Nowhere to hide

[RoyMac5]

Pinched from a.n.other place

"Remember the players had forfeited their win bonuses that season for a big promotion bonus instead. That should have kept them focused even if SM lost focus?"

 

[europia]

15 hours ago, Mafiabob said:

Time for the players to man up now.

Just a hunch but I'd imagine they've got what they wished for.

Time to grow a pair 

As the saying goes   'be careful what you wish for....'

[RodleyRam]

2 hours ago, Mostyn6 said:

well, using sound mental logic, there is no argument.

Players A,B,C,D etc play well, team does well, then they stop playing well, team struggle.

There's no justification for certain players giving up and not performing, although I do believe the fans had a massive part to play.

There's a difference between out of form / playing with injuries / unsettled in the side to bottling it and/or giving up completely.

You've got a lot of angst towards the players right now but let's face it, since the McClaren to Newcastle saga, they've hardly had anything like stability or consistency to work with. That's not to say that the senior players shouldn't stand up and lead by example but if the environment around you is constantly changing and it's not clear what your role really is, I think you're going to struggle to perform to your optimum.

What we seem to have lacked for the last 3 seasons is unity, a clear direction of travel and a manager that the players want to follow - for me as a manager you have to earn that respect and recognise the impact that an influx of new personnel and methods will have on the people you're managing.

I don't like harping back to Clough but what he did and McClaren continued was to create a genuine sense of togetherness and unity within the club. That counts for a hell of a lot in my book and it's something that the fans respond to as well.

I'm ever hopeful that McClaren will be humble about his role in the breaking down of that unity and work hard to build up a sense of direction and togetherness again. 

We as fans have a role to play too and forgive, forget and move forwards with the club.

[Highgate]

6 hours ago, Mostyn6 said:

basically, a handful of senior players went missing during that collapse that saw him sacked. By the time it was unfolding, he could do nothing about it. But, Grant, Keogh, Bryson, Martin and Russell should be under review cos when they were needed to stand up and be counted, they crumbled and played 4/10!

There is no doubt that there was a loss of form at that time, something went badly wrong towards the end of 2014-15 season, results and performances proof it to be the case.  But player's form is transient, even when their doing their best and they are fully motivated. It would be interesting to see that stats on how much the team ran in those games, compared to the first half of the season, to see if there is anything in the 'lack of effort' theory.  Bottling it on the other hand?  Maybe it's possible, but they had enough bottle to play far better than OPR in the play-off final and were just unlucky to be caught out by a cruel mistake right at the end.  That's football.

I agree that those players should be kept under review, but then it's Mac's job to keep all players under review, permanently.

[angieram]

On Thursday, October 13, 2016 at 13:24, RodleyRam said:

There's a difference between out of form / playing with injuries / unsettled in the side to bottling it and/or giving up completely.

You've got a lot of angst towards the players right now but let's face it, since the McClaren to Newcastle saga, they've hardly had anything like stability or consistency to work with. That's not to say that the senior players shouldn't stand up and lead by example but if the environment around you is constantly changing and it's not clear what your role really is, I think you're going to struggle to perform to your optimum.

What we seem to have lacked for the last 3 seasons is unity, a clear direction of travel and a manager that the players want to follow - for me as a manager you have to earn that respect and recognise the impact that an influx of new personnel and methods will have on the people you're managing.

 

I thought Russell's interview on Rams player yesterday was very interesting in this respect.

When you consider the meltdown and uncertainty on here after Pearson was suspended imagine what it was like for the players. 

 He talks about the players' discussions on their group chat and how they eventually heard discussions were being held with McClaren and that about an hour later that he'd been appointed. That's the single most important person in their career and they have no more control over that than any of the rest of us (who aren't the boss!)

Under the circumstances I feel the players have done pretty well to hold it together and put in the performances they have collectively over these last three games. I'm looking forward to it settling down fairly quickly now and think players' performances will reflect this. COYR!