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Luke O'Nien

Xhaka had him give the teamtalk before we beat the mags a few weeks ago. We’ve been told repeatedly how much he brings off the pitch since the day he signed by numerous managers and the hierarchy.

Between the grandas who still think football is about a “first xi” and anyone not playing has been “dropped” and the dafties who are itching to move players like O’Nien on when they seem perfectly happy to be involved I despair at times. I think there’s something very special about the way that we have got to where we are now that we need to be careful not to lose. Obviously players will move on, but they don’t need to be shoved out the door.

It was Hume in the summer, and he’s been absolutely class.
 

Xhaka had him give the teamtalk before we beat the mags a few weeks ago. We’ve been told repeatedly how much he brings off the pitch since the day he signed by numerous managers and the hierarchy.

Between the grandas who still think football is about a “first xi” and anyone not playing has been “dropped” and the dafties who are itching to move players like O’Nien on when they seem perfectly happy to be involved I despair at times. I think there’s something very special about the way that we have got to where we are now that we need to be careful not to lose. Obviously players will move on, but they don’t need to be shoved out the door.

It was Hume in the summer, and he’s been absolutely class.

exactly. i feel like the club is in a very special place at the moment, that obviously won't last. despite the addition of 15 signings in the summer, we somehow have managed to keep a very good connection between the club and the fans, in fact probably the best it has been in living memory. the likes of ballard, hume, cirkin, mayenda, le fee, rigg, wilson and o'nien have all played a big part in bridging the gap from the end of last season to where we are now, despite the flood of world class players into the club in a short space of time, has helped us maintain that good feeling. o'nien is right in the middle of this 'connection' despite his lack of playing time

i still think that had he not been suspended, he would have got minutes against the mags, brighton and leeds
 
Xhaka had him give the teamtalk before we beat the mags a few weeks ago. We’ve been told repeatedly how much he brings off the pitch since the day he signed by numerous managers and the hierarchy.

Between the grandas who still think football is about a “first xi” and anyone not playing has been “dropped” and the dafties who are itching to move players like O’Nien on when they seem perfectly happy to be involved I despair at times. I think there’s something very special about the way that we have got to where we are now that we need to be careful not to lose. Obviously players will move on, but they don’t need to be shoved out the door.

It was Hume in the summer, and he’s been absolutely class.
Have you even read the thread?
 
As a club, we've made great strides on the pitch, and are making the doubters, sit up & take notice of us, and if we're to keep progressing, we need to keep improving, which means bringing in even better players, and moving on players, who aren't able to force their way into an ever improving squad, and are deemed to be, surplus to requirements.

We cannot afford to keep players, purely out of sentimentality, otherwise, we'll end up standing still & we'll eventually stagnate & fail, and will find ourselves back where we started.

It's harsh, on the players who'll be moved on, but if we're to remain & establish ourselves in the Premier League, and regularly want to compete against those teams in the top half of the league, for European places, we must keep moving forwards, not backwards.

That's the nature of top level football.
We aren't talking about keeping him for sentimentality. We are talking about keeping him because he is an exemplary leader and mindset coach.

What we are discovering especially this season, is that football is now much more than a skill game. It's a mindset game. Xhaka brings so much more than his on the ball skills to this club. You need so much more than just good players in a team, you need great attitude, mindset ideas, coaching, therapy. We make a joke about "vibes" but there is more truth to that than we realise. How quickly players bounce back after injury or after a defeat, is down the "vibes", which is really how people feel about the club.

Think of it this way - think of the best boss you've ever worked for, versus the worst. There's a lot of "vibes" in that (as well as a lot of great leadership theory and practice, I'd guess). It's that, stuff you can't quite put a price on, the stuff that makes you want to work for a great boss, or leave a bad one. I think it's part of the reason Dan Neill isn't getting a look in right now - he's not got the right "vibes". ie leadership mentality.

I think O9 is very well suited for the club right now.
 
We aren't talking about keeping him for sentimentality. We are talking about keeping him because he is an exemplary leader and mindset coach.

