NORTHAMPTON

I’m so pleased that this season has ended. Yet I’ve managed, through a combination of blind devotion, stupidity and sheer bloody mindedness, to have attended every competitive game.

That won’t happen next season as I’ve already got two weddings in the diary. Bothered? Not a bit of it. In fact if I was 25-30 years younger I would not have renewed my season ticket for 2014/15; I would be spending my Saturdays playing for some local park team. That option sadly is no longer open to me as I have not yet discovered a league for geriatrics.

That there was only something meaningful riding on this game for the Cobblers only served to highlight our monumental collapse in the run in.

For the first 20 minutes it was us who were in almost total control. Apparently we were playing the diamond formation. I can kind of see that but at times the way teams are set out baffles me because players are not rooted to the spot and tend to move around a bit (or not much in the case of some players). Whatever it was it worked. Ryan Williams was the main threat. Northampton struggled with his pace, trickery and control and in the seventh minute couldn’t stop him nipping in to put us one up from a corner.
This caused the home side that had not convinced from the start to become even jitterier.

Then the game turned. As soon as he did it I said, “red card”. There had been a tangle of legs but whatever happened at close quarters does not justify the kick out. I’ve loved watching Williams in this ultimately woeful campaign but could not bring myself to clap him off as some of our fans did.

The butterfly effect and all that; did that little petulant kick out cause Bristol Rovers to lose their Football League status? There’s a reasonable argument that it did.

It soon became obvious that with ten men we would lose. If the ten had included Williams I think we would still have been in with a shout. Without him we were embarrassingly short of pace. We didn’t then even set ourselves up to become hard to beat. We didn’t seem to do anything. Where were the leaders on and off the pitch? Where was the man with the plan, where were the men with the tactical nous, or whatever it is, that says we’re winners? No, I don’t know either.

For each goal conceded plenty were culpable, not just Jake Wright. Individuals have lost it and as a defensive unit we’ve lost it. For number three we had SIX men stood in the six yard box yet not one put in a challenge worthy of the name to prevent the goal going in.

Last time I said I’d come back to the finger of blame and having covered the chairman I’d move on to the coaches /management and players and maybe even the fans. So here goes.

MANAGERS & COACHES
League games in charge 2013/14

Chris Wilder – P 26 W 12 D 9 L 5 % pts won 57.7
Mickey Lewis  – P 12 W 3 D 5 L 4 % pts won 38.9
Gary Waddock- P8 W1 D 0 L 8 % pts won12.5

It’s worth an analysis and this tells us that Wilder was much better than the other two. This suggests that if he had remained, we would have got into the play-offs at least. That said there’s evidence year on year that under CW we’ve not had what it takes in the run in. However, whilst it can never be proven, I genuinely believe we would have been in the top seven if he was still at OUFC. It may have been by the skin of our teeth but on reflection that would have done. That said, I’ll again acknowledge the staleness that had set in and the awful entertainment at the Kassam. Furthermore, Ian Lenagan couldn’t really afford to award him a contract to match that offered by the Cobblers so there was a fairly logical parting of the ways even if that would have been difficult for other football fans looking from afar to understand.

Under Mickey Lewis, whilst not quite being a complete disaster, what had been built began to crumble. I’ve heard it on good authority that discipline went out of the window. Wilder had let the players know that he was the boss. Mad Dog didn’t. Being all matey is not enough. Liberties will be taken. And the football we played was no better than that which we’d previously moaned about. Plus the defensive solidarity, a key Wilder trait, had disappeared.

Step forward Gary Waddock. I would call his brief tenure so far a complete disaster. We know this wasn’t a squad he had assembled but there was none of this initial boost usually evident when a new man comes in. In fact I’d say the opposite occurred. This is highly worrying and tells me something was / is seriously amiss. This makes the criticism we’ve levelled at Ian Lenagan for not finding a Wilder replacement sooner seem laughable now. If GW had come in a month or two earlier and had the same statistics, we would have finished a lot lower than 8th and could even have been involved in a fight against the drop. Don’t laugh, I’m being serious. Look at the final League table. Northampton only had nine points fewer than us not so mighty yellows.

