Motivation of modern footballers

[stringjunior]

There's been a lot of talk about our over paid, under talented team and how it seems some are just happy to take their half a million a year and not put the effort in that's needed.

So how do you motivate a wealthy young man to play with the sort of passion seen in the Deane and Agana era, for example? Premier league clubs have players earning 20 or 30 times more than this and seem to manage it, and Deano and his mates probably earned 30 times less than the current crop and managed it.

As a lad I played sports (badly) because I didnt want to lose, and I suspect 10k a week insulates many of our team from that feeling.

But I have no idea how this could be turned round. Pay much smaller basics and have much larger win bonuses maybe? But we'd never be able to sign anyone on those terms.... Or have a sliding scale of bonuses based on league position? Maybe they already do....

It's difficult, and will get more so as the increased sky money filters down. Any ideas people?

 

[tyneblade]

I have no idea, but having watched Bournemouth at Newcastle on Saturday, i suggest that you write to Eddie Howe and ask. His team are everything I would like United to be: aggressive, controlled, cohesive, tactically aware, fearless, fitter than the opposition and hardworking.

Many of them, as the Bournemouth fans were keen to remind us, have come from league two and below.

 

[Russ]

I have no idea, but having watched Bournemouth at Newcastle on Saturday, i suggest that you write to Eddie Howe and ask. His team are everything I would like United to be: aggressive, controlled, cohesive, tactically aware, fearless, fitter than the opposition and hardworking.

Many of them, as the Bournemouth fans were keen to remind us, have come from league two and below.

I think he will end up at one of the big clubs or even England manager in a few years. Always speaks sense and seems to gain a lot of respect.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

There's been a lot of talk about our over paid, under talented team and how it seems some are just happy to take their half a million a year and not put the effort in that's needed.

So how do you motivate a wealthy young man to play with the sort of passion seen in the Deane and Agana era, for example? Premier league clubs have players earning 20 or 30 times more than this and seem to manage it, and Deano and his mates probably earned 30 times less than the current crop and managed it.

As a lad I played sports (badly) because I didnt want to lose, and I suspect 10k a week insulates many of our team from that feeling.

But I have no idea how this could be turned round. Pay much smaller basics and have much larger win bonuses maybe? But we'd never be able to sign anyone on those terms.... Or have a sliding scale of bonuses based on league position? Maybe they already do....

It's difficult, and will get more so as the increased sky money filters down. Any ideas people?

AIui money as a motivator is pretty much nonsense. There's all sorts of fascinating stuff about this on tinternet. One of the main people in this area is Dan Pink.

The most user friendly video I've come across is this:



Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose - that's what the evidence says motivates people.

If you want a fuller version there's his (all time top 10) TED talk but that's a 18' commitment - though I think it's well worth it.



This is modern management.

Carrots and sticks are for dinosaurs.

Then there's all the stuff about what motivates junior footballers - not directly relevant to this thread...or is it?

Nick Levett is very big in junior football. This is the future http://scienceofcoaching.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/children-and-some-reasons-behind-play.html

 

[diplomat]

I have no idea, but having watched Bournemouth at Newcastle on Saturday, i suggest that you write to Eddie Howe and ask. His team are everything I would like United to be: aggressive, controlled, cohesive, tactically aware, fearless, fitter than the opposition and hardworking.

Many of them, as the Bournemouth fans were keen to remind us, have come from league two and below.

Agreed, from what I've seen they are energetic and don't stand on ceremony admiring any team, they get on with it and take the game to all comers and see how the opposition fare with it. Great attitude.

 

[tyneblade]

I think he will end up at one of the big clubs or even England manager in a few years. Always speaks sense and seems to gain a lot of respect.

Interesting to read that he is Bournemouth boy who came up through the youth system. He went to better himself at Portsmouth and when that went wrong the Bournemouth fans raised the £21,000 needed to bring him back themselves.

