Did he not stipulate that he would only play central defender instead of his best position as full-back? If true, another example of the shit-show we were back then; allowing players to tell the manager where they would or would not play.
I think that's more due to him knowing he couldn't run up and down the line anymore so didn't want to harm the team that way by being liability (given Hutton could still do that role no problem that season and Bacuna was also still around) Of course he did bigger damage playing at CB given his woeful positionial sense.
He hates Garde aswell as didn't Remi do some massive boot camp style running assault course on his first day even though he'd been inform of Richards fitness issues.
Of course it's an insult to compare the two given what they each gave the club but it would've been a bit like on Graham Taylor's first day and him telling McGrath to do something like that rather than his own thing at training to get him up to speed for matchdays.
Just be thankful we're now long gone from that era and the people involved.
