From idol to bone idle
15February 15, 2013 by Made In Brum
Nikola Zigic has forever split the opinions of Blues fans, but today, my suspicions were confirmed, he is bone idle. In his press conference ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Watford, Lee Clark, when asked why Zigic will not be involved answered “his training session was the most disgusting I have ever seen in terms of effort, he is short changing the hard-working fans”.
For me, Zigic has a long way to repay the Blues fans after this. He earns £55,000 a week, the least he could do is try. With a lot of young players in the squad, what sort of example does this set? I am told that this isn’t the first time he has been warned about his conduct in training. Enough is enough. If I was lazy and didn’t do my job sufficiently, I would be annihilated by my boss, why should a footballer be any different?
Some people are lambasting Lee Clark for revealing such information publicly, why? If Zigic was left out tomorrow, we would all demand answers and moan, moan, moan. Now we have an answer, everyone still moans. And there are conspiracies doing the rounds that Blues are trying to make the player feel uncomfortable to force a loan move. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Surely, if they wanted a club to take a player on such high wages, they would be praising him up to the skies.
Why does there always have to be a conspiracy in everything that happens at Blues? Can we not just accept that Zigic is a bone idle, overpaid and undeserving player?
Sorry Nikola, I am 100% with Lee on this one! Limited ability is acceptable, but lack of effort, especially on your kind of salary, is unforgivable.
By Rob Wildey
Made In Brum 
If he isnt putting the effort in and has been warned before then fine him, bingo you just saved 50k. I’ll be honets though, I think there is more to this than we know.
I would agree with you up to a point. First of all, I think Clark was absolutely right to leave him out of the squad, because it sets the standards high. It means that Zigic knows he has to properly fight for his place by working hard, and that other players watching on know they can’t get away with not trying hard enough. I think it was a good move, I think Clark has done exactly the right thing, and I’m glad he’s informed the media of the situation, because otherwise the fans would give him even more slack.
However, I’m not sure that to say a lack of effort is ‘unforgiveable’, is right. It’s something that we’re not prepared to accept now, and I’m glad Clark has dealt with it accordingly, but the reality is football is not like normal work. Rightly or wrongly, players don’t get sacked if they don’t give their all.
Although it seems unjust given their wages, not every player is going to give 100% every match. I think how hard players work in a match isn’t always a black-and-white choice, but it has a lot to do with how motivated they feel. I know it seems like a petty excuse, but I think there is a truth behind it. Great managers, like Martin O’Neill or Jose Mourinho for instance, are fantastic at motivating the whole team so that they want to play for their manager.
I would agree that for Zigic’s wages, he should be giving 100%, but how hard players work isn’t always in direct proportion to the wages they earn. I’m not entirely defending Zigic, but I think some of the responsibility can go to Clark for not being able to motivate him well enough as far, so that Zigic becomes hell-bent on proving his worth to the team. Clark has now taken a step towards doing that by dropping him, but I just think the best managers would be able to get the best out of the squad and make them play with a real fire in their belly. I think that’s part of the managers job.
(I would like to say here that I’m generally a supporter of Clark, I’m not searching for an excuse to start a ‘Clark out’ campaign by any means, I’m just calling it as I see it.)
I’m glad Zigic has been taught a lesson this week, but if the next week in training he learns from it and fully commits himself, then I would happily have him back, because he has always made a difference for us coming off the bench. In my opinion, what Zigic did was unacceptable on a short-term scale, not unforgivable on a long-term scale.
I guess our Nico has had enough of the obviously poor coaching regimes, hope more players take a stance, well done Zig, blues in your heart!
How would you know the training regiemes are poor? I have been to wast hills and seen them train numerous times and it is no different to what it was under Hughton or McLeish.
Cant we just accept Zigic is a lazy b*stard?
Whether you agree with training regimes or not, you should always try. You earn a lot of money, you owe the fans who back you every week!
What a very biased view of a player that you obviously an issue with and to suggest that he ever gives less than 100%when he gets a chance to play is out of order.The main issue that certain people have regarding Zigic are his wages but he didnt force the club to pay him this ridiculous salary and i have no doubt that if your boss was to offer to double your salary you wouldnt say ‘No thanks you cant afford it’.
Is it any wonder that he is not showing the right attitude when an on loan journeyman from Bournemouth gets in the team ahead of him after being at the club for 24hours.
I have stuck up for Lee Clark all season but this further evidence of bad man magement could backfire spectacularly and end up getting us relegated.
