This Is A Low

I have to say that I have never been this angry with my football club.  It's gone too far now.  The situation is upsetting and people need to step up to change our fortunes.  Last night was pathetic from back to front.  The ineptitude of the inexperienced goalkeeper through to the lethargy of our attacks was a shambles.




The substitutions, although bold, made no sense.  Going 4-2-4 removing our creative players in Baxter and Reed was always going to make the task second half impossible.  At 3-1 a game is not lost and we would have created chances.  Patience and balance was required.  Not a strange gung ho approach which left us unbalanced.




It must also be said that it is not Dean Hammond's fault alone.  Our keeper was a joke.  People on Saturday claimed he had become our number 1.  I like a pint at an away game as much as the next bloke but how many had they had?  What on earth had Long done in the two games prior to deserve a recall to the starting 11?  Our more consistent players such as Basham and Freeman have been absolutely woeful at moment.  Collins is not good enough.  Baxter is being played out of position.  There is still no consistency to the selection of the side.



What does Adkins do?  His clean slate policy in the summer could end up costing him his job. 
However, how else was he to go about dealing with what he was left to deal with?


If Adkins makes wholesale changes on Saturday what really will it achieve?  Who comes in?




I am sure that people will be delighted to see McNulty and Higdon bagging goals last night.  Stating how they are much better than Sammon et al.  But are they the answer?  The players who failed to get us up last season?  I don't think so.  The fans gave Sammon an absolute slating last night.  Was he worse than anyone else?




These rhetorical questions are worth asking but I do have my theory as to what the real issues at the club are.  Recruitment, the board and the tactics.


Firstly, we have once again had a shocking transfer window in which we sold our best player.  Jamie Murphy played in 95% of Clough's games and came off of the bench in those he did not start.  He is irreplaceable particularly with someone like Woolford.  That money hasn't been sufficiently invested or if it has incorrectly.  None of Adkins signings have done it yet.  Even if they are consummate, the adjective not the verb, professionals on and off of the pitch.  The book with regards to that stops at Adkins.




 In this division it doesn't take much to unlock a back four.  Look at ours.  We should be looking closer to home with our recruitment.  George Graham once said never buy a player who thinks he is doing you a favour buy one who thinks you are doing him one!  If that is the basis for good recruitment we have seriously missed the boat.  When we have followed that policy in recent times Done, Adams and Wallace have come in.  The current crop have not met the mark whatsoever.




Secondly, the board and their approach needs a drastic change.  Where is Kevin McCabe?  He has vanished off of the face of the earth.  We simply are fed up of empty promises.  None football people making the decisions.

Thirdly.  Tactically.  We cannot keep playing 442 with no wingers at the club.  Adkins needs to adapt to what he has rather than playing square pegs in round holes.  If he doesn’t change this rightly or wrongly he will be sacked.

I am getting too upset and angry writing this so will stop.  We simply have to win on Saturday.  I would say that I am looking forward to it.  But that’d be a lie.

UTB