A problem with footballers is that they think mainly of themselves – and they never criticise themselves. When results turn bad, it’s the manager rather than the players who’ll get most criticism.
He’s the one in charge so that may seem natural, but after reading about managers losing their dressing room, I should tell you what it’s like inside a dressing room.
As I’ve got older, I’ve realised that a manager’s job is a very difficult one which has only got harder. A player must think of himself, a manager about all 25 players in a squad – and squads are far bigger than they used to be. The problem is that only 11 players can start a game and every player – no matter what they say – thinks he should start.
Straight away, you have the majority of the squad who are potentially unhappy. Maybe the coach will spread the games around players, but there will always be players who don’t like him.
A manager always has his favourites, too. They’ll back him because they play.
But what if results turn, what if the manager starts to make new decisions under pressure and drops some of the favoured players, maybe because they’ve become too comfortable knowing that they’ll be selected?
That’s when dissent can start. A player may speak to his closest colleagues about the manager. That’s normal. He may speak to journalists. The more they speak, the more leaks. And that can be dangerous.
When players speak, they do so entirely from their own perspective. Despite never managing a team, they think they know everything about management.
They talk to those close to them about their situation, and of course those people agree with them. They want their friend or husband or client to be playing.
So the player gets a distorted version of “the truth” and only the manager can challenge that because he selects the team. If a player is looking to find fault, he’ll find it because every coach has their strengths and weaknesses.
Managers also have their different styles and interpretations of football. Some managers are attack-minded, others defence-minded. They might be good tactically with defenders because they used to be one, but not with the midfield. Different training methods, styles of communication and what is said in public can all upset a player.
Whatever the manager does, the key is that he is respected. A new manager will always be given a chance, though it might not be a big chance if he has arrived at a huge club and he’s not considered one of the best managers in the world.
Gerardo Martino, a very good coach, suffered from this at Barcelona. It was difficult for him because he had limited control. Alex Ferguson took years to get that control and, because he was successful, he could make unpopular decisions and get away with it.
In Jose Mourinho’s case, he is considered one of the best, yet his team are struggling and have already lost many times this season.
A manager who keeps losing will also lose his job, but Mourinho has built up a huge bank of credit. Chelsea fans love him because of what he’s done.
They’re supporting him in the tough times that everyone faces, and it’s his challenge to get through because that patience won’t last forever. He’s not going to survive if they’re relegated – or even get close to relegation. As Mourinho reminded people recently, it’s his first really poor spell in 11 years. That’s an excellent record, but he has to do something to restore Chelsea’s previous good form. Changes mean upsetting players, plus their agents.
If some of them are important players, with power at the club, with access to the owner, then you can have a problem. I know so many players who become managers and then immediately realise how hard it is.
Maybe they wished they’d been more understanding with some of their former coaches, but sometimes players do have genuine grievances. I know of one coach who stopped a player moving to a bigger club because he said he needed him. Then he didn’t play the player. Of course, the victim was going to be angry because it was poor management.
And while coaches have their loyal players, the ones who they take from club to club, it can cause resentment when they play badly but don’t get dropped. Then it’s one rule for one and one for others.
I’ve never been in a dressing room where all the players have lost confidence in the coach and I’ve been fortunate to play for good clubs, but I’ve seen coaches suffer and felt sorry for them. I wanted to help them get out of their difficult time and felt that not all my teammates have thought the same way. Or that the owner hasn’t supported the manager – that’s another key relationship in a football club.
The owner will consult key, experienced players, but he should consult his coach first because in theory the coach should be the most important person at a club.
It reality, he often isn’t.
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