For them this must be about as good as it gets.

 

[PeteBlade]

I have no idea, but having watched Bournemouth at Newcastle on Saturday, i suggest that you write to Eddie Howe and ask. His team are everything I would like United to be: aggressive, controlled, cohesive, tactically aware, fearless, fitter than the opposition and hardworking.

Many of them, as the Bournemouth fans were keen to remind us, have come from league two and below.

They've broken pretty much every rule set in place regarding finances to get where they are.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I have no idea, but having watched Bournemouth at Newcastle on Saturday, i suggest that you write to Eddie Howe and ask. His team are everything I would like United to be: aggressive, controlled, cohesive, tactically aware, fearless, fitter than the opposition and hardworking.

Many of them, as the Bournemouth fans were keen to remind us, have come from league two and below.

And many on here if we were in the same position as now with a different manager would be suggesting Adkins as a possible saviour to takeover and do a Bournemouth.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

They've broken pretty much every rule set in place regarding finances to get where they are.

As did Leicester.

 

[Top Cat]

They've broken pretty much every rule set in place regarding finances to get where they are.

If you can expand and explain how they have broken every rule I will contact the Premier League authorities and blow the whistle on them. Is it OK if I quote you?

 

[tyneblade]

If you can expand and explain how they have broken every rule I will contact the Premier League authorities and blow the whistle on them. Is it OK if I quote you?

If we are making a list this shirt should be near the top.

 

[Woodwardfan]

There's been a lot of talk about our over paid, under talented team and how it seems some are just happy to take their half a million a year and not put the effort in that's needed.

So how do you motivate a wealthy young man to play with the sort of passion seen in the Deane and Agana era, for example? Premier league clubs have players earning 20 or 30 times more than this and seem to manage it, and Deano and his mates probably earned 30 times less than the current crop and managed it.

As a lad I played sports (badly) because I didnt want to lose, and I suspect 10k a week insulates many of our team from that feeling.

But I have no idea how this could be turned round. Pay much smaller basics and have much larger win bonuses maybe? But we'd never be able to sign anyone on those terms.... Or have a sliding scale of bonuses based on league position? Maybe they already do....

It's difficult, and will get more so as the increased sky money filters down. Any ideas people?

The best managers and scouts know how to judge a player's ability and more importantly his character.

High wages are a complication these days but basically it's the same game, with the same competitions with the same number of winners and losers, heroes and villains. The same tossers always wasted their abilities and the same achievers always succeeded, regardless of the cash. We all know so many tosser amateurs who should have played at much higher levels but they hadn't got the drive or the application needed.

If United were top of the league there would be no mention of the players' wages. Just because we are 12th or whatever does not mean our players are not trying. Barnsley players are not trying any harder these past few weeks than they were at the beginning of the season when they were bottom of the league.

Every player has his own personal ambition and standards. Regardless of money, that has forever been the case. It's up to the manager to find the right characters.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Even being out of shape and lacking in any discernible ability, if you put me with a bunch of others in a game of kick-the-can I'll still bust a bollock to try and win.

Whether money corrupts, I don't know. But I'm certain that the root cause of the problem is when wankers such as our team don't understand that it has to be earned.

 

[Sean Thornton]

There's been a lot of talk about our over paid, under talented team and how it seems some are just happy to take their half a million a year and not put the effort in that's needed.

So how do you motivate a wealthy young man to play with the sort of passion seen in the Deane and Agana era, for example? Premier league clubs have players earning 20 or 30 times more than this and seem to manage it, and Deano and his mates probably earned 30 times less than the current crop and managed it.

As a lad I played sports (badly) because I didnt want to lose, and I suspect 10k a week insulates many of our team from that feeling.

But I have no idea how this could be turned round. Pay much smaller basics and have much larger win bonuses maybe? But we'd never be able to sign anyone on those terms.... Or have a sliding scale of bonuses based on league position? Maybe they already do....

