Hourihane

Twitter rumours that we have rejected an offer from Barnsley for him.

comfirm story from twitter

Plymouth Argyle reject bid for captain Conor Hourihane from Barnsley

PLYMOUTH Argyle are determined to hold onto captain Conor Hourihane despite an approach for him from League One outfit Barnsley.

The Pilgrims have rejected an undisclosed five-figure bid from Barnsley for the 23-year-old Irish midfielder.

The South Yorkshire club, who were relegated from the Championship last term, must now decide whether to make an increased offer for Hourihane.

Hourihane has spent three seasons at Argyle after signing from Ipswich Town in July 2011.

He has made a total of 142 appearances for the Pilgrims and scored 16 goals – with 10 of them coming last term.

An Argyle spokesman told Herald Sport: “We have had an offer from Barnsley but we are obviously not looking to sell Conor.

“He’s a central part of our plan to try to make a strong promotion bid next season.

“The offer was just so low it wasn’t worth really discussing it any further.”

Hourihane, a former Republic of Ireland under-21 international, has another 12 months remaining on his contract at Argyle.

While the Pilgrims want to retain his services as they plot a League Two promotion push next term, the reality is that every player has his price.

It could come down to whether Barnsley, whose manager is the experienced Danny Wilson, are ready to stump up that kind of money.

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Five figures? What's that, £99,999 at the absolute maximum?

JOG ON

They would've snapped their hands off for that kind of offer, £10,000 on the nose more like though the Argyle spokesman who said the offer was too low to even consider did hint that an offer closer to £10,350 would probably be acceptable !!

Come on Argyle, for once please refuse to sell our best players, it's so shortsighted. Nothing less than £1 million should even be considered for Conor   

Will he go or will he stay?

Wilson admits midfielder interest.

Barnsley manager Danny Wilson has admitted he is chasing Plymouth Argyle midfielder Conor Hourihane.

The Reds have had an initial bid for the 23-year-old Irish midfielder turned down by the Home Park outfit but Wilson today told BBC Radio Sheffield that he still holds out hope he can land a player who has represented his country at Under 19 and Under 21 level.

Hourihane, who started his career in the northeast with Sunderland, has netted 16 goals in 134 appearances for Plymouth since joining in 2011.



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I can never make up my mind whether he's good bad or indifferent. And in some games he's probably all 3.

I wonder if he himself wants to leave for any amount of different reasons. Barnsley seems a strange one though apart from being a leapfrog to League One without another season's slog in the basement division.

If it's a speculative bid on Wilson's part or he's been given a nudge and a wink from Hourihane's agent could make all the difference to the end result.

If football agents didn't work in football grounds they would be working in sleazy bars selling their wives and/girlfriends.

We are led to believe that his contract is up next season. Which means Conor can then go for nothing. We have allowed our bargaining position to become weak. Any offer of around £75,000 would, I imagine, be accepted.

He won't leave.

Barnsley fail in second bid for Plymouth Argyle captain Conor Hourihane


LEAGUE One outfit Barnsley have made an improved second bid for Plymouth Argyle captain Conor Hourihane.

However, Herald Sport understands the offer still falls short of the Pilgrims’ valuation of the 23-year-old midfielder.

Barnsley boss Danny Wilson has confirmed his interest in Hourihane, who has made 142 appearances for Argyle over the past three seasons and scored 16 goals.

But Argyle manager John Sheridan has insisted he does not want to lose the Cork-born midfielder.

He is busy trying to assemble a squad which is capable of challenging for promotion from League Two in 2014/15, and Hourihane is a key part of that.

Herald Sport understands the Pilgrims are not expecting another bid for Hourihane from Barnsley, who were relegated from the Championship last season.

Meanwhile, Sheridan has admitted his player recruitment plans at Plymouth Argyle this summer have not always gone as he had hoped.

The Pilgrims’ boss has already completed five new signings during the close season, with former Stevenage defender Peter Hartley the latest addition.

He has followed midfielder Lee Cox, strikers Deane Smalley and Reuben Reid, plus defender Carl McHugh into Home Park.

Reid spent last season on loan to Argyle from Yeovil Town but he has now signed a two-year contract.

However, there have been some near misses when it comes to signings for Sheridan, although he has not named who they were.

He told Herald Sport: “One or two have just backfired on me a little bit but that’s part and parcel of where we are in the country, and one or two little things. I totally understand that.

“Myself and Jason Turner (Argyle’s football secretary and general manager) have been working hard to try to get players in, and we just carry on.

“It’s not about bringing players in for the sake of it. They have got to make us better and, hopefully, get us out of the division and improve us.

