Tommy Elphick 'best decision I made'

Dan Gleeballs · Apr 10, 2015

Tommy Elphick in the Guardian. Good on him. Done really well since leaving

http://www.theguardian.com/football...uth-tommy-elphick-championship-premier-league

Hampster Gull · Apr 10, 2015

Well done Elphick. Can still play for the Sussex national team

Perfidious Albion · Apr 10, 2015

Yes, he has done well , good luck to him.....I wish he was still our player, he would be first choice centre half in my book

chaileyjem · Apr 10, 2015

Did he decide to leave ? Didn't Gus make it clear he wasn't in his plans ?

Geriatric Seagull · Apr 10, 2015

Letting him and Cook go-two more of the magnificent management decisions in recent years that have weakened our squad to the point where we are struggling to avoid relegation. Good luck to them both-after tonight!

casbom · Apr 10, 2015

I just hope and pray that if Rea is any good, we don't toss him aside as well just because he's a youngster and home grown and that we actually tie him down.

We've developed 3 top CB's that could have been the base of our side but we decided to cash in on two of them so far, maybe the third this summer.

London Irish · Apr 10, 2015

I would have kept Cook and let Elphick go

Thunder Bolt · Apr 10, 2015

chaileyjem said:
Did he decide to leave ? Didn't Gus make it clear he wasn't in his plans ?

http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/9868886.print/

Bold Seagull · Apr 10, 2015

Could be that Elphick, Cook, Barnes and Murray will all be enjoying the Premier League while we talk about rebuilding a near relegated squad.

chaileyjem · Apr 10, 2015

casbom said:
We've developed 3 top CB's that could have been the base of our side but we decided to cash in on two of them so far, maybe the third this summer.

Cash-in ? How exactly. We sold them to a (then) L1 side for relatively small fees.

Steve in Japan · Apr 10, 2015

Somebody called Elphick really ought to be playing for a Sussex club. But good luck to him.

Albion Robster · Apr 10, 2015

Fair play to him. He's certainly not looking back now.

Bold Seagull · Apr 10, 2015

Mustafa said:
Hindsight is a wonderful thing - at the time there wasn't many complaints from the fans, as Elphick & Cook were deemed surplus to requirements. Fourth and fifth choices behind Greer, Dunk and El-Abd... the following year we signed Upson, and they were missed less than ever.

Now that Upson has gone, Greer is ageing and Dunk is proven to be somewhat inconsistent, it would be marvellous if Elphick & Cook were still with us.

In retrospect we should have ditched El-Abd sooner and kept either Cook or Elphick.

Sorry, but we're fans, we're not supposed to be making decisions seeing training sessions and the day to day attitudes of players. Our professionally run football club is supposed to be doing that, and hindsight is no excuse for us letting Elphick go who was superb in both 2009/10 and the title win the year after. 4th choice - don't be daft, Elphick made 149 league appearances in 4 seasons!

While Bridcutt and Buckley agitated for moves, Cook, Elphick, Murray and Barnes we let go - all four abysmal decisions, in particular, Elphick, Murray and Barnes not retrospect or hindsight decisions - these left many of us head scratching. Who could we have got in with the money not bringing Upson here would have saved? Or CMS?

Something very broken in how we've been assessing players we have, and assessing the players we bring in. Would our squad be significantly stronger with Cook, Elphick, Murray and Barnes still here!? Terrible mistakes, really shocking decisions that actually lead us to where we are right now.

Tony Meolas Loan Spell · Apr 10, 2015

Bold Seagull said:
Sorry, but we're fans, we're not supposed to be making decisions seeing training sessions and the day to day attitudes of players. Our professionally run football club is supposed to be doing that, and hindsight is no excuse for us letting Elphick go who was superb in both 2009/10 and the title win the year after. 4th choice - don't be daft, Elphick made 149 league appearances in 4 seasons!

