Passage Two
Building team spirit is always the focal point of what I try to do as a manager. When I first went to Crystal Palace, players would finish training and then go straight home. There was no atmosphere. So we brought in a pool table and fruit machines. When players choose to spend time together, it generates a better atmosphere.
The team spirit’s very important, but I don’t believe in trying to motivate the team as a team. I try to motivate the team as individuals. So I don’t give team talks. I speak to the players individually. And I try not to put too much pressure on them. I believe players perform best when they are relaxed. If they’re too tense, I can guarantee they won’t play well.
I also believe in giving people autonomy（自主权）. I like all the people who work for me to be autonomous. I very rarely interfere. I feel people should be judged on their results. If they prove incompetent, then I’m incompetent if I keep on employing them.
It’s like that with the team. I get criticized for not interfering during a game and making more substitutions. But I feel if I’ve chosen those eleven players to get a result, then I should leave them alone to get on with it.
If I’m dropping a player from the team, I don’t feel I have to explain it to them. If they want to discuss it, I’ll say, “Come back and talk about it in a couple of days.” But I don’t try to re-motivate them. It’s up to them to have the character to fight back. I’m a great believer that almost everything you believe in life is due to your attitude. If I have a player who is magnificently gifted but has a bad attitude, I won’t waste my time on him.
6. As the manager of Crystal Palace, the writer’s focal point is to ________.
A、organize different team activities
B、drop bad players from the team
C、motivate the team as a whole
D、build team spirit