HYDE United manager Nick Spooner has questioned the commitment of his squad, claiming there are “a lot of players” who “don’t deserve to wear the badge” following another disappointing defeat.
The Tigers boss delivered a brutal assessment of his players after watching his side lose 1-0 away at Ilkeston Town, admitting there is considerably more work to do than he initially anticipated since returning to the club.
Spooner was reappointed on October 22, just over a year after resigning following three-and-a-half years in charge.
He replaced Michael Clegg, who departed by mutual consent after arriving in January and guiding Hyde to survival in the Northern Premier League Premier Division last season.
Spooner’s second spell has got off to a difficult start, with the Tigers losing both of their away fixtures since his return.
A spirited display ended in a 2-1 defeat at promotion-chasing Avro before last weekend’s setback against 20th-placed Ilkeston.
And the manager made little secret of his frustration afterwards, suggesting only a handful of players were showing the commitment required to represent the club.
When asked about the lack of quality in the final third, Spooner told the club’s media team: “It’s been a problem. In the last two games, I’ve learned a lot. Obviously it’s players who inevitably get the manager the sack.
“I’ve looked at the players and there’s about five or six who care. There’s a lot of players who don’t deserve to wear the badge of Hyde United.
“It’s not nice saying that so I’ve got some work to do – I really have because the first gimme is to run. I’ve had two members of staff tell me in the warm-up that they would sub a starter, so that can’t be right.
“There’s a weakness from set-plays. There’s a lot to put right – a lot more than I thought.”
Spooner was equally unimpressed with the performance against Ilkeston, particularly his side’s inability to make their attacking gameplan count.
“We came with a gameplan, we knew we could exploit them in wide areas. We played out from the back, played through the middle third and we were toothless up front – really was toothless.
“They just turned us and kept doing what they wanted to do. Unfortunately we gave the ball away on the halfway line, gave the corner away and from the resulting corner we didn’t clear it and obviously let a goal in.
“After that, we decided to play a bit but still never really improved.”
The Tigers now have plenty of ground to make up if they are to climb away from the lower reaches of the table.
They currently sit 17th in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, with just four wins from their opening 16 league matches.
Their record of 15 goals scored and 30 conceded highlights the problems at both ends of the pitch, with Hyde having shipped twice as many goals as they have managed themselves.
They are just one place and one point above Tameside rivals Ashton United, who also have a game in hand.
Things do not get any easier for the Tigers, with league leaders Redcar Athletic next to visit the Project Solar Stadium on Saturday, November 7.
It will be Spooner’s first home game since taking charge for a second time, with the returning manager facing another stiff test as he looks to turn around the Tigers’ fortunes.