Why is it going wrong?

[halftimeresults]

Coleman is a fantastic attack minded manager who makes his players believe they can win the league.

[Teams like Morecambe]

Coleman is a fantastic attack minded manager who makes his players believe they can win the league.

Exactly. On paper how much better are Accys players than ours? The difference in quality between the two squads is probably minimal the difference is the belief that the managers give their players. Every season under Jim we have started well then faded, why? Whats happened to Wildig, he looked destined for a future at a higher level but has completely lost his way. Three experienced and consistent defenders Parrish, Wilson and Beeley have all lost their way at the same time, why? In comparison Coleman has taken two players under his wing that have failed at a higher level, shown belief in them and they have flourished resulting in a move to a much bigger club.

[KenH]

[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.

In which I thought he did a really good job at left back.

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.

Pleased to see that someone else agrees.

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.

No Jim didn't have to play him because we had Moly on the bench!

Ironically, one of the best defensive games was the Walsall match in which our entire usual back 4 were out, replaced with our subs and outfield players, Goodall and Moly. Perhaps Jim needs to try that again, but with Doyle - another potentially good player who's left warming the bench!!!! Crazy to bring in loan players when we have people on the bench - if they're not good enough to play, why pay their wages to sit doing nothing?

[SupermarketShrimp]

Why is Accrington's small squad not similarly knackered and carrying knocks then [/quote]

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

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.[/quote]

Mark Hughes one of the more expensive defenders in the division has left Stevenage where he was brought in as captain and they have over 30 registered pro's. We have 25, 5 of which haven't played a game and one is the reserve goalkeeper.

So yes, they're spending shitloads considering they get the same gates as us.

[steve mfc]

Do you really think Hughes is one of the most expensive defenders in this league, he left Stevenage by mutual consent so i doubt very much if he will be on that much at Accy.

Where is the evidence that Accy are spending a lot of money? Anyway the point was that they were already in the playoffs before the money entered the equation, its about time we stopped making excuses and started to concentrate on where it is going wrong then just maybe we might get an start to see some improvement.

[black morse]

I'm not even sure that we are doing this but if we are solely comparing our manager with John Coleman it is unfair. If we want to play the comparing game we should compare him with all the other league 2 managers many of which will (probably) be getting more wages than Jim.

I know.....I don't know how much they all earn and every manager has his own problems to contend with but, all in all, I think Jim is as good as most.

[Shrimpy]

The biggest problems this season for me are:

1) The loss of Peter Murphy
2) The huge drop off in level of performance of the defence from last season, especially Beeley & Wilson
3) Aaron Wildig being nowhere near the same player we saw at the tail end of last season.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I seem to remember we played a lot of 3-5-2 / 5-3-2 last season with Parrish, Hughes & Edwards as the centre backs with Beeley & Wilson as the wing backs. It seems that the switch to a flat back four has seen the performance of the centre backs plummet whilst Beeley & Wilson aren't given the same freedom to bomb up and down the wing as they were when we had three centre backs to cover for them.

Also, part of the overall plan to move to 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 would be with a midfield that included Aaron Wildig providing the creative spark and Peter Murphy being the talisman that drove the team forward. Unfortunately Murphy has been lost to injury for the vast majority of the season whilst Wildig hasn't produced the goods we hoped and has spent a lot of time on the bench.

With that being the case I'd rather we tried something more along the lines of last season and go back to basics as frankly we haven't shown this season we have the players able to play a more attacking formation as the defence have been left hugely exposed. Play 3 centre backs with 2 wing backs for now with Goodall, Fleming & Kenyon in the middle and then we can look at returning to a more adventurous formation if / when we get some better defenders and Murphy returns from injury.

