Speaking on the Claret and Blue Podcast, Former Aston Villa coach, Neil Cutler has been discussing Jack Grealish and his attitude.
Grealish was, of course, Villa’s key player for a number of years, and according to Cutler, he had a top-class attitude.
Indeed, he says he was the last player in the training ground every single day, and that he would always push hard to win, stating that he’s the sorest loser he’s ever seen.
However, he did say that there was the odd issue in terms of lateness, but Cutler says that Dean Smith always knew how to deal with the player.
Grealish had timekeeping issues
Cutler spoke about Grealish and how he was managed.
“I think the gaffer was a big player in that. Jack’s work ethic on the training ground showed leadership qualities. He was the last in every day, he wasn’t the first in, he was the last in. He always wanted to win, he’s a sore loser. He’d blame anything he’d blame the staff and the players.
“He’s just a good honest guy and that’s what you want as a captain, the only issue you’ve got is where Jack would turn up late or things would go awry like that, but Dean knew how to deal with that fantastically well and deal with Jack, he knew him as a person in detail and that’s why he’s gone on to be where he is.”
Tough to manage
It’s really hard to manage a situation like this.
On one hand, Grealish was Villa’s captain. He needed to lead by example and turning up late for training just wasn’t acceptable.
However, on the other hand, Grealish was their best player, and punishment may have led to his morale dropping or kicking up a fuss.
Situations like this are tough to manage, but it sounds as though Smith knew how to deal with it perfectly.
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