ACCRINGTON STANLEY

Contrary to what some may think I’ve been desperately searching for positives this season and was overjoyed with the back to back Stevenage and Luton performances.

In the last FV based on those two games I wrote about the new OUFC and a corner being turned, but added “I really hope that this is not a premature declaration”. Premature it was because the performance at the Crown Ground wasn’t far off being shockingly bad.

Two steps forward, one step back. No, two steps back and that puts me where I started and that is not wanting Michael Appleton as manager of my football club. And yes, obvious question – who would I have as a replacement? (Don’t know, not really thought about it, but there has to be better out there than him, surely.) With the players we’ve got I would expect an average L2 manager to have got more points on the board than we’ve achieved. And I’m not happy to settle for average.

I like this quote from Yellows Forum, “John Coleman – a good manager at this level with a limited budget. Michael Appleton – a hopeless manager at any level whatever the budget”.

The Stanley, of course, had lost their previous five games. They beat us. Ten men Northampton turned them over 5-1. Cheltenham are crap. They’ve won one game since November. That was against us. Football is of course a funny old game. Northampton went to bottom club Hartlepool with five straight wins only to lose. Hilarious. But on closer inspection not so funny for us. The Monkey Hangers have got 10 points from their last 6 games. We’ve got just 6. I suspect much laughing is being done at our expense from local rivals, or have they just forgotten about us as they march onwards and upwards?

After years of pain and hurt I am truly sick of it. We all know we’ll never repeat the halcyon years when we climbed the leagues and operated in the top flight for three seasons as we did in the ‘80’s but being stuck in Division Four not having even made the play-offs in five seasons is not on.

Does that make the weather seem even more bitter because it was fffreezing at the Crown Ground? Our performance did nothing to bring much sought after warmth.

The pitch looked to be in good nick and for the first 10 or so minutes our passing looked like it had us in command. But it is usually a bit further into a game that the pattern is set and not long after, the pattern was set. The home side soon got on top and there they stayed; they created chances in far greater abundance than we did; they hit the woodwork twice; they deserved to win. So what if there was half an argument that Ryan Clarke was fouled before they scored? Accrington well deserved the win. Tiny Accrington, with their tiny budget. Tiny Accrington with bigger spirit than we had on the night. Tiny Accrington with their better organisation.

We were a shambles with little shape in midfield or up front and have a manager who seems to have not the slightest idea of how to change things during a game when they are not going great, either tactically or in the use of substitutes. (Please tell me he wasn’t happy with a point. I wasn’t. I’d still have been pissed off if we’d drawn the game. The performance from an offensive perspective was that bad.)

I’ve noticed that when we’re in a bad place (I believe we are) and are delivering a sub standard performance, watching fans, being tetchy, are much more likely to argue amongst themselves. “Hoban’s fault he should have scored.” “No he shouldn’t he did the right thing in passing to Roberts”. “He should have shot.” “What and missed, then you’d have blamed him”. “Roberts should have scored” Etc. Etc. I told myself Hoban did the right thing but it bobbled. This could possibly be all in my head. Watching yet more under-achievement is scrambling my brain.

Following on from that I’ve got a very different view than many expressed on the day and in social media regarding the performance of individual players.

Whilst much blame is being slung the way of our centre halves, and particularly Jake Wright’s in the form of “we need a bigger, taller, dominant presence there” I beg to differ. I don’t blame the defence. They kept a clean sheet right until the very end and given the pressure they came under at times because the rest of the side was ineffectual, that was no mean achievement. In fact I thought Wright and Johnny Mullins were our two best players. For the record it wasn’t Wright who got his head on the ball just before we conceded.

Our full backs did ok defensively too but there was nothing going forward and weren’t they brought in as much for the latter as the former?

For the most part we didn’t have a noticeable midfield. Was that the fault of Josh Ruffels and Michael Collins or down to the way we played?

Alex MacDonald sparked to life for a few seconds but that was about it and for me it was the ineffectual COD we saw, not the other one.

Danny Hylton had a poor game by his standards but I thought Patrick Hoban was our third best player behind the two at the back. That’s not saying a great deal but his work rate cannot be faulted and I thought he played a few very perceptive passes that on another day could have brought greater reward.

The only positive I can take from this (and other poor performances this season) is that when we lose, we don’t lose by many. We’re not getting turned over but a defeat is a defeat.

Being that football is indeed a funny old game we could do something noticeable at Burton but I’m travelling with the idea of having a good day out with my mates which will consist of a few beers in the Coopers. A positive outcome on the field of play will be a bonus. That’s not to say I won’t be in a foul mood if we don’t get something out of the game.

Has to be said – Piss ups and breweries

The best bit now is so often the pre or post match crack, not the football itself. Time spent in Grants, home of the Big Clock Brewery, in Accrington was so much more enjoyable than time spent in Stanley’s home. And cheaper.

