Cobblers players ‘lack desire and application’ as Curle repeats need for change

Manager Keith Curle has again repeated his desire to make major changes this summer after saying there is a ‘collective lack of desire, willingess and application’ within his Cobblers squad.
Keith Curle. Picture: Pete NortonKeith Curle. Picture: Pete Norton
Keith Curle. Picture: Pete Norton

Curle was again critical of his players’s performance after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Yeovil Town, describing their first-half display as ‘embarrassing’ and lamenting their ‘naive defending’ as the rock-bottom Glovers took a surprise 2-0 lead.

The hosts fought back in the second-half and drew 2-2 but that wasn’t enough for Northampton’s players to escape the wrath of their manager afterwards, when Curle suggested they have become too comfortable following a string of managerial sackings.

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“We’ve got a group of players who have been at this club for a long time and the majority of the games they’ve lost so that culminates in relegation and being at the wrong end of the table,” said Curle.

“The manager’s door is swinging open and shut, open and shut, and within that, there becomes a collective lack of demands, desire, willingness and application to do the right things at the right time.

“It’s unfortunate but my remit was to come in and change it and keep us in the division because the powers that be knew that things in the footballing department of the club were not right.

“And that’s what I’ve been brought in to change and I will change it.”

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Rob Page, Justin Edinburgh, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Dean Austin have all paid the price for poor results over the past couple of seasons, but Curle says players must also take responsibility.

He added: “If a group of players have been together for a period of time and haven’t been successful, then ultimately things to change.

“Likewise, if a group of players are successful and keep being successful, the bulk and the core of that stays together and you implement change by bringing in players to add to that.

“If players have been together and are failing, they need to change.”