Rob Scott Vents His Anger After Match

There were no holds barred when Grimsby’s new joint manager, Rob Scott, spoke to BBC Radio Humberside just a few minutes after saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Newport.

The following is what he had to say :

‘It seems to be a common theme at the club, and it’s got to be eradicated sooner rather than later because, once again, it’s been a toothless display.

‘You can’t legislate for the two goals that went in. I’ve just told Kenny (Arthur) that he’s got to be stronger, mentally and physically. He’s thrown in two goals for them. Two long balls into the box and we can’t defend them again.

‘We’ve just told the players in there that they could quite easily come off and say ‘unlucky’, but that’s not what we’re about. It’s not about bad luck, it’s about earning the right.

‘Yes, we got a goal ahead. But I still look at the players and think do they really believe that they are going to go on and win this game of football, because I don’t think they can believe it themselves.

‘Once again there are players there – Are they giving their all ? Are they pushing themselves the extra mile ? I’m not so sure. All we wanted to see was a bit of desire and passion.

‘I don’t see any leaders out there. I don’t see anybody being aggressive to win the ball, to try and get the opportunity to earn the right to play nice, good football.

‘If you’ve got good players without the heart and desire, they might as well come and sit on the bench with us, because, at the moment, the general feeling is ‘let’s go down with a whimper’.

‘We’ve been here a week and whether some players are sat here on a contract for next season doesn’t mean anything. There’s not many of them that have shown us the will and desire to play for Grimsby Town. I think that’s probably been evident for a large part of the season.

‘Paul and I wouldn’t be here if they had been doing their jobs, performing week in, week out. Whether they’re in contract or out of contract, if they don’t want to be at this club then that is fine. All they’ve got to do is let us know. But if they want to get themselves a move, I think they’ll find themselves very short on offers.

‘You can spend ten hours on the training ground, but if the players’ mindset isn’t right, and the players don’t want to get their mindset right, you are swimming against the tide.

‘We’ll work hard in training this week to get things right, but I think it runs a bit deeper than technical and tactical work.

‘The players have now got to stand up and be counted. If they don’t fit into our ethos of what we want this club to be, and that is a winning one, then they won’t be here’.

Strong words indeed from Rob, but let’s hope that the players respond positively to these hard hitting home truths.

Without a midweek match, this will be the first full week that Rob and Paul have had on the training ground with the players since joining the club.

The fans will be able to measure the reaction and response of the players through their performance this coming saturday, when they take one of the League’s in-form sides, Kidderminster Harriers.