Why is it going wrong?

[Jettyson]

A great start to the season, same squad yet vastly different results.
Is it that we play better in good conditions, we have "fair weather" players or are sometimes not just getting a slice of luck?
McGowan injured has been a loss, but has one or two players REALLY made that much difference?
I don't know but hope it turns soon.

[KenH]

They're too predictable.

Eg. Goodall scored a few headers probably surprising the opposition because he's short but now other teams have seen it and will ensure he's marked. Same with Barky and Miller's goalfest from the break - other teams saw us scoring on the break and will now improve their marking. Other teams have seen our defence leaking goals so will know we're weak and they'll take advantage.

We have a good start because we surprise the opposition with new players and new ideas. But, once we're rumbled, we have no plan B, we just keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. Because it worked once doesn't mean it will keep working!

[seantheshrimp]

We overachieve every year by not actually being directly involved in a relegation battle, were a small club with a crap fanbase a board that dont want to spend money and a manager who get the job by default. So when you look at it its not going wrong we should embrace this while it lasts because if the bubble bursts who knows where we will end up

[Shrimpy]

This is the 5th season under Jim Bentley and in every single one we've experienced:

A) a great start before turning into a load of rubbish as soon as Winter arrives.
B) awful home results / performances

It would suggest that Jim either has no idea what the cause of the problems are or he has no idea how to fix them, or both! He's had 5 years to figure this out, you would think he'd have at least made some progress with one of these problems in that time but instead we just carry on doing the same thing expecting things to miraculously improve.

[RedRedWine]

IMO it's because of a small squad that can't cope with injuries or suspensions which takes it's toll as the season progresses. Wilson has been terrible all season, but he's had to play up until recently when we've been able to get a young pro in from Burnley and through him into the deep end.

Murphy has been a massive loss for us. Other teams would be able to go out and get a new midfielder; Jim doesn't have that luxury.

[Gone_Shrimping]

I wonder if Jim makes a mistake in using his entire budget in the Summer. This leaves him no leeway if he sees a problem position when the season starts.

Maybe he should leave something in the budget as a contingency and then if there is a problem position (say left back) then he can do something about it without having to try and ship players out on loan.

[mrpotatohead]

Gone shrimping, Jim does not have a budget, so how can he use it all up, haha, the truth is already stated, his small squad are all either carrying knocks, knackered, or both by xmas, simple.

[Jettyson]

Murphy has been a massive loss for us.

No he hasn't.We played our best football without him.

[Gone_Shrimping]

Gone shrimping, Jim does not have a budget, so how can he use it all up, haha, the truth is already stated, his small squad are all either carrying knocks, knackered, or both by xmas, simple.

Why is Accrington's small squad not similarly knackered and carrying knocks then

[RedRedWine]

Murphy has been a massive loss for us.

No he hasn't.We played our best football without him.

In the sense that he was in Jims plans (named el captain), part of the budget but has pretty much been out for all of the season and hasn't been able to make a contribution. He hasn't been replaced and an already small squad has been stretched. As the games build up, that exacerbates the inherent weakness.

We were all generally expecting him to em prove our team, I just wonder how much of a difference he could have made to our defensive frailties? The cracks are there for all to see... But as CC puts it, we've been missing an 'enforcer' in the middle who can chip in with a few goals. Basically a 'yard dog' Grimshaw or a younger Drummond.

We've also got little out if Molyneux... He was regularly our downfall as a Stanley player, but has been anonymous here apart from one game against Walsall in the JPT. I'm sure he would've been in Jims plans to feature prominently, but he's just not cut the mustard. Because of this he's a fringe squad player at best when in reality he's utilising a wage that we could have used on somebody that would've been able to make a more telling contribution especially as the season progressed and we began to pick up knocks.

[ShrimpStudent]

BENTLEY thats where i think it is going wrong.

Its okay moaning about a small squad but when you don't rotate it even when you have a chance to theres only so long these excuses work for before people notice.

His point blank refusal to set the team up using anything other than the ever so successful 4231 formation (Barring the odd game).
Jim's pre Portsmouth interview on Radio Lanc, he went on a little rant of how he wouldn't walk away (and rightly so), but then went on to say people say change the formation but why should i, we are scoring plenty of goals we just need to stop them at the other end, or something to that effect. Maybe the formation is why the goals are flying in at the wrong end. The 2 strikers have 22 goals between them and i can't remember a game they have started up front together? If they are scoring goals when they are up front alone, surely other teams defenders would have plenty more to think about if both of them were up the front together?

