Gary Rowett was clearly perturbed by reporters at the weekend, and not just Leicester City's dreadful QPR loss. There was an occasional jagged edge to his retorts. One sudden snap of the jaws came in response to a fairly run-of-the-mill inquiry that suggested the manager had been pricked in a particularly tender spot.
While a gaffer must always tread the delicate tightrope of public discourse (careful never to belie the fragile egos of his dressing room or undermine the collective spirit [though nonexistent at LCFC] of his squad), the former Foxes defender now occupying the hot seat on Filbert Way must, above all else, embrace a harrowing honesty with himself, his roster, and a restless fan base.
Was Gary Rowett upset at Leicester City question for obvious reasons?!
​The flashpoint arrived when Rowett was pressed on whether his side's chronic inability to string together consecutive victories was the byproduct of a "mental block". What an intriguing diagnosis in this daub setting of King Power failure: a psychological cul-de-sac where progress is stifled by an invisible, internal barrier.
"Mental block over winning two games in a row?LCFC Live
GR: “It’s got nothing to do with a mental block. It’s got to do with embracing what wins you games. That’s what you have to do.
“The way you win games is by repeating things, week in, week out, the basics of the game, running, tackling, competing, defending your box, defending counter-attacks."
So it seems the Leicester Mercury’s inquisitor (likely the measured Jordan Blackwell) was precisely on the money, and Rowett loathed the currency of the conversation. The gaffer's defensive posture (as seen above) suggests a man desperate to shield a group whose self-belief has evaporated into the ether.
"A mental block is a temporary, involuntary inability to think clearly, remember information, or proceed with a task, often caused by stress, fatigue, or emotional anxiety. It acts as a cognitive barrier"Google definition
​What we appear to behold now is the undeniable anatomy of a collapse: a profound fragility of the mind coupled with a corrosive lack of confidence that permeates every tactical instruction. Whether the players have lost faith in one another or, more pointedly, in the somewhat mediocre management steering the ship, the result(s) generally remain the same.
LCFC is currently an organisation haunted by its own shadow; paralysed by the fear of its own potential contrasted with possible forfeiture. Rowett's irritation only serves to confirm that the truth, however unpalatable, has finally hit home.