In the footballing world it is remarkable how much the game has changed in recent years.
While many of us have enjoyed the lofty heights leagues across Europe have reached since the turn of the century, there is one stakeholder who has enjoyed it less- the manager.
With the likes of Jose Mourinho and Brendan Rodgers already being sacked this season and quite possibly Louis Van Gaal to follow, it’s apparent that the players wield an incredible power over the destiny of managers.
While Rodgers’ sacking was due largely to backroom issues, all too often it seems to be key players who are deciding the fate of managers. Case in point – Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho is arguably one of the greatest managers of his generation. Yet, when looking at the final days of his tenure at clubs such as Real Madrid and Chelsea, they are fraught with spats with big name players. At Madrid this included Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas and at Chelsea Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.
This isn’t just a common theme for Mourinho though. Van Gaal, who seems to be waiting for the unavoidable axe to end what has been a forgettable stint, also seems to be suffering from dissent among the ranks.
Chelsea’s performance against Leicester (Mourinho’s last game in charge) and United’s performance against Stoke on Boxing Day are a testament to this. Both uninspiring, both typical of their recent performances and both came at times when the players were called upon to fight for their manager.
Despite this the players looked lethargic; there were even accusations that Hazard faked injury to stop playing. Conjecture perhaps, but what is plain is we all witnessed world-class players put in extraordinarily ordinary performances.
So why is it a problem? If the manager and players don’t get along perhaps it is best for the gaffer to step aside. A valid point, however, the buck must stop at some point. If managers are dealing with players whose egos could fill the Santiago Bernabeu and Stamford Bridge ten times over they can hardly be at fault.
Eden Hazard was in scintillating form last season, this year his effort is akin to that of someone at my local park.
It’s the classic issue of individuals who are highly skilled at something believing they can’t be taught anything new or even worse believe they’re above teaching. How many times have we seen great players make terrible managers?
The best managers of the 20th and 21st century were often average professional players, not the Peles or Maradonas.
Sir Alex Ferguson played only a handful of games for Scotland and Arsene Wenger failed to notch 100 professional games across a 12-year career. Even in schools we don’t allow students to run classrooms and when they do there isn’t much learning going on.
That is the story from Europe, what about what happens at home?
Last season we saw the Jets’ Phil Stubbins very clearly lose the dressing room with a player revolt which eventuated in a messy departure when the FFA assumed control of the club.
One season on and despite the promising start, Newcastle again is in a poor position are destined for another season without finals football. At the Mariners, Phil Moss also lost his job after not playing John Hutchinson in the F3 derby.
Moss was sacked and now ‘Hutch’ is the assistant coach. The Mariners yet again are in dire straits having failed to win since Round 1 this year.
Conversely there were rumours of discontent among many players at Wanderland last season, yet the board backed Popovic to conduct a full-scale cleanout. Wanderers are at back the top of the table and haven’t lost in their past nine – not too shabby Tony.
Considering this, one can’t help but think back to the days when managers were given freedom to dictate the terms on which a club played and they were scrutinised only by the people who appointed them.
If there were dressing room issues at Manchester United it was the player(s) who ended up making way. Thirteen Premier League titles later I think we can agree it paid off.
The era of managers staying with clubs for a decade is a dying tradition that shows no sign of revival.
It’s not as simple as saying the players should have no say in the team’s affairs, but rather understanding that there is a fine line that shouldn’t be crossed.
At the moment players are crossing the line with impunity, while boards of directors cry foul on managers. The reality is sometimes managers do need to pack it in when they’re not getting results, but it should not be up to the players to decide when that is.
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