I think it's hard to judge players when there is clearly a fundamental issue with the direction and management of the team. Good managers (in sports, and generally) lift a group, and create a collective that might be better than the sum of it's parts.
The situation around the club must be negative. The noises from the manager (at least in public) usually sit somewhere between delusion and desperation. They'll be wondering whether/ when he's going to get the sack and who'll be next. There's the question of whether the players actually buy in to what he's trying to do. It must be a very difficult atmosphere to work in.
I personally think a winning mentality isn't something you either have as an individual, or don't, but is a collective thing. It's something you can create.
