I recently took part in a project with the Priory Academy in which the Year Nine pupils produced a booklet called ‘The Brighter Side’ and that’s where I’m going to spend the next few paragraphs. I’m a big believer not only in having an opinion and backing it up, but also respecting the right to other’s opinion and listening to them if they’re backed up as well. I do hope that the people writing our epitaph on the internet last night will take the time to consider the following points.
I’ve mentioned us losing the midfield battle and I think there’s a really good reason for that; our best midfielders this season were both absent. Joe Morrell was helping Wales to victory and Michael O’Connor was out injured. I’m not going to moan too much about the international break, but it’s beginning to get a bit ridiculous. One or two clubs cancelled games yesterday because one first team player was off on international duty and two fringe players were as well; we had a key component of our side out and suffered the consequences. I respect Michael Appleton for not moaning about it; last season Karl Robinson kicked off every time Gavin Whyte was called up and he had to play games. I know some will be reading this going ‘but he’s just one player’, but when Bozzy, Freck and O’Connor are out too, it’s not one player is it?
If we needed steel and all our players were fit, it wouldn’t be an issue. I’m not saying we win the game with a fit Freck in the middle of the park with Chapman, or a raging Bozzy getting stuck in, but I do think in a war of attrition with a fit and organised Steve Evans side, it is players like that who make a real difference. Again, you’ll not find me hiding behind the excuse because after yesterday I don’t feel like it, but if you scratch away there are contributing factors.
There is also the squad unbalance which has to be considered. Yesterday did (admittedly) cry out for something like a 4-4-2, or maybe even the narrow 4-3-1-2 that I mentioned. It wasn’t an afternoon for wingers or flair, it was a game in which we needed to grind something out with grit and fight. Going two up top and having them both work as hard as Tyler did might have seen us as more of a threat, but what happens on 65 minutes when you need a change? Tyler or Big John come off for who? To a degree, the squad dictates how we have to set up because we have two strikers. I said it at the time we have a good squad right up until the top two but if injuries struck we’d struggle. That good squad was missing four midfielders who would arguably have started yesterday and the lack of strikers came back to haunt us.
None of this excuses the performance entirely, but it does add a little meat to the bones. On page one I said we were shit and we were, it’s as simple as that. Would we have been the same with strikers on the bench and a midfield with more League One experience? I’m not so sure. I’d go as far as to say I thought Ellis was Man of the Match yesterday, but Tom doesn’t look comfortable in the role he was asked to play and we were just lacking aggression. It was a Bozzy game, for sure.
Where do we go from here? In the first instance, possible down a bit. With a blank weekend and then the FA Cup second round, we’re not back in action for a while now. Away at Burton will be a tough game before the crucial encounter with Tranmere which is as much of a six-pointer as we’ve had in a long while. By then, we might be dangerously close to the bottom three but I will reiterate that despite our woeful form we’re still only two wins away from midtable – it’s such a tight league. We’re looking like relegation material but we’re what, eight points outside the play-offs? Fine margins and aside from yesterday I’ve felt we’re heading in the right direction.
I have to address some of the financial talk on social media last night as well; talk of MA only being good at Oxford because he had huge backing and we can’t do the same. I’m actually quite angry that those who didn’t feel MA was the right man for the job have already chosen to start their campaigning. I even saw a respected account say something like ‘I’m not in the MA out brigade but I do feel…’ to me, that sounded like the first knockings of someone openly talking about firing a manager who hasn’t had two months. That almost sickened me as much as the result.
Almost.
Then, there was talk of us not being able to fund him in January and that immediately means he’s not up to the job; the guy hasn’t mentioned a single target yet. Also, in his first transfer window, he didn’t splash the cash at all; in fact left back Joe Skarz and forward Alex McDonald was his only captures. He added two more free agents after that, Jamie Ashdown and Jeremy Balmy. He did tap into the loan market, using his contacts to add Kemar Roofe and Armand Gnaduillett amongst others. As for being backed by a big chequebook, yes he paid out for Kemar Roofe but only after the season finished. When our season ends and players contracts are up, our budget is going to look very different.
