After losing to Harrogate on Saturday, Forest Green Rovers manager Troy Deeney complained that there were “too many babies” in his squad and suggested he would rather sit through the Antiques Roadshow than watch his own team play.
The 35-year-old former Watford striker was always outspoken as a player and then as a pundit, so perhaps we should not be surprised by his candour. In the same interview with BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Deeney spoke about the need to bring out “sledgehammers”.
However, just six games into his first management role, the former Premier League striker’s uncompromising honesty is dividing opinion.
In particular, his decision to publicly single out players has raised eyebrows.
On Saturday, Deeney called right-back Fankaty Dabo’s performance “awful”, adding “he’s not been good enough for five, six, seven, eight, nine weeks”.
The manager has since claimed he has apologised to the player, although he also said he had told Dabo he was dropped for Tuesday’s League Two game at Mansfield.
Deeney was appointed Forest Green manager in December, becoming their fourth boss in seven months. The club have not won a league game since October and are bottom of the table, facing a potential second successive relegation and return to non-league football.
He has told the Telegraph about some of the innovations he has tried to introduce, including bringing in former Premier League players Jermain Defoe and John Terry to help with training.
Some pundits though are concerned that he has already lost the dressing room. On the BBC’s Monday Night Club podcast, Chris Sutton said this week that Deeney is “going to have a short career in management” if he continues to throw his players under the bus.
“I think his outburst on Dabo was disgraceful really,” said former striker Sutton.
“When managers come out publicly and slaughter players I think it’s a problem, I think you can lose the dressing room.”
Former Newcastle and Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given agreed.
“I don’t know what happens with Troy Deeney now, not just with one player but with numerous players who have not carried out the game plan, not given enough,” said the 47-year-old.
“I think you can keep that within the four walls.”
Former Ireland coach Martin O’Neill also weighed in on Monday, telling Talksport that Deeney’s comments about Dabo were “pretty poor”.
