This football club is still in the lucky position of being able to make wholesale changes on a yearly basis. The club rarely offer 2-year contracts, so
theoretically the board can well and truly wipe the slate clean. Assuming City do not win through on Saturday, it is time to make some major changes.
I have been a long-time supporter of our current management team and have always stood up for them in front of friends when they have chosen to criticise, but even I have have now had a change of heart. Our tactics on Tuesday night were borderline farcical. I apologise I have not read everybody's posts on here and may be repeating their points but their were 2 absolutely glaring mistakes in the team selection.
1) The option not to play Robinson at Centre Back - We knew that H&R would be absolutely lightning up front, yet the MT chose to play Ward and Duncan together at CB. I have a lot of time for both of these players. Steve Ward has been an outstanding servent to this club and since coming in, Duncan has also been a rock. It is not their fault they were employed together in the wrong game. A centre back partnership that caters for the opposition is crucial. All 3 goals we conceded were extremely poor and our lack of pace at the back was there for all to see.
2) Employing the 4-5-1 formation - Now, in the past I have actually been an advocate of this formation. However, it can only work in certain circumstances. Last season, in the Ryman, Ricky Holmes was an absolute cut above. He used to destroy left backs up and down the league. In his current form, and playing against a higher standard, he simply is not the same player. He is still worthy of a place in our starting line-up and is valuable to the squad, but he doesn't have that star quality anymore. When we play the top sides, he is found out. In order for the 4-5-1 to work, you need to have 2 wingers absolutely busting a gut to get to the by-line time after time, occasionally feeding off the scraps of the 1 up top. We simply do not have this. This also applies to our attacking midfielders down the middle. Rainford exempt, I just don't think we have to engines and qualities to facilitate the 4-5-1. Once employed, playing Hallett up there was probably the right choice. I feel he actually had a good game Tuesday. He is a nuisance and made best of a bad situation but wouldn't it be better to see him with Dudfield up front from the start!?
Now it is time to move on...I think, in order to succeed on a smaller budget, we need to replace the MT with a hungry young manager who will grab the opportunity to manage a club of our size with both hands. Wouldn't be great to have a Robbie Garvey at the helm. Someone with the club at heart...It's time the MT moved on or moved upstairs. They have simply lost it.
As for the players, you have to look to offload those that must be on big money and are living on past reputations. I think many of the players I would release have done fantastic jobs for the club, but in order for this club to reach a greater level in the long-term, they have to go, looking back on a great part of their career at CCFC
The players I would keep are:
Gay
Robinson
Rainford
Lawson
Holmes
Sloma
Modeste
It's time to replace many of the squad with younger players and, in a few cases, players from lower divisions. Look at the model employed by Peterborough United....They have scouted out the best talent from the league below, bought it up and reaped the rewards. These players are hungry...They want to prove themselves at a higher level. You unearth a gem in the Ryman Prem, who is playing in front of 200 a game, stick him in front of a 1,500+ crowd at MP and he is loving it. Over the past year, we have not had enough players with that hunger and desire to win games! Mould a team of young players around Dave Rainford and we can take this division by storm next season!
Let's hope we see some sensible decisions from the board this Summer which will help CCFC move forward with a renewed vigour and belief.
I have been a long-time supporter of our current management team and have always stood up for them in front of friends when they have chosen to criticise, but even I have have now had a change of heart. Our tactics on Tuesday night were borderline farcical. I apologise I have not read everybody's posts on here and may be repeating their points but their were 2 absolutely glaring mistakes in the team selection.
1) The option not to play Robinson at Centre Back - We knew that H&R would be absolutely lightning up front, yet the MT chose to play Ward and Duncan together at CB. I have a lot of time for both of these players. Steve Ward has been an outstanding servent to this club and since coming in, Duncan has also been a rock. It is not their fault they were employed together in the wrong game. A centre back partnership that caters for the opposition is crucial. All 3 goals we conceded were extremely poor and our lack of pace at the back was there for all to see.
2) Employing the 4-5-1 formation - Now, in the past I have actually been an advocate of this formation. However, it can only work in certain circumstances. Last season, in the Ryman, Ricky Holmes was an absolute cut above. He used to destroy left backs up and down the league. In his current form, and playing against a higher standard, he simply is not the same player. He is still worthy of a place in our starting line-up and is valuable to the squad, but he doesn't have that star quality anymore. When we play the top sides, he is found out. In order for the 4-5-1 to work, you need to have 2 wingers absolutely busting a gut to get to the by-line time after time, occasionally feeding off the scraps of the 1 up top. We simply do not have this. This also applies to our attacking midfielders down the middle. Rainford exempt, I just don't think we have to engines and qualities to facilitate the 4-5-1. Once employed, playing Hallett up there was probably the right choice. I feel he actually had a good game Tuesday. He is a nuisance and made best of a bad situation but wouldn't it be better to see him with Dudfield up front from the start!?
Now it is time to move on...I think, in order to succeed on a smaller budget, we need to replace the MT with a hungry young manager who will grab the opportunity to manage a club of our size with both hands. Wouldn't be great to have a Robbie Garvey at the helm. Someone with the club at heart...It's time the MT moved on or moved upstairs. They have simply lost it.
As for the players, you have to look to offload those that must be on big money and are living on past reputations. I think many of the players I would release have done fantastic jobs for the club, but in order for this club to reach a greater level in the long-term, they have to go, looking back on a great part of their career at CCFC
The players I would keep are:
Gay
Robinson
Rainford
Lawson
Holmes
Sloma
Modeste
It's time to replace many of the squad with younger players and, in a few cases, players from lower divisions. Look at the model employed by Peterborough United....They have scouted out the best talent from the league below, bought it up and reaped the rewards. These players are hungry...They want to prove themselves at a higher level. You unearth a gem in the Ryman Prem, who is playing in front of 200 a game, stick him in front of a 1,500+ crowd at MP and he is loving it. Over the past year, we have not had enough players with that hunger and desire to win games! Mould a team of young players around Dave Rainford and we can take this division by storm next season!
Let's hope we see some sensible decisions from the board this Summer which will help CCFC move forward with a renewed vigour and belief.
