For most of the season we’ve been comfortably in and around the playoffs. Before the Barnet game at the start of the month, third place actually looked possible for a fleeting moment.
What has gone so wrong in the month of March?
We’ve played 7 games in 3 and a half weeks. That’s a busy schedule and something a lot of these players wouldn’t necessarily be used to. Some were playing part-time last season, don’t forget. This is on the back of several key players having been half-fit, low in confidence or desperately in need of a rest.
Unfortunately, due to being unable to add to a depleted squad, we’ve had to make do, which is a polar opposite of our opponents who have replenished their squads. This has undoubtedly taken it’s toll, and is showing in our lethargy and lack of confidence, IMO. Afterall, these players haven’t become bad players in three and a half weeks. I’d like to see us blood some more of the youngsters now, but I’m also cautious that it might be harsh introducing them into a team on a downward spiral.
The opponents we’ve played in that time have been of a very good standard. 4 of those 7 will all fight for promotion in May. We’re not far off them, and two of those - Boreham & Barnet - weren’t exactly head and shoulders above us. Most fans wouldn’t have expected 12 points against those 4 opponents, but nobody can tell me we deserved nothing. We certainly weren’t outplayed and can feel aggrieved not to have taken 4 points minimum. Fine margins.
Speaking of fine margins, it wasn’t only Barnet and Boreham where we should have earned points. If we’d have had stronger refereeing at Wrexham, better finishing against Altrincham & Chesterfield, more confidence at home to Aldershot, and just a slice of luck here and there, it would not only have improved the optics but kept us in the playoff chase. That’s the difference between a multi-game losing streak and still being in the top 7.
Does our gameplay need to improve? Yes. We need to move the ball quicker for certain. We were doing that earlier in the season, so why aren’t we now? Obviously the state of the RH pitch doesn’t help, maybe that’s why we’ve looked better away from home. Does anyone truly believe the players are being coached to pass the ball backwards and sideways between the CB’s and midfield? I’d suggest they’re too nervous of losing possession atm. Those in front of them are too nervous to make penetrating runs and when they do, the man on the ball is too scared of misplacing the pass, so opts for the easy square or backwards pass. It’s not difficult to see.
We need to be more clinical with our finishing too. Too many times we’ve fluffed shots, taken an extra touch or looked for one more pass. That wasn’t happening earlier in the season, and although scoring goals has been our biggest weakness for most of the campaign, it’s never been more evident than it has been this month. Again, it’s a confidence thing, but an unsettled and ever changing front line won’t have helped either. A lack of reinforcements too. Dallas and Morais might have given us something extra, but… well, we all know what happened there.
It’s unquestionable that the loss of Lopata has hurt our back line. It’s left us very shaky and uncomfortable. We’ve gone from the strongest defence in the league, to looking like we’ll concede under the most average of attacks. We desperately need fresh blood in at the back to steady the ship. Sadly, that won’t be happening this season, so again, we need to make do with what we’ve got.
The silver lining - if there is one - is that we aren’t being battered by teams. We’re still competitive and still creating chances, so I don’t think there’s a fundamental flaw in our approach. Those who say “the formation is wrong”, yeah maybe, but we’re still creating chances to win games with a so-called “wrong” formation. Same argument for those who say “the tactics are wrong”. If that were the case, we’d be getting absolutely nowhere near other teams. But we do.
A lack of confidence, a lack of bravery, a lack of reinforcements & fatigue (both mental and physical) would appear to be the root cause of this miserable month, IMO.
Kev and co will need to dig deep into their bag of tricks to build the confidence back up. They’ve proven they can in the past (let’s not forget, it was only 4(?) weeks ago that we were waxing lyrical about how good this squad is, following a battling win against Torquay, which capped a remarkable run during the unpaid period)
He’s got his work cut out for him. It was probably easier to gee them up when the prospect of the playoffs was live, so now they look out of the question, how do you motivate a squad who are continually losing by narrow margins, running on empty, the instability still surrounding the clubs future, a worry of wages being unpaid again, players out of contract in the summer, the prospect of the embargo continuing etc etc. that isn’t easy to put to one side. That has to take its toll eventually and I’m unsure whether any management team could keep that out of players minds for a prolonged period of time.
There’s a lot of frustration right now, and I don’t think anyone in that dressing room will be under any illusions that what’s been served up is simply unacceptable. Spare me with the “Maher is ****” nonsense though, you can go and argue that one with yourself. Between August and March we earned enough points to be settled in the playoff positions. He hasn’t become a bad manager in the last 3 and a half weeks.
Modern football fans will always look for an easy, simple, quick-fix solution to an issue that has so many variables and moving parts. Formations, line-ups, management etc. In reality, a change of any of those things isn’t likely to ensure Bridge converts a penalty or Powell hits the back of the net from 6 yards, or Hyde managing more than one game before getting back in the treatment room, or our back line nutting up.
It’s been an horrendous month for us, and that’s some feat considering the past 5 years. We desperately need to get through this rocky patch, make it to the end of the season and *hopefully* look forward to a new start. Yes, it’s bitterly disappointing for the season to “end” this way (I say end, but it’s still mathematically possible to get into the playoffs, although admittedly I don’t see it happening) but if we wanted guaranteed success week in, week out, we’d all be Man City fans.
Above all else, these players and this management team have given their all this season. When the deck was stacked against them, they ploughed on regardless and have given us some memorable games and brilliant highs. They might have been below par at times, some might be playing above their level, but collectively they’ve all worked their nuts off. Even when they weren’t paid, they turned up and put on a show for us. They could have given up. They could have gone on strike. They could have all walked away. But they didn’t.
We all wanted a squad which we had a rapport with, unlike some of the mercenaries and con men who have worn our shirt over the past few years. IMO we’ve finally got players and management who are willing to go above and beyond, not only for themselves, but for us too. They didn’t give up on us, so I’m not giving up on them. Despite how **** this month has been.
