All the money we’ve spent and we have 13 scorers, we have creativity and guile all over the pitch and the strongest 22-man squad that a Lincoln City side has ever seen. I find it gobsmacking that someone, after hearing us lose a game we should have won, felt moved to criticise the recruitment. They also said that we should have gone for someone like Norwood. What, a petulant boy sent off late on for pure stupidity? A player whose goals have contributed to his side being lower mid table before tonight? Yeah, I’d have loved that. Forget being top, forget the great squad, forget the fact that John Akinde, prior to signing for us, has a better record than Norwood.
Jesus wept.
Then there’s the anti-Frecklington brigade, those who are free to express their belief that changing the side tonight and bringing Frecklington in cost us the game. You know the ones, those who forget his goal against Bury, against Notts County and the fact that up until his sending off, he was one of the top players this season. We should have started with O’Connor and Pett, we’ve lost because Freck started.
Rubbish. In the first half our midfield, Pett and Frecklington, owned that game. Why oh why do we need a scapegoat? Why can’t we just look at processes, rather than individuals? Why can’t people see the bigger picture and realise we didn’t lose because of Akinde, nor Frecklington.
If anything, we didn’t score because our set piece delivery was poor, as it has been in recent weeks. It wasn’t great against MK Dons either, but that is a process isn’t it. there’s not easy tweet based around that is there? Best get at Akinde instead.
Or, maybe we didn’t get back into the game because we went long to Rheady late on, a tactics doomed to fail because McNulty, for being a big bugger and slower than a tractor, had a great game. He had Rhead in his pocket the minute the Big Man came on. The tactic I would like to see, with my solid FIFA 10 career made and some Football Manager successes behind me, would have been Green for McCartan, keep playing into feet and use pace against McNulty, not power. What do I know though, I haven’t put Lincoln City on top of the league, have I?
That is where we fell down a little tonight, I still don’t know why we can’t see Green and Akinde on at the same time. there’s a partnership there I believe will bring the best out of both. I don’t think we should drop Shay McCartan for one second, but I would have loved the legs of Green along with Akinde, not Rheady. I love the Big Man, I say it every week, but he is not top of League Two standard and in my eyes he offered very little after he came on. some jester will say he won more headers than Akinde, but to what end? If John had stayed on and we’d kept going into feet I think there was joy to be had.
Opinions. I take Umbridge at some I read but I won’t tell you outright they’re wrong. I’ll let you work it out for yourself. I notice nobody is looking at Bozzy playing Norwood onside for the goal, screaming at him to be dropped for Wharton. You know why? He’s a good player who made an error. Nobody pointed to Josh’s fumble early in the second half, the moment of sheer horror that almost brought him embarrassment, you know why? He’s a good keeper. John Akinde is a good striker, he’s not scoring as many as we would have hoped, but without him we wouldn’t be where we are now. Fact. before any joker says ‘no, we’d be further ahead’, we wouldn’t.
I’m tired and I’m disappointed and I’m going to bed. The words of Danny Cowley keep going round my head though. Never too high when we win, never too low when we lose. I’d have taken this position at the beginning of the season and if we’re still two points clear at Christmas, I’ll be happy as well. We will lose games, we’ll probably lose them by playing worse than we did tonight. We’ll win games by playing worse than we did tonight.
It isn’t all about the goals, although if you don’t score them, you don’t win, but the process was right. On another night I’m writing about a 3-0 win. That’s football. It’s why we love it and sometimes, it is why we hate it as well.
Just don’t blame John Akinde, it isn’t all his fault you know.
As usual Gary you’re bang on the mark. The club are in a quality position and to criticise individuals seemed undeserved and unproductive. Top at the start of October is a superb effort. Onwards and upwards . UTI
I blame Tranmere
It was just one of those days. No need to panic. Too easy to blame the strikers when we don’t score. It just wasn’t our day today, even if we DID play some beautiful football. Shit happens. We’ll bounce back against Crewe.
Akinde had McNulty and co on toast first half, its his work off the ball as much as winning headers – he won his share, Rheady just fell over and I’m afraid as much as he’s an icon of the last few seasons, is fading away and doesn’t suit this more fluid playing style. Norwood? Good goalscorer, total knobhead, if I was Mellon he’s be serving his suspension for free.
