I know he is a genuinely nice guy, but is he to nice? I cant imagine him giving the players a bollocking at half time if were playing badly. I just want him to toughen up and if were playing **** , get moody about it and say were playing **** instead of being Mr nice guy all the time. You don't get to the top by being nice!
Putting a brave face on it to show unity then bollocking the players afterwards. You can tell he has a temper by some of the short and sharp answers he gives after a poor performance - singling our De Ridder and saying he isn't a good crosser was something I thought shows he isn't afraid to stick the boot into the team.
I think if you look at him when he is down on the touchline he gets quite animated and sometimes doesn't look pleased so i reckon he can get quite angry. I hope he gave Guly a bollocking after his performance yesterday!
I firmly believe that with backing from Cortese in January, NA can deliver automatic promotion this season. It's pretty obvious that most of the problems we are experiencing at the moment stem from needing a few more options and hopefully we can address that next month.
I'll tell you a story. I saw Nigel do a presentation a couple of months ago, it was wide ranging but he talked about management styles and how he goes about things. As a player he had a lot of managers of course, and he talked about managers (can't remember who in particular) who would rant and rave at half time every week. Fifteen minutes later he walks back out onto the pitch thinking "so what are we going to do for the second half?". He talked through his normal half time routine, which is to take the first 2-3 minutes to check injuries, and then talk about what he wants to change. Last season away at Brighton, we had just gone 1-0 down (Jaidi error as I recall), he canned all that and stormed in, kicked the bin over and hairdryered away (to paraphrase), and we know how that one turned out. So the point of all this is that while he definitely has a calm style, he can turn it on if he wants to. I suppose his only aim is to get the team to play better, and it's his job to work out the best way to do that.
Think the key to a good manager (and teacher) is to pretend to lose it but never actually losing your cool. Think Nigel is one of those people.
Being angry only when it's really deserved is much more effective than ranting all the time. I bet it had a shock effect on the team.
I think his dealings with Puncheon clearly shows his tough side and with his sports psychology skills i think he would know perfectly well when and whom to bollock should he feel it needed
There is more than one way to man-manage a football squad, the blueprint for a successful Manager doesn't have to always be the Fergie 'hairdryer' approach. Two of the best British managers of all time, Sir Bobby Robson and Bob Paisley, managed to get results through being genial rather than stern and aggressive.
I think the qualities that Nigel Adkins has are infectious enthusiasm and positivity that reflects in the way the team perform, I don't really think that anyone can question his man-management skills, considering the way the team plays and the results that he has acheived here.
Totally agree. Nigel has worked wonders in just overa year and we should all have faith in his ability to deliver the right results! COYR
Adkins will let the players know when he's not happy, that's for sure. He's a perfectionist and even if we win 5-0, he'll see that there will always be things to improve on. He'll probably never be completely satisfied with any team performance, that's the type of bloke he is. He'll always be constantly striving to do better. It's that drive and determination that make him a great manager. Let's face it. None of us know what happens in the dressing room or at the training ground, so none of us can really judge that side of his character. I can guarantee you though, he's certainly no push-over when it comes to dealing with the players. If he was a soft touch, there is absolutely no way the players would share his ambition and drive like they do. And ultimately, we wouldn't be top of league and playing as well as we have - that success doesn't come from being Mr Nicey Nicey all the time. Rickie Lambert certainly seems like his manager's influence has rubbed off on him. Clearly annoyed at getting a draw against Pompey - when the old classic 'a one goal lead is never safe' comment was thrown in his direction - his response was that a one goal lead should have been enough to win it, such is the mentality at Southampton FC now. On a final note; Nigel Adkins' Mr Nice demeanor in front of the cameras just goes further to prove that he is an ultimate professional in every sense of the word. Unlike that twerp from the Credit Card Stadium in East Sussex...
Of course Nigel will bollock people on occasion. It's knowing when, where and how to do it that is important. I imagine with Bart's error he defended him to the hill to the media as we saw, but I'd bet he had a word at Staplewood, in private. Sometimes pulling an individual aside for a few words at training does far more than making a drama and kicking off in front of everyone.
Absolutely, I can't see Nigel tearing into someone at half time in front of the whole dressing room. Tearing into the whole dressing room collectively, maybe when it's necessary, but I don't think he would single people out in front of others, just doesn't fit with his ultra-professionalism.
