothing. When I contacted them the following season they said "Oh sorry, you weren't in our plans" - Ready's had it easy! Good luck to him and the Rentsmeister though
Posted by: JM, hove on 12:36pm Wed 7 May 08
So not only does wilkins look like a garden gnome & sound like a total prat in his 'interviews' (if he was any more wooden reid could have surfed on him)and have all the tactical nous of a bottom of the barrel sunday league pub team manager (complete with gobby fat bloke on the line) but now to cap it all we find out he has poor man management skills. There was me thinking it was just his a*se he couldn't find with both hands, but i was wrong he's got the full package.
He's totally inept .
Cobbs-Rent&Reid may very well not come back to haunt him -but they will all make it with other Lg1 clubs and i wish them well.
now as it's sunny i'm off to the garden centre to kick a few wilkins lookalikes
Posted by: Brian, Haywards Heath on 12:44pm Wed 7 May 08
If I was Reid I would be gutted to know that I had not got a contract but Loft, who is about Rymans Premier standard at the best has been given one. Despite what DW saying that the contracts are purely football based I would suggest that a lot of this is decided by DK wanting to reduce our losses. So in fact the decisions are more finance related than football. Unfortunately in our position that cannot be argued with too strongly.
Posted by: Phil McCaverty, The Swan, Falmer on 1:12pm Wed 7 May 08
Reidy complains that he wasn't told but also says he knew it was coming! How would it have helped to know sooner anyway? The transfer window plays a part in this. Teams will take their time before hiring anyone new so he has found out in plenty of time. If he's good enough at what he does, he'll get another job. Same in any profession.
Posted by: suits you sir, bad taylor on 1:43pm Wed 7 May 08
dean you look like the child catcher in chitty chitty bang bang!! please argus stop using that photo of dean looking so smug!! if we dont get a flyer next year, the calls for your head will be heard by dk,
Posted by: me on 2:09pm Wed 7 May 08
dont worry about wilkins and knight and all the backroom staff..........when the 1st brick gets laid at the mighty falmer they will be joining the dole queue new BROOM sweeps clean .. a GOOD manager and money men will replace the garbage that we have there know .. so get your pen handy wilkins
Posted by: W .W on 2:14pm Wed 7 May 08
WILKINS U ARE AS POOR AS A MANANGER AS WAS YOUR BROTHER A PLAYER ....................
.... PUNCH ON SON U ARE TOILET
Posted by: Ian, Brighton on 2:33pm Wed 7 May 08
Not the first person to have a pop at DW on the way out, when we some of you realise that he obviously isn't a decent guy!? How many more people do we have to listen to slating the management before something is done about it?
Was reasonably disappointed to see Reid go, but he probably wasn't good enough for where we want to be. Rents and Martot are a major shock for me, Rents was full of potential and Martot has been great for us, so was thier leaving a result of more fallings out?? Won't be long before all this negativity behind the scenes will hinder all hopes of signing new players!
Posted by: Nick, Sussex on 3:31pm Wed 7 May 08
Well done Reidy. He's right for speaking out, maybe stuff like this wont happen again that way. I don't think anybody who doesn't have some form of memory problems can deny Reidy's ability. He was quality in every position and was a major asset. It's not often you get versatile players like him and he was a major asset to the squad when fit.
Posted by: John Barrowman, Nancy on 3:33pm Wed 7 May 08
I hope Rents doesn't come back to haunt us in seasons to ****. He's got such beautiful hands!
Posted by: dean wilkins mum, london on 4:39pm Wed 7 May 08
when my dean is sacked tomorrow and micky adams returns u will all be pleased ..
Posted by: never wrong dave, Brighton on 5:30pm Wed 7 May 08
As the ex Chelsea player said on the radio Wilkins was the worse player he ever new,and a worse manager by the sounds of things.Contracts given out to the old boy net work yet again,ie Hinshelwood,Loft,and Gatting.Like i said weeks back there is trouble at the club.2.8million in debt,there will not be players comeing in only going out.Wikins is pure non-league.Just a DK yes man.Dan Harding crap at Leeds,and Ipswich.Virgo again turned out to be a nothing.Wikins & Hinshelwood have made nothing in ten years.Thats why not one other league club wants them.Pompey took the only good one Keeley.
Posted by: Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park on 5:39pm Wed 7 May 08
Reid added: "People might wonder why I've chosen to go public with this. Well, I asked Wendy several times when parts 2 and 3 of the Centenary (2001) Video/DVD would be available. He just kept shrugging his shoulders as if to say, 'How the **** should I know?' He couldn't even say if it would be available on Betamac. That was just unacceptable and pushed me over the edge."
Posted by: Real fan, Brighton on 6:04pm Wed 7 May 08
Knight OUT Wilkins out,Knight OUT Wikins out Knight out Wilkins OUT.
Posted by: mick, btn on 6:16pm Wed 7 May 08
never wrong dave wrote:
As the ex Chelsea player said on the radio Wilkins was the worse player he ever new,and a worse manager by the sounds of things.Contracts given out to the old boy net work yet again,ie Hinshelwood,Loft,and Gatting.Like i said weeks back there is trouble at the club.2.8million in debt,there will not be players comeing in only going out.Wikins is pure non-league.Just a DK yes man.Dan Harding crap at Leeds,and Ipswich.Virgo again turned out to be a nothing.Wikins & Hinshelwood have made nothing in ten years.Thats why not one other league club wants them.Pompey took the only good one Keeley.
sadly dave your right about this one, dean was welcomed as the great youth coach, this club have not produced one quality player in the years, gareth barry was lucky to escape before the coaches got hold of him here, our biggest success was paul ifill!! and we released him at 16. time will run out if richards does not sign, dean has put himself in a corner by releasing all three left backs,
Posted by: Shaun, Brighton on 7:10pm Wed 7 May 08
Whether Reid was right to go or not is not the point here! He is speaking about the Management of Wilkins, and we all know that he is a weak, cowardly poor manager - just like he was a player.

