RANGERS hero Graeme Souness reckons the ‘wokeism’ which permeates through society is a factor in why the modern footballer can no longer take criticism.
The Ibrox legend reckons that money, media exposure and a young player’s asset value all contribute to making it extremely difficult to manage the modern player.
It’s a topic he’s addressed in his most recent Daily Mail column – where he also refutes the suggestion that handling former Celtic star Craig Bellamy at Newcastle was a contributory factor in why he hasn’t taken another management job for the last two decades.
And he’s revealed some words of wisdom from his former Scotland boss and Celtic icon Jock Stein on the topic.
Souness writes: “It was no surprise to hear Erik ten Hag, the former Manchester United manager, bemoan that the modern player can no longer take criticism.
“He’s right. A combination of factors is to blame. The wokeism that exists in everyday life and permeates through society. Money. Media exposure. And the power of their asset value to a football club.
“All those elements make it extremely difficult to manage the modern player.
“If I even pulled a face at something a coach said to me in my time as a senior player and captain at Liverpool, I’d be met with a torrent of what today’s player would call abuse.
“It would be along the lines of, ‘Who do you think you are? What have you ever achieved to warrant an opinion?’
“Today, relentless media coverage means the man on the street puts these players on a pedestal before they have ever made a proper impact on the game.
“They are little more than the kids from next door who have won the lottery.
“I was lucky. Jack Charlton, my manager at Middlesbrough, assessed me quite brutally. He said I had a bit of talent, but I was liable to waste it.
“I had two doors to choose from. Behind one was the chance to work hard and make a career, and behind the other was the chance to throw it all away. I took heed of what he was telling me.
“The second bit of luck I had was meeting the collective that was Liverpool’s dressing room.
“Walking into that environment as a 24-year-old was a shock and made me realise I was truly with the big boys, serial winners from whom I had so much to learn.
“Look at these Manchester United pups like Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford. Who have they been listening to?
“Are we really surprised that, in the week Ten Hag made his comments, Garnacho sulked off down the tunnel when he was substituted, and we hear Ruben Amorim say he will speak to him?
“No, challenging the manager is what we’ve come to expect. The tail is wagging the dog.”
Souness places great stock in senior players, who take pride in their group and set the standards for others.
He added: “The great Celtic and Scotland manager Jock Stein used to say, ‘Don’t go looking for problems as they’ll find you’.
“You have to ignore a lot of what you hear but that was always easier when you had men you could trust in your dressing room.
“I get asked whether I walked away from management because of the modern character but it wasn’t that.
“After I got sacked by Newcastle United in 2006, I chucked it in because I didn’t want to be answerable any more to the kind of people who ran football clubs.
“Some question whether it was over the time I had with Craig Bellamy. He was difficult but he had fabulous talent and always wanted to improve. He was just daft how he went about it and I’m sure he would say the same now.
“Management has never been more difficult. At the top level, the demands are enormous. Dealing with some of these personalities, the managers deserve every penny they get. But from my perspective, they can keep it!”
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