It's difficult, and will get more so as the increased sky money filters down. Any ideas people?

The best managers and scouts know how to judge a player's ability and more importantly his character.

High wages are a complication these days but basically it's the same game, with the same competitions with the same number of winners and losers, heroes and villains. The same tossers always wasted their abilities and the same achievers always succeeded, regardless of the cash. We all know so many tosser amateurs who should have played at much higher levels but they hadn't got the drive or the application needed.

If United were top of the league there would be no mention of the players' wages. Just because we are 12th or whatever does not mean our players are not trying. Barnsley players are not trying any harder these past few weeks than they were at the beginning of the season when they were bottom of the league.

Every player has his own personal ambition and standards. Regardless of money, that has forever been the case. It's up to the manager to find the right characters.

What are the Barnsley players doing differently now?

 

[Silent Blade]

The best managers and scouts know how to judge a player's ability and more importantly his character.

Best manager, John Harris and best scout, Archie Clark (wearing hat)

 

[Sean Thornton]

AIui money as a motivator is pretty much nonsense. There's all sorts of fascinating stuff about this on tinternet. One of the main people in this area is Dan Pink.

The most user friendly video I've come across is this:



Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose - that's what the evidence says motivates people.

If you want a fuller version there's his (all time top 10) TED talk but that's a 18' commitment - though I think it's well worth it.



This is modern management.

Carrots and sticks are for dinosaurs.

Then there's all the stuff about what motivates junior footballers - not directly relevant to this thread...or is it?

Nick Levett is very big in junior football. This is the future http://scienceofcoaching.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/children-and-some-reasons-behind-play.html

Freedom from influence clearly refers to the nasty fans?

 

[vorpal blade]

Bournemouth went bankrupt, more than once if memory serves.

But sadly TopCat I spose you're right , it doesn't seem to be illegal anymore.....

Did they overspend by the financial fair play rules too?

 

[Sean Thornton]

Best manager, John Harris and best scout, Archie Clark (wearing hat)

John Short was an important part of that team as well.

 

[JohnDenver]

AIui money as a motivator is pretty much nonsense. There's all sorts of fascinating stuff about this on tinternet. One of the main people in this area is Dan Pink.

The most user friendly video I've come across is this:



Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose - that's what the evidence says motivates people.

If you want a fuller version there's his (all time top 10) TED talk but that's a 18' commitment - though I think it's well worth it.



This is modern management.

Carrots and sticks are for dinosaurs.

Then there's all the stuff about what motivates junior footballers - not directly relevant to this thread...or is it?

Nick Levett is very big in junior football. This is the future http://scienceofcoaching.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/children-and-some-reasons-behind-play.html

Well, money isn't a factor for our players because they're all so well rewarded. And if playing football isn't a naturally rewarding business then I don't know what is. And I sincerely doubt that they're so restricted by Adkins that they cannot perform.

So the only conclusion? They're not very good.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Whether you're an amateur or earning £300k per week like Rooney, there is still that magic that can exist in some dressing rooms where all your team mates seem to be gifted, good sorts and have that easy banter and the manager has that X Factor and is downright inspirational. Rightly or wrongly any human being cannot help but be inspired and have a sense of being an important part of a special group and just can't wait to play it all out when the game kicks off. The home crowd is optimistic and can't wait to back the team and laud them to the rafters.

Then there are those other dressing rooms where nobody speaks, there's a tense, blame culture even before the game starts. The manager is insecure and feels unpopular, can't get his messages across. The home crowd has been hostile for weeks and is champing at the bit to hurl more abuse at these overpaid prima-donnas not fit to wear the shirt.

In League 1 there are teams in positions 1 to 24, all battling under different circumstances and on match day I bet not one player thinks about his wage level.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Fans fault again then!

