tell me why do you feel it necessary to publicly slate two young players at the club in the local paper
that kind of stuff should not be for public viewing and kept in house
you may call it constructive criticism but it is still not right and certainly will not give them any confidence
turn it around and ask your self
if the players went in the paper and told all the world that you were not doing your job to their satisfaction would you be aggrieved ?

Put the link up then so we can see what you talking about.

Hartlepool Mail: Saturday.

Players in question: Matty Robson who is too erratic and David Foley who has not scored enough this season, needs to improve his end product and has not taken any of the chances given to him and has not taken the "bull by the horns" Both lack decision making and need to be more consistent...was the gist of it.

probably too early to be on the web
but Daniel has it covered

It's hardly unwarrented is it, they have about six or seven seasons between them................

my point exactly

I thought Foley had 3 goals this season? That's not bad considering he gets only 10 minutes here and there.

They arent 'young' players anymore though, Matty Robson has been playing for over five years now

They are both nothing more then squad players

On Robson I don't think he is consistant enough to do wel at this level but he could do a job in Division Four. he has pace, defenders don't like him running at them. He needs to be direct.

On Foley i really don't think the lad has had a fair crack, players need starts to develop.......

let's put this into another context - I'm only playing Devil's advocate here - but maybe keeping it inside the club isn't working with these two particular players. One way or another the management have to try to get the best out of their squad, maybe this is the last option available to them to try and initiate a response from these two players.
If this fails to bring the correct response from them, then they either don't care enough and don't want to improve badly enough, or else they aren't bright enough, or possibly - and let's be honest the most likely option - that they aren't good enough.
These two have had more chances than most young players get, they'll either start performing this season or their careers at HUFC are over. They wouldn't get this long at many other clubs.

It's just a bit of psychology I reckon and hopefully it'll do the trick. On the other hand it could be a clever piece of journalism, 'how's Matty and David doing Butters....??' There's little in the way of direct quotes.

Remember when Boydy wasn't doing it..he was shipped out to Boston and it worked big time. People tend to think of Foley and Robson as youngsters still, when they've got more years under their belts as pro's than you think... yet we still see them as 'promising' youngsters and sympathise accordingly. Added to this is the fact that because of this perception on our part, we make allowances that we would never, ever make for pro's we sign directly from other clubs.
Matty Robson still blows hot and cold and in my opinion Foley is typecast as the eternal 16 year old debutee. Maybe the coaches have decided it's time for them to move up to the next stage in their development as pro's...? Maybe they've spent that many years coming through the youth set up and reserves etc they've become instituionalised and are sat in a comfort zone .... maybe they need a wake up call.. there where howls of anguish when Cooper did it but he knew it was make or break time in a players career.

I have no problem with what's been said, it's a public kick up the arse, just perhaps they have tried every other avenue.

They are both have potential to have successful football careers, we are not talking about shy delicate first year YTS lads here.

There isn't a problem with a public kick up the arse but now that Foley has been slagged off is he gonna get a chance to prove what he can do? Time will tell...

In the first team probably not, a squad player like Foley needs to show the management that he is ready for a start, the best way he's got of doing that is by playing out of his skin for the ressies.

David Foley has played 9 times and scored 3 goals.

Michael Mackay has played 10 times and scored 12 goals.

One of those two players has started the last two League One games.

Michael Rae has started 10 times and scored 7 goals, I expect him to be ahead of Foley in the pecking order in the not too distance future.

Yes, prehaps in the hope they may come 'good', sometimes Chip, you have to take a risk...

but it does not happen to senior players why should younger players be criticised
poor way of giving them a kick up the backside

Because they arent young players anymore, they are senior pro's with half a decade service between them

ok younger members on the fringe of the squad

Matty robson's 42 next week... !!

Why not send them both out on loan (to the 4th division)
and see if regular football, brings about some consistency
and improvement.
Let's face it neither of them are going to get an extended
run in the first team and long term decisions need to be made
on both of them, at the end of this season.

just maybe with that article there tenure is shorter than that
January sales possibly

who would be genuinely sorry to see either or both of them go?