I find it a little bit rich listening to people who battered him quite severely at times now praising him - he got slapped when others wouldn’t even get a tut, and most of the compliments were backhanded even when he did something right - but then most of the credit for his resilience isn’t even being given to him it seems. The guy was sitting in the centre circle after a game, almost in tears a few months ago, and while he did that the radio post-match was full of people going spare about how he was some sort of imbecile who had let everyone down. We won that game, by the way, but for 10 straight minutes people took turns at smashing him while he was visibly in bits, rather than talking about the fact that we had won a game. It’s all good and well talking about how a year ago his head was down and he couldn’t look people in the eye, but my question would therefore be this: “So why did you attack him so harshly if you knew he was so fragile?” Can’t have it both ways. I hear a lot of suggestions that he was responsible for his own pastings, but not much acknowledgement that perhaps a few people were too harsh on him, or didn’t get it right in the manner of their own criticisms. Bit of reflection and self-awareness needed, IMO. Maybe he’s happier and has stepped it up because people stopped digging him out, he got a run of games where he said that he wanted to play and felt comfortable, which in turn allowed him to build up confidence and start to develop his game, and it made him feel supported and like he knew where he was as a result. For once. No? Just a thought.
I’ll give Agyei the credit for his own determination and strength of character - he made the decision to start swinging when a lot of people were stamping on him. Between moments like today, the winner at the skip, the towering header back across goal for the equaliser at MK in the 97th minute, he’s produced some massive, massive moments. Those belong to him. Nobody else.
Cheers, Dan. This pint’s for you.
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