Angry McFall demands pride and passion from his misfiring Glens
GLENTORAN manager Ronnie McFall has blasted his players for an ‘unacceptable’ second half performance against Crusaders in midweek and demanded a big response for today’s trip to Coleraine.
McFall was fuming after the Glens conceded three times after the break on Tuesday to lose 4-2 at home to Stephen Baxter’s men in the Bet McLean League Cup.
It was a seventh defeat in nine fixtures for the east Belfast outfit after a promising start to the campaign.
McFall said: “I thought in the first half we played well and deserved to be 2-1 up and then you have to look at the next three goals that we lost which were absolutely shocking.
“The second half performance wasn’t acceptable at all. No way am I going to accept that and I have told them in no uncertain terms.
“You can make excuses about us missing players through suspension but that doesn’t make an allowance for the second half performance.
“They need to get the finger out because we aren’t accepting that. It was very disappointing.”
McFall felt his goalkeeper Elliott Morris and defence should have done better with those goals adding that it has been ongoing problem.
He said: “Even when we were going well and decisions weren’t going against us the goals we were conceding were poor goals. We have to turn it around.”
The next chance to do that is away to Coleraine today. On the upside for the Glens against the Crues, Robbie McDaid impressed and scored while Curtis Allen also hit the net.
“Yes, both of them scored but one of the problems we have is that we can’t hold the ball up front,” said McFall, who has Joe Crowe and Dylan Davidson back this afternoon.
“We haven’t got that type of player. Then you haven’t really got the ammunition to build an attack and get the midfielders up in support. We need a more physical presence than we have at the moment.
“Coleraine have physical presence all over the pitch and certainly up front in Eoin Bradley.
“I spoke to their chairman Colin McKendry after we last played them and he was saying it took them 10 years to get where they are now so this is just the start for Glentoran from where they have come from and all the money problems they have had.
“It’s a slow process and there’s no quick fix unless you get someone like Kenny Bruce from Purplebricks to come in and invest like he has done at Larne.
“That’s the situation we are in and we have to accept it, keep working at it and gradually try to improve.”