melonhead a player can be tapped up by another club, and refuse to sign a new contract because he is intent on leaving
and the manager can make a decision on not playing him based on that which is entirely football based, while not getting involved in the negotiations etc
ie if brian thinks he doesnt want to be at the club, and deciding he doesnt want players playing for him tat dont wantto be there
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Precisely.
Brian's team selections are not totally about what any given player's performance was like in the last fixture.
It's also about how the player is mentally, how they conduct themselves at training, their work ethic, and also their interaction with the other players.
How many times have we heard Brian talking about "the group", "togetherness", "collective effort" etc.?
These are Brian's philosophies, and he is building a team in that image.
Should players not buy into this philosophy, they are of no use to him.
This isn't blind acquiesence towards everything the club does. It's just understanding how Brian operates.