Quote: SaintsFan "Oh I'm sorry. I thought you said often enough in times gone by that it is the job of the coach to motivate the players?'"
It definately is, in my opinion. Not just with a stirring pre match/half time speech, but also with the team spirit created, seeds of desire planted and confidence instilled in a squad over time.
You'll always have some players that are more easily motivated than others, but its going to be a variable in every player that the coach has a massive influence on.