I have no doubt that Hastings stuffed up though we have never been fully informed as to what that was. Did he break the law, did he punch a sponsor out, did he have film of some lewd behaviour? OK, he had trouble fitting in. That happens a lot. Ask DCE. A sensible coach will try to address these issues. Look at Suli. Also kicked out of clubs for attitude issues. Yet under Hasler he's becoming a star. Thing is Hastings didn't seem to do anything really serious, just was somewhat petulant. But you know, I've got a lot of time for the kid. He obviously felt an outsider, probably poor self image etc whatever. But given the right opportunities and a feeling of belonging, he's going gangbusters in England. He just wanted a chance to prove his worth and Barrett continually denied him that because of a personality issue and his own inflexible attitude to the game. I've been in situations like that. I remember one person who I considered arrogant, unfriendly, a personality needing a major gear shift. And I said that to them. But I respected that persons talent and when a role came up that I knew that person was good at, I actually pushed for that person to get the job. And that person did it well and thrived. Personalities are always complex issues, but you must never forget what you have the person there for. In professional situations you pick the person best suited to the job. Personalities are secondary factors to deal with later. Hastings was there to play football, not to be liked.
And I will point one issue that really impressed me about the kid. He publicly admitted that he had been wrong and put himself down for his behaviour. That took a lot of courage and insight in my opinion. Did we ever hear that from Barrett? Takes two to tango as they say. Hastings took responsibility for his actions. Sure maybe he should have looked in the mirror earlier, but who knows what was going through his head at the time. Barrett never did but blamed others for his plight.
