Tue Nov 16, 2010 11:09 pm
So, a 2-0 home win against a non-league side, albeit a reasonable one? I'll take the result as I never want us to lose regardless of circumstances, but whether you're a neutral or a die-hard Saddler, you know we're relegation certainties with the players we have, the tactics behind them & the attitude around the place.
To be fair to Fleetwood, they play the game how it should be played. Where possible, they'll get the ball down on the floor and look to play through teams. Despite having an absolute beer monster of a centre half, they had two fullbacks who were always an outlet, a central midfield who kept wanting (& getting) the ball & a striker who has made a career out of playing with his back to goal & making simple lay-offs. Nothing spectacular, but it made us chase shadows for at least half an hour of that game.
Fortunately, Jimmy Walker was in fine form. In the first half alone he made five saves which turned back the years & showed that there's more than enough life in the old dog yet. You have to ask though why he's come away from that game with the crate of Banks's under his arm. The answer is that the majority of the players in front of him just don't do their jobs. I could talk all night about what I think is wrong, but will sum things up with the following:
Westlake: Good on the ball, but isn't quite tight enough defensively. That will probably come with experience, but Manny Smith is hardly the best person to be learning from right now.
Lescott: Weak defensively, always seems to look for the long ball down the line & never gets forward. Lets so many runners & crosses past him, it's unreal.
Smith: Seems to have gone backwards in the last 18 months. Probably wins about 20% of the ball whether on the floor or in the air. Not good enough, I'm afraid & as I've said before, it's no coincidence that he's been an ever present in the side & we've leaked so many goals.
Lancashire: After a shaky start, actually looked solid. Won a fair amount in the air given that he's the sweeper & his distribution is the best we've got from the back.
Nicholls: Put in a couple of threatening crosses, but flattered to deceive again in every other respect. He's not a young kid any more, and has had enough chances to prove himself.
Taundry: As with Smith, just hasn't developed. Dwells on the ball for far too long, and has an absolutely rancid first touch at times.
Richards: Can't understand why our best passer of the ball was put on the left of midfield. Always offers a sensible head, but needs to be in the middle of the park.
Marshall: Looked neat and tidy at times, but too quiet overall. He's dubbed as an attacking midfielder, but probably never strayed into the box, which seems strange. Think he can offer more than Taundry given a run in the side, but that's not necessarily going to be enough.
Reid: Has a bit of pace, guile & skill, which is why he's our top goalscorer. Could do with picking the right pass a bit more often though.
Dickinson: Slowly got going & into the game, but everything about him looks lethargic. He obviously has ability, but is the epitome of your desperate loan signing - doesn't look like he'll go that extra yard or work that extra 10% harder to grind out a result. That worries me, because he looks like he's scored goals at most of the clubs he's been at previously.
Do I think Hutchings should go? Yes. Why? Because I still think there's some potential there with the right man in charge. The problem we have is, with every game we lose as a result of a bad team selection or none-existant tactics, that squad of players' confidence takes another beating. Soon enough, we'll hit a point so low that there won't be a new face or set of ideas out there to rescue things.