What we are discovering especially this season, is that football is now much more than a skill game. It's a mindset game. Xhaka brings so much more than his on the ball skills to this club. You need so much more than just good players in a team, you need great attitude, mindset ideas, coaching, therapy. We make a joke about "vibes" but there is more truth to that than we realise. How quickly players bounce back after injury or after a defeat, is down the "vibes", which is really how people feel about the club.

Think of it this way - think of the best boss you've ever worked for, versus the worst. There's a lot of "vibes" in that (as well as a lot of great leadership theory and practice, I'd guess). It's that, stuff you can't quite put a price on, the stuff that makes you want to work for a great boss, or leave a bad one. I think it's part of the reason Dan Neill isn't getting a look in right now - he's not got the right "vibes". ie leadership mentality.

I think O9 is very well suited for the club right now.
Yes I think the spirit of the group which has carried on from last season despite a new team, is partly down to Luke, look at him on the pitch singing after the mags game , so I think he could be a big loss
 
We aren't talking about keeping him for sentimentality. We are talking about keeping him because he is an exemplary leader and mindset coach.

What we are discovering especially this season, is that football is now much more than a skill game. It's a mindset game. Xhaka brings so much more than his on the ball skills to this club. You need so much more than just good players in a team, you need great attitude, mindset ideas, coaching, therapy. We make a joke about "vibes" but there is more truth to that than we realise. How quickly players bounce back after injury or after a defeat, is down the "vibes", which is really how people feel about the club.

Think of it this way - think of the best boss you've ever worked for, versus the worst. There's a lot of "vibes" in that (as well as a lot of great leadership theory and practice, I'd guess). It's that, stuff you can't quite put a price on, the stuff that makes you want to work for a great boss, or leave a bad one. I think it's part of the reason Dan Neill isn't getting a look in right now - he's not got the right "vibes". ie leadership mentality.

I think O9 is very well suited for the club right now.
Yes, it’s all frequency. Which governs your thinking and then your doing. You are on the right track with Neil, he looks like he goes through the motions. Probably why he has been reluctant to sign a new contract for some time. He was biding his time. Now, his ship may have sailed. Good player, probably has poor advisors, same as Jobe.
 
We aren't talking about keeping him for sentimentality. We are talking about keeping him because he is an exemplary leader and mindset coach.

What we are discovering especially this season, is that football is now much more than a skill game. It's a mindset game. Xhaka brings so much more than his on the ball skills to this club. You need so much more than just good players in a team, you need great attitude, mindset ideas, coaching, therapy. We make a joke about "vibes" but there is more truth to that than we realise. How quickly players bounce back after injury or after a defeat, is down the "vibes", which is really how people feel about the club.

Think of it this way - think of the best boss you've ever worked for, versus the worst. There's a lot of "vibes" in that (as well as a lot of great leadership theory and practice, I'd guess). It's that, stuff you can't quite put a price on, the stuff that makes you want to work for a great boss, or leave a bad one. I think it's part of the reason Dan Neill isn't getting a look in right now - he's not got the right "vibes". ie leadership mentality.

I think O9 is very well suited for the club right now.
He's only 31, he should be playing. He's got years and years of coaching and mentoring ahead of him. Playing is a short career
 
We aren't talking about keeping him for sentimentality. We are talking about keeping him because he is an exemplary leader and mindset coach.

What we are discovering especially this season, is that football is now much more than a skill game. It's a mindset game. Xhaka brings so much more than his on the ball skills to this club. You need so much more than just good players in a team, you need great attitude, mindset ideas, coaching, therapy. We make a joke about "vibes" but there is more truth to that than we realise. How quickly players bounce back after injury or after a defeat, is down the "vibes", which is really how people feel about the club.

Think of it this way - think of the best boss you've ever worked for, versus the worst. There's a lot of "vibes" in that (as well as a lot of great leadership theory and practice, I'd guess). It's that, stuff you can't quite put a price on, the stuff that makes you want to work for a great boss, or leave a bad one. I think it's part of the reason Dan Neill isn't getting a look in right now - he's not got the right "vibes". ie leadership mentality.

