Harry Winks (gone to Cagliari, official)

[TrentFox]

2 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

Are we possibly exaggerating a bit now?  He was and is prepared to travel to Seagrave or indeed the ground, every day, just not to stay overnight when he had a small baby at home.

 

1 hour ago, Gamble92 said:

Be great if we could all say no to our work like this wouldn't it?

But he’s not saying ‘no’ to work.  He’s saying no to having his non-work time determined by his employers.  

[MrsJohnMurphy]

Anyone get the impression this whole Winks thing would have been handled so much better under Pearson, it all stems from RVN trying to stamp his authority when it didn't need to be

[Dahnsouff]

Just now, kenny said:

With the new signings, I absolutely think he could produce the goods WFH.

Seem to recall you are not his biggest fan? 

I just don’t get why people have such an issue with him tbh, all this fluff about being miserable, etc is nothing- so that’s how he looks  

Sure he was part of the relegation brigade but give the guy a break. 

[brookfox]

The whole “Winks wouldn’t have a sleepover; hero or villain?” is such a futile debate as there’s different versions of the story none of us know. Maybe Ruud was unfairly scapegoating him to stamp his authority on the squad. Maybe Winks was frequently late to training. Maybe our sports science team spotted a significant drop in his performance due to sleep deprivation. Maybe Winks missed Enzo and was just being difficult to force a move. Maybe his wife had post-natal depression and he had to be at home for the good of his family. Etc etc.

 

The one thing we do know is that an on form and motivated Winks is an asset in this division if we play a certain way. Will we see this Winks again? Again none of us know but for now we have a bit of cover for him and hopefully a manager who can get him back playing for the team.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

11 minutes ago, brookfox said:

The whole “Winks wouldn’t have a sleepover; hero or villain?” is such a futile debate as there’s different versions of the story none of us know. Maybe Ruud was unfairly scapegoating him to stamp his authority on the squad. Maybe Winks was frequently late to training. Maybe our sports science team spotted a significant drop in his performance due to sleep deprivation. Maybe Winks missed Enzo and was just being difficult to force a move. Maybe his wife had post-natal depression and he had to be at home for the good of his family. Etc etc.

 

The one thing we do know is that an on form and motivated Winks is an asset in this division if we play a certain way. Will we see this Winks again? Again none of us know but for now we have a bit of cover for him and hopefully a manager who can get him back playing for the team.

All of this can be true (or false), but the reason that a lot of people are ****ed off with him is simple. 

 

People are not seeing the effort from him to pull it around. 

 

That's the long and the short of it. If he was being scapegoated by the previous manager, then double down and make him look like a twat for leaving him out. If it's his fault then the criticism is totally justified. 

 

I think the guy has a very bad case of learned helplessness. It's completely in his hands yet he's just moping about.

[ClaphamFox]

2 hours ago, Tommy G said:

It was more about millions and millions of people have had babies - it's actually his wife who has had the baby, and people don't shy away from their responsibilities just because this is the case. 

But if you'd taken on a job where you'd been told it was fine to commute from your current home, then your employer broke that promise and insisted you had to stay over one night a week just after your wife had given birth (ie, at the precise moment in your life when you really needed to be at home more), you might be a little annoyed about it. I suspect most of us would be.

 

Edited 2 September 2025 by ClaphamFox

[brookfox]

10 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

All of this can be true (or false), but the reason that a lot of people are ****ed off with him is simple. 

 

People are not seeing the effort from him to pull it around. 

 

That's the long and the short of it. If he was being scapegoated by the previous manager, then double down and make him look like a twat for leaving him out. If it's his fault then the criticism is totally justified. 

 

I think the guy has a very bad case of learned helplessness. It's completely in his hands yet he's just moping about.

This I agree with. But I’d just read a whole page of messages debating the legality and morals of WFH and commuting so wanted to put that to bed (at Seagrave or home, personally I’m not bothered!).

[Gamble92]

52 minutes ago, brookfox said:

The whole “Winks wouldn’t have a sleepover; hero or villain?” is such a futile debate as there’s different versions of the story none of us know. Maybe Ruud was unfairly scapegoating him to stamp his authority on the squad. Maybe Winks was frequently late to training. Maybe our sports science team spotted a significant drop in his performance due to sleep deprivation. Maybe Winks missed Enzo and was just being difficult to force a move. Maybe his wife had post-natal depression and he had to be at home for the good of his family. Etc etc.

