MANCHESTER UNITED legend Gary Neville has slammed footballers who publish ‘embarrassing apologies’ after errors and bad performances.
Bruno Fernandes became the latest player to post an online essay after he missed a last-gasp penalty in United’s defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.
The Portuguese ace blasted his effort over the bar as the Red Devils lost for the third time in four outings.
And Fernandes went online after the game apologising to fans with a lengthy statement.
The playmaker said: “Nobody is more frustrated or disappointed than me for missing the penalty and the consequent defeat.
“I’ve always assumed my responsibilities and I’ve always embraced them under pressure in moments like this.
“Today, I failed, but I took a step forward and embraced the challenge with the same ambition and responsibility as when, on the many other occasions, the ball ended up in the back of the net.
“Criticism is contrasting and opinions are a big part of football.
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“I’ve learned to live with it, even using them to drive me on, and I consider it a very big part of my commitment to never stop trying to improve and become the best player I can possibly be, for me and the team.
“Today, I once again took the responsibility given to me when I joined United and I will take it again without fear or dread whenever called upon.
“The most important thing for me is to win together and I’ll always do everything I can to help my team-mates and the club be the best we can be.
“Thank you for all of the support after the final whistle! Hearing you chanting my name in the stadium was very emotional.
Speak with some authenticity and get on with it
Gary Neville
“I will come back stronger for me, because these are the standards I hold myself to but also for my team-mates and fans who have always supported.”
But Neville was left unimpressed with what he perceived to be a PR message written by somebody other than Fernandes.
When asked about players saying sorry for mistakes in games during a Twitter Q&A, Neville responded: “It’s embarrassing! They need to sack their PR people, speak with some authenticity and get on with it.
“I’m going to go big on this in the next few weeks . They’ve all got these comms managers, that are creating personalities that don’t exist!
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“The apology culture that’s engulfing football would be OK if it came from a genuine place.
“However, more often than not, it’s a smokescreen and diversion tactic designed to mask crap performance by experts!! Lose a game = crisis comms meet! How do we spin this one our way?
“Final message of the day on the apology stuff and strong advice to players. If you’re going to say something after a game, go on TV (I accept players don’t always want to) or post a video on social media where everyone can see it is you.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
