Desire & hunger should come from within, lot of players did not have it: Simon Grayson

The BFC coach blamed certain players to not take responsibilities.

Bengaluru FC was blown away by a sensational performance from Mumbai City FC which saw the latter collect three points courtesy of a 0-4 away from home win at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday. It was a game which saw one-way traffic and the hosts delivering a massively underwhelming performance.

Simon Grayson, speaking in the post-match press conference, pointed fingers at his players who failed to show any intent or hunger. He also spoke about the possibility of losing his position as head coach of Bengaluru FC after the club’s owner made a statement indicating big changes at the club.

Here are the excerpts from a memorable interaction between Simon Grayson and the media after Bengaluru FC’s humiliating 0-4 loss to Mumbai City FC. 

Embarrassing performance

Simon Grayson’s analysis of the performance was brief and precise. He was honest in his assessment and said, “It was embarrassing really, we showed no competitive edge. The experienced players should be looking at themselves and questioning. I am not the one who goes out to make wrong decisions and not work hard enough. The desire and hunger should come from within. Unfortunately, a lot of players did not have any of those ingredients.”

Amazed by the support

The head coach expressed amazement at the constant support from the Bengaluru FC fans despite a terrible performance. He said, “The one thing I am amazed by is the support of our supporters. They were still singing songs about our football club, about the players while in England, you are getting absolute dog abuse for a performance like this, absolutely slaughtered left, right and centre. Full credit to our supporters for they keep going and backing when some players did not even deserve their backing.”

Not fearful about the job

Simon Grayson clarified that he does not fear getting sacked after Bengaluru FC owner Parth Jindal posted on X indicating changes will be coming at the club amidst poor performances. In this context, Grayson said, “I am never fearful about my job. I have been in the game for 18 years and 780 games. I know exactly what it is about. Everyone looks over their shoulder when you get bad results. What will happen will happen in the future, but the biggest concern is some of the players’ performances. Regardless of which coach is there, they (the players) are playing for their futures.”

“What sums up the difference between us and Mumbai tonight is that even in the 92nd minute, the two centre-backs are dying for the cause and putting their bodies on the line to keep a clean sheet. None of our players did that tonight. Players have got to take the responsibility and that is what needs to change at times,” he further added suggesting that the performance by the players tonight was forgetful despite the coaches working extremely hard in training to prepare them.

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