BURTON ALBION

Appleton out (Should never have been in). Thought I’d start with that. Needed to get it off my chest. I don’t believe in him. Nor do I believe in Father Christmas. Unfortunately the one that exists is our manager.

I do believe that the players don’t believe in him. That being the case we’re pretty much screwed. All that can be hoped for is to somehow avoid RELEGATION (Yes RELEGATION) and move forward with someone else at the helm. Someone with at least a tiny bit of something on their CV that suggests they might just have a tiny clue of what they are doing. If the job requirement is stand still watching your team being outplayed with hands stuffed in pockets without showing any passion, animation or ability to effect a change, then Mapp is your man. But f**k it, he’s our man. We have not had many worse.

Worrying. Very worrying indeed. And even more worrying is that he’s drawing a good salary for being pretty bloody useless at being a football manager. Surprised? You shouldn’t be, because he’s been pretty bloody useless wherever he’s conned a job. Previously there have been extenuating circumstances which have masked his inadequacies. This time there are not. But listen to him on the radio and he’ll tell you it’s not his fault. Whose fault is it Michael, Denis Compton’s?

And I’ve just had word of the salaries being drawn by Mark Ashton and Derek Fazakerley. It’s bonkers. Our finances make no sense. WTF are these two actually delivering? Payment by results I say. If some have to starve then so be it. I reckon there has been some conning going on here. Who’s being conned along with us long suffering far travelling fans, Darryl Eales? Whose money is actually being pissed up against the wall?

The day started badly but we shouldn’t forget that someone lost their life on the M40. This didn’t stop Tim, our master driver, who knew the tricks of the road. Every obstacle was overcome and we were deposited at the Coopers just gone 1 o’clock. As ever the pub delivered. That’s the very opposite of my football team.

Burton may be in the top three but like most of the better teams in this league they are no great shakes. Thing is they are much better than us and it’s really galling that we’re not genuinely competitive, even for this level, over a period of more than one or two games.

The Brewers who have smaller gates than we do and I assume a smaller budget have constructed a far superior run of results than we have. So I suppose to lose to them wasn’t the worst of disgraces but ffs at least give it a proper go.
At the end of the game one fan was yelling where’s the “heart, passion, desire” at our boys as they slowly moved towards the away fans for the obligatory, and in my view meaningless, clap or two. To be fair if they had slipped quietly away they would have been criticised.

Compared with the home team there was a lack of heart etc. but whilst being far from impressed with individual performances I’m throwing the vast majority of the blame the manager’s way.

We were hardly in the game in the first half. We looked bereft of almost every quality that a successful football team requires. The only good thing being that we didn’t buckle. Our shape, which again included a lack of an effective midfield was a major issue.

I’m losing the plot on what is going on. Players in, players out. Here today, gone tomorrow. And today’s right back of the day is ….? Your guess is as good as mine. I can’t see that we’re progressing here at all. And to be honest I can’t see that we’d have done any worse if we’d stuck with David Hunt & Tom Newey. (Fully expecting people to have a major pop on this one). But all things being equal, a settled team will always lord it over a tinkered about with team every day of the week.

In the second half we were better but did nowhere near enough to justify arguments that we were worthy of a point. Josh Ashby hit the bar with a very good free kick but did little else. Kemar Roofe (who? – oh I give up we’re asking this week after week after week) did well to get to the by line and pull a ball back for Danny Hylton to miss in one of Oxford United’s preferred styles, that of misfiring. DH has been our best player this campaign by some way but the OUFC coaching and management is now getting through to him and he’s getting worse. Danny, I feel for you. And all your colleagues come to that.

It appears that we’ve converted a free scoring forward into someone who isn’t such a beast which means that our goals may now have a rarity value to rival that of the Villa. I’ve nothing against Patrick Hoban but from what I’ve seen so far at best I can’t say more than average.

These are worrying times. We’re now in a dog fight at the bottom and to those idiots (yes, I feel it is now fair to call them that) who kept saying we’d be okay (as if by magic, not by having a sound manager and L2 work ethic) look at the league table, points on the board (and more tellingly, points NOT won) and the forthcoming fixtures. If we’ve not got the balls for the battle ahead we’re going down. To me Mapp seems both ball and clue less. That’s some combination. He’s not instilled a battling mentality in the troops but continues to get us to play (shite) football – I cite free kicks on the half way line played backwards. AGAIN. No lessons learned. Leopards don’t change their spots.

If we don’t man up we’ll be leapfrogged by Mansfield (who incidentally have a game in hand) next week. I fully believe that if the players were left to themselves to pick the team, formation, tactics and approach they’d have a much greater chance of turning things around than if things are left to those currently running the circus.

COYY & AO(SNHBI)