“I’m looking for players who are at a good age and have played in a higher division. It’s important I try to get the best out of them.”

Sheridan’s main priority is to find a right-back to replace Durrell Berry, who rejected a new contract to stay at Argyle.

He also needs a midfield player who can provide attacking width and a back-up goalkeeper to Luke McCormick.

That follows the departures of Andres Gurrieri, who failed to agree terms with the Pilgrims, and Jake Cole, who was released, respectively.

Sheridan said: “I think people know what positions I’m looking at. I’m filling areas in where people have left.

“I think we have just got to make sure we are strong in all departments and that’s what I’m trying to do.

“It doesn’t matter who I bring in, they have got to prove to me they are worth a place in the side.

“I will make decisions throughout pre-season on who is working hard and who has done well in games.

“I will always try to name a team that I think will win us a game, and it’s important we have competition for places because it will get the best out of each other.

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Barnsley are essentially the Yorkshire version of Argyle. I'd be surprised if he left us for them. League 1 is the only thing that might attract him. As he's got one year left, it might be wise to improve his contract and gjve him a three year deal - that would protect what I see as an asset. Hourihane often carries the midfield - he'd flourish with better players around him. It's good news we've rejected two bids though. Makes a change.

Agreed Hairy. He's a very good player and at a good age. He warrants a decent price if he must go, but it's good that the club see him as more valuable with us than being sold from us. I'd like to see him receive a new contract too, but that can be sorted in the months leading to the Jan transfer window.

Tgwu wrote:

Barnsley fail in second bid for Plymouth Argyle captain Conor Hourihane


LEAGUE One outfit Barnsley have made an improved second bid for Plymouth Argyle captain Conor Hourihane.

However, Herald Sport understands the offer still falls short of the Pilgrims’ valuation of the 23-year-old midfielder.

Barnsley boss Danny Wilson has confirmed his interest in Hourihane, who has made 142 appearances for Argyle over the past three seasons and scored 16 goals.

But Argyle manager John Sheridan has insisted he does not want to lose the Cork-born midfielder.

He is busy trying to assemble a squad which is capable of challenging for promotion from League Two in 2014/15, and Hourihane is a key part of that.

Herald Sport understands the Pilgrims are not expecting another bid for Hourihane from Barnsley, who were relegated from the Championship last season.

Meanwhile, Sheridan has admitted his player recruitment plans at Plymouth Argyle this summer have not always gone as he had hoped.

The Pilgrims’ boss has already completed five new signings during the close season, with former Stevenage defender Peter Hartley the latest addition.

He has followed midfielder Lee Cox, strikers Deane Smalley and Reuben Reid, plus defender Carl McHugh into Home Park.

Reid spent last season on loan to Argyle from Yeovil Town but he has now signed a two-year contract.

However, there have been some near misses when it comes to signings for Sheridan, although he has not named who they were.

He told Herald Sport: “One or two have just backfired on me a little bit but that’s part and parcel of where we are in the country, and one or two little things. I totally understand that.

“Myself and Jason Turner (Argyle’s football secretary and general manager) have been working hard to try to get players in, and we just carry on.

“It’s not about bringing players in for the sake of it. They have got to make us better and, hopefully, get us out of the division and improve us.

“I’m looking for players who are at a good age and have played in a higher division. It’s important I try to get the best out of them.”

Sheridan’s main priority is to find a right-back to replace Durrell Berry, who rejected a new contract to stay at Argyle.

He also needs a midfield player who can provide attacking width and a back-up goalkeeper to Luke McCormick.

That follows the departures of Andres Gurrieri, who failed to agree terms with the Pilgrims, and Jake Cole, who was released, respectively.

Sheridan said: “I think people know what positions I’m looking at. I’m filling areas in where people have left.

“I think we have just got to make sure we are strong in all departments and that’s what I’m trying to do.

“It doesn’t matter who I bring in, they have got to prove to me they are worth a place in the side.

“I will make decisions throughout pre-season on who is working hard and who has done well in games.

“I will always try to name a team that I think will win us a game, and it’s important we have competition for places because it will get the best out of each other.

Read more at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

£20k was the first bid apparently. £20,000?

I literally have a friend who was bid £20k by Nuneaton when he was developing a reputation as a good, young, non league goalscorer.

Suffice to say, the move never happened he still plays semi-pro aged 28.

This is as opposed to being one of the best young (under 24) centre mids playing below the Championship. Hourihane is not Kevin Nanckivell working on some dairy farm.

Hourihane please don't consider it. They don't love you like we do. I mean, no-one really boos you much anymore do they.

Rollo Tomasi wrote:

We are led to believe that his contract is up next season. Which means Conor can then go for nothing. We have allowed our bargaining position to become weak. Any offer of around £75,000 would, I imagine, be accepted.

