The Milk Cup team lost 8-1 in the same season. Graydon’s promotion team were favourites for relegation. Football is as much about confidence and team spirit as it is about coaching,
It will be interesting to see the team. Personally, I would go for 3 at the back, with Kinsella at RWB.
Evans
3 of White, Daniels, McEntee and Monthe
Kinsella and Gordon as wing backs
Riley, Hutchinson and Comley in midfield
Knowles and Matt up front
Be interesting to see if there is any reaction from the players, if Flynn had list the dressing room, then we may see a change in attitude.
I’d go 4231
Evans
White Monthe McEntee Gordon
Kinsella Maddox
Knowles Hutchinson Riley
Matt
I feel for Sadler. I’ve no doubt he’d want a shot at doing the job, but I think unfortunately too many will judge him on what they see in these three games and it’ll be nowhere near enough time to put his stamp on things.
The damage done in terms of structure, ethos, confidence to pass the ball, and trust your teammates with the ball is way too far gone for anyone to correct in a matter of weeks let alone days.
I’d simply like to see a change of formation and a plan or desire to try and construct attacks rather than aimlessly putting the ball into areas. If we show that, results should be immaterial as to whether he’s suitable longer term or not.
If Trivela appoint Sadler, no matter how good he is, they and the board will, understandably, be accused of going for yet another cheap option etc etc.
The appointment needs to be a statement of intent in my view.
I’d be very surprised if Sadler was a coach who set up to focus on defensive work simply by virtue of him being a defender. I often find coaches almost reflect the opposite of what they were as players as a way of appreciation of a different area of the game.
He may or may not turn out to be a good coach / manager at any level. As it stands he has vast experience of the very top level of football and how that’s played, he also has vast experience of the lower leagues and what works and doesn’t work there, he has a feeling and an association for the club itself and he has worked under or with two other managers who have experienced varying degrees of success and failure. He’d be a fool if he hasn’t gathered huge knowledge from all of this that should contribute to him being a success somewhere down the line in a coaching capacity.
What he’s never had is the opportunity to be in a position where he’s the decision maker and able to put his ideas and philosophy forward. I get the feeling he’s very much been the third cog in a wheel where the other two cogs were very vocal and dominant. So we have no idea what he will have to offer.
Whether that’s enough to warrant a crack at this job as his first job or whether it’s one he returns to one day is another matter but as a league two club it’s pretty limited on where he can go to gain that managerial experience other than being a no 2 somewhere again.
All I’d say is the results of the next three games won’t be what I’m judging him on at all. The damage is done and I’ll be looking at whether I can see any early evidence of how he’d go about the job if he had it.
I’d say it’s vital Sadler stays on in some capacity as he’s the only football insider now who knows both the players and what’s been going on in training and matches during the past 3 or 4 months.
It would be great if this worked out for Mat Sadler. Seems like a decent guy and spoke well when he took a press conference fairly recently.
Has knowledge of the game at all levels so should have good contacts.
Why not go for a rookie? Most of the names mentioned have been fired on numerous occasions for massive underachieving.
More importantly it would be Sadler’s Saddlers.
Just wondering if any other manager has ever had the surname which is the clubs nickname?
Has a Cobbler ever managed Northampton or a Terrier managed Huddersfield?