Ask yourself one question; imagine he had not been here since the sixties and imagine further that you had seen Humphreys playing against Pools for another club last season. Would you be clambering to sign him?

Nail on the head right there!

I don't want Humphreys to be playing for us next season. Hopefully we get a couple more good signings and he won't need to.
But to write him off as a coach because he can't get Murray, Boyd and brown to run around full pelt for 90 mins is just daft.

If we needed a coach, why sack Mick Wadsworth?

I dont honestly think he would get in any other sides squad.

So we finish mid table with the most unfit side in the division. Remarkable.
Yeah some players ran out of steam in some games, Paul Murray has to play with painkilling injections but has to stay on the pitch because weve got nothing in reserve.
See what happens now the waste has been trimmed and cooper can get some good players in to challenge for places in the team.

Our set pieces were shite last season but I really don't know who is responsible for them. It might be Humphreys, if it is they should probably try someone else.
I also know you made plenty of comments during the season that we only score from set pieces and not open play, which is a bit contradictory.

I think Wadsworth and Cooper would have worked great together.

me too, think pride might have stopped Wadsworth from stepping back though

Fair enough ...

Bastard! Was just getting ready to post that

It would have taken less time to mention the players that did look fit and capeble of running around for 90. Luke James before he came back into the team (and I presume he was told not to chase as much as he was initially?) and Sweeney and Poole some of the time although Poole rarely got a full game and like you imply Sweens has been sharper in the past.

I remember that game, lucky to hold onto the three points in the end, but deserved it overall. Took the lead through Humphreys



Grabbed a late equaliser against promoted Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsbrough. Late one to secure our first win of the season against Rochdale. Horwood sent us third with a late winner against Bournemouth. Just a few that spring to mind.

Why not re-brand the club 'Cocoon F.C.' ...... just a thought.

Can't really be arsed to cover the same old ground to be honest.
We've just made our first signing and on paper he looks to be a good one, hope there's a few more to follow.
Anyway I'm going down for my season ticket today, onwards and upwards!

What`s the time old father?

Time to get another years contract me thinks

no surprise RH remains on the playing staff,all of us know that there was more chance of hell freezing over than him being released,however surely his combined player/coach salary must be one of the lowest on the first teams books now? I bloody hope it does anyway.

As for cooper and his recent 'no sentiment comments' does anyone really think he is pulling all the strings in regards to who goes and who stays? I beleive in him,and think in an ideal world he may have scattered humps to free up that playing salary. However,as long as Mr Hodcroft runs the show a touch of sentiment will always be afforded to someone like RH,and will one day probably get the managers job on that basis alone. whether this is right or wrong is something us lot just have to put up with.

Ive long held the opinion that uncle ken does not give full reign to whoever is our first team coach/manager or whatever title is bestowed on them by the club these days. and this is something cooper knows and understands all too well,and has had to accept. In regards to playing contracts if you look at last seasons retained list,id go as far to suggest that boyd and brown were kept on by uncle ken on sentiment alone,and that wadsworth probably wanted to scatter them both-a theory only of course,but he didnt exactly play either of them much prior to new contracts being offered,and we all thought they would have been shown the door by him-it was entirely logical.

Anyhow,thats my take on it,and I think coops was fully aware that humps would be retained without his say so,accepts this and is just getting on with it. I also think he is quite happy about it too,humps however we (all) view him as the ageing past it player he is,probably gets on very well with cooper,will be reliable,professional a good ally to have,can be used asa player in emergencies and will set a good example to every one else.

So in that resepect its probably not a bad thing humps remaining at the club. Whether this helps us progress as a club though is another matter. But for me the sentimentality comes from uncle ken,always has done,and always will do regarding our ahem 'player of the century'.

Why is this a hate humphries thread. We've signed a player/coach Probs on the cheap who knows the club inside out. We ain't Gona find a different person for cheaper so what's the problem. If this was a nish thread certain members would have spat umpteen dummies out by now. So hypocritical it's unreal. Horwood takes a poor set piece but Ritchie is to blame??? Our corners and crosses constantly are cleared with ease but apparently this is ritchies fault aswell. Give the man a break. He gives 100% every time he pulls our precious shirt on which is a hell of alot more than the majority of our squad. The passion he shows on the pitch is immense if he can drum that into the rest as a coach then that's worth his contract alone. 11 years at the club and he gets no respect at all but a new arrival from Scotland who basically wasn't very good receives a huge amount of backing and un deserved praise. You can't have it both ways. Comparing Him to Boyd, If Adam showed ritchies effort on the pitch be would be still here. He only has himself to blame. Browny however is a different story. He always tries but sadly is hardly available for selection and has been replaced by franks. Hopefully cooper has got this decision correct also.

This!

OMFG, this has gone to 5 pages

It's not a hate humphreys bloody thread, I don't hate the bloke n I'm sure above joe mac wrote the same that he is a sound guy.

I and a few others just don't think he's good enough to play at this level... And at the moment I don't know what he brings to the table regards to coaching.

Why is that not allowed to be said? Is he really that untouchable?

This isn't a hate humphreys post at all, its purely people who want to wa*k him off and give him a new contract just because he's a nice guy...vs the sane people who realise he is past it and should not be kept it a playing role. Would you really want him in our starting 11? Or would you be happy to bring him on when we are 1-0 down and need a goal?

