Motivation
I have been thinking about writing an article on this subject for some time now but frankly I couldn’t be bothered. Then I thought to myself if I don’t write the article myself the men in grey suits behind 4kk might just hire someone else to write it and I would become redundant. This is what finally inspired me to get on and write something.
The question is what does it take to motivate the modern day footballer who already has everything he needs? In the good old days it was simple, the manager just put the fear of dog into the players and they were too frightened not to respond. Then along came money as the main motivator in the form of a lucrative new contract or through a series of incentives linked to performance. But as players become richer and more famous, with investments and interests extending outside of the game, is there a saturation point where another dollar really doesn’t make any difference and the law of diminishing returns kicks in?
Of course there is always the argument that players don’t need motivating at all. Their innate desire to be the best they can is what has already carried them to the pinnacle of their sport and any other motivation is unnecessary.
But to come back to the start of the argument, is the best motivator simply fear? Not the fear of incurring the manager’s wrath but the fear that they might be replaced by someone waiting in the wings? During the transfer window this argument was used prominently with calls for new signings in order to prevent players becoming complacent. I have my doubts as any player at a top club must must know that if he doesn’t perform there will always the chance he will be replaced and you don’t need someone sitting on the bench to let you know that. It is worth noting here that we bought in 3 new players in the last window and that clearly had a galvanising effect on the team as we promptly lost 7-2 to Villa. I rest my case……..
Recent Comments