Mmm, you're a very thorough bloke TTM. I like that; it's a pity that all the journalists, who trawl this forum looking for stories, aren't as dedicated to the truth. I digress. ...
...whilst it's only human nature to have a preference: professionalism should dictate that those "preferences" should not surface in the public domain. They're bound, by their very nature, to create division.
To be fair; that "division" hasn't been created directly by Roy. However in his role, as manager, part of his remit, surely, it is to create harmony. To date tho', his sniping at the squad and Benitez suggests to me that either he hasn't the ability to unite or he just doesn't want to. None of which paints him in a good light, sadly.
True. I wont start speculating in who is on who's side, but I wouldnt be surprised if there is some division in the dressing room. After the on-pitch start of the season, and the off-pitch situation as well, I think its only natural. Some might be thinking "Hes a dead man walking anyways cause he was never first choice and only got the job due to the situation at the club, so why learn a new style of playing when he wont be here next season (at the latest) anyways. Lets speed up the process". Others might be thinking "F***ing christ, we need to get our arses out of the relegation zone! Good or bad manager, our best chance to win games right now is if we unite and play as a team and follow the directions of the manager, cause if some do and others dont, then we are sure to F**k up on the pitch". Nothing wrong with either approach I think. But you are absolutely right that its Roy's responsibility to create unity around his methods and his position and it doesnt seem like he has been able to do that. He needs to make the players trust his ability and methods and at least his lineups, tactics, substitutions and post match interviews havent done anything to help there I think. He seems to have alienated himself with some key players (allthough this is also still on a speculative level) and the team has looked even less motivated on the pitch than last season. So its very likely that there is some division in the dressing room, and it seems unlikely that Roy can reunite the team. The whole speculation about who is on Roy side and who is not based on those articles on page 1 is just ridiculous IMO.
To be fair to Reina & I did catch the sarcasm, he said the same about Rafa, but I think that's because he wants unity at the club - this guy, for me is the best 'Captain' we have at the club.
Agree, through good and bad times Pepe has by far looked like the one who didnt let results affect his mood and game. Just look at how his Arsenal mistake was forgotten immediately. But the Captain discussion is very... mmm... touchy subject IMO. Stripping a player of the captaincy, and especially a local lad like Stevie, can do a lot of harm to his confidence. On the other hand, he has carried a lot on his shoulders, and often very single-handedly, the last 5-6 years. He often looks mentally tired to me. If it wasnt because it would hurt his pride badly, I think it would be good for him not to carry the responsibility of being captain for a while.
Captaincy is for another thread though. Pepe wants unity and I see nothing wrong with that. If Stevie and Carra wanted the same (which we know nothing about), I woudnt find anything wrong with that either.
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