Khoury comes to defence of Gould

CANTERBURY chairman John Khoury has fired back at detractors of his under-fire general manager of football, Phil Gould, saying: “He’s not doing anything behind anyone’s back.”

“We have to respect his leadership – I don’t see what the problem is,” Khoury said. “He has my full support.”

Gould assumed the head coaching role at Belmore on Wednesday, controlling a team meeting and then taking over a field session.

It consigned coach Trent Barrett to a background role.

Gould was asked to comment on Thursday but replied “no thanks”, accompanied with a laughing emoji. His intervention came after Canterbury lost six successive matches to be outright last on the NRL ladder – despite the club’s big recruitment drive.

“He’s not doing anything behind anyone’s back,” Khoury said. “It’s within the football club with football club staff.

“Phil’s track record speaks for itself and that’s why he is there. I would argue he’s the most qualified person in rugby league. We have to respect his leadership and he has my full support. We are all under pressure because we’re not winning, right?

“And they (Gould and Barrett) both want to win, like all of us, and they are working hard to do that.

“Phil is the head of football. That’s his job, to be involved in the football department. I don’t see what the problem is.”

Khoury denied there was any internal tension between Gould and Barrett.

“Trent loves him, Trent loves him,” Khoury said.

“I wasn’t there (at training) but I know they work well together. They are professionals, mate. Phil runs the football department and I know he has a close relationship with Trent.

“It’s not the position of a board or director to get operationally involved in the day-today running of football operations.”