i was reading an article about "fun" recently. It was about how much fun the players were having stroking the ball about and how much fun the fans were having watching them doing it. Thing is, FUN is all well and good so long as you're winning. Well the fun stopped today because we lost and it sounded like a pretty crap performance as well. That was no fun. We needed the players to roll up their collective sleeves and get stuck in to do some dirty work but they weren't interested in doing that it seems.
When things are going for you anybody can pass the ball around and look good but the vinegar test comes when the other team decide they aren't going to let you do that. That's when you have to battle and scrap to earn the right to play. We didn't earn that right today and Russell Martin had better drum into his squad the need to fight as well as play. Neither one on its own will bring success. Both are required and this lesson must be learned.
When things are going for you anybody can pass the ball around and look good but the vinegar test comes when the other team decide they aren't going to let you do that. That's when you have to battle and scrap to earn the right to play. We didn't earn that right today and Russell Martin had better drum into his squad the need to fight as well as play. Neither one on its own will bring success. Both are required and this lesson must be learned.