Its like this lads, I've been involved in a few of these and you can be pretty certain you won't here what’s coming out of it. However I will if I may give you what I think is what the script will kinda look like:
Captain: Well lads, we all know why we're here, things have been going very bad the last couple of games, the results and the performances have been poor, and we are just going through the motions at training. Now there is alot talk about the manager and im sure we'll get to that but we also need to look at ourselves to see whats going wrong. We had a strike and we can't just keep blaming everyone else, we need to look at ourselves.
Influential Player #1: Thats exactly it lads, I mean we all probably have issues about whats going on with the managment and everything but its time we stopped looking for excuses. We need to cop the f**k on with ourselves.
Captain: So does anyone have anything to say???
[silence]
Captain: How about you 'Quiet influential player'
Quiet influential player: [in a soft spoken voice] well yee've said it lads, its very easy to criticise the management the whole time but we haven't won anything since [name the year], under a few different managements. We're the only common link in those years.
Influential player #2: Yeah but some of the shite we've been doing at training is a joke [referance to training 2 weeks ago]. I mean that'll get us no where. We need to [either a) do more ball work b) do more gym work or c) do more fitness training.]
Captain: [in an attempt to make it a team meeting and not just a discussion between 4 lads will ask one of the younger members of the team] So [younger member] what do you think?
Younger Member: [shocked that he has been called upon just regurgitates what has already been said] yeah we need to work harder at training but maybe we need to talk about tactics together
Influential Player #1: Its not our place to talk tactics we should just go out and play what ever style the management decide.
Influential Player #2: Yeah but at the same time we all know that what happened against [last game] was shocking, sure how can you win when he tells you to [reference to one instruction] one minute and then tells you to [reference to another instruction] another minute.
[Dressing room turns into something like a primetime debate]
Captain: Right lads, look this is going to get us no where, I'll have a chat with [manager] and tell him that maybe we should be doing [either a) do more ball work b) do more gym work or c) do more fitness training.] and see what he thinks about starting to use [some decided tactic] but we know ourselves we have to up the intensity at training and start putting in the work.
The meeting will disperse with every player even more convinced of what he already thought before he went in. Intensity and effort at training will soar and players will put in an extra effort in the next few games. But if the results don't come their way the manager will be given the boot at the end of the year and more than likely [quietly influential player] will retire citing commitment as the reason but more than likely he’s just sick of those f**kin team meetings!
I've been involved in a few, both county and club, from about u-16 onwards. And I've had great laughs with lads from other clubs and from other counties going though the above script as the same thing happens with all over the country! Its as GAA as the hang sangwhich at half time on the hill but they generally only serve as a temporary boost and make no real decisions.
Hope this helps!!
