bobby1413 Old Man Andrews Players only want to talk when things are rosey. All of our squad are hiders unfortunately, not one of them can front it up.
I think some would be up for it. Meyler is always responding to sh*tty 12 year olds on twitter who whine at him. I'd rather someone who has been at the club longer do it though.
I also think some would rather engage off twitter and if it was a more organised, professional thing they'd like it. E.g. if in a radio studio they'd have the chance to discuss things and respond in their way, rather than in 140/280 characters on twitter where each word of their response is examined.
If not players then Clement... if not him then second in command... just someone to take the lead and to engage regularly.
Even hearing someone talk about these players regularly would help build a better connection. E.g. knowing what the players are doing in training, how they're getting on, whose the joker of the pack, discussions after the game, their thoughts on the upcoming game.
As host of the earlier quoted 'desperately stage managed' Royal Exchange, I can tell you that there are players happy to talk, to open up and be as honest as realistically possible. We had Dave Edwards come on the show a few days after his red card at Villa and he fronted up. Likewise we had Vito Mannone on after some tough times as well. Could it have been harder hitting? Of course. However, be realistic about what a club is going to put out on its own media channels given the fact that they're still (unfortunately) a business.
Personally I thought we did as good a job in the circumstances and I give the club credit for putting trust in me to ask some tougher questions where appropriate. I didn't feel censored but I'm wise enough to know the rough limits of what I could ask and what a player was likely to answer.
The feedback I got from the players themselves was that they really enjoyed it and found it a good forum to be able to talk a little bit more about their lives beyond 30' post-match soundbites or a news conference. Had/If we keep going, I think the trust levels would also go up and that leads to even more open discussion. So, I really hope we can bring it back and I like to think we'd make it even better if given the opportunity.
In the wider context, as others have pointed out, players often can't win. The Meyler example being the most recent but we've seen the likes of McCleary, Karacan and others all laid into and have their comments and social exchanges blown up by certain 'fans' the second they make minor slip ups. Sure it's often a minority who kick up a stink but they tend to be the most vocal and if you were a player why would you bother?
It's impossible to understate just how much social media has changed the game. Everyone has a recording device on them, everyone has access to social media where their comments can be seen be millions of people. Even a decade ago, if you said something mildly controversial on BBC Berks, it would probably fly under the radar of a lot of people. Likewise, something in the Evening Post or the Chronicle could be quickly glossed over. Now, it lingers and everyone gets to see any piece of dirty laundry, even when in the greater context, that laundry isn't that dirty. Everything is archived and burying any regrettable moment of your past is getting harder and harder.
So, the risk vs. reward for players being open via the media has swung totally towards the risk. Yes there are some who break the mould and take those risks but its easy to see why the majority stick to the 'boring', safe and mundane.
Yet this goes back to the whole success on the pitch thing. I don't recall many of these things being brought up as issues in 2011/12 or 2010/11 when we had our most recent periods of entertaining success. Everything gets magnified and everything feels much more of a chore/problem when results are bad or performances less entertaining.