How Legitimate is our Current Crisis?

Great piece John.

I don't think it's a crisis and after having calmed down after that 'car crash' of a performance - actually think it's helped highlight what a lot of us suspected for a while as follows;-

1. Canavan is a big big miss. I'm fine conceding great goals, but all of last nights were softness personified. We conceded 6 in 6 with Canavan at the back and now 10 in 7, with every team having chances galore (i.e. Rochdale)
2. Songo'o is a big big miss in midfield. I don't blame Adams for putting him the back if Kelleher isn't up to it, but he's in danger of making the same mistake Klopp did last season when he put Henderson there - you're taking away the drive and energy all teams need from the centre
3. Which brings me on to my next point Watt and Sutton are not the midfield answer if a team wants promotion. However, Sutton was the only one who came out with any kind of credit last night and has been good since he came back in. I feel for Watt, he does try his best and never hides - but he's now all over the place. I mean look at his pathetically feeble challenge for an air ball which if he'd won or got somewhere near meant they weren't scoring in the second minute. What on earth is he doing in our penalty box, beside zilch and getting in the way for the second goal. He then makes a ridiculous mistimed tackle and to be honest, from it, they should have gone 3-1 (before they did)
4. Ridehalgh injury is a big blow. I'm not that impressed with him - but as the old saying goes, you don't miss something until it's gone.
5. O'Donnell, who I've defended many times (simply because I think he gets the blame for the relegation season, i.e. is given no chance by some) needs dropping as soon as possible. I'll accept an error, i.e. the first goal - but then he's blaming other players for his terrible kick during the first half, something he has form on. As some point out, he's too arrogant and actually hasn't got anything to be arrogant about.
6. Possible dropping of Gilliead - if nothing to give him a kick up the backside. Not to be replaced with Evans - go ambitious and give either Lavery or Robinson his position. Or given our defensive vulnerability, then play Watt with Sutton and Songo'o. Changes are definitely needed - but not for the sake of it.

Anyway, we're still in the race. It's still early season. Get Canavan back as CB (and captain) as I'm dying to see Songo's and Sutton in centre midfield. Drop Watt and I bet we see something nearer to our first half against Bristol Rovers as opposed to the guff we saw last night.

We need to take this on the chin, make the changes and move on.

Stay safe everyone.

 

Good to see you back on the forum, once again a great (in depth) post, last night was as bad as it's been for a while but your correct this club can't be turned around overnight, a lot of football still to play.

 

I was refusing to post until after we'd won six on the bounce. I suddenly realised that I probably couldn't wait until my 1072nd birthday

Last night had me in a daze. I needed the warm calming influence of these boards

 

Good post, we’re all experts aren’t we? We’ve played a lot of great football this season, and Adam’s has only been in the job two minutes.

Overall - the German ‘experiment’ has been a disaster, but for me Adam’s seems the man to move us forward.

 

I said it Sunday, Adams is our greatest asset.

Anyhow a new day, smile, crack on. Its only a game, come what may.

Great posts @JonButterfield and @banbrotam

 

Good to see you back Jon. Good post probably should have put my last post on the match thread in here as it’s more relevant but yes it’ll take time to turn around this sinking ship. Time and patience. A lot of fans don’t seem to have it, once upon a time I was one but if you offered me promotion next season I’d wait as I can’t see it this season and sack Adams and I can’t see it next either.

 

'Current' crisis? We've been in crisis for the last 4 years.

Actually we've been in crisis for most of the last 20, aside from 3 or 4 years under Parky.

 

Thanks for that very depressing, but brutally true statement

Strangely enough, we discussed that at half time. Amazing, when you here the comments of some you'd think we'd spent 15 of the last 20 season in the top divisions.

 

Good post @JonButterfield, welcome back.

It may not be a crisis but certainly feels like one considering the hype we had before a ball was kicked. If only the club had listened to the fans who’ve been here, done that and bought the tee shirt (only kidding). You have to ask though, if we can see the deficiencies in the squad, why can’t those in a position to address it, see it too? How do we entice what we need to the club when players see new signings not given a chance, when we are clearly lacking in firepower and players are run into the ground?

It’s early days and there were signs of our capabilities on Saturday. Unfortunately there were signs last night, that we’re still a long way short of what’s needed to get out of this league. 2, 3 poor performers and you might get away with it. 6,7 or 8 and it’s relegation form. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, 2, 3 or 4 in at January should be all you need. 5-8 new players means your summer transfer business has been a waste of money.

 

Am I the only person that thinks we need to take a little bit of a step back and look at things plainly. We're in the top half. We've only lost once at home. We're on a poor run of form and we have all of the above issues to contend with, but we're not actually doing THAT badly (yet).
100% this, it was a bad performance but we do need to take it with a pinch of salt. the problem the fans have is expectation. Fans are getting a bit tired of sitting in L2 but that's football. if we actually want to get out of L2 the recruitment needs to be a whole lot better.
Accept our current squad isn't very strong, but our first XI could potentially finish 7th if we get a bit of luck?
i agree!

and no need to apologise it was a good read. much better than the anyone-connected-to-the-club out lot...