[Phil Anderer]

The biggest problems this season for me are:

1) The loss of Peter Murphy
2) The huge drop off in level of performance of the defence from last season, especially Beeley & Wilson
3) Aaron Wildig being nowhere near the same player we saw at the tail end of last season.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I seem to remember we played a lot of 3-5-2 / 5-3-2 last season with Parrish, Hughes & Edwards as the centre backs with Beeley & Wilson as the wing backs. It seems that the switch to a flat back four has seen the performance of the centre backs plummet whilst Beeley & Wilson aren't given the same freedom to bomb up and down the wing as they were when we had three centre backs to cover for them.

Also, part of the overall plan to move to 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 would be with a midfield that included Aaron Wildig providing the creative spark and Peter Murphy being the talisman that drove the team forward. Unfortunately Murphy has been lost to injury for the vast majority of the season whilst Wildig hasn't produced the goods we hoped and has spent a lot of time on the bench.

With that being the case I'd rather we tried something more along the lines of last season and go back to basics as frankly we haven't shown this season we have the players able to play a more attacking formation as the defence have been left hugely exposed. Play 3 centre backs with 2 wing backs for now with Goodall, Fleming & Kenyon in the middle and then we can look at returning to a more adventurous formation if / when we get some better defenders and Murphy returns from injury.

That midfield is far too defensive. We'd get naff all delivery to the strikers from that line up, especially if we were relying on Beels and Willo for everything. Devitt and Barky (when on form) need to be part of any team if we're going to create the opportunities to score, plus Flemmo plays markedly better alongside Devitt, who seems to lift his game somehow.

[mrpotatohead]

they have 25 registered pros SMS, and have had a relatively easy winter regarding fixtures with a lot of postponements , giving players ample recovery time, they ,li,e us, rarely buy players, relying on free transfers etc. give them their due, they have done remarkably well on a shoestring, and fair play to them.

[aRealShrimp]

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.

I hope you're not studying anything sport related ShrimpStudent. I have a funny suspicion that alternative systems are planned and are regularly applied.

I also assume your rational has come from playing Football Manager in your bedroom because anyone who has watched Conlan play for us knows he's a terrific player and a good loan.

I do agree with you that the centrebacks have not been good enough. Neither have our defensive midfielders.

[marky No.1]

If our results go the same way as our last 14 games through the winter, we will have 49 points with 2 games to play.

Free buses to Exeter anyone?

ps I don't for one moment think that Dagenham and York will pass us, even though we lost to them both on our last trips out

[black morse]

If our results go the same way as our last 14 games through the winter, we will have 49 points with 2 games to play.

Free buses to Exeter anyone?

ps I don't for one moment think that Dagenham and York will pass us, even though we lost to them both on our last trips out

Hope the club is not thinking about laying on a free bus for me. St James's Park is only 20 miles away. I can walk

[marky No.1]

I suppose I should have said "or" not "and"

If we need a free bus to Cambridge rather than Exeter then we are fecked

[Ntini]

Season after season players are out of position week in, week out. Take Barky this season. Up front, behind the front man, on the left, in the middle, on the right, at right back. Then start looking round at everyone else; Devitt, Molyneux, Ellison, Parrish etc etc etc...

If you're asking your best players to play in 5 or 6 different positions (not just each week but often within a game) then you can't expect the best out of them. You're just going to waste their talent and get mistake after mistake rather than consistency and high levels of performance.

Where the problem lies though is a tough question. Tactics? Knowing his best 11? Squad management? I think it's difficult to put you're finger on it, but if you need cover in a position, use a utility player, not your star men.

[Shrimpy]

Season after season players are out of position week in, week out. Take Barky this season. Up front, behind the front man, on the left, in the middle, on the right, at right back. Then start looking round at everyone else; Devitt, Molyneux, Ellison, Parrish etc etc etc...

If you're asking your best players to play in 5 or 6 different positions (not just each week but often within a game) then you can't expect the best out of them. You're just going to waste their talent and get mistake after mistake rather than consistency and high levels of performance.

Where the problem lies though is a tough question. Tactics? Knowing his best 11? Squad management? I think it's difficult to put you're finger on it, but if you need cover in a position, use a utility player, not your star men.

I see this more of a necessity of having a small squad, you need players who can operate in a number of positions.