 

The one thing we do know is that an on form and motivated Winks is an asset in this division if we play a certain way. Will we see this Winks again? Again none of us know but for now we have a bit of cover for him and hopefully a manager who can get him back playing for the team.

Agree with this but why be the way he is with the fans?

 

Even if he's read a few comments on here, it hardly represents the whole fanbase does it? The ones who travel up and down the country to support the team. 

 

I think that's when everyone lost it with him, even after all the events of last season. 

[Fox-LMA]

My main problem with him is that he was terrible for us last season, on & off the pitch.

 

I lost track of the amount of times he & Soumare didn't track runners into the box & it end up in conceding goals. He was supposed to be one of our main players last season, with a salary to match. We were really counting on him to produce some perfomances for us, anchor us to safety & he came nowhere near to doing so.

 

We needed leadership from players like him & he didn't provide. The whole 'Enzo we miss u' thing was childish, embarrassing (like he misses Winks) & was a major sign of dressing room disharmony that, as a senior player, he would be a big contributor to.

 

The whole baby thing I'm reluctant to get into as there is a lot I (& we) don't know about the situation. But the fact it all played out in the press brought controversy to the club at a time when it was the last thing anybody needed. He & RVN should have been adults about the situation & come to a compromise. They didn't, & it cost us.

 

Don't even get me started on his current behaviour.

 

So - for these reasons - I'm disappointed that he's still here...

[ClaphamFox]

5 minutes ago, Fox-LMA said:

My main problem with him is that he was terrible for us last season, on & off the pitch.

 

I lost track of the amount of times he & Soumare didn't track runners into the box & it end up in conceding goals. He was supposed to be one of our main players last season, with a salary to match. We were really counting on him to produce some perfomances for us, anchor us to safety & he came nowhere near to doing so.

 

We needed leadership from players like him & he didn't provide. The whole 'Enzo we miss u' thing was childish, embarrassing (like he misses Winks) & was a major sign of dressing room disharmony that, as a senior player, he would be a big contributor to.

 

The whole baby thing I'm reluctant to get into as there is a lot I (& we) don't know about the situation. But the fact it all played out in the press brought controversy to the club at a time when it was the last thing anybody needed. He & RVN should have been adults about the situation & come to a compromise. They didn't, & it cost us.

 

Don't even get me started on his current behaviour.

 

So - for these reasons - I'm disappointed that he's still here...

Why is the 'Enzo we miss U' sign always pinned on Winks? There were lots of other players in that nightclub.

[Gloria]

If Marti can get Championship winning Winks back, that's great. But the fact he's been bench warming suggests that if his head or heart isn't in it, he'll need to stock up on Campari etc🍹

[AKCJ]

1 hour ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

All of this can be true (or false), but the reason that a lot of people are ****ed off with him is simple. 

 

People are not seeing the effort from him to pull it around. 

 

That's the long and the short of it. If he was being scapegoated by the previous manager, then double down and make him look like a twat for leaving him out. If it's his fault then the criticism is totally justified. 

 

I think the guy has a very bad case of learned helplessness. It's completely in his hands yet he's just moping about.

Spot on. His attitude might be absolutely fine but we only see a miserable bastard that looks as though he'd rather be anywhere but here mope about the pitch. 

 

It doesn't take much to show you want to be here yet he's not showing it. The same for Faes.

[hackneyfox]

21 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

Spot on. His attitude might be absolutely fine but we only see a miserable bastard that looks as though he'd rather be anywhere but here mope about the pitch. 

 

It doesn't take much to show you want to be here yet he's not showing it. The same for Faes.

I thought Faes looked fine in every game when he came on, evem though he got booed, side certainly looked better and the ball was progressed better up the pitch. I really couldn't give a **** if he looks happy or not as long as he's doing his job well.

[Denzel the fox]

A very public display from him too at the end of the brum game standing on the touchline at the final whistle all on his Todd when everyone else went into the middle of the pitch. He’s done a few things like this, in the fiorentina game I noticed he came on at half time to warm up, 5 of the young lads were already warming up with one ball, rather than have a word as a senior player and split the group in two so everyone could warm up properly he went off again on his own ignoring the young lads until one of the coaching staff pulled him up. 

[coolhandfox]

Good chance he doesn't make the bench with the new arrivals 

[volpeazzurro]

4 hours ago, Dahnsouff said:

He has just had a kid I thought, and if so it seems a million miles from unreasonable too me, but each to their own.

