Lyon seems to have a deep affection for the admirable servants of his clubs. Him choking up when speaking about blokes like de Boer and Mzungu is testament to that. He doesn't take departures lightly. Most on here reckon he plays his veterans too long at the expense of game time into kids. Most of his former players speak highly of him. He has direct personal relationships with his players, that seem to extend beyond his coaching tenures. At least on the park he's been good to Johnno and D Pearce. In Pearce's case, better than most people on here would have been.
He, Johnno and Pearce all know the state of play next year. So does everyone in the entire football universe. He didn't 'retire' them today. It's been obvious all season this was their last season. What purpose does playing coy serve, other than to be patronising? He's heaped both with praise in the past, and now.
I reckon it's pretty conceited to say that Lyon erred in respect of a his comments on a relationship he seems to value and has cultivated for the better part of a decade, based on what you read in a news story.
But hey, I guess you know about the inner workings of the club, the conversations that have been had, and the desires of the players more than the coach.
