Match Reaction vs Man Utd (home).

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

I heard an ex pro recently(ish) quite vociferously opine that he didn't care what his manager did on the touch line during a game.....I remember being particularly struck by the view as I was expecting him to say the opposite. I can't for the life of me remember who said it though...

I also note...and it is perhaps a pedantic obsevation, players often don't look their managers in the eye when they are talking if the game is in procession or they are about to come on, almost as if their manager is talking to themselves! Unless the manager is passing on specific 'tactical' instructions the player always seem to be somewhat in a 'zone'.


I cast my mind back to the familiar story of Wenger telling Pat Rice to shut up after he laid into the team at half time when we were down. They then sat in silence. Whatever you think about his actions on the touchline, he is definitely aware of the potential negative mental impact....

[Letters]

A manager also has a wider persepective of the game, which means players will not always see the problems happening across the pitch and react accordingly. The fact that every successful manager in the modern game does it, tells us that it has an effect on the team.

Every fan does it too. Doesn't necessarily mean the players actually listen.

[Kano]

Every fan does it too. Doesn't necessarily mean the players actually listen.

Why would a player listen to a fan who isn't their direct employer or someone they respect on a professional basis? The comparison makes no sense at all.

[Letters]

They wouldn't. But I'm not convinced professional players need to be told where things are going wrong.
I'm rubbish at football but when I'm playing if things are going against us I generally know why.

[Kano]

As IBK said, no one player responds the same. None of us are the same and we all require different methods of management so we can achieve the best in our work place. If football managers, who understand their players better than any fan who only has an exterior perception, knew it was a pointless exercise, they wouldn't be wasting their energy.

[IBK]

I heard an ex pro recently(ish) quite vociferously opine that he didn't care what his manager did on the touch line during a game.....I remember being particularly struck by the view as I was expecting him to say the opposite. I can't for the life of me remember who said it though...

I also note...and it is perhaps a pedantic obsevation, players often don't look their managers in the eye when they are talking if the game is in procession or they are about to come on, almost as if their manager is talking to themselves! Unless the manager is passing on specific 'tactical' instructions the player always seem to be somewhat in a 'zone'.


I cast my mind back to the familiar story of Wenger telling Pat Rice to shut up after he laid into the team at half time when we were down. They then sat in silence. Whatever you think about his actions on the touchline, he is definitely aware of the potential negative mental impact....

...and there's nothing to say that that ex pro was a universal example of how players respond, and I'm sure that many players do not 'zone out' when spoken to. In football, as in life, people are motivated and influenced in different ways. Its obvious that the likes of a Guardiola or a Mourinho (when at his best) - as well as countless other managers - influence their players' shape, and help them read the game and implement their tactics. To the extent that a manager is a coach - it seems obvious that tactical specialists can assist their teams during games.

As for Wenger - I'll meet you by referring you to those players who have spoken about Wenger 'losing it' in the dressing room while at Monaco. I don't doubt that maybe he now favours a different approach, and I mentioned above how I've heard that he stays on his backside because he doesn't want to pass on negative vibes. But what we are talking about is merely different management styles - and rarely is a single approach universally successful.

[I am invisible]

Wenger shouting orders from the touch line might not do any good, but it surely couldn't do any harm either? I certainly wouldn't mind an extra set of eyes watching my back, and picking up on anything I might have missed...

[Power n Glory]

Hey man, Wenger just needs to mix it up. He shouldn't have to take a tanking in the media for the players to get geed up for a Utd game. It shouldn't take Wenger having to go ape in training for the players to get their heads straight for the game. But if that what it takes for the right results, what are we doing? This shouldn't even be up for debate. How long as it been since we've won the league now? What worked before isn't working now so let's at least try something different. It's the same reason we all pine for new signings or want to see a change to tactics and team selection.

[Niall_Quinn]

Sunday showed how it needs to be done - 12 committed men, including the manager, all doing their part. No sitting back, no slacking off, no leaving it to somebody else, everyone has to muck in and do their bit including Wenger. Sure as shit he should be up on his feet and in the faces of the players. Okay, different managers have different styles but Wenger's style so far has seen us turn up for big games unprepared, throw away comfortable leads, drift through games without making any impact, we all know the issues. Therefore, regardless of what anyone else is doing, Wenger needs to do something different. He tried it on Sunday and it worked a treat. Let's keep doing that. And it keeps the fans happy to, so it's win, win, win when he's on his feet urging on the troops rather than huddled in his coat fucking around with the zip.

[Letters]

Do you really think Wenger did anything significantly different on Sunday?