Biased? Even considering I have backed Zigic over the hill since he joined- took stick and had arguments with fans who heckle him?
I have time for any player, other than players that dont try. He has been given the benefit of the doubt time after time…
If we didnt know the reasons for him being left out tomorrow, and we were behind in the game, why should Clark take the stick and be called every name under the sun for @leaving him out’ when his reasons for not playing the player are spot on? And dont we, as fans, deserve to know who is not pulling their weight? Why do we always try and protect these footballers, these over paid inflated egomaniacs?
Thomas was in the team as his application was right, he was hungry and wanted to do well. Zigic has been the total opposite, and after being warned by THREE managers about his application at Blues, enough is enough!
I am not saying it is his fault that he earns such a substantial amount, indeed I wouldnt care if he earned it, if he applied himself well, but hes doesnt, so as far as I am concerned, I would rather see a defender up front who is going to graft than someone who is clearly only here for the £££.
What sort of example would it be if a young lad saw Ziggy not trying and then waltz straight into the team? They would think ‘if he gets picked for being a lazy get, i will too’.
Until he shapes up, I couldnt care less if we never see him in a Blues shirt again. If he gets his head down and starts repaying the fans with, at the very least, effort, then I, as will many, welcome him back!
Tell me one game when Zigic hasnt tried and how do you know that he has been warned by three managers!!!!!!!! I have heard many criticsms of Zigic but that has never been 1 of them until today.
You state that that Thomas was picked because his application was right yet he went staight into the team after transfer deadline day without even having had a training session which interestingly coincides with Zigic’s ‘unsatisfactory training sessions in the last 2weeks’ according to Mr.Clark’s statement.
Wouldnt you have a bad attitude ( salary level is irrelevent) if you were overlooked for another loan player, constantly left out from the starting line up and then not brought off the bench until the 80th minute week in week out?
Unfortunately Nicola Zigic not trying (which i dispute) will score more goals than Wes Thomas (who had the Tilton on his back on his debut for not closing down the defender) will ever do from what i have seen in the 2games he has played so far.
We pay his wages, without effort, we’d be out of a job and wouldnt be able to. He expects to half heartedly do his job and still get paid. Footballers are out of touch with the real world, hang him out to dry I say.
If Hughton had said today what Clark has, he would be praised through the roof.
well done Lee
Zig loves blues and gives 100% every game without fail.. regarding training regimes, look at the disorganized and poor displays on the pitch for evidence of that! Clarks man management is the worst I have seen, feel sorry for Ziggy after all he does on the pitch then rewarded with this by Clark and his cronies, maybe we should of loaned a GK from league 2 and dropped Butland to see his reaction? Clark OUT!
Rob, the truth will come about about Zigic, Fahey, Lita and the common factor Lee Clark.
in the case of Zigic under 2 previous managers there was never any hint of problems.
In the case of Fahey, well “personal problems” as reported is inaccurate and when the cancers of Yeung Pannu and and clueless Clark are out of our club the truth will come out.
And Lita well is this the same Lita who had his loan ended by injury, only to appear in the Swansea bench the following week and subsequently loaned out to Sheff Wed
I’m not denying that there may be suspicion with some, but that doesn’t mean to say that every player dropped us because of something more than what it seems.
Surely if that was the case, Clark wouldnt give reasoning for why Zigic was left out, he would just leave him out. Is it not possible that Zigic is lazy rather than their being a conspiracy behind it?
yes he could be telling the truth, but the other incidents make me fail to believe a word that comes out of Clarks mouth. What was he hoping to get out publicly dressing down the man who has got us out of jail several times this season, why not sort this out internally, Clark is no Brian Cough, Sir Alex, hell he isn’t even a Paul Jewell or Gary Megson!
I genuinely believe who are being led a merry dance and the truth will come out.
I think if Clark hadn’t have played Zigic today and we were trailing, the fans would be demanding to know why. Now we know why, and Clark still gets abused for doing it.
Clark is destroying our club, if we had a half decent manager we wouldn’t be in this awful position. Relegation is still a massive possibility this season, yet on paper we have a first 11 who should be doing so much better and that’s down to coaching methods, training philosophies, motivational skills, MAN MANAGEMENT and tactics.. not Pannu or Carson.. but Clark and his inept coaching staff! Any other clubs fans would recognize this but at Blues???
If you don’t put in the effort you don’t deserve to play I would rather have a team of rough diamonds who put in 110% every week (in games and in training) than an over paid lazy Prima Donna. Yes Zigic loves the Blues, I’d love any job that paid me £50k a week.