Bozzie had a bad night by his usual standards, Vickers also, it was late first half when he nearly spilled it over the line. Freck had a good match but the midfield dynamic seemed to change, Pett was less effective than in the recent games with O’Connor. I’d be interested to see Green with McCartan, useless in the air but pace and skill to burn and suits the way we’re now playing.
Why do some people think 20 goals a season players are on tap?? Akinde is a 20 goal striker, look at his record.
Simon Yeo was too, but it took an awful long time to see it.
It’s a recipe that you have to have all the right ingredients for. Prolific strikers are quite often selfish & single minded, does that sound like a Cowley player? No.
Akinde was brought in to make a system work & it’s the system or method that brings the goals, not individuals. Blame the system when we fail, not individuals that make the system work more often than not.
Hindsight is the only thing that can buy a 20 goal a season player.
Akinde makes the system work & that’s enough for me.
Wise words Daniel… Luton were arguably the best “footballing” side last season. I believe we are looking more like them week by week. If people care to listen to Danny he will say it’s all about the process and small margins… if you get the process right you are more likely to get on the right side of the result. It’s not a given however and last night was an example of that. I do think at some point in the season though we are going to enjoy a goal fest at the Bank. We will be promoted but there may be an Accrington, a pragmatic side waiting to take the League title. I do however know which team I would want to watch.
The game is about opinions, although some are worth listening to more than others. For example, Thommo’s man of the match last night was Frecklington. I also don’t think that Radio Lincs should be reading out the views of people who had simply listened to the game on the radio.
Dont forget those views were given by such as myself who saw the match on I Follow….
That’s fair enough (it is what I did). Others not in the same boat though.
I don’t often agree with how you see a game Gary, but on this occasion find myself in total agreement. It was an outstanding first half – just lacking the goals that a completely dominant team performance deserved. In that 45 mins Akinde terrified the life out of them and Frecklington was simply outstanding and much the best player on the pitch. I agree that it was the most complete 45 minutes we have played this season.
What we also need to remember is that much of the summer/pre-season in terms of preparation and recruitment was based around playing 3-5-2 and indeed come Northampton that is how we set up. Since then, Danny & Nicky have worked out that the 4-2-3-1 (or variation of) is what actually seems to suit us best. However we haven’t had very long to make this work and it is still very much a work in progress. The last 3 games have been, in my eyes, the first proper glimpse as to where we are now going in footballing terms. The only thing that will happen now is that the process and method as Cowley likes to call it will become more clear and defined as the season moves on and the only thing that we are going to get as the season moves forward is better and better.
Finally a plea……. Akinde is an absolute monster, a real handful and terrifies the life out of nearly every defence he plays against. Be patient with him. It takes time to settle into a new team, a new formation, a new area, a new style of play and to build up relationships and link-ups with other players. Once all the above clicks into place I have no doubts who will win the league this season nor that we will have a striker with over 20 goals to their name at the heart of it.
Held this off long enough, just to see how the situation develops, but just going to come out and say it – if John Akinde was of Caucasian ethnicity, he wouldn’t receive nearly half the stick he does at the moment. If the player we signed in the summer had the appearance of Matt Rhead, he would be lauded for his brutishness, ability to bring others into play, and his ability to create chances out of very little, while his missed chances would be more easily forgiven. But no, hes ‘uninterested’ and ‘lazy’. It really is laughable.
I seem to recall criticism of Rhead in some quarters last year, which I think was equally unfair. I am in Vietnam so only get to odd games but watch the rest on I-follow. I think Akinde’s work rate is pretty high and he just needs a bit more confidence in his touch.
That is a really stupid and insulting comment JB. By implication you are suggesting that Imps fans are racist and they only criticise Akinde because he is black. Have you forgotten the love we had for Keith Alexander. The reason many of us criticise Akinde is because he is clumsy and lazy and mainly because he does not do what he was brought to our club to do – SCORE GOALS. We are not racists and it is an insult to suggest this. As much as I love Gary Hutchinson and his blog, Gary isn’t always right in what he says, and some of the views agreeing with this article are bordering on the sycophantic.
Sadly I agree with JB