I’ve had children too, worked long hours, shifts, sometimes quite often away from home. He chose to live where he did and to be asked to stay over once in a blue moon for the huge wages he’s on isn’t unreasonable either! It’s about give and take. He just wanted everything his own way. Selfish git and hardly part of a team ethic.

[AKCJ]

14 minutes ago, hackneyfox said:

I thought Faes looked fine in every game when he came on, evem though he got booed, side certainly looked better and the ball was progressed better up the pitch. I really couldn't give a **** if he looks happy or not as long as he's doing his job well.

Runs around waving his arms, cupping his hands to his ears and shushing the fans.

 

His attitude is abysmal.

[whoareyaaa]

I don't think anyone cares about what happened with him and Ruud last season but to come into this season with a mardy on its just shit really he was hardly singled out and booed.

[hackneyfox]

5 minutes ago, volpeazzurro said:

I’ve had children too, worked long hours, shifts, sometimes quite often away from home. He chose to live where he did and to be asked to stay over once in a blue moon for the huge wages he’s on isn’t unreasonable either! It’s about give and take. He just wanted everything his own way. Selfish git and hardly part of a team ethic.

You don't know the circumstances so have no idea whether it was unreasonable.

 

Just because you've worked long hours and shifts does that mean everyone else should if their emplyer requests it?

 

[hackneyfox]

1 minute ago, AKCJ said:

Runs around waving his arms, cupping his hands to his ears and shushing the fans.

 

His attitude is abysmal.

He ran around with the ball and progressed it up the pitch which many others were failing to do.

Cupping his hands and shushing the fans was totally understandable after they'd booed him when he came on, he's not the first and won't be the last to react to negativity from fans.

 

He ran around waving his arms and blaming everyone else last season and for that I wanted him gone.

At the moment he may be our best CM, if he is and his attitude changes, and if he helps get us promoted then I'm not that bothered should we keep him.

Won't be that upset if Marti decides he can leave.

[MPH]

6 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

Are we possibly exaggerating a bit now?  He was and is prepared to travel to Seagrave or indeed the ground, every day, just not to stay overnight when he had a small baby at home.

 

you can’t win as a footballer.. put your family first and you still get vilified. And like you said, he’s never refused to do any part of his job..

[Dahnsouff]

22 minutes ago, volpeazzurro said:

I’ve had children too, worked long hours, shifts, sometimes quite often away from home. He chose to live where he did and to be asked to stay over once in a blue moon for the huge wages he’s on isn’t unreasonable either! It’s about give and take. He just wanted everything his own way. Selfish git and hardly part of a team ethic.

The scenario you describe is quite reasonable, but it also assumes lots of norms. We don’t know, nor can know, if there were complications during or after the birth, not uncommon, so in such situations will always default to forgiveness rather than accusations.

[whoareyaaa]

11 minutes ago, MPH said:

 

you can’t win as a footballer.. put your family first and you still get vilified. And like you said, he’s never refused to do any part of his job..

No one is booing him in the stadium though yet he is walking around with a right mardy on, don't want to clap the fans either or be involved.

 

All a bit strange.

Edited 2 September 2025 by whoareyaaa

[JimJams]

I've heard through contacts at the club that Winks would have been well up for staying over had he been asked nicely.  However it turns out that Ruud, after having had a skinful in the Keith Weller Lounge, apparently grabbed young Harry and proceeded to say "Oi, Wanks, you're sleeping over you cxnt".  Initially taken aback Winky let out a nervous giggle and said "Sorry sir, what?" to which Van Nastyroy viciously cupped the midfield dynamo by the balls, squeezing them and looking directly into the now wincing lads tearful eyes "I've got you the penthouse sweet ya dirty bitch" before spinning him round and slapping his ass.

 

Now call me a Winks apologist, but I'm not sure that's reasonable.

 

Ruud?  He was positively vulgar!

[CrazyKopCorner]

4 hours ago, MrsJohnMurphy said:

Anyone get the impression this whole Winks thing would have been handled so much better under Pearson, it all stems from RVN trying to stamp his authority when it didn't need to be

Winks may have felt he was being singled out too 

 

Lets face it RVN didn't have a scoobie so although it looks as though Winks has handled it badly it's likely to have been delivered extremely poorly by that absolute waste of space