Away loss shows how much work lies ahead, says JFH
MANAGER DISAPPOINTED WITH FINAL PERFORMANCE
JIMMY Floyd Hasselbaink described his Burton Albion team as “unrecognisable” from the one that escaped League One relegation after yesterday’s last-day 4-0 drubbing against Oxford United.
The U’s reached the play-offs with a dominant performance and though there was nothing riding on the game for the Brewers, Hasselbaink did not like what he saw.
“I think we were far off it. We didn’t turn up and I’m very disappointed because I wanted to finish the season in the right way,” said the Albion manager, whose team had been unbeaten away from home since he arrived in January until this result.
“You have seen so many matches now, especially away – and that was not us. They were better.
“We were second in everything and we didn’t do the things that we had agreed we were going to do.
“We played too much in front of them and didn’t put them under presssure.
“It is hard when the stress and the meaning of the game for you is off – but you need to find a different edge and, as a group, we didn’t find that. “If we had performed really well and lost 1-0 or 2-0 and we were unlucky, then I would be saying, yeah, well done guys and we move on. But my team was unrecognisable today and that’s why I’m really disappointed.”
The Dutchman says the result reinforces the point that League One survival was only the start of the job he wants to do for Burton.
“In a way, sometimes it’s good to lose and today was the day to lose and put things in perspective,” he said.
“We have a big job ahead to maintain the level that we want to have here.
“Don’t get me wrong, the boys have been absolutely magnificent, absolutely brilliant, up until today and thank God we had done it (stayed up) three games beforehand.
“That shouldn’t be lost but I am only saying what my feeling is now. I’m disappointed.
“We can’t take anything away from what we have done. It has been a big run, a big achievement, it’s just a pity that it has ended like this.
“It teaches me a lot and that’s what I have said to them after the game. It teaches me about characters.
“There were only two who were really at it: Michael Mancienne and Tom Hamer.
“We know what we are going to get with them and we didn’t have enough of those.”
The manager’s mind quickly moves forward to his retained list, contract talks and recruitment.
“On Tuesday I am meeting the players individually and we have some hard decisions to make,” he added.
“We have a lot out of contract and we need to find some other recruitment as well.”