I hated watching Wlkins play, he was a weedy sort of player who ducked more challenges missed penalty's - he was pants! So i'm not suprised that he wants to blame the releases on Knight - He can't deal with confrontation - he never has!!
Lets face it, he will never be a good manager. We are just, as usual, waiting for it to go all wrong before we sack him - and that useless fat lump White.
Posted by: Browno, Bognor on 8:45pm Wed 7 May 08
CRIKEY!! What a bunch of tossers most of you lot are!! If this is the way to think about what's going on at the Albion I'd love to hear some of your theories about 9/11!! Nutters, the lot of you!! You slagged off DW and DK at Christmas when we lost some pre-madonnas and looked what happened! Is 7th place NOT ACCEPTABLE for this year?? Come on, we were never going to compete with the likes of Forest and Leeds, and Southend, Carlisle, Swansea and Doncaster were much better teams than us this year, the table doesn't lie. But we've made tons of progress, signed some quality players and we should have faith that this will happen again! The Club ARE planning to be in the Championship by the time Falmer arrives, as a business plan this is the only sensible one to have. So lets stop knocking and enjoy being Albion fans. Whatever you say DK is a proud and passionate manager who we should be proud of, lets get behind him and be realistic!! I for one am looking forward to next season where I think we will make a good challenge for the play offs....
Posted by: scummer, Brighton on 9:39pm Wed 7 May 08
Wilkins was right to get out the old faces and he will bring in new faces no doubt. It is good that we have a manager who can make tough decisions and it will keep the other players on their toes, knowing they will be playing for their contract's next year.
Posted by: Portslade Pete, Portslade on 10:35pm Wed 7 May 08
Sounds like it will be all change next season then. Micky Adams back, Virgo back, most of those released off to Lewes to get our feeder club off to a good start. Will we keep the youth set up or will that go there as well? Could be a job for the DWs without having to move.
Posted by: drew, Burgess Hill on 11:26pm Wed 7 May 08
never wrong dave wrote:
As the ex Chelsea player said on the radio Wilkins was the worse player he ever new,and a worse manager by the sounds of things.Contracts given out to the old boy net work yet again,ie Hinshelwood,Loft,and Gatting.Like i said weeks back there is trouble at the club.2.8million in debt,there will not be players comeing in only going out.Wikins is pure non-league.Just a DK yes man.Dan Harding crap at Leeds,and Ipswich.Virgo again turned out to be a nothing.Wikins & Hinshelwood have made nothing in ten years.Thats why not one other league club wants them.Pompey took the only good one Keeley.
Dave, please tell who the ex-chelsea player you refer to is and why you have to be secretive about his name when apparently he was on the radio!!! If I know his name I could then see whether he ever played in the same team as Dean Wilkins and is in a position to judge.

