Conor Hourihane has signed for Derby County. The 31 year old midfielder is available on a free transfer. Last season he was at Sheffield United, so spoke with Hal from the Sheff Utd Way to find out out all about the player and what he could potentially bring to The Rams.
It’s rumored that Derby are interested in signing Conor Hourihane. What do you make of it?
Conor is a good player and I'm not surprised clubs are circling. He'd be a good addition to Derby County and the club could really see the best of him.
Are you surprised that Hourihane would be looking to sign for a League One club?
I am surprised that Conor would drop down another division after coming to Bramall Lane from the top flight. I assumed he'd want a chance to play Championship football but he probably recognises the signs of old Father time and knows he can be a standout player in the third tier.
He was on loan at Sheffield United last season. How did he do?
I was impressed in spells with Conor whilst he was on loan at beautiful downtown Bramall Lane. He never really put it together for a consistent period but we saw enough to know exactly what he's about. Paul Heckingbottom clearly likes him and trusts him as a player, they go way back and had success together. There was that standout moment, his wonderful strike away at QPR but that was his only goal for the club and I felt he could have contributed more in an attacking sense himself.
He played 29 times for The Blades last season, how key was he in their run to the playoffs?
Conor was a useful player rather than key, Morgan Gibbs-White was key whereas Conor was just someone who, on his day, could deliver a sweet cross, freekick or crucial pass to unlock a defence, there were also other times when he went missing or the presence of both he and Ollie Norwood in the midfield together stifled attacks, particularly at home.
Were Sheffield United ever interested in re-signing him once is contract expired?
I don't think too many fans were upset when the club announced that he would not be signing on a permanent basis, he was rumoured to be on high wages and whilst he's a useful player, we already have Norwood and he's no better than Norwood. If we had the luxury we could have offered him a back-up role in-case Norwood got injured but I'd imagine Conor would want first team football at this stage in his career.
Would you call his time at Sheffield United a success?
I wouldn't call it a failure by any stretch.
What are his strengths? His weaknesses?
His strengths are his set piece delivers, any dead balls he can deliver with real class and accuracy. He's got a good range of passing, he's vocal on the pitch, a natural leader and a team player. He's got a decent first touch and gets about the pitch more than you'd perhaps imagine. His weaknesses are probably his aerial ability, his tackling and he's not the quickest.
He has a reputation as a goal scoring and creative midfielder. Does this still ring true? What other elements to his game are there?
I'd say he's become more of a sitting midfielder, we only saw the one goal and whilst it was a peach, we definitely expected more from him in that department.
Conor Hourihane is now 31 years old. Do you think he can be good player in League One?
He can be a really good player in League One and if he gets a good run of games and stays injury free. I think Rams fans will see the best of Conor. We only saw it in patches.