Hendrie's Ramblings

Last updated : 04 April 2012 By Stuart Gillespie
The St. Mirren FTT site is run by the same folk who run HKIMN, but is always my first stop on a Sunday purely because of one thing. They have quotes from Tom Hendrie, something most of the papers don't. I'm not going to nick their quotes, as that would be unfair on the excellent sites, so if you want to read them then visit their site. Seems fair I think.

The first article is Hendrie's views on the game. Once again we get the usual rbbish about how the pitch was going to cut up so the team would have to adopt to that. I think we have a cheek criticising other pithces when ours, especially the goalmouths, is downright shocking. And obviously, the state of the pitch doesn't affect whoever we are playing against, just us.

However it seems we are getting somewhere with Tom. He has now admitted we are a bad team, took him long enough, and that we could end up in a last day finale to stay up, again it took him long enough to realise relegation was a threat. We've been in a bad way since December yet, only recently has Hendrie admitted we may, and I stress may even though we are close to the bottom, be relegated and the title is almost gone. He talks about how it's annoying that we make the same mistakes, but it is his job to try and ensure we don't make these mistakes after the first time. What the players get up to in training is beyond me.

The second in the series of articles with Hendrie quotes is about giving away Ludovic Roy, which he lables as being "suicidal". Again, 10 out of 10 for observation Mr. Hendrie. It was a financial situation, absolutely, as was loaning out Steven McGarry and selling Alex Burns. We had tried to talk to the league about bringing in a goalie on loan, which seems fair to me. Except, having four injured goalies obviosuly doesn't count as exceptional circumstances so they didn't let us have one. Seems unfair, but Hendrie goes on to say Scott Strang was a free agent, all we could afford, and he had a reasonable game, but it was the defence's fault we lost 4.

These two articles I have no problems with, I agree with most of the stuff he says. It's the third and final article that really annoys me and I feel is a disgrace. He says the fans should show the team some respect.

Hendrie does not feel the fans should be shouting abuse at the players. Well, he had previously said the players make the same mistakes so what are they meant to shout? "Well done, you've given away possession for the fifth time in five minutes". I don't think so. It gets better, as he goes on to say that it's a British thing you shout abuse at football matches. Right, obviously those crowds in Spain and italy and the rest of the world are shouting abuse at some guy walking in the street with the same name. Don't think so!

Hendrie then goes on to talk about how the fans should voice their opinion after the game. Short of doing a protest outside the main door of the ground, that means we have to wait until he gets to the safety of the dressing room, where he probably can't here us, before shouting for him to quit or shouting about a mistake made 40 minutes ago.

But here comes the best bit. Hendrie complains about having to loan out or sell Ludo Roy (fair enough), Alex Burns (fair enough as Hendrie played him even though he was lazy) and Steven McGarry. he is basically saying these are key players, and with the first two I can accept that. I can not accept this with McGarry. It is because Hendrie left him on the bench or in the reserves most of the time, apart from at the start of the season. How can a reserve player therefore be classed as a squad player?? Very strange, and I don't agree with hendrie at all.

Apart from talking about having the strongest team, the last part of this article is about how the fans see his genuine reasons for defeat as excuses. This is pathetic, to me 5 goals from 5 breakways is an excuse. How many times have Saints been "unlucky" this season? It is beyond a joke.

Maybe if the players and Hendrie started putting in a bit of effort or strted conducting themselves in a proper manner we would respect them. The Airdrie game last week was the first time I have almost lost my voice at a game for ages. Why? because the team put in the effort, and hendrie made sensible decisions thats why! Hendrie has a cheek asking us to respect the team and him when we he doesn't respect us. What sort of idiots does he take us for when he expects us to believe his after match garbage?

And the icing on the cake is, after some fans shouted at him for 20 minutes sstraight yesterday, Hendrie allegedly (lawyer type folk please not use of word allegedly) turned round and told them to F*** Off, at which point one of them tried giving him a doing. Please not again, this is alleged.

If all this is true, it is obvious Hendrie has no respect for the fans, and the swearing just sums him up. It is time for him to go, before it is too late and we get relegated.