Look In The Mirror, Jan

Last updated : 21 September 2002 By Clive Jones
So the Tigers manager Jan Molby believes that if he had the chance he'd hire a coach and there would be plenty of players on it out of Boothferry Park and out of the club...!

Well, I would venture to suggest that the best thing he could do (is hire a proper coach and not one that you take for a day trip to Withernsea) rather one that might just be able to get the team to play better.

You know good players don't become bad overnight, and conversely, bad players don't become good overnight either.

Having sat through a game in which Macclesfield outplayed City for the most part, I believe that it is the manager's job to build the confidence in the ranks and that can't be done by berating the players publicly.

Now call me old fashioned if you must but a part of me believes that man management is as much a part of being a football boss as coaching is. Nay, let me qualify that. It's probably the most important part and from what I've seen Mr Molby is lacking. Yes, that is on both counts.

It seems to me that the Great Dane is adopting the "it's nowt to do with me" philosophy. Yeah, yeah, right Jan like we all buy that!

My message is that if you continually tell the team they are substandard it is the easiest way to get the players to believe they are. And, if they do start to believe that, bang goes any chances of turning things around.

My message to the Tigers manager is a simple one. It is: keep your comments behind the four walls in the dressing room and you may get a better response from the players. My further thought's are. If the players start to fear playing for you it is YOU that will pay the price and not them. Many a manager has bitten the dust when he's lost the dressing room.

Lesson number one for the man that picks the Tigers team is. Work at it and if you feel you can't with the bunch of players that you have got then you ain't much of a football coach. And, lesson number two is: Start to be tactically more aware when making substitutions. After all, three strikers won't work against even the worst third division defence if one is on the right wing, one is on the left wing and the other down the middle.

Ever heard of isolationism Jan...?