Having seen what I’d seen and heard what I’d heard I had little faith that Gary was the man for the job but after the Accrington defeat I kind of warmed to him when he was interviewed on the TV. You could tell that he was livid. He had watery angry eyes. This made me happy. He needs help. (Don’t we all?). He doesn’t need a Mad Dog type alongside him he needs a Martin Kuhl. I’ve no idea what each of our coaches has actually contributed but I can guess having witnessed Oxford United post Wilder. I wouldn’t wish any decent person who needs to earn a living for their families out of a job but I really am not sorry to see Andy Melville depart. I feel a bit heartless to say that but the football world is a cruel world and he wasn’t sacked as such.

THE PLAYERS

Collectively they’ve flopped big time from a few games into Mickey’s tenure right through to the end of the season but if you look at them individually I don’t think they’re anywhere near as bad as some of our fans (I’m using the term loosely) would haveus believe. The disrespect shown to certain players and the personal abuse dished out by a small minority on various forums and in the grounds of League Two themselves goes beyond the acceptable in my book.

Non thinking fans often yell “get rid of the lot of them” after a poor run or even after a single defeat. Thinking needs to be done along the lines of baby and bath water and how easy is it to replace them with better. And then there are contractual obligations. I don’t know where all this “most of them are out of contract anyway” came from because that wasn’t the case at all.

Here’s my take on 2013/14

Goal-keepers

I concur with everyone else – Ryan Clarke player of the season. Enough said. Goalies mature with age in a very good way and he’s signed a lengthy contract. Max Crocombe is supposed to be a rather good prospect but even if he wasn’t I’d have little concern as it always seems possible to get a half decent loan keeper in at very short notice. The news that Wayne Brown is no longer to be registered as a player should be greeted with a phew. I still get nightmares about Fleetwood a couple of seasons ago.

Full-backs

In 2012/13 we had Damian Batt and Liam Davies. They were more known for their attacking than defending. They were Chris Wilder signings which kind of counters the argument that he is an ultra defensive manager. But for the season just ended they were gone, replaced by two bald headed guys who confusingly for me looked rather similar. David Hunt and Tom Newey, who both turn 32 in the autumn, are more known for their defensive work. They have not got the pace of their predecessors but have at times shown that they can deliver a decent ball into the box. Good honest experienced professionals I’d call them but it took me a while to warm to them because I was making unfair comparisons to what I’d seen previously. Wilder had obviously decided he wanted a different type of full back.

The Waddock way, if I’ve interpreted things rightly, requires full-backs more like Batty and Davis (who it should not be forgotten played 27 games at Championship level for Yeovil, as we did the boring rounds to Dagenham and Accrington again) than Hunt and Newey. So I’m slightly surprised that Newey has been offered another contract. But like all contracts, us fans have no real idea what the terms are, they could be greatly reduced. Hunt, who I think didn’t got the credit due for doing a good job when he had to step in at centre-half, had another year anyway.

Matty Bevans has shown enough to suggest he might have a decent career ahead of him. Like most youngsters at this level I wouldn’t want to bet whether he’ll kick on or fade. David Lynn, who we only saw once, where he struggled admirably with cramp in very testing conditions at Gateshead, has gone.

Centre-halves

I’d say we’re rather spoiled in this area. I’ll start with Wright. Overall he has been superb for us. A footballing centre half who is not afraid to battle. Like many others his form has not got back to what it was since he returned, in his case, from a fairly horrendous injury, but the accusations that he is not trying and was throwing the game at Sixfields basically stink. I don’t want Jake, who has been a tremendous servant, to “do one” as some have articulately put it. It would be much more helpful to our football club if those who want him “to do one” were to “do one” themselves. Have all clubs got supporters like this? Do they understand what harm they cause or don’t they care?

Incidents like this take me back to Stamford Bridge for the replay we should never have had to face because Kevin Francis did not foul Vialli. Richard Branson, who until quite recently used to live just down the road, has a few shed loads of money. He has never invested in football, but you never know what might have been. He was sat in the seats amongst the Oxford fans, as an ordinary punter, with I think it was his son. Before kick off when it was pretty quiet some pissed up Oxford yob yells at the top of his voice for all to hear, “Branson, you rich c**t”. Totally embarrassing and just possibly the butterfly effect that put him off buying OUFC and taking us on a proper journey. But hey, I’m talking nonsense and “I’ve paid my money so I’ll say what I want to whoever I want” rules o.k.