It depends on what Hourihane thinks of the situation.

Is Conor hungry, ambitious and of the opinion he has to leave to fulfil his potential? Very possibly.
Can he fulfil his potential with Argyle? Again, possibly. But promotion next season would have to be an absolute must for that.
Can Argyle get promoted next season? With the retention of Reid (massive coup), the signings of Lee Cox, Carl McHugh and Peter Hartley, the club clearly aren't just aiming for top half this time. The core of the team, if Hourihane stays himself, is looking very strong.
So could Hourihane feasibly be content to give it another season or two? Probably very interested to be involved in spearheading the promotion charge for the next immediate season. Ambitions for the season after rely on the club's, and his circumstances.
Is Hourihane likely to sign a 12 month contract extension now? Probably not. It could be a ball and chain to League Two football for the next two years. Unless terms are considerably improved on his current wage. How determined are the club to keep him?
If he stays, what will happen in 12 months time? If Argyle get promoted, Hourihane will likely play a huge part in that, if he maintains his last season form, let alone improves on it, and keeps injury free. From there, he can renegotiate a one - two year deal on League One terms. As well as have the luxury of considering other offers, as Reid has done. If Argyle don't get promoted, Hourihane in all likelihood will be leaving. He will be out of contract and his own master in selecting a move anywhere, as the contract offers roll in, possibly from Championship clubs, almost definitely from many League One and League Two clubs.
What are the advantages of the Barnsley move now? The core of a Championship squad looking to get promoted. Improved wage terms, and the challenge of League One football. Increased exposure if he can hit top form.
What are the disadvantages? No guarantee of first team football, and potential career regression. The prospect of moving hundreds of miles away, with no friends, sorting a new house etc. Away from his girlfriend living between Plymouth and London in her modelling career. And not exactly cast iron prospects of Barnsley making instant promotion to the Championship.


That's the dialogue Hourihane must be having in his head, with his agent and with his family. His agent probably will be pressuring the move, as he will get commission on that. But many a player have ignored a hawkish agent. Hourihane knows he is a cast iron first teamer at Argyle, the way Reid knew it. At this stage, with still signings to be made, Argyle are looking ambitious. Barnsley are not exactly a massive club in League One, and there is every chance in 12 months time, both clubs will be playing in the same tier. Sheridan thinks highly of Hourihane and has improved his game immensely from Fletcher's mentoring of him - Sheridan making a creative, disciplined, effective, combative midfielder out of him, from the predictable Ray Wilkins type sideways/backward facing possession player he inherited, with a violent temper. Barnsley at the end of the day are not a big club, and I think (and hope) they will not prove big enough to lure him away this time. But the club must know the time is coming where the player may just leave. How well they can either a) get out of this division quickly or b) sign him up to a two year deal this summer, remain challenges the club have to address if we are desperate not to lose him.

Good points you make there.

I hope he stays and as you state, he is a dead cert to be on the team sheet. So it would be wise to see out the contract he has here.

As you say, if Argyle do not go up next season, he can go if he wishes to do so.

Barnsley have spent a shed load of seasons in the second tier.... more then any other in the football league, been in the Premiership and been fa Cup runners up and winners respectively.
I do not think you can suggest them not being a big club in a lower league ejh because I dont think you have much of a case.
Its a small town of 80,000 that has shown a bit of ambition over the years,done its best to cast of the backwater hicktown image and built its team a ground that holds 23,000.
Plymouth would do well to emulate imho.

That would be bleddy typical wouldn't it?

23k stadium with this too.

Oakwell is a multi-purpose sports development in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England used primarily by Barnsley Football Club for playing their home fixtures, and their reserves. While the name 'Oakwell' generally refers to the main stadium, it also includes several neighbouring venues which form the facilities of the Barnsley F.C. academy – an indoor training pitch, a smaller stadium with seating on the south and west sides for around 2,200 spectators, and several training pitches used by the different Barnsley FC squads. Until 2003 the stadium and the vast amount of land that surrounds it was owned by Barnsley Football Club themselves, however after falling into administration in 2002 the council purchased the main Oakwell Stadium to allow the club to pay its creditors and remain participants in The Football League.

If it is Conor and he goes for the usual 'Plymouth price' it will negate all the good work we've done on the transfer market so far IMO.

Vastly overrated in my opinion. He has played a huge part in last three years in our midfield beng overrun.

They seem certain it is CH on the Barnsley Forums...

If Hourihane does go (and it looks likely) there are a number of decent free agents (CM) around-

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A big loss but as General De Gaulle once said; The graveyard is full of indispensable men.