Poor movement in the loan market on more than one occasion.
Molyneux played at left back against Walsall, arguably his best game since he has been at Morecambe so Jim loans in a left back and leaves Molyneux on the bench. I understand Molyneux may not enjoy/want to play at LB but in a squad the size of Morecambe's needs must and thats the managers job to get him to play there to the best of his ability if he is required.
The team was scoring goals for fun (top scorers at the time) and conceding goals for even more fun so Jim decided it was a wise move to go and loan in a striker Forrester to sit on the bench for a month. I think Forrester is a decent player and it may have been with an eye on next season but it was clear to everyone at the time and still is that Edwards Parrish and Dugdale are simply not good enough.
I'm not sure if any of these loans have used up any of the budget but with Wilson back fit and Molyneux never been injured the Conlan loan seems every bit as strange as the Forrester one.

I rate Jim as a manager but in football and life you have to move with the times. If something isn't working you fix it. Games need to be approached with 2/3 systems that the team can readily switch to should things not be going their way.

[mrpotatohead]

Accy have a first team squad of 27 players and have played 4 games less than everyone else, gone shrimping.

[Keith]

.
I'm not sure if any of these loans have used up any of the budget but with Wilson back fit and Molyneux never been injured the Conlan loan seems every bit as strange as the Forrester one.

Kind of agree with much of your post, apart from this bit. If Conlan's loan turned in to a sea on long one followed by signing for us next season, based upon what we've seen so far, it would be an excellent bit of business.

[mrpotatohead]

Conlan is an excellent player in a position that he cannot hope to fill in the near future at Burnley as he is 4th in the pecking order, he is however very highly rated and they will be looking for a fee for him ,if he leaves.

[black morse]

Conlan is an excellent player in a position that he cannot hope to fill in the near future at Burnley as he is 4th in the pecking order, he is however very highly rated and they will be looking for a fee for him ,if he leaves.

And therein lies the problem

[Keith]

Conlan is an excellent player in a position that he cannot hope to fill in the near future at Burnley as he is 4th in the pecking order, he is however very highly rated and they will be looking for a fee for him ,if he leaves.

Assuming he's out of contract (and if he isn't the point is moot) then Burnley will have to offer him another contract. If they don't, then they can't claim a fee. If they do, he may sign it. So if they don't think he has a Burnley future, they'll let him go, but if he's too highly thought of, he won't come to us anyway.

[Shrimpy]

Its okay moaning about a small squad but when you don't rotate it even when you have a chance to theres only so long these excuses work for before people notice.

He rotated it for the Mansfield home game and everyone was up in arms that Devitt, Barkhuizen & Miller were on the bench. You can't have it both ways.

[Gone_Shrimping]

Accy have a first team squad of 27 players and have played 4 games less than everyone else, gone shrimping.

If they have a total budget of £500k as reported then the average pay of the 27 players is the princely sum of £18,500 per year. If Colman finds players who will run through brick walls on that sort of pay then he some manager.

[mrpotatohead]

Oversimplifying things a bit there mate, I don't think everyone will be on the same wage, do you?

[Gone_Shrimping]

Oversimplifying things a bit there mate, I don't think everyone will be on the same wage, do you?

Yes , I realise that , some like Windass and McConman will be on a good bit more , but it means some of the minions are on less than the average.

[SupermarketShrimp]

Gone shrimping, Jim does not have a budget, so how can he use it all up, haha, the truth is already stated, his small squad are all either carrying knocks, knackered, or both by xmas, simple.

Why is Accrington's small squad not similarly knackered and carrying knocks then

The same Accrington who've spent a fortune this year with their new non chinese investor?

[Gone_Shrimping]

Gone shrimping, Jim does not have a budget, so how can he use it all up, haha, the truth is already stated, his small squad are all either carrying knocks, knackered, or both by xmas, simple.

Why is Accrington's small squad not similarly knackered and carrying knocks then

The same Accrington who've spent a fortune this year with their new non chinese investor?

The new investor paid off their debt to the previous owner and has said he will spend on infrastructure such as new dressing rooms etc but Colman said he didn't want his playing budget increased. He must be some manager to get the results he does on a smaller budget than us.

[steve mfc]

Gone shrimping, Jim does not have a budget, so how can he use it all up, haha, the truth is already stated, his small squad are all either carrying knocks, knackered, or both by xmas, simple.

Why is Accrington's small squad not similarly knackered and carrying knocks then

The same Accrington who've spent a fortune this year with their new non chinese investor?

Have they spent a fortune ?, they were in the playoffs long before the new owner arrived and the squad at that time wasn't any bigger than ours and Coleman did state after the takeover that money would be spent on the infrastructure of the club and not on the playing budget, possibly as the season has progressed and promotion has become a distinct possibility then they have decided to increase spending hence the larger squad.

So its not all about the budget and lets not forget in previous seasons Coleman would probably had a smaller budget than us yet achieved results just as good as ours if not better.


squad.

[black morse]

Which all probably goes to show that Coleman is one of the top managers in League 2 and Jim probably isn't but Jim is certainly not one of the worst.

[mrpotatohead]

I have to concur with that, The board, and the fans, should not take it for granted that when JIm does leave, it's because he's been sacked.