You say there are no quality players from the youth set-up. What about Elphick or have you conveniently forgotten him. I would also throw in Lynch and Cox as good examples. They have flaws but are still good players.
Posted by: Fun-lovin, Hove on 12:09am Thu 8 May 08
WILKINS HASNT A CLUE MAYBE HE SHOULD STICK TO GETTING HIMSELF INTO BETTER SHAPE RATHER THAN BEING A CRAP MANAGER. A MONKEY COULD DO A BETTER JOB!
Posted by: Real fan, Brighton on 12:36am Thu 8 May 08
Nice to see El-Abd so keen to sign his new contract.
Posted by: Bruce Joseph, Australia on 2:37am Thu 8 May 08
get yourself back to the A-League Reidy and play in front of 15,000 every week - bugger revenge,life is too short.
Posted by: Ian, Brighton on 2:02pm Thu 8 May 08
To the aptly named "Browno", tossers you say? So what exactly does that make you? Bury your head in the sand and believe that everything at the club is hunkydory?! Tosser!! And what the hell has 9/11 got to do with anything? I can see the similarity so far as what DW is doing is criminal, but terrorism?!?!? I don't think all your dogs are barking my mouldy poo eating friend, I bet as we speak you're dancing around in your grandmas pants covered in peanut butter. Anyway, back to the point, DW is a p*ss poor manager, back that up with undeniably bad people skills and it spells nothing but disaster, you cannot ignore the fact that player after player walks out and has a pop, even Forster who is still here has had a pop, and you can hear the way Forster argues with him during a game, I lost count how many times I heard him ask DW "where the f*ck do you want me?" on saturday, disgraceful management, he has to go!!
Posted by: Joel Edmondson, Worthing on 10:41pm Thu 8 May 08
I have met Reid a number of times and he is always mild-mannered and very considered. So this interview does come as a shock. However, before the vultures of doom circle think about these things:

1) You don't know when the interview was carried out in relation to when he was told. I am sure we've all said things in the heat of the moment and they've come across too strongly. It would be interesting to read a follow-up

2) You're having a go already but you haven't seen the outcome. Wait and see who comes in!

3) We don't know ALL the facts, though most of you owuld love to think you do. We don't know exactly what went on. Maybe they're in talks with another player or they needed final checks on Reid etc...We dont know!

4) Dean Wilkins is not '**** poor'. I have had many-a-conversation with him and his communication is fantastic. Obviously I've never played under him but feedback from other players has been positive such as Tommy Elphick player of the season.

5) If he had kept a lot of the 'dead wood' such as reid Hart Mayo Butters he would have come under LOADS of pressure from fans saying he has no bottle etc. We've got to trust him

6) every manager makes mistakes. Fergie, the best manager in the world in my opinion, has had bust-ups and things have been said. It isn't nice to know that a player feels they weren't treated properly but lots of players clearly like him and how important really is Reid?

Don't start shooting your mouth off, being ridiculous, until you know the full outcome. Fickle idiots.
Posted by: Joel Edmondson, Worthing on 10:51pm Thu 8 May 08
Ian, perhaps we could take you seriously if you weren't such an incompetent idiot.

You have almost gone no way to defending your point but launched a petty personal attack, it was less sophisticated than I hear from a year 6. It is ridiculous.

Yes, Forster does talk to him, but Forster talks like that to everyone. Next you'll be claiming that Forster is aggressive and out of control and not what this club needs.

I would rather a player felt able to talk to the manager and ask for leadership rather then just getting on with it and not caring. it's not as if Forster is trapped: he has been brilliant this season and i'm sure if he was unhappy he would say so and get transfered.

You say 'player after player...makes a pop'. What about Elphick, Martot, El-Abd and many more who have all complimented Wilkins. What about Westlake and Racon and Richards who have, by all accounts, enjoyed being here. Even Bertin says he regrets it now. Wilkins main critisisms have come from O'Callaghan, who is doing what at the moment? And Reid.

You seem to hold Forster in fairly good light, why hasn't he gone then?

Your point has very little substance and just has undertones of someone who enjoys thriving on negativity and actively tries to be a prophet of doom. It's pathetic.

IF we are going to judge a manager purely on what players think then here goes.

Right, look at the sources. The critisisms have come from 1 person who Dean rejected...can you see why that might perhaps be bias? From O'callaghan who Wilkins wanted, but even his main quarrels were with Knight. So, which sort of player would be the most reliable to get an opinion from?

Someone that's known him a long time, someone who if they weren't satisfied could easily find another club. I'd say we have about 3 of those players: Lynch Elphick and Forster all of whom appear satisfied.
Posted by: Ian, Brighton on 8:55am Fri 9 May 08
Well Joel, as good as your argument is, all I have to say is Mickey Adams. Was I so wrong in the end?? Don't think so. So maybe you should go back to the drawing board with your views as they clearly mean sod all. As for my "personal attack", there was nothing personal there, I don't know the guy and if you knew me at all you would know that it is all a bit of banter you bumhole. Seems to me like less and less people have a sense of humour, and you Joel are leading the pack, pull your head out your arse and put a smile on your face xxx
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