As for talk of us losing huge sums daily, I’m not sure that’s correct. As a member of the supporter’s board, if there were problems I’m sure we’d be aware. The financial situation at the club is as to be expected when you’re in a division surrounded by big hitters; our league position is a little lower than the budget suggests it should be I believe, but not significantly so. We don’t have a top ten budget right now, but I can see some player trading in January. I also don’t think we’ll be getting permanent signings, certainly not a lot of them. I suspect maybe one, with a couple of loans adding to the current squad which, aside from an imbalance, isn’t all that bad.
I’m down today, there’s no doubt about that, but I’m not going to be critical of the manager right now. He didn’t try to hide away, there was no tired rhetoric about being close. He told it how it was; we weren’t good enough and that was that. At least he admits it and will be looking to rectify it. We’ve played well up to yesterday but I do wonder if maybe it is the solid, resolute teams around us we’re going to really struggle with.
If it is, then we’re in trouble because the top teams, the ones we got wins over last season and swept to the title, are a different class in League One and they’re not likely to yield us a whole lot of points either. However, rather than flapping and forecasting doom in November, I’m going to hope this was a blip in terms of performance and that we’re still largely on the right track. Let’s face it, no matter what some people say, finishing fourth from bottom or higher this season will constitute job done.
Seems to me losing Morrell (for 3 tough away fixtures) has been massive. It was a (too) big ask for Chapman and Pett. Ignore the doom mongers though.. we have a good team, a decent manager and we will be fine.
No O’Connor, no Morrell, no midfield. Pett and Chapman were awful.
Wonder if MA will be able to win league game this year ?? To be fair I honestly doubt that.
I miss Danny Cowley……..
Sorry but don’t agree about Ellis. He looks lost and the game passes him by. Too lightweight for me never puts a challenge in . But then in his defence Tom was no better.
Staying positive here , First and foremost the Cowleys are gone whatever their reasons / circumstances were. Apart from yesterday are we playing crap football – No. Its still a learning process for MA there are loads of games left in the season but we desperately need a win in the league soon. My only downside is that Wimbledon and Gillingham are teams we should be taking maximum points off.
You are spot on Gary we need to get our big hitters back on the field and quickly, MOC has been my player of the season so far and we always look a better side with him in our ranks.
Yesterday was as bad as the dark days in the Conference. We were flat, carried no threat at all and worse still, had no fight. The boys looked like they didn’t think they would win after conceding another sloppy goal. A young lad behind me said, ‘Why are we just kicking it away – that doesn’t work in football anymore?’. Well said. I also think it’s noticeable that the relationship between the team & the fans is changing and most people leave on the final whistle instead of applauding the team off. These are worrying times & I keep thinking we’ll come good but, after yesterday, I’m not so sure.
I would normally stay and applaud the players & staff win, lose or draw. But I was so angry at full time I had to get out of there. 6 hours in the car and £100 in fuel, tickets etc to see that. Completely accept we’ll lose as much as win but that performance was embarrassing and totally unacceptable. I know they’re human and will have off days but there was no fight, they just laid down to die and that’s not what this club is about is it ?⚪️?
There a certain saying that ‘the league table never lies’ and right now we find ourselves where we do and dangerously close to being sucked in to a relegation battle. However I agree with Gary that we do need to put some context on things. Yesterday was poor, very very poor . But all teams have games like this, just think Sunderland at Sincil Bank only a few weeks ago.
In the main performances have been good under MA but they certainly haven’t yielded some of the results they have deserved. Let’s not forget that we are missing key players both through injury and through international call ups. This is whilst MA is trying to work with the smallest squad in the league and one that has many players who don’t necessarily fit his preferred system or way of playing. We have also had an excess of away games compared to home ones (or so it seems) and been unlucky in terms of when games have been played against teams who have had more break and rest time ahead of those games. Unless we get a date soon, we will also be about the only team who wont have played Bolton before they can strengthen their squad in January.
