Last week, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was asked in a postmatch interview about criticism he had been receiving in the media. Fernandes gave an eloquent response, acknowledging that such criticism was referring to former Old Trafford skipper Roy Keane’s questioning of his leadership, by saying: “Obviously it’s not nice to hear those things about you, but at the same time it motivates you and obviously, people think there’s a lot of things you need to improve.”
It’s a fine example of the position that the Premier League’s top players such as Fernandes are in these days. There is so much being said about them by so many people, all the time, all over the world. They can do their best to shut it out or not let it bother them if they do hear it. But if something in the media gains enough traction, then it can still end with them being asked for their response, live on TV, whether they like it or not.
Now, everyone has a right to their opinion, not least the most successful captain in United’s history. Someone of his stature has a big platform: the football community comes together to listen to what people like him think. What Keane says can’t be wrong, because it’s Keane saying it.
But in reality, it’s the opinion of the manager who selected Fernandes as his captain that matters. It’s the respect that the teammates who walk out behind him for every match that is important. On a day-to-day basis, they’re the ones that see what he’s like in terms of how he tries to lead the football club.
To a point, it is easier for a player to say they’re not reading anything about themselves, they’re not paying attention, they don’t care. And that may be true, although players will always try to project strength and say everything is OK even when criticism from media, fans or within the game might be affecting them. But the people in their orbit, the family and friends closest to them who support them through their career, are truly helpless because they can’t do anything to change what happens on the pitch and how people react to it.
As a former player who now works in the media myself, I know that when it comes to anything I say, if I can’t say it directly to the person, then there’s no point in me saying it because that person doesn’t have the ability to reply immediately. So by the time the story is out there and people are talking, the player’s response is irrelevant.
Of course, players do have their own platforms now for getting their message out there, rather than just waiting to be asked about something on live TV. But you can’t simply speak out on social media every time someone says something you don’t like, and that allows certain narratives to be built around particular players. Those narratives may have some basis in fact, but that then becomes the set way that a player is perceived even when that is no longer the case.
For example, Kai Havertz has been very much criticized in his role as a striker for Arsenal, but then he’s also been praised and selected by Mikel Arteta, his manager. He was being criticized in the first half of last season. Then when he went on a scoring streak there was some talk of how well he had responded to his critics and how important he is for Arsenal, but that praise wasn’t promoted to the same degree. Then, fast-forward to this season, and the moment he misses some more chances we’re back to “well, you see, he’s just not a striker, he’s just not good enough to play that position.”
So sometimes people fall silent as opposed to changing their position, because they’re waiting to see something which confirms what they think in the first place.
Let’s be realistic: how often does anyone say that they have changed their opinion about something, or that they had it wrong in the first place? It’s not really a thing. People tend not to walk back on criticism. What they tend to do sometimes is stop saying something if a change occurs, only to start saying it again if things go back the other way.
The Premier League is very tough, but the teams and players that are in it are there for a reason. Even the sides who look like they will lose the battle against relegation — Ipswich Town, Leicester City, Southampton — didn’t just randomly win a lottery. They’ve earned the right to be there and their squads are full of good players, but very often they and half the league are spoken about as if they’re unable to tie their boots and kick a ball. But we know that’s definitely not the case.
I was one of more than a dozen players who arrived at Queens Park Rangers during the 2011-12 season. Things were fine when we stayed up that term, but the following year we were relegated to the Championship and there was a lot of discontent among the supporters. All of those new players were then branded as mercenaries who didn’t care about the club, even the ones who stayed. Even if that was possibly the case for some, it certainly wasn’t for me.
There was a lot of hostility toward the players who hadn’t been there when the club got promoted, both in the crowd and the local media. Fans were telling players, in no uncertain terms, to get out of their club. If I had friends and family at a game, it was impossible for them to avoid it. As a player, I could take it, but for my loved ones in the stands having to listen to abuse being hurled at someone they care about was tough … for them and for me.
From a player’s perspective, those who get singled out at national level can never really prove anyone wrong. You just hope that the manager maintains their faith in you, which is what really counts. If you weren’t good enough, you probably wouldn’t be playing on a week-to-week basis.
A player doesn’t watch a review show after a game; a player doesn’t really check in on social media to see what people think about them, especially as they become more experienced. They don’t make any difference. But those same players will be asked, “What do you think about this?” Whether it’s from a journalist in a news conference, or whether it’s somebody online asking them to look at what somebody’s saying about them. Think about how tough that can be: people are delivering bad news to you with enthusiasm, because they might think the same thing or are hoping that you’ll take the bait.
Back when I began playing in the Premier League, if a player was asked about their response to some criticism in the media, then it was easy for them to just say that they didn’t read the newspapers. Which might have been true, although all the newspapers would be at the training ground every day. People would be reading them, not necessarily the back pages, but they were always available. That was just part of life back then. By the time I retired, though, we were well into the era of podcasts, YouTube channels, livestreamers and constant discussion on social media. I think it is much harder for young players now.
People might say ‘just don’t be on social media,’ but why should it be part of your job that you shouldn’t partake in such a big part of modern life? Footballers are young people, they want to be able to go on Instagram and enjoy some of the humor on there, follow their own interests and so on. But unfortunately, when you are part of that world and have that profile, you are leaving yourself open to seeing what people are saying about you, or people will send you things, and you could find out you are the butt of a joke.
Look at the way that someone like Phil Jones was discussed for years during his playing career at Manchester United. This is a player who won trophies, represented his country and always gave his all, but was the subject of unfair ridicule for years. After he was forced to retire through injury, he came out and said that he has actually suffered because of the abuse, and then all of a sudden people are apologetic. They forget that he’s a real person with a family and friends who are hearing and seeing this stuff too.
There are times when you probably need help from your colleagues when you are struggling a little bit, or you need to find something within yourself. When there’s a narrative against you, it’s a tough position to be in. You just hope that the people that matter most to you in your life don’t buy into that and help you to keep it all in perspective.
ESPN analyst Nedum Onuoha was speaking to Tony Mabert.
>
