Collins Gone

Makes sense and not surprising

 

I know Hopkins will only have a few days with the players, but Saturday is the scene of our ultimate humiliation from last season and a massive improvement is required to show things are going to change for the better.

 

A big ask isn’t It. We still have the problem of having mismatched players particularly up front. At Livingston I believe he liked a pressing game so fitness needs to improve as well he has a big task so patience is needed just as it was when Stuart came here th first time and didn’t k ow much about lower league English football. Will he get it I doubt it.

 

If true, he should consider the root of why he needed to intervene. And minimise the role that Rahic has to play.

 

Only problem now sweetcheeks has gone what can I use as an excuse for excessive drinking . ...

 

Quite looking forward to the Blackpool game, just to see who he plays and what formation he starts.

 

I agree fitness and conditioning are a major requirement at the start of the season (and this is not a pop at Edin) but if we knew the German lad was only here for a short time why did it take almost 3 weeks to get another fitness/conditioning coach in, the cheap option ?.

 

When you see Adam Chicksen at left back it'll sink in that there's no quick fix...

 

I would hope none of the players are playing to their standard Chicksen is not alone, Riley, Wright, Akpan, Mellor, and even Payne on Saturday can't play any worse, let's hope Davey boy can get some confidence back into the players play a simple formation, and yes I'll take a point now .

 

I've lost count of the number of time I've uttered that same phrase both before during and after matches ……………...I'd take a point now/ I'd have taken a point at 2.55

 

Thought Chicksen was hung out to dry by Collins wierd substitutions. He didn’t actually play that badly in the first half, well no worse than anyone else. Then just before half time their player tries to decapitate him. Was patently obvious his head had gone, either through shock, injury or he purely bottled it. We had a left back on the bench and he should have been taken off for his own good. Both Stuart and Parky would have done this and then defended him after the match. But no, he’s left on to be the main pantomime villain. Moving him to centre half was comedy genius.

 

I remember McCall leaving Mark Marshall on after he got crunched in the first ten minutes one time at VP - he literally hobbled until half time, and played terribly in the second half.

McCall made him play 90 minutes despite the fact he obviously wanted to come off.

Fans on Claret and Banter berated him and gave him 4s and 5s in the player rating thread.

I thought it was ridiculous at the time, and I've hardly changed my mind.

What I'm saying is, I'm not sure Stuart would have taken him off. He expected players to battle through, and generally changed things quite late.

 

I think you are right. fitness has been poor for a while and was a contributing factor in McCalls sacking because of the injuries it contributed to. I hope the club have learned their lesson

 

The thing is FB, I don’t remember him being as bad as now under McCall. Maybe Hopkin can get him to up his game? Plus I honestly don’t think we can properly assess how good or bad players are until he has a few weeks with them. We have a fitness coach now, so fingers crossed.

 

I’m happy to give them all something of a ‘pass’ for the time served under Collins.

But I’m pretty sure that in 6 weeks, we’ll still be having conversations about Chicksen and Wright being shit. Mellor, Akpan and Riley, I’m more optimistic about.

 

Makes you wonder about Reeves. Was it his choice to keep playing last season when he was clearly carrying an injury or did McCall force him to continue playing? Either way, it was the wrong decision and has resulted in him being out of action for a lot longer than he probably would have been if the injury had been dealt with promptly.

 

According to the lad (groundsman) I was talking to at Rawdon Meadows on Monday, Reeves was amongst the players in for training but he's seen nothing of Jones for a while.

 

Interesting, and hopefully good news in terms of Reeves. As for Alex, he's a bit of an enigma is that lad!

 

A 'sick note' player wouldn't let a manager keep playing him - I guess Reeves wanted to play, and McCall wanted him to keep playing, so they probably both turned a bit of a blind eye?