Yeah the way I see it he has three options for these remaining games:
Get as close as possible to the team that got us to the top of the league. Bring back Williams from the cold (tell him to get over himself), Barrett, Simkin, Lakin and Levi/DJ in for Lowe.
Rip the scrapbook up and start afresh with a new formation, personnel and hope that it sparks something out of nowhere. The 4-2-3-1 that @Thanatos posted yesterday could be an option.
Get as many experienced players on the pitch as possible. That would involve Daniels, Josh Gordon, Priestly, Comley, Jamma etc and see if they can shithouse some points.
Non league player
Then a Pro player
On a low wage
Turns in to the main man
Gaffer gets a new deal
Harry still no deal
Harry will look for a deal for what he is worth. Jeff messed lads around for decades and we had a bad rep for it. Listen to interviews from players about how hard Jeff negotiated or how bloody minded he was. Think Ade Viveash, think Paul Ritchie etc
We backed the wrong horse in Sadler who hands out deals to crocs and donkeys not talent like Williams.
When I raised the “shop floor” mentality and its impact on a happy camp I was shouted down vociferously. Seems it may have some merit now.
Don’t listen to the doubters @Mazza01 you saw it with your own eyes. Perfectly believable and understandable.
If Sadler wasn’t going to change the style of play from hoofball, then swapping Wheatley for Matt was pointless. Sadler might as well have put one of the ball-girls on.
If we are going to bypass any midfield creativity go 4-3-3 and play either DJ/Wheatley/Gordon/Harrison up top between Matt and Amantchi.
From what I can see you are inthe minority, if we carry on with the same playing & managerial malaise we wont even be in the play off spots, and suddenly Ben, Ben & Matt will be over the moon with a 7th place as the incremental progress and we should be over the moon with such progress.
I thought it was more fishy that a minging Grimsby fish processing bird’s gusset that they were offering season tickets so early.
We have one way of playing, no alternative, everyone who plays us knows exactly whats going to happen, long ball up to Jamma, they dont look for levi because for a big bloke he is hopeless in the air, (the simple header against doncaster where his feet never left the floor so he nodded it up over the bar).
We are so easy to play against now weve stopped pressing.
Also every set piece we defend we always leave men free at the back post and edge of the box, always.
We haven’t won any of the last 9 yet saddler carries on making the same mistakes week after week, i have no confidence we will find another 3 wins and even that may not be enough now.
Midway through the second half we put a set piece into the box. The Vale right-back got ahead of two Walsall players to clear, then chased down the ball to the half way line to block another ball in. He had sprinted back into position before we’d taken the resulting throw.
Regardless of the style, when we were winning games it was because we had 11 players doing just that; suffocating teams, out-working them, capitalising on mistakes.
Through lack of rotation and overlooking January signings, it’s proven not to be sustainable. We’ve flatlined and a lot of that is down to how the squad has been managed.
Its the same for Hornby who cannot start a quick breakaway when we have 10 players in the box when they are attacking or have corner and shows MS’s lack of nous.
If we had 2 agile strikers just inside our half ready to go as a tactic the oppostion would have to marshall 3 opposition players to cover them
But there again what do I know it’s just simple old me and not even a PE teacher
Exactly, teams are doing to us what we were doing to them earlier in the season.
Its easy to stop us now, move the ball quickly and don’t over play it, teams aren’t being forced into errors like they were earlier in the season, yet we are, like Liams error for the third and wier was caught in possession a couple of times.
I heard and witnessed one or two comments made by players who weren’t in the team.
Both DJ and Wheatley tried but had little impact on the game.
Ellis Harrison would have made a big difference and we have plenty of experience waiting in the wings.
A player we are crying out for in midfield is Jack Earing. Yesterday, Port Vale won the game in midfield and used their experience. They also have a very impressive front pairing in Tolaj and Stockley.
On a positive note, I thought that Taylor Allen was excellent and should be captain next season.
The players are hurting and will learn a lot about themselves in this bad run.
Sticking together remains very important and transference is tangible: both at the ground (at the end of the game) and on the UTS forum.
In real life, patience, support, belief, faith and love are all crucial but the most important ingredient is CONFIDENCE and that only happens when outcomes match expectations.
I saw positive signs from young Ryan Stirk and Oisin tried everything to pull his team forward, when he wore the arm band. Jamma was a warrior and even Levi showed glimpses of what he could be. I think that some of the conspiracy theories, criticism and some of the suggestions for managerial change on here are knee jerk, to put it politely.
We’re looking like a team and a club, lacking leadership (both on and off the pitch…)
In football, accountability is everything because what you do is so visible to your employees, your fans and your peers…
It’s great when things are going well but questions need asking when things aren’t going to plan - this is normal behaviour in business and in sport and in our case, 2 wins in 16 is plainly unacceptable and it’s simply gone on far too long….
Unfortunately, it’s this lack of accountability that will be our undoing if something doesn’t change…
Allen is not a midfielder, Williams is still being paid is he not ( whether he’s signed a pre-contract or not) and should still be professional and playing instead of Dave, Wheatley on instead of DJ after scoring in midweek i don’t get, what is sure is that the manager and his staff are starting to panic and have no solution to end this drought and those that think we are going to win 3 of the last 5, can you tell me how when we haven’t won in 9 and ONLY 2 in 15, please get a bit of reality as this side have forgotten how to win, onto Barrow i go with no hope in my heart
Vale’s second goal probably would not of happened if just one of our players stood on the half way line it would of meant two Vale players not in the attack just waiting for the ball to come out to them