While Bridcutt and Buckley agitated for moves, Cook, Elphick, Murray and Barnes we let go - all four abysmal decisions, in particular, Elphick, Murray and Barnes not retrospect or hindsight decisions - these left many of us head scratching. Who could we have got in with the money not bringing Upson here would have saved? Or CMS?

Something very broken in how we've been assessing players we have, and assessing the players we bring in. Would our squad be significantly stronger with Cook, Elphick, Murray and Barnes still here!? Terrible mistakes, really shocking decisions that actually lead us to where we are right now.

Excellent post.

WonderingSoton · Apr 10, 2015

Fair play to Tommy and no one can argue he made a good decision in joining Bournemouth given how things have developed since. Cook is also a perfect fit for the type of possession football they play there. We could never quite be sure if Cook was a right back or a centre back, because he wasn't the strongest physically but was talented with the ball. Well Howe has really got the best from Cook in a central role as well. Together with their differing skillset they make a good combination.

It's a hard one with hindsight - yes they've developed into really good players. But they have needed 3 years of week in week out starts with Bournemouth during their climb through L1 and the Championship, in order to develop into the players they are now. It's game time that really develops players, not development leagues and reserve games really. We weren't prepared to give them the regular starts, instead more bit part roles. Yes Cook and Elphick as they are now would improve us no end I'm sure. But had they stayed here and continued to have only bit part roles for the last few years, neither would have developed into the player they are now.

The loan system would have been the perfect solution. A full season long loan for them, instead of selling them for buttons, would have been a much better solution and would have seen them develop given the game time they needed. Instead we've been made to look a mug as we couldn't quite put the correct value on Cook and Elphick's potential.

The Large One · Apr 10, 2015

Bold Seagull said:
Sorry, but we're fans, we're not supposed to be making decisions seeing training sessions and the day to day attitudes of players. Our professionally run football club is supposed to be doing that, and hindsight is no excuse for us letting Elphick go who was superb in both 2009/10 and the title win the year after. 4th choice - don't be daft, Elphick made 149 league appearances in 4 seasons!

While Bridcutt and Buckley agitated for moves, Cook, Elphick, Murray and Barnes we let go - all four abysmal decisions, in particular, Elphick, Murray and Barnes not retrospect or hindsight decisions - these left many of us head scratching. Who could we have got in with the money not bringing Upson here would have saved? Or CMS?

Something very broken in how we've been assessing players we have, and assessing the players we bring in. Would our squad be significantly stronger with Cook, Elphick, Murray and Barnes still here!? Terrible mistakes, really shocking decisions that actually lead us to where we are right now.

People were most disappointed at the time when he left because it was considered another local lad was leaving us. Not many thought it 'an abysmal decision' at the time, that's re-writing history.

Every decision is taken on its merits at the time, not how something may or may not pan out.

Tommy Elphick was, at the time, a third division defender whom it was felt wasn't ready for a step up. He would have been kicking his heels in the stiffs if he'd stayed - that's Gus' attitude at the time, and the only thing we could have to go on. People then would have grizzled that he was costing us wages. So he was sold to a third division side.

After playing regularly for that third division side, he is now playing regularly for a second division side and doing well. Good on him.

Hindsight, in judging whether a player would go on to do well, is irrelevant.

Blue Valkyrie · Apr 10, 2015

The Elf will make an even better decision when he comes back to us :rock:

Thunder Bolt · Apr 10, 2015

WonderingSoton said:
Fair play to Tommy and no one can argue he made a good decision in joining Bournemouth given how things have developed since. Cook is also a perfect fit for the type of possession football they play there. We could never quite be sure if Cook was a right back or a centre back, because he wasn't the strongest physically but was talented with the ball. Well Howe has really got the best from Cook in a central role as well. Together with their differing skillset they make a good combination.

