Arteta: Fear of abuse is putting off next generation of managers
Mikel Arteta has said young coaches are being put off a career in management because of fears over the abuse they will receive.
The Arsenal manager said he had also heard from experienced coaches who did not want to go back into the dugout for the same reason.
Arteta’s comments come after sacked Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce revealed the impact of the criticism he had received over the past few years, saying it was “very, very tough” for him to cope.
Arteta, the youngest manager in the Premier League, has called for open discussions on how to improve the situation, saying Bruce’s comments must not be ignored.
Asked if he feared young coaches might avoid management due to the abuse they could receive, he said: “Yes, a lot of people think like that. I heard a lot, and I have a lot of friends who are doing the [coaching] courses, who doubted whether they want to take the hot seat or whether it is better to be an assistant or something else.
“For me, this cannot be the barrier, having fear about the treatment you are going to receive. But it is important that we take care of the environment and put things in the right place. It will get worse if we don’t do anything about it.”
Asked what he said to colleagues who had these doubts, Arteta said: “That you cannot lose the focus, the passion, the love and the reason why you made the decision in the first place to go into management.
“If you are affected by every single opinion in life nowadays, with how easy you can read stuff about yourself, you are not going to be happy with whatever you do. You have to be able to deal with that. But obviously we can help to be able to deal with that.”
On Bruce’s comments, Arteta
added: “I was really sad after reading that statement from Steve. First of all, because I know him personally, and secondly with what he transmitted in his words. You are talking about somebody who has been in the game over 40 years as a player and manager, that has managed 1,000 games and he is telling you, with that experience, with that level of expertise, that he struggles with that kind of situation.
“We have to reflect on how we can’t take for granted and accept certain things because they are how they are. No. We are here to improve them and change them like we do with any rules, with anything we want to improve for our supporters, fans, stadiums, facilities, broadcast.
“Why don’t we spend more time and have an open table to discuss how we can do that? One of the most experienced managers in English history is telling you that. You can’t ignore it. It is a very serious statement and something has to change.”