 

[Woodwardfan]

Best manager, John Harris and best scout, Archie Clark (wearing hat)

My father worshipped Archie Clark. Without him we would never have seen all those heroes from Don and Dearne. I knew what a top Scout was when I was 8 years old. Would John Harris have been as good as he was for us without Archie Clark? It matters not, fact is they were a partnership.

 

[Bartleby]

AIui money as a motivator is pretty much nonsense.

That's what they said on some training on motivatoin I had to do at work 20 odd years ago and I still believe it. If you are underpaid and under-recognised you have a motivation to do something about that, but in a well paid but shit job that bores you senseless another pay rise on it's own will not increase your motivation at all. And there's a lot of overpaid young men in football now even at the lower levels.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Just because we are 12th or whatever does not mean our players are not trying.

Amen to that.

 

[Silent Blade]

My father worshipped Archie Clark. Without him we would never have seen all those heroes from Don and Dearne. I knew what a top Scout was when I was 8 years old. Would John Harris have been as good as he was for us without Archie Clark? It matters not, fact is they were a partnership.

In a way they were lucky in not having to deal with the problems caused by football agents and player power. In those days players only had one year contracts

 

[Woodwardfan]

In a way they were lucky in not having to deal with the problems caused by football agents and player power. In those days players only had one year contracts

But at the same time there are still winners in this modern environment - same number of winners and losers.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Whether you're an amateur or earning £300k per week like Rooney, there is still that magic that can exist in some dressing rooms where all your team mates seem to be gifted, good sorts and have that easy banter and the manager has that X Factor and is downright inspirational. Rightly or wrongly any human being cannot help but be inspired and have a sense of being an important part of a special group and just can't wait to play it all out when the game kicks off. The home crowd is optimistic and can't wait to back the team and laud them to the rafters.

Then there are those other dressing rooms where nobody speaks, there's a tense, blame culture even before the game starts. The manager is insecure and feels unpopular, can't get his messages across. The home crowd has been hostile for weeks and is champing at the bit to hurl more abuse at these overpaid prima-donnas not fit to wear the shirt.

In League 1 there are teams in positions 1 to 24, all battling under different circumstances and on match day I bet not one player thinks about his wage level.

So much sense here.

What always strikes me about ex-professionals is the way they talk about the banter in the dressing room. What they take away from their games has a huge overlap with what any parks player takes away from his game.

Another example of this was in the Germany 1 England 5 there was a close up on Michael Owen and he was saying something like, "This lot are fucking shit." A cry heard across hundreds of parks pitches every Saturday afternoon/Sunday morning. I thought that was hilarious.

 

[Silent Blade]

But at the same time there are still winners in this modern environment - same number of winners and losers.

Managers like Sam Allardyce are very good at getting little known players who turn out to be gems because they know how how to use the right football agents

 

[Woodwardfan]

When I was a player I mostly played Sunday football only so I could watch United on Saturdays.

Some Sundays I would play in the morning in Sheffield and then for my company's regional team in Leeds in the afternoon.

My local Sunday team was always mid-table or below, struggled along. My company team was a team of all stars.

In a morning I was a hard working midfielder who got caught in possession a fair bit because there were no runners, no team method. Nothing came easy, in possession there were no easy balls. I often got booked after losing my temper more out of frustration or trying to alter the pattern of games with a bit of handbag nonsense or the odd daft tackle.

In the afternoon I played like Beckenbaur, strolling around playing one-touch football in a very good team where there were always a minimum of three options when in possession.

Same player, same wage level - zero!!

Football's just like that.

 

[Sirius]

I have no idea, but having watched Bournemouth at Newcastle on Saturday, i suggest that you write to Eddie Howe and ask. His team are everything I would like United to be: aggressive, controlled, cohesive, tactically aware, fearless, fitter than the opposition and hardworking.

Many of them, as the Bournemouth fans were keen to remind us, have come from league two and below.

Ah Bournemouth. When we used to have Sports Report, we had turned the wireless off before the announcer came to Bournemouth and Boscombe