 

For me the blame lies with Sparks.
Say we are a couple of years away from achieving anything.
Say with our support this season we aim to see an improvement on last season by performing to a more consistent standard.
Don't come out saying we are going for promotion, that in Adams we have a manager capable of delivering that aim this season, and don't try and manipulate the supporters into believing that an increase in season ticket cost and numbers purchased will also help achieve this dream.
Be honest and say that the money raised from sales of tickets and record sales of shirts etc has gone on building a better infrastructure at the club, which we will accept has been lacking.
But no he doesn't, he sits there behind his twitter account bleeting the same old shit about how the concern of supporters about the quality of the squad is confused with that everyone is trying hard etc.
I feel for Adams, i really do. His record at clubs is good but its always, generally 2 seasons in that he delivers.
Come out Ryan, say you got it wrong.
Admit it might take a few years, and take the heat off the backs of this team and its manager because the weight of expectation and disappointment is crippling them right now.
Last nights performance and the way we've conceded recently is total proof of the panic and lack of composure at the club atm.

 

spot on.. we get a decent keeper, personally I thought Hartlepool's (killp) and Leyton's (vigaroux) keepers were great. maybe even stick with Hornby. I am still a bit 50/50 on him.
get a decent winger in, two vernams would be grand. really disappointed to see Eisa injured all the time. keep getting reeves flashbacks.

 

The next seven or eight games should be interesting,don’t we play most of the top sides in the division.

If we carry on with this form,we may be fighting relegation than promotion.

 

Think the first step is to bring Canavan back in, and move Songo'o to DM. Now 1 win in 13 league matches without Canavan since he made his debut, compared to 11 wins and 5 draw in the 22 he has featured in. He just sets that defence, and Paudie looks far more settled playing on the right of the two CBs than the left.

Then it's telling Gilliead to actually play on the right wing. Sick of seeing Threlkeld or FCD on their own when we go down the right, because he just plays in the 10 slot. It's a waste playing him and Cooke in the same team, as they invade the same space, meaning Cooke tends to drop deeper and we lose someone who should be in and around the box. Lad needs some discipline.

I'd also think about dropping Elliott Watt. I couldn't tell you the last time he had even an average performance. He seems to have one trick this season, spraying a 40 yard aerial pass along his own half way line to a full back. Other than that, he wants far too much time on the ball and loses it too often, ends up with a daft challenge every time. I watched MNF and Neville and Cara were talking about Man United, in that Oli is trying to play his fanciest midfielders all at once and it doesn't offer a balance, i think our midfield needs to drop it's fanciest passer, in order to have balance. I dont think our team works with Sutton and Watt as the midfield two. The don't compliment each others play, in that Sutton wants to be the legs and energy where as Watt will sit. Which is fine if you can get the ball moving quickly, which we never can. It ends up with Watt who gets lost if he cant spray it sideways or 5 yards back to a defender, which means Cooke inevitably drops deeper and we have a gaping 20 yard whole between our attacking mid and Andy Cook. Meaning when the ball gets to Cook, he's either nowhere near goal or has nobody to move it to for him to then get towards goal. I think Song'o sitting would offer a far more settled midfield two with Sutton, than Watt can offer.

 

Can we report Sparks to the ASA for all his BS pre-season about promotion to sell season tickets?

 

I would like to give DA time and the benefit of th doubt but he’s showing Stuart levels of stubbornness by not changing tactics or personnel

 

Agree with much of what you say Jon, specifically that regarding investing in a DoF and proper club ethos. I posted a few weeks ago how Sparks was sacrificing his own vision for the club (recruitment director, youngsters breaking through) just to give Adams what he wants and how dangerous that is. I still think that, and even more so now because I'm yet to be convinced by Adams. We've had a couple of good halves this season but its been more poor than good thats for sure.

I'm not sure crisis is the accurate description for it at the moment. More abject disappointment and frustration that we've all bought into the "this will be our year" talk from the club and we've been let down yet again.

Sparks promised us promotion and a promotion winning side - we're miles off it in my opinion, certainly past the first XI.

Sparks promised us that we'd only sign players capable of 40 games a season yet we sign Angol who misses 20 games a season, Lavery who's only completed 40 games once in the last five years.

Sparks promised us an improvement in the fitness and medical department to prevent the amount of soft tissue injuries we had last season. Short of bringing in his mate from Featherstone and a new ipad subscription, nothing has changed and we've already had eight players suffer muscle injuries only 2 and a half months into the season.

It all feels like broken promises and groundhog day again.

 

Depressing but true john only one problem We have only outplayed one team this year & that was stevenage evey other team have been better than us and yes that includes Bristol Rovers second half performance
We have been lucky to get as many points as we have
The answer maybe to turn our frustrations on Rupp and in the ground chant for him out and display banners maybe then he will take notice
He is not listening to what's said on here or other forums

 

To me it seems like Sparks thinks running a club is like having a club on a computer game. Especially when he mentioned ethos about bringing youngsters through, then promotion talk like the youngsters have a chance of getting us promoted. They aren’t the class of 92, they are the ones the likes of Leeds and United didn’t want as kids that’s what we get left with and that’s why all our best leave well before their senior debuts. It’s unrealistic for our club to expect. As for the rest of his comments, it feels more and more like sound bites to sell season tickets.