GAVIN RAE & JON PARKIN SPOKE OUT AGAINST DAVE JONES

By Annis Abraham

Ex Cardiff City players Gavin Rae & Jon Parkin both spoke out against former Cardiff City manager Dave Jones.

Jones virtually divided the Cardiff City squad at the time.
Jones had favourites,who got away with stuff that other players would not have.
Former striker Jon Parkin claimed star strikers at the time, Michael Chopra and Jay Bothroyd, were often a law unto themselves under previous Cardiff City manager Dave Jones, with Michael Chopra disappearing to drive to his home in Newcastle after midweek games affecting his preparation for the up-coming Saturday fixtures.

Gavin Rae, endorsed Jon Parkin’s comments, but went further, insisting Jones teetered on the brink of dividing his squad when unity was needed.
“For any professional, to see that going on and to see them not being picked up on it is very frustrating for the rest of the team,” said Rae, who left Cardiff for Dundee in May 2011.

“I totally agree with Jon Parkin, things like that would be going on and then it comes to the Saturday and you have boys who have trained all week who are on the bench or not even on the bench. Then other boys are starting who maybe did not take it as seriously as the rest of us were taking it.

“There may have been reasons why Dave did that with certain players, I totally get that, but I think it was detrimental to the squad, I don’t think he should have done that at all.”

“It was difficult because the one thing Dave was really good at was getting a good team spirit and a squad together. We had a great team spirit when I was there, I loved my time at Cardiff, the boys were great and they were great times, but there comes a time when somebody’s got to be pulled up when there are things to be pulled up for.”

“If they are not, then you will get boys talking, then saying: ‘Well, that is just not on’. That shouldn’t be going on and when it gets to that stage it is damaging to the rest of the squad.”

But he believes Dave Jones took things too far, with some other players unhappy at their special treatment, and Rae himself, w says “he would do things differently if he ever moves into management.”

“Maybe it negates the argument because they were doing it on the pitch,” said Rae. “But overall I don’t think it’s great for morale in the squad. I understand the thinking behind it, but it does not need to go on. Dave was an experienced manager and these boys were experienced players, so I don’t think there would have been any problem with them being told to do just the same as everyone else was being told to do.”

“I would not say there was massive leniency to certain players, but there was slightly and you thought it could have been handled differently. I know it’s difficult to keep everyone happy, but I like to think if the time were to come for me to be a coach or a manager at that level then I would try to treat everyone the same.

“Jay and ‘Chops’ trained hard, they trained well. It was nothing sinister, they are obviously two really good players, they did it on the pitch for us, but everyone is a different character. I just got my head down and got on with it, but some people got more annoyed than I did. I just felt everyone should be treated fairly.”