Accrington Web - View Single Post

Tin Monkey · 19-11-2006, 13:29

Having had a little time to think about yesterday, I thought I'd put down some of my thoughts and observations.

Pre-match
I was on the Whinney Hill terrace a good 40 minutes before kick-off and I observed the team warming up. A group of them were stood passing the ball around, but not talking to each other. I always arrive about the same time, so to observe players showing little interest in each other was something that stood out for me. There appeared to be a lack of morale in the team, which is something I haven't seen for a long time. Jimmy Bell wasn't warning the team up as normal, but it was crying out for a motivator. Where was the Captain/leader character?? I could tell 20 minutes before kick-off that I'd be watching an under-par performance.

The match
Very, very poor performance overall. Apart from the goal and Craney's free-kick, we didn't create much else. Hartlepool deserved their win and if they'd have taken all the clear cut chances they created, they would have won that game at a canter. The sending off did affect things, but Harris had to go.

The decision making
After going down to 10 men I thought Coleman committed tactical suicide by taking off defensive players and replacing them with attackers. I know we needed 3 points at home, but we ended up with nothing when we could have had a point. Gung-ho tactics come off every blue moon, but so many times you end up losing out. Poor decision in my opinion.

The crowd
Over the last few games the home gate has averaged out at around 1900 after deducting the away support. Yesterday the gate was 1700-ish, with an estimated 500 away fans. Taking that into consideration, the 1200-ish home fans was about 700 down on recent attendances. It's no coincidence that this drop in support is mirrored in the drop of temperature and the decilne in the weather overall. Home support gates will go down further as the winter presses on. How much money are we losing with having open, windswept ends? We must have lost thousands of pounds yesterday.
And before anyone starts, this is the first time that I have commented on the roof situation.

The positives
Sean Whalley looked lively when he came on. He's naive, but needs matchplay to improve. Hopefully he'll be a worthy replacement for the largely ineffective Doherty.

19-11-2006, 13:29	#1
Tin Monkey Senior Member+ Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 4,769 Liked: 160 times Rep Power: 1140	My thoughts on yesterday (Hartlepool) Having had a little time to think about yesterday, I thought I'd put down some of my thoughts and observations. Pre-match I was on the Whinney Hill terrace a good 40 minutes before kick-off and I observed the team warming up. A group of them were stood passing the ball around, but not talking to each other. I always arrive about the same time, so to observe players showing little interest in each other was something that stood out for me. There appeared to be a lack of morale in the team, which is something I haven't seen for a long time. Jimmy Bell wasn't warning the team up as normal, but it was crying out for a motivator. Where was the Captain/leader character?? I could tell 20 minutes before kick-off that I'd be watching an under-par performance. The match Very, very poor performance overall. Apart from the goal and Craney's free-kick, we didn't create much else. Hartlepool deserved their win and if they'd have taken all the clear cut chances they created, they would have won that game at a canter. The sending off did affect things, but Harris had to go. The decision making After going down to 10 men I thought Coleman committed tactical suicide by taking off defensive players and replacing them with attackers. I know we needed 3 points at home, but we ended up with nothing when we could have had a point. Gung-ho tactics come off every blue moon, but so many times you end up losing out. Poor decision in my opinion. The crowd Over the last few games the home gate has averaged out at around 1900 after deducting the away support. Yesterday the gate was 1700-ish, with an estimated 500 away fans. Taking that into consideration, the 1200-ish home fans was about 700 down on recent attendances. It's no coincidence that this drop in support is mirrored in the drop of temperature and the decilne in the weather overall. Home support gates will go down further as the winter presses on. How much money are we losing with having open, windswept ends? We must have lost thousands of pounds yesterday. And before anyone starts, this is the first time that I have commented on the roof situation. The positives Sean Whalley looked lively when he came on. He's naive, but needs matchplay to improve. Hopefully he'll be a worthy replacement for the largely ineffective Doherty. __________________ T.M.