Yes. He has worked tirelessly for pools for many years and chose to stay loyal to us despite offers from a number of premierleague clubs. Instead he opted to continue playing for us without pay due to his passion for the club! He also homes lost puppies.

What Humphreys is good at is PR. No other player of his standard would have been retained under any circumstances. He has the Mail, the Echo and the chairman onside so he's untouchable. This started with the blubbering on the pitch like a daft schoolgirl followed by a book about it. From that moment on the mythology grew and reached its zenith with the completely ridiculous player of the century award. It has reached a point that some people are totally blind.

The way you go on, you would think you didn`t rate him, I bet you secretly have a soft spot for him

The contract was actually signed with the blood of freshly stomped kittens using the very same knife that was used to stab Coopers back all of those years ago, under the watchful gaze of Ken Hodcrofts mam.

That's actually true.

Nobody has said they hate Humphreys at all... He has been good for the club in the past but from a footballing view, I struggle to see what he has to offer, I think too many people are focusing on the fact he has been here so long.

Agreed! Also why do we need 2 first team coaches anyway, isn't one of them good enough........

No, one of them needs to be getting the round in!

It's all Barron talks about on twitter, being a top drinker, him n Gallagher

#jobsfortheboys

Your missing the point regarding the word hate. What's written on this thread is no different to the nish 'hate' threads. Nobody said they hated him But it was said over and over. If people supposedly hate nish then the same applies on this thread regarding the people having a go at Ritchie.

Also to answer someones question, no i don't want him in the starting line up and no i wouldn't want to see him come on when 1-0 down. However in a long and grinding season if we can get some playing time out of a coach then i really dont see the problem.

Also with super coops new signings, as if were gonna be 1 down......

Nobody on here im sure hates humphreys i know i dont, i appreciate everything hes given and done for our club but every athlete not just footballers at some point in their career are not as good as they used to be and this is the case with humphreys, if you dont want him in the starting 11 amd would not want to bring him on if we are 1-0 down. Then i have no idea how you can defend him having a new playing cntract.

What if we're 2-0 up? It's the most perilous score in football, I'm not sure who I'd like to bring on then.

Id bring dan on

what about if you don't hate him, you just hate wa*king him off ?

i only ask because you spend most of your spare time wa*king chip off up throston golf course

Not now im the current throston golf champion i dont, just one of the many perks of being the champ

so chip's on hand-shandy duty now is he ? don't get it in his hair kitch, he'll be gutted.

Remember, age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability

We certainly know hes good at getting height on a ball

He will think the flags are corner flags so he's bound to get the ball somewhere near them

Richie as a bit part player yes. richie as a coach in the future why not he has signed so lets just support him.

If you're right about his poundage, then I've got a full stone advantage over him, and I'm a good 2 stone overweight.

Why would going back to Wednesday have been such a hard decision?

Do you know for a fact they wanted to sign him?

Plus he is a Sheffield united fan. He should hate wednesday.

All I know is that we have signed a guy back on who is fecking useless all over the field so should only be a coach.

People keep mentioning that he is a good servant to the club. If someone paid me a couple of grand a week for a few hours work a week then I would stay there as well

You can go on for page after page regurgatating the same old shit as the previous pages and numerous threads about the relative qualities of Humphreys......oh hang on you have......

But the thing is he has signed a new deal......he is way below the standard required to play week in week out in League 1 and I believe he won't play unless we are desperate. Trust Cooper to bring in a squad that will mean he is a bit part player at best. He does bring a wealth of experience, professionalism and as a coach he probably isn't the best but you have to start somewhere to learn the craft and he is doing it with us. I for one welcome that and hope he becomes a great coach in the future and we benefit from his skills and not some other club.

I don't understand the vitriol and the panic about Humps being a major player for us next year. Just let him and the club get on with it and IF Cooper starts the season with Humps as first choice in midfield or anywhere for that matter THEN it is time to resurrect all this and doubt the character and calibre of Cooper and continue the conspiracy theories.

This is becoming tedious beyond belief

Once again... There is no vitriol towards him.

There is a bit though isn't there. If the definition of Vitiol is speech or writing displaying sarcastic, caustic and bitterness then there is a bit of that and the reference to weight as being an issue could be seen as abusive.

However you want to dress this thread up it is not good to focus so much negativity and pish onto the one man and him getting a contract. I am not a Humphreys apologist and like i said he isn't good enough anymore to play in league 1 but the club see that he has a role to play as a coach and if he is doing that he might as well register as a player and so let's just get on with it and stop page after page after fecking page of all this crap.

I take your point Chip and ok using the word abusive was possibly a bit strong, but i think you've over reacted a little.

My substantive point was that 6 pages of the same old stuff being repeated about a guy signing a new deal offered to him to possibly continue his development as a coach and play a very minor role as a player is abit excessive, and it seems every Humphreys thread turns into negativity about him and i feel it is undeserved and some of it is vitriol however much you disagree.

To clear it up I hope he doesn't play a minute during the season and I whinced when he was picked last season, but there is obviously something that people at the club see in him and if it means he gets another contract then fine, and he may turn out to be a great coach we'll just have to see. But I hope to god we don't need to deploy him during the season as a player and that he squad Cooper assembles is good enough to cope without Humps.

I am now adding to the threads tedium so as they say on Dragons Den.....i'm out