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Hoppy and his final straw


shagster

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David Hopkin: 'Final straw' at Morton was board naming players to go - BBC Sport

In link format.

Obviously there are two sides to every story but if the board let him sign the players, and then named them as ones they wanted out, then that's taking away his managerial autonomy. Which is fine if everyone goes into the room knowing that's the case - the "head coach" model, effectively reporting to a director of football. But that doesn't seem to be what happened here. Instead they let him build a squad in August and then said "actually not only do you need to cut your squad, but you need to cut these specific players." Pretty half-assed but a very Rae way of doing things.

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As shock managerial revelations go, I preferred Ray 'Ray' McKinnon's version that he'll definitely tell us once Falkirk win that court case.

Lesson to manager: don't stockpile 17 sand-dancers in a single transfer window at your own expense and expect no pushback.

Lesson to club: install competent boardroom oversight instead of this 'check in every few months and oh btw you now need to punt players' clowncar operation.

The site is supposed to be a place for the extended 'family' of Morton supporters - having an affinity with people that you don't know, because you share a love of your local football club. It's not supposed to be about point scoring and showing how 'clever' or 'funny' you are, or just being downright rude and offensive to people you don't know, because you can get away with it. Unfortunately, it seems the classic case of people who have little standing/presence in real life, use this forum as a way of making themselves feel as if they are something. It's sad, and I've said that before..

 

So, having been on Morton forums for about 15 years I guess, I've had enough... well done t*ssers, another Morton supporter driven away. You can all feel happy at how 'clever' you are

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He estimates the average wage being £300pw, the players must have decent bonuses and perks because thats a shocking wage for any full-time work. Even though they don't typically work every hour of a FT week, they are employed FT so thats below the Living Wage.

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I don't doubt his description of events but he does minimise his involvement with bringing in too many ineffective players and not identifying the real weaknesses in the team. 

Quantity over quality didn't work in his favour.

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It's entirely understandable for a manager who's supposed to be in control of recruitment to feel they've been undermined if they've been told 'you have to get rid of these specific players' rather than 'you have to reduce the wage bill by £X.' Walking from the job as a result is reasonable.

That's before considering the board's handling of the budget in the first place, which was such a mess they needed to lose five or six players three months into the season, only being averted from doing so by being given an obscenely huge sum of public money. They've also still saved four wages on the manager and goalkeeping coach/scout walking out, with two loanees returning to their parent clubs (not that the club have bothered to inform us of this). It reflects absolutely terribly on the board, it's another sign of Golden Casket's incompetence and it's another on the long list of reasons to be glad they'll be gone for good soon.

However, it doesn't follow that Hopkin is particularly deserving of sympathy either. Judging by his tone he wasn't willing to let any players go, but he had four signings he was looking to make? So he wanted to run with a first team squad of 26?!

That would be an insanely huge squad for any club at our level, never mind one pleading poverty as he is still doing now he's gone. His recruitment was an absolute mess from start to finish, and it's telling that his only managerial success came when he was left to the coaching side of things at Livingston with Martindale in charge of signings. Any board buying into how he's talked himself up for winning titles and promotions there would do well to remember that.

Brian Wake my Lord, Brian Wake

Brian Wake my Lord, Brian Wake

Brian Wake my Lord, Brian Wake

Oh Lord, Brian Wake

 

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