Roeder has again said: "If I am honest, I have to say that some of our players are lacking in confidence." And it is up to the manager to send them out onto the pitch in the right attitude.
That is what makes a great manager. The winners, the likes of Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson, know when to put an arm around a player and when to kick a few arses. That is what good management is all about.
Roeder also had a dig at the board for agreeing to a Saturday fixture the last time Newcastle and Sheffield United met back in November. United played in Scicily on the Thursday and they were offered the chance to play the Blades on the following Sunday. But SKY TV offered cash, and United agreed for the match to be shown on TV on the Saturday.
Roeder: "We know exactly what type of game it is going to be for us at Bramall Lane tomorrow. Sheffield United will be in our faces all game and every one of our team has to go out there and play with courage.
"If there is one thing about the Premiership it is that you need all 11 players to play to their full potential and if two or three do not then you are in trouble.
It's Time For Roeder To Earn His Wages
"If I am honest, I have to say that some of our players are lacking in confidence. In fact we are in the same position as England, who are currently playing with no confidence.
"I can remember standing in Palermo airport at 1am on the Friday morning and at 5pm on the Saturday night I was standing in the dug-out as we went in against Sheffield United.
"We put in a poor performance, but in the circumstances I was half expecting it."