WEST BROM MANAGER Tony Pulis says he has never dealt with someone who has “faded” as badly as Saido Berahino.
Berahino was expecting a move to Tottenham in the close-season, but a reported £25million deal never materialised.
The 22-year-old has struggled in recent weeks, with Pulis stating Berahino has been a “really big disappointment” this season.
“It is the first time I have had to manage this situation,” he said. “I have been in management a long time but it is the first time someone has faded as badly as Saido has after a move fell through.
But you can’t condemn people. We have to accept what has happened and try and get the best out of him.
“Some people listen first time and others take a little bit more time to listen. People react differently — we are not all the same.
“You have to accept, today more than ever, that when you are managing young people they are a different breed to what we were. He is a young lad and he has been given everything. He has everything at his feet really.”
Despite the player’s drop in form, the former Stoke City boss believes he can get back to the level which saw him attract great interest from elsewhere in England.
You have to try and work him through that minefield. He has got to make sure that he gets his head in gear and performs well.
“If something comes up it comes up, if it doesn’t he has to perform. He has to recognise he has to play football and do his best for West Bromwich Albion.
Saido at his best should be in our team. He has been a really big disappointment for us this season.”
Berahino is expected to start against Swansea City on Boxing Day, with Salomon Rondon suspended.
Here we go again. Could this be the start of the normal Dunphy rhetoric against an Irish football manager…looks like it to me.
Dunphy makes a habit criticising whichever Irish manager is in charge but I think the point he makes is valid.
Why would O Neill put out out his first eleven and go through the free kick routines four days before a competitive fixture . Talk about showing your hand . Georgia’s analysts would love that .
You play close to your first 11 to get some continuity, it’s not do hard to understand, and it’s vital the players know each other’s game. They don’t have to give away their hand, just play some football together.
So playing some football together in a televised match in the modern era where every team has analysts wouldn’t be giving away your hand ?
What exactly would it give away? They obviously wouldn’t use practiced set piece moves. They Georgians would already have done their homework for the Irish game, they would know what all our individual players are capable of already. The Oman was basically just a run out, nothing to learn from it. it would be move beneficial to our team that the players knew each other’s game instead of finding out during a qualifier.
Im sure he has his best 11 picked in training and they will be playing plenty of practice matches before sunday, O’Neill is no fool.
They may know their individual qualities . Assessing the individual qualities of players is very different to assessing a team as a unit . You are proposing to play the team in a televised match 4 days before they play Georgia. That would be greatly appreciated in Georgia .
No he is right. Last night was a chance to give the first team even 45 minutes to fine tune tactics and combinations ahead of Sunday. The second half could have been used to give lads a run out.
Oh for God’s sake, for years we and the media have been bemoaning the fact that trap would never try and test new combinations of players or formations. Martin o’n goes and tries something different and we’re still giving out. If you can’t do something different against Oman at home then we might as well quit these friendlies altogether.
Phil, do you agree with showing your hand to your opponents four days before you play them ? Talk about naive .
A couple of more matches and dunphy will have O’neill condemned as a spoofer or a charlatan.
We qualified for probably the most competitive international competition and came close to a world cup with Trap.
I agree with Dunphy,but MON knows his stuff and has his reasons,anyway it means nothing,we want 3 points on sunday,that is all that matters,we have a fully fit expierienced squad so lets be positive from the word go.
It’s very important but it’s not all that matters, giving as many players as many opportunities and experience as possible and playing half decent football are also important
ALL that matters sunday is we win,but i agree,we need to improve,but we have already,give it time,Trap is gone,MON will get it right,we appointed a good management team,its up to the players now.
We qualified for probably the most competitive international competition and came close to a world cup with Trap.
Dun do bheal Dunphy, you barstooler.
He’s a barstooler with 23 full international caps for his country . How many full international caps have you ?
Why doesn’t the headline to this article say ” Dunphy very optimistic about Ireland’s chances” ?
Always the bitter word
I was in the AVIVA last night, atmosphere was shockin. Didn’t think there even was 14,000 at it. To be fair, I think Dunphy had a fair point but surely the lads O’Neill left out were nailed on starters (for the most part) anyway, so why not try out a few fringe lads and let them show O’Neill and Keane what they can offer?
Also great to see Given back, always good to have an experienced head around the place.
They could have played it in tallaght, dalymount, thomond or even turners cross
Oi! Eamo! STFU!