http://www.sportinglife.com/football/scottishpremier/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/10/02/20/SOCCER_Falkirk_Quotes.html

 

Mark McGhee held crisis talks with his Aberdeen players after Saturday's Clydesdale Bank Premier League defeat at Falkirk in a desperate bid to prevent the club's season unravelling completely.

 

The Dons spent almost an hour locked in the visitors' dressing room following the 3-1 loss, which followed hot on the heels of Tuesday night's shock Active Nation Scottish Cup defeat by Raith.

 

When McGhee eventually emerged to face the music, he revealed he and his players had indulged in an honest exchange of views in which the Pittodrie boss even encouraged the squad to assess his own performance since taking charge last summer.

 

"What I've spoken about in there is about us all," said McGhee, who was much calmer than after the Raith defeat, which saw him spat at by his own supporters as he left the field.

 

"I've asked them how they've felt about me since I've been at the football club, how I've done things, what I've asked them to do.

 

"We've had a really constructive and frank discussion where we encouraged them to speak up and tell us if there was anything at all where they felt we could help them more.

 

"I'm not going to go into detail about what that was but there were things that they felt they would like to do more of, or do differently.

 

"I'll be away thinking about that over the next couple of days and seeing just how much of that I can put into what we're doing to see if I can help them.

"I don't take any positives from the game, but I feel better.

 

"I'm going home with a plan, based on a lot of what I've heard, and I'm encouraged by it.

 

"Come the beginning of the week, we will start to work on the Hearts game and I feel as if I have a clearer picture of what's required than I did standing watching that today."

 

McGhee, who admitted he was struggling to remember a worse week in his managerial career, added: "The game was mostly similar to - not quite as bad I don't think - as the other night. But a lot of the same things were there.

 

"I'm trying to find the answers as to why we have been inconsistent, why we played so well last weekend against Celtic and here we are today having had two dreadful games."

 

I'm glad you feel better Mark, we dont 

there were things that they felt they would like to do more of, or do differently.

 

Why has it got to come to this before these things are aired?  Another sign we don't have a decent captain. Miller or McLeish would have gone to their managers had the players felt things had to change with how they were working during the week.

Not sure, all the Motherwell players seem to speak highly of McGhee's methods. It was an interesting quote, to me its all on the line already.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/8526374.stm

 

 

Seems like the players have basically said they haven't got a clue how to play.

Or else - McGhee is telling them to go out and play expecting them to be like Real Madrid and not giving them enough instruction? What's the point in a manager if the players can go out and win matches with no clear instruction?

 

McGhee sounds really "weedgie" in that interview too - speaks like a dog barks! 

Sorry that's what I meant too, that the players haven't got a clue what to do as its to open to interpretation.

Hmmm. I think that might be 'shopped. I've seen a few in my time

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/2864515/McGhee-savaged-by-flops.html

 

MARK McGHEE was left stunned after his brassed-off Aberdeen players savaged his coaching methods.

 

The under pressure Dons boss kept his side in the dressing room for an hour-long inquest after Saturday's loss at Falkirk.

 

McGhee, whose seven game winless streak includes a Scottish Cup exit to Raith, gave his flops the chance to also speak their mind.

 

And they didn't miss their startled manager and No 2 Scott Leitch.

 

SunSport understands several players attacked McGhee's training regime, the constant changing of playing systems and the relentless demand for them to report for early Sunday morning sessions.

 

Blunt talking Dons stars also complained about fitness work they don't believe is effective.

 

Under Jimmy Calderwood they were used to five day weeks. With McGhee it's been mainly six and occasionally SEVEN including midweek games.

 

That's led to deep unhappiness. McGhee took on board the frank opinions and the players were immediately given Sunday and yesterday off.

 

Now McGhee hopes troubled Dons can pick up the pieces with a win over Hearts this Saturday.

 

He is happy to compromise - but is demanding results in return to ease the mounting pressure.

 

He said: "There are things they would like to do differently, so I'll be thinking about that over the next couple of days."

 

McGhee admits the cash strapped club can't afford to keep loan stars Steven MacLean and Jim Paterson beyond the summer.

 

The pair are under contract at Plymouth until June 2011 and he said: "It would be great to keep Paterson and MacLean beyond the summer but I don't think we will be able to afford them.

 

"It looks as if we are going to have to persuade players of their quality to come here for a THIRD of the money they could get elsewhere.

 

"I know the situation the club is in and football is in, and know I will just have to do the best I can with what I've got."

