Good Boys Or Take A Risk

Rotherham United Manager Paul Warne told the Official Site that the club have to recruit ‘good human beings’ because they can’t afford to recruit the best players in the league.

Speaking after coming back from two down to get a point at inform Hull City, Warney said, ‘Coming back like we did from two down is why we have to recruit good human beings and when I asked them to show us a response in the second half I thought we had twelve giants out there. There were some good performances and I was really pleased with our second half. I’m pleased with the lads character.’

Now, I’ve always understood when Warney has been talking about ‘good human beings’ in the team and not wanting to recruit people who don’t ‘fit’ – in fact, I recall Steve Evans saying he wouldn’t recruit ‘bad apples’ which I suppose is akin to the same thing – but I’ve also felt like we could do with a ‘bully’ out there on the pitch.

This isn’t that I condone bullying because I don’t, anywhere, but I do think a team needs a player who can get in the oppositions faces, who is the first there to stick up for a team mate when needed, who can put a couple of strong challenges in. How many times have we seen the opposition players, particularly at the New York Stadium, in the referee’s ear all game? Our players don’t seem to do that. How many times do you see the opposition manager remonstrating with the Fourth Official for most of the ninety minutes?

Of those three first things I think we have found someone who can do at least the last one in Matt Crooks. He seems to be a strong player, a player who has stepped up from League Two to the Championship and, what I’ve seen of him, I’ve been impressed.

We didn’t get anyone in during the transfer window and we haven’t recruited – yet – any out of contract player, one of which, we have been told in the media that our manager was undecided about because he has a past and, I suppose that means, he isn’t a ‘good human being’.

What I’m asking is should we turn a blind eye to the fact that this person isn’t such a model citizen if he could keep us in the Championship and bring him in or should Warney stick to his guns and only fetch in ‘nice’ players?

What do you think?