Former Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill has claimed that comments Troy Deeney made about one of his own players were "pretty poor."
Deeney joined League Two club Forest Green Rovers on August 17, 2023, as a player-coach. After manager David Horseman left the club by mutual consent, Deeney was appointed head coach on a permanent basis and has been managing since December. Since taking over the role, the former Watford player's record stands at three draws and three losses.
Last Saturday, Forest Green lost 2-0 at home to Harrogate Town, and the display upset Deeney so much that he went on BBC Radio Gloucestershire to criticise 28-year-old Fankaty Dabo specifically for his displays in a Forest Green shirt.
"Dabo was poor and awful again. I just told him he won't be playing on Tuesday," said Deeney to the radio station after the game.
"He's not been good enough for five, six, seven, eight, or nine weeks. Why do you think he was dropped at the start? This is the point.
"I just told him in front of everyone. Six months ago, that kid had a chance to go to the Premier League. Now he wouldn't get a game in the National League. Is that me or him? It's a simple question.
"He's faster than everybody, purely on ability. But he gets run every game and never makes a tackle. Anytime the ball comes to him, he looks like he kicks it with his shin pads."
Deeney was criticized for his comments after the game by thousands of people on social media and apologized, claiming that he apologized to Dabo and conceded that emotions got the better of him after the loss.
Seen a fair few people share the transcript of what Troy Deeney said about Dabo, here's the audio for those interested - sounds even harsher hearing it. You're meant to support your players, not publicly shame them. What happened to the importance of mental health @T_Deeney?? pic.twitter.com/dW9wOnVAvU
— Debajyoti Choudhury (@TDC1991) January 14, 2024
"Look, we're all learning on the job. I let my emotions get the best of me at times.
"Obviously, as a player, you can say what you want. Listen, I still stand by what I said, but I probably shouldn't have let that out. I've already spoken to Fankaty Dabo and apologised.
"I expect high standards. And, in the era we came up in, that was a minimum. Hard work and dedication, and sometimes they fall below that.
"Back then, when he was playing football, it was okay to be called out on it and told you need to think about it a little bit more."
A number of people have had their say on the matter and claimed that Deeney's comments were harsh and the wrong way to go about it.
Since then, Deeney has been sacked from his role with the Forest Green Rovers. A tenure that lasted barely two months
Former Ireland boss Martin O'Neill was asked for his thoughts on the matter and claimed that Deeney's comments should have been said behind closed doors and not released to the public for consumption on Talksport
"Not to the public. Absolutely not. He can say what he wants to him in the dressing room if the player is able to take it and if the other players are listening, and he makes this point," O'Neill responded when asked by Jim White where he stood on Deeney's comments towards Dabo.
"But not to the public. He said, 'I've told him.' No, you haven't. You haven't just told him. You've told us all about what he's done and what he hasn't done in the last eight or nine weeks, although seemingly you've continued to pick him in some of these matches that he hasn't performed well in. I think it was pretty poor—some sort of raffish comments about him. I think it's not for me—absolutely not."
White then asked O'Neill if he had ever done it during his playing career, and O'Neill claimed that it would have only been done in jest and not in the manner that Deeney did.
The former Ireland boss claimed that managers have to try and improve players, and doing so would be counterintuitive to that aspect of management.
"It would only be in a jocular fashion, particularly if the player has done well," he added. "I'm absolutely convinced about that. And I would admit it if publicly what I said to the players in the dressing room would stay in the dressing room if that's the case because it's the only way the players will lose a lot of respect for coming out to criticise some player, and that player may be able to handle it; he may not be able to handle it at all. But your job is to try and improve this player, and you're certainly not going to improve him if you are publicly hammering him."
“Absolutely not the public!” 😡❌
“I think it was pretty poor. Your job is to try and improve this player. You’ll lose respect!”
Martin O’Neill slams Troy Deeney for savagely calling out Fankaty Dabo in his interview. 😱 pic.twitter.com/xNgVnAZL1Z— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) January 15, 2024
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