I think players remain loyal to head coaches who they perceive as someone who treats them well. Fisher talks about having personal relationships with all of his players, so, of course, those relationships have the potential to supersede any professional hierarchy. Can the players see beyond that relationship to objectively consider if Fisher is the guy to take them to where they want to be? That rarely seems to be the case. And if I'm Fisher, I have to ask myself if these players really love playing FOR me, or just love the fact that I pat them on the butt when they screw up. If they love playing FOR me, it would be nice if they played in a manner that didn't put my job in jeopardy. Having a great relationship with your head coach is great, as long as it's an appropriate relationship that fosters professionalism, camaraderie, and a unified vision. If it's just a "he's nice to me" kinda relationship, it's going to end badly. It always ends badly. For Fisher to demand a more professional, focused approach from his players will require an abrupt change of course and I don't think that, five years into this, he can do that. You can't put the toothpaste back into the tube. It's done. The approach has failed. It's time for a different approach from a different leader.
