Questions for Jim to tackle after sorry loss
YET again we’ve seen County throw the points away after dominating a game.
A 1-3 home defeat to Alun Armstrong’s Blyth Spartans, unbelievable!
I don’t believe we have the right to win every game, I’m a County supporter and I always arrive at kick off with the belief that we will win – but if we lose to great individual skill then so be it. It’s back to work, a little micky tacking and wait till next Saturday to get things back on track.
But when the defeat is down to our own behaviour or lack of effort, then I want answers.
On the way home I heard a comment on Imagine radio, John Keighren said “their substitutes made all the difference.” Too right they did. Fresh legs, a mindset that said chase the ball and a never say die attitude that turned the game on its head.
While our substitutes contributed absolutely nothing. If Bohan Dixon is the answer then we’ve been asking the wrong question – the tallest man in the team can’t win a header, has no pace, won’t tackle and wanders around the pitch with no idea what he’s doing.
To my mind, when he’s on the pitch we’re playing with a man down.
There are 50-year-old men sitting in the Cheadle End with more energy and commitment.
The ridiculous thing is that in the first half I thought we were witnessing some of the best football I’ve seen all season.
As early as the first minute Chris Smalley had a great header saved before the goal bound rebound was cleared off the line.
That seemed to be the rule of the half as wave after wave of County attacks were thwarted on the line, but here’s a problem, if you can’t score when you’re dominating you’re not going to win anything and so it proved but we were still in the game.
I have no idea as to why we made our substitutions, Ben McKenna who was so influential running the line and beating his man, then Matty Warburton who was holding the midfield together and then Gary Stopforth who has boundless energy were all taken off and it appeared as if Jim had settled for a draw and I can’t fathom why?
This is now Jim Gannon’s team, and I have to question the decisions that now leave us with the prospect of another season of mediocrity.
We lost two quality players in the summer and we’ve replaced them with what?
It’s just not good enough Jim.