I’m convinced we have a good manager and that we have a good squad. Yes it needs the imbalances addressing in January and I’m sure that will be addressed. For me the biggest priority now has to be to get Michael Bostwick fit and playing again as we just don’t look the same without him and in terms of consistency he has probably been our most influential player for the past 2 seasons. There’s not many teams who would cope with an extended run of games without their most influential player, and we clearly haven’t.
I’ll judge him some time next season. He has another man’s squad and is working with it. The previous management team left us a dangerously unbalanced side. They might have been able to get a tune out of it as they had a set way in mind and had been building to it for a few seasons. But it needs addressing in the transfer window. Totally different circumstances but when we were in a relegation battle in the conference after Holdsworth left, Simpson came in and saved the day but on his first game at Woking he signed Nat Brown and I think Lee Beevers (?) who shored up the defence. Appleton has not been able to do this. The previous management were no doubt furiously applying for jobs at the time so adding an extra striker to the two there after Rhead left or an extra centre back obviously slipped their mind.
Every season managers are stepping into new clubs and work with ,,not their players”. Most of them are taking over in lot more difficult circumstances than MA, when their new teams are struggling and are deep in the crisis. Many of them can despite that get good results/points. Like Cowleys with Huddersfield…
MA came here when we were sound and safe in the top half of the table. Now we are very close to the bottom. Is it really all Cowleys fault?
It would be nice to judge MA some time next season but if we will be in league two I guess he won’t be here….
“MA came here when we were sound and safe in the top half of the table” We won the first four games incuding Accrington and Southen who are below us, great. Then lost 3 in a row, beat Fleetwood, then lost another two before they finally left. So they won 5, lost 5. Take those first 4 games out and we have been pretty poor. We beat teams we would expect, plus Rotherham (who MA has beaten) and Huddersfield who were rock bottom at the time. We beat Fleetwood after the three game losing streak which was good. Then the calamity against Wycombe where the managers had said their goodbyes beforehand. MA has lost to 5th in the table, 4th in the table, 13th and 14th. But has beaten 9th, and drawn with 11th, 20th and 2nd. The 20th draw was most frustrating.
You are already having a pop and he has barely had chance to get going. The reason we are where we are is for no other reason but the managers. Everything was set up around them and for them to their exact needs. Taking over from that is very difficult to do and takes time. I hope he gets it
,, Take those four games out ”
Why would I? We have won those game fair and square and played some good football in the process. We deserved to win….
MA has beaten Rotherham? More like our reserves have beaten Rotherham reserves in the mickey mouse cup… ?
I am not having a pop at MA. But the thing is that he needs to win some games and get points on board as this is what he is payed for. ,, Not his players” is not excuse as he knew exactly what kind of job he is taking, what players he will have at his disposal and who’s boots he will be trying to put on as a manager of this football club. So far he managed only to went down the table. Quickly like on the slide….
You would take those games out to make a more realistic judgement. In the same way the Cowleys would probably not like to be judged for the time in charge of huddersfield by their first four games.
“is not excuse as he knew exactly what kind of job he is taking”. Yes and he probably imagined he would have more than a couple of months before people started questioning him. But he didn’t reckon on the modern Lincoln fan…It is not an excuse, it is a reality. He has a squad that is completely unbalanced.
I would not take anything out. Those first four games were excactly as important as other games. Who knows,maybe points from those games will save us from relegation at the end of the season ?
I don’t know what MA imagined and not sure if I want to know if am honest. One thing for sure, we are getting beaten almost every game and we are into relegation battle which is not what we imagined and expected when he signed.
Still early days I know, but so far results aren’t there and that is only thing that matters to me…….