It's a hard one with hindsight - yes they've developed into really good players. But they have needed 3 years of week in week out starts with Bournemouth during their climb through L1 and the Championship, in order to develop into the players they are now. It's game time that really develops players, not development leagues and reserve games really. We weren't prepared to give them the regular starts, instead more bit part roles. Yes Cook and Elphick as they are now would improve us no end I'm sure. But had they stayed here and continued to have only bit part roles for the last few years, neither would have developed into the player they are now.

The loan system would have been the perfect solution. A full season long loan for them, instead of selling them for buttons, would have been a much better solution and would have seen them develop given the game time they needed. Instead we've been made to look a mug as we couldn't quite put the correct value on Cook and Elphick's potential.

If I remember rightly, (it's probable that I don't) Cook did go on loan, which was then turned into a purchase by Bournemouth.

Bold Seagull · Apr 10, 2015

The Large One said:
People were most disappointed at the time when he left because it was considered another local lad was leaving us. Not many thought it 'an abysmal decision' at the time, that's re-writing history.

Every decision is taken on its merits at the time, not how something may or may not pan out.

Tommy Elphick was, at the time, a third division defender whom it was felt wasn't ready for a step up. He would have been kicking his heels in the stiffs if he'd stayed - that's Gus' attitude at the time, and the only thing we could have to go on. People then would have grizzled that he was costing us wages. So he was sold to a third division side.

After playing regularly for that third division side, he is now playing regularly for a second division side and doing well. Good on him.

Hindsight, in judging whether a player would go on to do well, is irrelevant.

You read the bit where I said we as fans cannot be expected to make professional judgements on players with whom staff are working with every day, in all these cases over a fairly long period of time.

When you say 'not many' you are talking about fans who really only see a match day performance. For a professional football club, for the professional staff involved in those decisions, then I stand by that they are abysmal decisions.

Tommy Elphick got us promoted, and after getting back fit got another side promoted and got them to the top of the league. Clearly a very good player. Good on him indeed.

So basically you are blaming Gus, which is probably the case, but that doesn't explain the Barnes decision that was over the head of our manager at the time.

Hindsight is the only way of reviewing past mistakes. If you don't do that, you will just carry on making the same mistakes.

Theatre of Trees · Apr 10, 2015

Bold Seagull said:
Sorry, but we're fans, we're not supposed to be making decisions seeing training sessions and the day to day attitudes of players. Our professionally run football club is supposed to be doing that, and hindsight is no excuse for us letting Elphick go who was superb in both 2009/10 and the title win the year after. 4th choice - don't be daft, Elphick made 149 league appearances in 4 seasons!

While Bridcutt and Buckley agitated for moves, Cook, Elphick, Murray and Barnes we let go - all four abysmal decisions, in particular, Elphick, Murray and Barnes not retrospect or hindsight decisions - these left many of us head scratching. Who could we have got in with the money not bringing Upson here would have saved? Or CMS?

Something very broken in how we've been assessing players we have, and assessing the players we bring in. Would our squad be significantly stronger with Cook, Elphick, Murray and Barnes still here!? Terrible mistakes, really shocking decisions that actually lead us to where we are right now.

Christ that is a load of dogs danglies

Elphick had been out for 18 months, had never played in the Championship and had fallen down to fourth choice centre back behind Greer, El Abd and the emerging Lewis Dunk. At that stage of his career he had to be playing regular football and there was no direct guarantee that would happen with us - as he mentions in the article he needed to make a choice and decided to move down a division to get that.

Cook was fifth choice centre back, who had made one league appearance with us, and remained so when Elphick left and Grant Hall was acquired. The decision taken there was who would be the better prospect Cook or Hall with the powers that be deciding to go with latter thus letting Cook go to Bournemouth whom he had been on loan to for much of that season. That was also a drop in league for a player. What the club did not foresee was Grant Hall having his head turned by the prospect of a bigger salary and life in the Premiership reserves with Tottenham.

So all this abysmal decision making is actually 'hindsight' by you and others, unless of course you foresaw the rise of Bournemouth to its current position the day we sold them Elphick?

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