AS he prepares to return to the most frantic BBL title race in years, Newcastle Eagles coach Fab Flournoy has issued a public rebuke to under-performing star Darius Defoe.
Pneumonia victim Flournoy is back on the sidelines for the first time in a month tonight as table-topping Newcastle welcome the Worcester Wolves to Sport Central (tip-off 7.30pm) in another must-win fixture in a five-team championship fight.
But judging by his strong words for “inconsistent” Defoe, Flournoy’s prolonged absence has clearly not dulled his competitive edge.
“I think this is the first time that I have ever called out one of my players in the press, but Darius Defoe has to step up between now and the end of the season if we are going to win the league,” he said.
“We have lost myself and Joe Chapman – two of our best defensive players – and that means that others have to step up. For me that means Darius has to be more consistent.
“In the games we have struggled since I’ve been away I have looked at it and he’s the one who hasn’t been consistent enough.
“I look at the other senior players and they have delivered – Trey (Moore), Charles (Smith) and Andrew Bridge have all been exceptional.
“Kadiri Richard has come on in the way I expected him to and the signing of Reggie (Jackson) has been tremendous for us. He has fit in perfectly and the only thing he really needs is to build his fitness, which is understandable given the fact he has only just stepped off the plane to play for us.
“The only one we need to step up to the mark on a consistent basis now is Darius. He will be the answer to the question of whether we are good enough to win the league.
“We all know what he is capable of. He has had three monster games this season – against Sheffield (Sharks), Mersey Tigers and Glasgow Rocks. In all three he was far and away the Most Valuable Player and he was outstanding against Mersey even though we lost.
“But since then we haven’t seen that performance on a consistent basis from Darius. You can’t play like you did against Mersey and then go out the next night and get eight and three or eight and four. I have told him that in practice, I have now said it publicly and we expect him to deliver because he has such an important part to play in the coming weeks.” Part of the reason Defoe’s contribution will be so vital is because Flournoy is resigned to not featuring for a while as he continues to build his own fitness.
Admitting he is still on a “short leash” and under doctor’s orders not to overdo it, the Eagles head coach is being careful about his return.
“I’m still not where I want to be. This is me trying to get back into it in the right way because coming back for the Sheffield game was a bit premature – it knocked me back a bit,” he admitted.
“I’m getting a bit stronger every day but I’m still not at the place where I can train and coach and be fine the next day. The doctors have told me I am OK to continue but Paul (Blake), Sam (Blake) and Dave Forrester are keeping a close eye on me.
“I could play this weekend to be honest but I don’t know what it would do to me long-term. For the moment I have to be happy with coaching the team, which is important.”
