Footballers should never play with fear, says Neil McCann

Players should develop with freedom and not resort to ugly football, says Sky Sports pundit Neil McCann...

Last week I wrote about the need for Dundee United to gather some steel and resolve and become hard to beat but please don't think this means I believe they should stop playing football!

I've been listening to such comments and reading opinions on the subject. I do not agree though.

Some think that the time has come for United to stop playing football... no more nice passing, no more trying to be brave on the ball and trying to make a precise killer pass, or taking the odd risk or two to make something happen, the time has come for ugly football.... No! Please, no!

United need to work harder and become a more difficult unit to break down. This does not mean stop playing football.

It's hard work on the training ground, showing grit and self-determination in a game to become a team that stops conceding soft goals, not abandoning a quality that the current squad of youngsters have in abundance.

I agree in certain situations you have to clear your lines and not take unnecessary risk but not playing football? Not trying to play an attractive brand of football that fans pay good money to see on their time off? Football becoming secondary to route one? No, not on your life!

Some also say that the pressure in our league is too great for youngsters to play football with the constant fear of relegation. Rubbish.

Let's get one thing straight, we will not improve as footballers in this nation by being afraid to play football under pressure.

It's always the manager's job that's on the line if the team doesn't perform and win games. I therefore believe it's managers who need to be brave and encourage their team to continue to play football and not play with fear of making mistakes, especially with youngsters in the team.

If they stray from this then it is they themselves who have the fear. Of course I mean in the right areas of the pitch. I'm not suggesting that I'm advocating playing 'tippy tappy' football inside your own box but I want to see our players being brave enough to attempt passes, tricks, the ambitious shot at goal.

I don't want to see them living in fear of attempting them for the dread of abuse from managers, coaches and fans if it doesn't come off.

I understand the worries and concerns fans and clubs have when things are not going well but that is the time to stick to the belief that football is the way to go.

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It will not work on its own though. It has to be married to a fantastic work ethic, an aggression and desire to stop the opposition scoring easy goals when not in possession of the ball.

This comes only from the team on the park but must be instilled in them by the manager and coaches off it. Martin Canning at Hamilton is a great example of this. Martin stuck to his beliefs when he was struggling to get things going again after Alex Neil's departure but he or the club didn't hit the panic button and it has paid off.

There is no great divide between our top clubs in the Scottish Premiership, therefore I believe that if you match your opponents' work rate and desire to win and have better footballers, you stand a bigger chance of winning games and climbing the table.

In times of difficulty it's hard not to be fearful but don't abandon football... our fans deserve to be entertained.