'I’m a big believer that leadership doesn’t always have to be loud' - Crawley Town boss Matty Etherington on his calm touchline demeanour

Etherington’s side lost 2-0 to bottom of League Two Hartlepool United last Friday which caused some fans to show their frustration on social media. “The game was the worst this season,” said @PMB3448 on Twitter. “The fans made the effort to turn up in the cold but none of the players bothered to. Shocking.”

Whilst @VNL_ITK_2022 said, “Have we got the receipt for Etherington? Bin this chancer off right now.”

“On that performance I would’ve said Crawley were the team at the bottom of the league,” said @Ian_Stovs. “Awful performance.”

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“It doesn’t bother me,” said Etherington in response to the recent comments. “I’m aware there’s going to be criticism of me even two games in, and I’ve just got to deal with that. With what I’ve been through in my life, it’s going to be like water off a duck’s back.

“I apologised (for the performance) and the fans are entitled to their opinion because they turned up on a really cold Friday night. They’ve got every right to their frustration or anger because I’ve got no issue with it whatsoever.”

During the match, Etherington was criticised by some fans for his stature on the touch line. Instead of shouting instructions or bellowing at the officials, the former Stoke City winger prefers to stay quiet whist thinking of his next move.

“I was trying to figure out a way of getting the team going,” said Etherington on how he behaves in his dugout. “I’m a big believer that leadership doesn’t always have to be loud.

“Some of the great managers were loud and some weren’t. Some are just quiet and think about things.

“There were managers like Alan Pardew who could be quite hostile at times, but he wasn’t ranting and raving on the side-lines. People like Glenn Hoddle at Spurs was very calm and composed. So, everyone’s different.

“It’s irrelevant what I’m like on the side-line. There might be occasions where I need to be a little bit more vocal to try and get the team going but, in that instance, I was thinking about the formation of the team, changing the formation of the team, having conversations with Simon (Davies), what substitutes could I make to impact the game. Albeit none of that worked but it was just one of those nights. I won’t change who I am.”

Crawley are set to face Tranmere Rovers this weekend in what will be Etherington’s first away game in charge of the Reds.