Under Gareth Ainsworth, I believe players were regularly late to training. Akinfenwa was late pretty much every session. So each manager’s values are different.
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A pre-agreed arrangement and just turning up late seem different
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If it’s a choice between most of our players and Duff, I know who I’m choosing
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Duff making snidey comments just makes people make up random things, like people being late for training. We have no idea whats going on ir by whom.
And, if someone keeps turning up late, its a lack of respect to the manager but also means said manager has not earned the respect of their staff.
Either way, all of it is not helpful, and it paints all the players and the manager in a bad light.
Im also mot sure it gives a green light to let him just go for another expensive batch of signings, just because he can’t manage the current lot properly.
I like Duff, but I dont like him enough to give him full control over everything.
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A couple of things here. Duff isn’t calling the players “bad apples”. He clearly stated they’re a nice group, his frustration as a manager is that they don’t have a winning mentality/culture.
Also, it’s clearly ludicrous to suggest he’s lost the dressing room. Performances are consistently good, but results aren’t. Absolutely no sign of players not playing for the manager.
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I’ve finally seen the interview with Matt Cecil and I’m not sure what anyone has a problem with. I’m glad he’s feeling let down and frustrated. Aren’t we all?
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Here’s one to pose.
That comment about the fines before and after Christmas and how it’s not right they were being collected before Xmas but the person collecting them now doesn’t bother after.
I’m pretty sure that’s the role of the captain to do that, so are we all happy in knowing that’s (probably) Jack Grimmer he is talking about right?
And if it’s not Grimmer, it’s going to be one of the senior players that’s been here for a while - not one of the new players the ownership group have brought in.
And even if it’s not Jacks role as captain to take the fines, it is part of his role as club captain to set the tone behaviours and expectations of the first team at the training ground and match day . I’m pretty sure Jack himself talked about doing so as captain.
So, new club captain from next season and a pissed off grimmer?
He’s bemoaning the fact that the players aren’t doing what he’s asking them to do in training and have an attitude that, to his mind, suggests they lack motivation and have given up. If you don’t consider that to be losing the dressing room, what do you? Do they need to key his car and draw devil horns on his photo on the wall to qualify?
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I’m concerned that players don’t realise that it’s always before Christmas
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But it is also always after Christmas.
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Not sure why Jack should belong in a protected class. If anything more should be expected of him.
I don’t disagree.
It was more to point out to those that would be quick to blame players signed this summer, or the previous window as being the problem, or obviously not the right mentality and it might, actually, have as much to do with players that signed for managers and previously lauded as having the “Right” mentality.
Where that then leads those that think down those lines is up to them. Some might say that maybe senior players don’t believe in the head coach and hes losing/lost the dressing room. Some might say they have got lazy enjoying the fat of the land - which seems to be Duffs approach.
Theres certainly something not right in the first team, however we want to cut it.
Culture is caught not taught. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if the malaise starts at the top.
I think the issue some people have, or at least I do, is that he’s talking about it like he has no influence over it.
He talks about wasting 10 1/2 months. Well, hasn’t he also done that? He’s in charge, if he thinks the culture is poor then do something about it. At the risk of sounding like Roy Keane, that’s his job.
Also, don’t say we played really well if you’re getting angry in your interview and trying not to swear about the fact that we weren’t clinical, or we didn’t make saves, or we didn’t make clearances. It doesn’t make any sense.
I know it must be difficult when emotions are running high and you get a microphone shoved under your nose but the whole feel of it was just muddled for me. A rare misstep from Duff I feel.
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I would also agree again.
I don’t like that Duff seems (to me at least) to be distancing himself from being one of those that can also lead the culture.
I read Matt Bloomfields comments on oxfords relegation today:
"You look at yourself all the time, it’s just a part of trying to get better. You always have to assess and re-assess, you have to try and learn from setbacks so of course I look at myself.
“If you want to get better at anything you have to be self-critical.”
Without reopening the Blooms should never have gone debate but I don’t think Duff does that. And thats as much about his failure to lead the Culture in the first team as any of the players.
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Why were these idiots allowed in our end?
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I wasn’t able to watch today but I’ve seen us play well and be completely ineffective in both boxes enough to imagine how it went.
Maybe Duff feels like he’s trying to change the culture but he’s not getting support from the senior players. It’s easy to imagine they started coasting about this time last year and haven’t been able to get back in gear. And some of our jinky boys must be on the biggest contracts of their careers, which can’t help.
If you’re completely ineffective in both boxes then you have not played well
We often play very well between the boxes but because we can’t keep the ball out at one end or put it in at the other we don’t win. That’s what MD is talking about.
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Just a thought on this. To my eyes it appeared that in the weeks prior to his injury that Josh was looking increasingly lost and disinterested on the pitch (he wasn’t alone of course).
That comment makes me think whether he was unhappy/uncomfortable with the training methods of Dodds at the time.
It makes more sense to me as I also find it hard to imagine Josh not normally taking training seriously.
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