How do YOU motivate a player earning £200,000 a year????

[Canary Poirot 1]

Okay many of you will jump down my neck here saying that Worthington is paid to motivate players - that''s his job. But quite frankly I''m beginning to think there are quite a few rotton apples in our squad at the moment - who aren''t performing and aren''t pulling their weight. I think the players should be knocked for underperforming. If you are paid £200,000 a year to play football for 90 minutes a week you should jolly well get out there and play for the whole game, and some of them have (actually most of them) have been a disgrace, including the scapegoats you all have (Flem) and some of those who seem beneath criticism from some of you (Shackell, Ashton) even when they make the the same number of mistakes as the scapegoats every game.

A few years ago I remember listening to Graham Taylor on the radio after he had just resigned from Watford after being relegated from the Premiership after getting them up. He said it was getting progressively harder and harder to motivate players earning good money who weren''t good enough to play in the Premiership. Why? Because they have no ambition to get there as they already have it as good as they can get it. And I''m beginning to think too many of our players have fallen into this comfort zone. Big wages and no ambition. We no longer have a core team of hungry ambitious players who want to get into the Premiership. They''ve been there. They know they can''t hack it there. Why bother with it? We''ve lost that hunger that zest. And we''ve also lost that core of honest professionals who take pride in their profession and put in a hard days work regardless if they lack quality (ie Iwan, Malky, Holt) and that hasn''t been replaced (although Hughes could be one of those).

We need to have a whole revamp of the squad. I''m sad to say it, but next summer this team needs sorting. This season is gone for me. We need hunger back in the team.

[gazzathegreat 0]

A very perceptive post poirot, and yes, when you think about it of course being a pro footballer is a very comfortable life and one of my main moans to those lucky enough to know me personally

For those players in the comfort zone how i wonder would they cope on having their contract terminated, no other club coming in for them then having to survive on an average wage in an ordinary job in Norfolk

In an average house, driving an average car, but wait for it, working 37 hours a week and only 5 off for holidays?

Good grief, it can never happen, can it?

If I were Worthy, that is the sort of stuff i would be laying down in the dressing room at half time, if i genuinely thought it was the players'' attitudes, or lack of them which were the main cause of concern. 

I have a lot of time for Graham Taylor and agree with him.  Celebrity has crept into football and the sport has taken a turn for the worse because of it.  We at Norwich haven''t reached the dizzy heights of Man U in terms of arrogant players, but what are they hungry for (without mullers around i guess the tuckswood mcdonalds is well down on takings) - success? well we would hope so, pride?

Just how many of them really care about the shirt?  Sunday may provide a lot of answers.

[Dame to Blame 95]

Good post ,valid points in there i to am sick of fans jumping on 1 player for our defeats it''s a collection of errors from several players like you said sitting in the comfort zone.

[USA Canary 7]

I totally agree...

In addition, some players must know that if we did get promoted, they wouldn''t be kept or given a match.  Therefore, they aren''t motivated by the thought of playing in the premiership.  There needs to be another motivater of some sort (maybe docking wages for poor performances.

Bottom line, the talent is not in question, it''s mostly lack of effort or raising themselves on match day.  What in the hell do they train for everyday if they can''t put in their hardest work for a match (which is what really matters) That''s all we ask of them...

I''m off my soap box now...

[charlies dad 0]

You would think the £200,000 would do the trick. I agree with the sentiments re. mackay, iwan, holt etc. limited players in terms of ability, but in terms of professionalism and integrity, streets ahead of the current crop or should that be crock. Stoke, coventry, crewe etc. all have shoestring budget teams, and are all out performing us comfortably, and have all taken results off us this season. As i have stated before, this team is in the comfort zone, safe in the knowledge that going through the motions is all thats required, and that come what may, an ecstatic standing ovation and undying gratitude await the home point they conjure up against brighton. We do need a massive clear out, and urgently need an injection of hungry workaholic players, thrilled to be playing in front of 25,000 crowds and eager to please, rather than the shower of garbage and odds and sods that currently infest the club. Sunday is D day as far as this team is concerned. Last chance saloon. Lose it if you dare.

[Tufnell Park Canary 0]

If I had to do my job in front of 24,000 fans I''d be motivated enough to do it properly. I certainly wouldn''t spend so much time on pinkun...

I''m not sure the squad as a whole lacks motivation, I think they lack belief. I also think that they have lost faith in / respect for Worthy.

[ZLF 271]

Of course you are right CP; it is difficult to motivate young players who suddenly have more money than they can spend, time to spend it and limited intelligence to identify what is good for them.  It is at the core of what is wrong with football, as a couple of good threads has discussed recently, but what is worse is the clubs condone this behavious by refusing to provide any discipline.

Player power has reached ludicrous proportions, never taking responsibility for their own behaviour, performances and happy to look for another club if things dont go their own way where the are now.  The clubs are desperate to keep good players so wont drop them for fear of losing them so the management only have themselves to blame.  Perhaps SuperNanny can be used toget the management to adopt some suitable sanctions and actually see them through?

How does worthy motivate city?  Other managers have the same problem but most managers seem to be able to do it with players paid far more.  That is what worthy is paid for, if he cant motivate them or get them to deliver what he wants he has to use the only sanction open to him and drop those players and talk to the fans about his decision - none of this pretend injury stuff.  

But the clubs are as greedy as the players;  I read last night with disgust at Manures Gill confident that they can get compensation from the FA for players on international duty.  To me the free releasing of players for international duty is one of the cornerstone that should not be changed,  likewise players should not get paid to appear for england; the rewards of an international career are reflected in contracts and wages already and is part of the reason why pride and honour in representing your country has gone - that is far more influential that the poor swede on the lack of pride that has been evident for 20+ years.

Until players realise they are there for the good of the game  and not the game there for their benefit football will continue its decline. 

OTBC

[Dick Poulter 0]

Simple, replace errant overpaid workshy 1st Team; with keen as mustard Reserve or Academy Player; leave 1st Teamer to rot in Reserves for month on Reserve pay.

During month Home Match half-time place 1st Teamer in Stocks for ritual humiliation; pay back for Fans Ritual Humiliation watching 1st Teamer(s) inept Display(s)!

 

[Mook 0]

I agree with Dick Poulter.

Worthy''s policy of randomly dropping certain squad members afte "poor performances" and NEVER replacing others has left half the squad comfortable and the other half disillusioned with life in the reserves or on the bench.

He only has himself to blame as most of us saw it happening a year ago.

[Saint Canary 0]

How can players like McVeigh get motivated when despite putting in a Man of the Match performance on a Saturday is dropped for Tuesday?  Not just that he is replaced by a 1 month loaner who will be gone soon.  What incentive is there for players like McVeigh and Brennan to play well when they know that no matter how well they play as soon Worthy''s "favourites" are available for selection they are out.  Worthy is playing a very dangerous game with some of our players and is ultimately losing their respect. 

Flem is untouchable and it appears Shackell is going to have to take the blame for all our defensive problems by being dropped.  How can Shackell have any respect for Worthy?  How can he work with the man?  I don''t know if I could and that is why Worthy is struggling to motivate players, it has jack to do with money. 

In my opinion Worthy has lost the support and respect of certain members of the squad and he is on a very slippery slope.  He is inconsistent with his treatment of players and it has nothing to do with ability or performances on the pitch.  Remember the Bentley "Ave it" incident?  Does anyone honestly believe that if Hux had done that he would have been dropped from the squad for 3-4 games?  Worthy has always and continues to treat players differently and for me this is our biggest problem.