Do they ever learn?

This is in ND's inbox - filed under "get them to ring so I don't incriminate myself in writing" no doubt. Grrrrrr....

Hello Neil

I'm hopping mad about the way that Darren Huckerby's comments regarding player sales have been publicly responded to by the club. However, I'll try and remain civil...

Hucks' main gripe seems to be that if our best players keep on departing then we stand little chance of improving our performance on the pitch. I think that's pretty uncontroversial - to the point of stating the bleeding obvious. Irrespective of the reasons for players' departures, the Hucks' sole concern (as it should be) is to be part of a successful football team.

Why in your response to Hucks' comments could you not have said simply and plainly that he was right to be concerned about losing our best players? And what purpose does your comment about "having a quiet word and suggesting his talking is better done on the pitch" serve?

Why should a player who clearly has the best interests of the club be prevented from expressing his opinions? And now you've made *your* own views on Hucks' comments clear in the press, what are the chances of you managing to have that "quiet word"? Your response to his comments seems both unnecessarily inflammatory and more than a touch hypocritical.

All of this matters because the happiness of Hucks is key to our performances on the pitch and to the relationship between the club and the supporters. In the wake of the Nigel Worthington fiasco you still have some way to go to rebuild bridges with many fans - and your handling of the current situation is damaging that process.

Posted By: slater, Jul 18, 11:48:59