Johnny Mullins is another sub six foot footballing centre half who we’re lucky to have and with Michael Raynes as the much taller more uncompromising version and Sam Long who, like Bevans, suggest he’s a youngster who has got it, we’ve no need for changes here. Unless anyone is driven out of the club in poisonous fashion that is.

Midfield

Weak. We need more creativity to go with Danny Rose. We need pace in this area. We have none at the moment. A properly fit Andy Whing provides the battling but quick games can pass him by. Nicky Wroe was for the most part certainly no better than what we’d had before and I’m not crying that his loan is over. I preferred Asa Hall. In the past when we’ve let players go I’ve thought great, we’ll get better in now. Quite often we don’t. I wonder how many games Adam Chapman would have played if he had stayed.
Scott Davies has been released. I had thought keep him but only as a squad player. But that doesn’t work does it so moving on is the best decision. I’d like to rave about Josh Ruffels but from what I’ve seen so far he looks to be a fairly average L2 player who will do a job but never set the world alight. I hope new signings mean that Ruff has to work doubly hard on his game to get a starting place.
Jonathon Meades – midfielder or full-back? No idea. I’ll pretend he’s a freebie new signing.

Wide boys

Ryan Williams provided the most excitement of anyone but was never going to stay so I’ll move on.

Alfie and Sean Rigg were another two who, when they returned from injury, just weren’t the same. Unless they get back to it – and in the interest of fairness, the same goes for Wright – they are not a great deal of use to the football club. A decision has been made on that basis not to offer Riggy another contract. I can see that and wonder if the same would have applied to Alfie if he was not still in contract. His injury too was horrific and these things do take time to get over.

Callum O’Dowda? Not sure about. Possibly, but I think this is another area we need to strengthen in.

Dave Kitson

Kits is another who I think gets unfair stick from a small minority of our fan base. “He gets booked too often.” Again, possibly, but he’s one of those players referees are looking out for and don’t give even handed protection to. I believe he only picked up one more yellow than Newey but no one mentions Tom’s recklessness.

I’m very happy that Dave seems to have had a change of heart and wants to play on for another year and has kind of offered to help bring on the youngsters if asked.He is a quality footballer with intelligence rarely seen at this level but I’m baffled as to the role he plays. Is he a midfielder? Probably not. A striker of the old fashioned centre forward variety? He could be but definitely isn’t. Will he be part of a diamond, going forward? I don’t really care as long as going forward on and off the pitch is part of the club’s philosophy and I think with the ginger one involved it can only be a positive.

Strikers

Poor. Big improvement and help in the form of more creativity needed. (See midfield).

Beano, Oh, Beano. So he’s been offered a new contract. I really hope it is because Waddock genuinely believes he can get 20 goals out of him next season and not because he does not want to be the one to have got rid of a club legend. Truthfully, I’ve more often than not been of the opinion that he is not quite up to this level. But I’ve got a mate who has said that he could see JC going to another L2 side and banging the goals in and I can too.

As for Deane Smalley, I feel sorry for the guy. But I’ve seen him play enough to think that we’ve done the right thing. A thing the club should have done at least a year ago.

David Connolly, decent player that he was (is?) of an age when trying to keep him would not make sense. Tyrone Marsh doesn’t do it for me.

We need a couple of players in this department who are better than we have at the moment.

Fans

I’ve touched on the fans already and have written way too much. So I’ll leave it for another day and another season to say that we’ve got some pretty decent human beings amongst us and to ponder what section 27 is all about.

So that’s it. The football season is well and truly over for us. Beer Festival season starts with Banbury. Bring it on. And I’ll raise a glass in support of the mounting anger amongst us grass roots fans (I assume that is what we are) against Greg Dyke, Danny Mills, and their B Teams, strategic loan partnerships and all other manner of bollocks that demonstrates they have not the slightest idea of what makes the likes of us tick and what makes football in this country the envy of the world. Yes really. We might not be Spain or Brazil but strength in depth down to the Conference and below cannot be matched anywhere. I love my country and national team dearly but give me the yellow of Oxford United over the white of England ten times over. And that is from the heart even after a season like the one we’ve just had.