 

DT scouts spotted Kerr and his 'WAG' in St Andrews on Sunday evening.

it's a bag of shite

 

even if the players don't have the wit to follow a plan or instructions they could at least put a decent shift in

 

in many walks of life people are not the very best quality at what they do but the effort they make covers up for a multitude of failings

 

most of our team cannot say they compensate with extra effort

"SunSport understands several players attacked McGhee's training regime, the constant changing of playing systems and the relentless demand for them to report for early Sunday morning sessions.

 

Blunt talking Dons stars also complained about fitness work they don't believe is effective".

 

Well none of them look fit enough to me so what do they suggest instead

 

I really don't care if they don't want to go into work on a Sunday morning - they should be sooooooooooooo ashamed of the way they are all playing they should be desperate to improve on that - maybe Mark Kerr could practice passing the ball to a team mate 

 

 

Fuck sake, they don't want to work a 6 day week? Lazy little fucks. I generally work 6 days then 5 days for a minimum of 15 hours a day, on less than half what those fucking primadonna arsewipes earn. What planet do they live on? I hope they end up in horrendous jobs when they're career in football ends.

Come on, they're sometimes working 7 days a week depending on which paper you read. I mean 7 days, at 2.5 hours a day... is it any wonder they think they've got it bad..?    And it is truly astounding that with all this extra work they're doing, not one of them can seem to master the basics of the game. They must be too tired, the poor wee lambs.

Bunch of pansy's.

They are a bunch of pansies but we can only hope this week's "psychology meeting" or Man Management The Mark McGhee Way" brings out a side we can all be proud of. Maybe he's Dr Elby

Jim Duffys take on the situation:

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/2867528/Softies.html

 

I WASN'T surprised Mark McGhee held clear-the-air talks with his side after Aberdeen lost to Falkirk.

 

I just couldn't believe he did it before the players had a chance to get the mud off their boots.

 

Monday morning seems a good time for these things, once the tempers have cooled - not when they're at boiling point.

 

But as far as the sentiment went? Not a problem.

 

There's nothing wrong with players getting their views across to their manager. It happens in almost every dressing room at some point.

 

But I do have a problem with players throwing the toys out the pram the minute they get a hard time in public. Footballers are too soft these days. They've changed, they don't like criticism and they want an easy ride.

 

Well I'm sorry, but it's time for them to man up - starting with the Aberdeen boys. They need to learn to deal with criticism, especially from their own manager.

 

Things haven't been going well for the team and he wants try and sort it out, so let them have their say.

 

But at the same time, these players shouldn't be hiding behind excuses for their own shortcomings.They shouldn't be talking about the manager's perceived failings to try and deflect their own inadequacies.

 

They'll be stung by their gaffer being so honest in public.

 

Again, that's fine. Because I guarantee Mark hasn't said anything to the media he hasn't said to the players themselves.

 

The big problem is footballers don't like criticism if it comes from anywhere outside the dressing room.

 

I used to tell my players to read the papers when they played badly, not when they were getting nine out of ten.

 

Walk into any dressing room on a Monday morning and if the team's done well, there will be five or six newspapers scattered about.

 

Compare that to when they've had a stinker and you'll struggle to see a single paper.What's the point in only reading match reports that praise you? I'll tell you - it massages their egos. Well the time for that is up.

 

When they are not playing well and someone has a go, they've got to take it on the chin.

 

Mind you, even the way players get criticised these days has changed.

 

I remember taking Dundee to Ibrox. Georgi Nemsadze was getting bossed by Barry Ferguson and I wasn't happy.

 

At half-time I went through him and told him to step it up. To me it was a perfectly acceptable half-time rant.

 

To Nemsadze I'd humiliated him in front of his team-mates. And because of that, it never worked. If anything it caused an adverse reaction to the point I had to sub him in the second half.

 

His argument was he was captain of his country with 60 caps. He didn't want me speaking to him like that.

 

Which is maybe fair enough. The days of the hair-dryer treatment have gone.

 

Times have changed... but now it's time for the players to do the same and strap a pair on.

Re: Jim Duffy's comments, its amazing how, with no evidence whatsoever to back it up, that the general perceived opinion of all our players is that they're moody, sulking and self obsessed losers, and that McGhee is some sort of honest, hard-working manager who can't work his magic due to the quality of tools provided.

 

Now a few players may or may not be pulling their weight, however surely not every player is too blame?, I'm sure it cannae be good for the players and team morale to see them all constantly slated in the full glare of the media.