I think O9 is very well suited for the club right now.
Crazy. Then change is role to encouragement coach and cheerleader.
 
If he wants to stay on with the coaching side of things I wonder if the club would put him alongside Murty with the U21s. I reckon he would be great with the younger players as he is such a respected figure within SAFC.
 
If he wants to stay on with the coaching side of things I wonder if the club would put him alongside Murty with the U21s. I reckon he would be great with the younger players as he is such a respected figure within SAFC.
In the future definitely, the lad should be playing regularly at his age
 
Xhaka had him give the teamtalk before we beat the mags a few weeks ago. We’ve been told repeatedly how much he brings off the pitch since the day he signed by numerous managers and the hierarchy.

Between the grandas who still think football is about a “first xi” and anyone not playing has been “dropped” and the dafties who are itching to move players like O’Nien on when they seem perfectly happy to be involved I despair at times. I think there’s something very special about the way that we have got to where we are now that we need to be careful not to lose. Obviously players will move on, but they don’t need to be shoved out the door.

It was Hume in the summer, and he’s been absolutely class.
Agree with all this. 👍
 
Xhaka had him give the teamtalk before we beat the mags a few weeks ago. We’ve been told repeatedly how much he brings off the pitch since the day he signed by numerous managers and the hierarchy.

Between the grandas who still think football is about a “first xi” and anyone not playing has been “dropped” and the dafties who are itching to move players like O’Nien on when they seem perfectly happy to be involved I despair at times. I think there’s something very special about the way that we have got to where we are now that we need to be careful not to lose. Obviously players will move on, but they don’t need to be shoved out the door.

It was Hume in the summer, and he’s been absolutely class.
Absolutely this. And people on here have been trying to write Hume off all season
 
Xhaka had him give the teamtalk before we beat the mags a few weeks ago. We’ve been told repeatedly how much he brings off the pitch since the day he signed by numerous managers and the hierarchy.

Between the grandas who still think football is about a “first xi” and anyone not playing has been “dropped” and the dafties who are itching to move players like O’Nien on when they seem perfectly happy to be involved I despair at times. I think there’s something very special about the way that we have got to where we are now that we need to be careful not to lose. Obviously players will move on, but they don’t need to be shoved out the door.

It was Hume in the summer, and he’s been absolutely class.
One of the posts of the year so far, IMO.
 
Any player who was part of the team that beat Wycombe that day in May will forever be a hero for many,especially Luke who was great in that run to the final.

He had his ups and downs in the championship but was one of our most consistent players last year.

I just dont (and think RLB and the coaching staff agree) think he has what it takes to be a consistent prem player.He's got his sub appearances now and maybe has a few more but he really should be looking to play more games at a big championship club.

Perhaps he will be a coach here in the future but you can respect his achivements here and not look at his future through Onien Cult specs.
 
Any player who was part of the team that beat Wycombe that day in May will forever be a hero for many,especially Luke who was great in that run to the final.

He had his ups and downs in the championship but was one of our most consistent players last year.

I just dont (and think RLB and the coaching staff agree) think he has what it takes to be a consistent prem player.He's got his sub appearances now and maybe has a few more but he really should be looking to play more games at a big championship club.

Perhaps he will be a coach here in the future but you can respect his achivements here and not look at his future through Onien Cult specs.
Exactly this. The lad should be playing week in week out. That isn't going to happen here
Only he can decide that. Of course he’s good enough to play regularly for a top championship side, but “glorified team leader” is probably way off the role he plays
I'd be very surprised if he was happy not playing every week. His role would be a mentoring and motivational one if he stayed. The lad deserves better imo than seeing out his playing days like that.
 
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Exactly this. The lad should be playing week in week out. That isn't going to happen here

He could easily have another championship promotion on his cv and potentially play more under a newly promoted side than he has here.

The bloke's attitude and application is fantastic.
 
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