We are now 3 games (2 league, 1 cup) into the season, already we have conceded 5 goals whilst only scoring 4 (2 of which were penalties) Being dumped from the EFL cup by a lower league reserve eleven , is probably our worst result so far. With our defence still looking fragile and our attack looking toothless, can we start to turn this around? Most teams will have either a tight backline with poor attack, or leaky defence with a sharp attack, any team that can have both will normally be in the top 6, conversely, any team with neither will be flirting with relegation. I still think individually our players are better than last season, can we get them playing as a unit and turn things around. With only 2 goals from open play and missing over 50% of our penalties, things aren't looking good. Will we sign a new striker who can find the net before the window closes, this sort of player normally costs money which we don't have.
What is bewildering to me is some of the decisions that Evans is already making which resemble more someone at the end of their lifespan at a club than at the start. Garmston being frozen out when he was one of our best players in preseason is particularly odd for me. Hodson he obviously seems to like but positionally seems to want to spend more time attacking than actually doing the basics of a full back in defending. If he's going to continue to do that and cause us problems defensively, why continue with him on the right and not Fuller who we all know is unlikely to let us down? Garmston offers a lot going forwards and I think will better compliment Jones or Ogilvie than what Hodson is doing for Ehmer. Also another game with the exclusion of Oldaker from the 18 is also still baffling for me when you consider the potential resale of this kid in a few years.
I think with Garmston it's his defensive duties that let his game down, obviously Evans gets to see him in training so must know how good/bad he is. Oldaker is a different proposition, the talent is there for all to see for about 5 or 10 minutes a game, the trouble is a game last for 90 minutes. The other problem I find is his decision making at times, he needs to learn when and where to use his trickery, and when to just play it simple.
Whilst I don't disagree about Oldaker, it frustrates the hell out of me when managers don't try to help develop these players so that they can adapt their game. Before he even saw them train, he decided he didn't want Parrett, Rees or Stevenson. How can somebody make that decision without seeing them on a training ground? Just because they played a certain way under Lovell, it doesn't make them bad players, it just means they're playing a system that the incumbent manager wants at that time. For me to just completely disregard these players without looking at them is bad management. I have no doubt if Oldaker applied his attributes in the correct way, he could play a lot higher. He showed at times last season that he has the ability and can do it at this level, all Evans would need to do is teach him to build consistency. Instead he's another whose been pushed out and told, nah sorry off you go. Evans did the exact same at Peterborough and within 5 months of the season starting, he lost his job. He's gone from claiming to aim for the play-offs to bemoaning the budget being a bottom 5 budget within 2 games and I'm already concerned we're in for a long season now.
Very good comments lads. I know people will say, well it's only three games, but let's not forget it wasn't us that bigged this up. Hopefully it will come right, I'm certainly on no agenda to get Evans sacked but I still have the open evening clear in my memory, it's all well and good guiding to positive comments, but eventually reality will come and bite you. I also have versions of events at Posh, and my version are possibly different to others portrayed. Not suggesting anyone is lying or misleading, it all depends who you talk too, some will say what you might want to hear, others will speak the truth and my version suggests 'some' Posh supporters were glad to get shot, but hey it's a funny ole merry-go-round is football. But I will let time do the talking. Hopefully this will all get turned around and we will all be happy again, afterall, otherwise it's going to be a long hard winter. Is it too early to wish a happy christmas (tongue firmly imbedded in cheek).
I've actually got my first Christmas present today ( I might do some more on Saturday - at least I won't have to worry about hoofball )
I do understand where your coming from pegleg, the trouble is when on a limited budget with the transfer window closing in a fortnight hard decisions need to be made. Deciding in October that players aren't good enough leaves you paying a wage to someone you don't want , and not being able to get someone we do want.
Although Oldakar has ability that is not enough in this day and age. He will end up in non league I expect. Not saying that is his carear over but will have to rebuild and could come back up the leagues
Changing topic slightly, I noted the interesting article in the match day magazine from Saturday about Leeds Road (Huddersfield) certainly worth a read if you picked up a copy. Some of you might remember I posted on the Trivia quiz, where Peter Feeley was the answer, he gets a good mention too. Nice coincidence.
On the flip side to that, if you have limited resources, you need to maximise those resources to the best of their ability to get positive results. I work for in a public sector organisation that has had to make cuts of £800m since I joined but still supplies the members of the public with all of the services they still need (albeit very difficultly). Yes you do have to cut your losses in certain areas but if you have a budget that doesn't perhaps allow for this, ie paying up Rees or Oldaker's contract for example, then you need to develop those staff members to where you want them to be and that is where good or positive management comes in. Evans hasn't done that and showed exactly what a poor manager does in that scenario, blames the staff, and tries to offload without even attempting to rectify the inefficiencies in house. Players like Oldaker or Rees aren't bad players, they need clear direction and focus, something of which wasn't apparent last season but Evans hasn't even bothered with at all.
On a personal note, Leeds Road was where I saw my first football league match. My father was born in Huddersfield and went to a game whenever he could when we visited his parents. This would have been around Christmas, probably 1959 or 60, so I'd have been 6 or 7. All I remember is sitting (yep, sitting!) in a stand on one side of the pitch. Haven't got a clue who they were playing or what the result was.
Again I don't disagree with anything you are saying, however if we are using our budget to pay players who are developing rather than delivering, come October will you take that into account if we are fighting relegation. A road sweeper is a noble profession, but no amount of development is going to make him a brain surgeon, Evans will be gone by the new year if the team is struggling, how many of your managers are facing the same perform in 3 months or on your bike scenario.
I've had a quick look at our players in regards to whether SE is developing potential. NdJoli……….20 Jones...……..21 RCC...……....22 Hanlan……...22 Willock...…...22 Jakubiak…...22 Mandron…...24 Not exactly an old experienced side is it ? on the other hand Josh Rees is 25.
Interesting point. I'd comment that, at this level and quality, young players will be on lower wages than experienced players. I'm all in favour of trying to develop young players, although as most of them will be on short contracts the opportunity to sell a promising player on at a profit is more limited. And young players can be very exciting to watch. However, if they don't come up to standard, then it's the 'on your bike' scenario.
Actually quite a few albeit not in my division, however another division of the organisation is under incredible scrutiny right now due to the amounts of public money being spent vs the service being received. A lot of transformation and structure changes have been made which have resulted in job cuts and the ones that have stayed on, are very much fighting a battle for their own jobs if those services can't still be supplied at the correct levels.
I also note that only two of those players were at the club before his arrival, the rest are players he brought in himself. I also don't see how a 25 year old also still can't become better through the correct coaching, take Barry Fuller for example, he's probably a lot better now than he was at 25 because he's been able to learn from other managers in those 7 or 8 years. No reason why Rees couldn't have done the same, yes it may not have worked out but as I said, it's not as if he was a bad player because he wasn't, he worked very hard each time I saw him.
