Newcastle Jets head coach Rob Stanton questioned the willingness of his squad members to fight for the club in what he labelled as a “generational problem” in an extraordinary press conference following his side’s fourth-consecutive defeat in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
The Jets won their first game of the season but have since lost four on the bounce, including Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Adelaide United at home.
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At full-time, Jets teammates Eli Adams and Wellisol were engaged in a verbal altercation, and Stanton was questioned about the incident in his post-match press conference.
But rather than condone the behavior, the Jets boss encouraged what he saw from the pair as he challenged his players to show they truly care about the fortunes of a club floundering near the foot of the Isuzu UTE A-League table.
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“You know what? I hope they have more altercations,” Stanton said.
“I hope they start letting each other know, because that’s probably half the problem. They’re too nice to each other.
“I might bring some boxing gloves in (and) let them punch on, because you know what? They need it. They actually need it.
“I need to get some of the (silver) spoons out of their mouths and teach them (that) this is your opportunity, you need to fight for this club. You need to fight for the fans.
“That’s a problem, mate. I’m sorry, it’s a generational problem where we are right now, in my opinion.
“They don’t have to work – sorry I know you’re young, boys, but I’m just saying it’s the way you’re brought up, mate. You need to look at the history of the way this country was built. It’s built with these hands, of people that came here.
“I said: ‘You need to appreciate what they’ve done for you, and (when you) walk on the pitch the fans see that. They see when you fight. They will clap you when you fight, they will boo you when you don’t fight.
“They were booing, and rightly so. Let me tell you, boxing gloves is not a bad idea.”
Watch the full press conference below.
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