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" Obviously in reflection on Saturday's game I think it is probably time that we came out and probably offered explanations as to why we do certain things. Why we are what we are, why we are where we are, why we play like we play at times. I think in light of the performance, because we are always looking to win games and we are always looking to improve on what we are doing. We are always looking for ways of getting the best possible results all the time.
" I think Saturday, certainly the bit of criticism we got from behind us on Saturday, it is not so much upsetting, I think it is disappointing, I really do. And I probably need to come out and explain why we do things. I have spoken to Andy (Hall) about the media side of making sure we get the right message across and we don't come across as making excuses, but we offer explanations on why we do things.
" I have spoken with (Kav) Graham Kavanagh and I have spoken to Dennis (Booth) and every time we put a team out we believe it is the best team possible that we can to try to win a game. Over the season we have done alright, we have actually done alright.
" I think it is the first time in a number of years that it is the fourth season on the spin that we have retained League One status, which has got to be a positive, and comfortably because we are in 12th or 13th position as we stand. We have got to a cup final, we have had terrific days out against Everton and Bristol City away in the cup and managed to get Portsmouth in the League Cup.
" So we think that during the whole of the season a lot of the stuff we have done has to have been right, a lot of stuff we have done has to have been right. So that is a bit of an explanation for why we do stuff, and they are the results.
" Because at the end of the day styles of play and formations of play and ways of play are all results driven in this industry. Everything revolves around getting results and I think we have got some decent results, hence the facts I have just given you. "
" I think we are all ambitious, we are massively ambitious, there is nobody more ambitious than the staff and myself to drive the club forward. We think we have done this season probably with what I have just said to you an enormous amount to justify that and we want to kick on from there.
" I have spoken to the staff about the criticisms and I think it is time we opened up maybe with the fans and said that these are explanations, not excuses, explanations. Obviously we get the style of play situation where right from the start the crowd are wanting to play a 4-4-2 system.
" We would probably at times this season, we would like to play that system too and there are other times where we would like to play 4-5-1 and there are other times where we would like to play 4-3-3. What we have got to do week in and week out is gauge our players and our fit and available players up against opposition teams.
" Opposition teams generally in this league have a lot more to choose from than we do and a lot more resources to find better players than we have. So we have got to find the right team and the right style of play to make sure we get results, because that is the be-all and end-all.
" Because we could play great football, 4-4-2, 4-1-5, whatever you want to play, and if we get beat in the first six games of next season then my job will be on the line. So people have to have an understanding of that, even if not so much sympathy, they have to have an understanding of that. "
" On Saturday they were screaming for a 4-4-2 situation, and my explanation would be for this, and a lot of the season as well into why we do it. First the fact of players that we have available up against opposition that probably are stronger than us man for man at times, Southampton, Leeds and Norwich with the extra resources they have got.
" We have played 4-3-3 or 4-5-1, whichever you want to call it, we think it is a 4-3-3, we try to make it a 4-3-3. We try to get the wingers as high as we can at every possible opportunity, ie. Matty Robson and Kevan Hurst when fit. Now to play 4-4-2 on Saturday we had one fit striker in the football club, one fit striker in Gary Madine.
" Scott Dobie wasn't fit to play a full 90 minutes because he is having a little niggle with his hips from overplaying, he has played two games in the week. So we had one fit striker, that fit striker was criticised from the start to the finish of the game on Saturday.
" So a crowd wanting us to play a 4-4-2 system when we had one fit striker who was heavily criticised until he gets his goal and until he starts to prove people right, because of other reasons beyond my control he is getting criticised. They are facts, they are facts.
" So we didn't have another fit striker to play 90 minutes, Joe Anyinsah is not fit, Jason Price is not fit, Darryl Duffy has had to go back to Bristol Rovers. Ryan Bowman is not ready yet to make a massive impact that we are all hoping he will do eventually, but he is getting bits and pieces of games to give him that experience. "
" As well as that, Scott Dobie wasn't fit enough to play 90 minutes. So I only had one fit striker so I didn't actually have a choice, so that is that one as a explanation of possible to try to explain to people why we have done it.
" And the other reason, had I had two fit strikers, two fit strikers, they exist on supply. Now to play two strikers you need a supply and to play two fit strikers you need a supply, and generally the supply comes from the wings.
" I didn't have a fit winger available for selection, the one I did have is an 18-year old from Stoke City who is a right-footed right-sided player. Who we think is going to be a good player, and who we think has done a terrific job on the left-hand side.
" Because we have got nobody fit and available to play in that left-hand side position. So naturally Ben's instincts are to bring him inside, so you don't actually get a flying left-winger now providing crosses from the left-hand side.
" Then we put in Marc Bridge-Wilkinson who we think is a clever player who is a central midfield player. Who probably isn't with all due respect to little Bridgey going to go past players with pace and deliver from the right. He is going to be one of them that cuts inside and if we can pass the ball well enough gets involved in the play for that particular reason. "
" So that to me is the explanation as to why we play the system we play because we haven't had the personnel available to do anything different. If you look at us during the season and look at our problems with the centre-forward, stretching right back to Danny Graham. I wasn't allowed to bring in a centre-forward until the money from Danny Graham was made available and we had an idea of what it was.
" Because we would have been guessing in the blind. You look at the financial problems that clubs have had, it is a perfect explanation from the board to say that we can't give you £10, 20, 30 or 100,000 to buy a striker until we know what is happening with Danny Graham and until we know how much money we are going to get.
" Now what that does is, all the targets we had one by one got snapped up, one by one. We never really had that centre-forward all season that was going to score us 25 to 30 goals, we never had him, we didn't have him. So what we did all through the season was play catch up on our centre-forwards.
" Right the way through this season without criticising the players, because I will never come out and criticise them in public. We never had two centre-forwards at any one point that were prolific goalscorers and were prolific in form, and were constantly fit, were constantly fit.
" At different times we have missed out with Joe Anyinsah, we have missed out with Gary Madine who was out on loan. We have missed out on Scott Dobie who has had a few injury problems. So we have never had two out and out fit strikers, we have had Richard Offiong who hasn't performed to the levels that we thought he might have done. "
" So we were always on the back foot with the two strikers that we were looking for to make that system work. We have been constantly looking and we brought Darryl in who we thought would help that and we got Joe Anyinsah to a level where he started scoring goals to help that, and we brought Jason Price in to help that.
" One by one we have lost all those three through different reasons, now that dictates what style of play you play and what system you are playing. What we would say at this club is that probably the strongest part of our club this season, and we will look to change that and we know where we need to go in terms of reforming the squad and where we need to strengthen the squad.
" The midfield area has probably been our strongest area of play all season, regular. Not had many injuries and we have had four or five players that would probably get into anybody's league team in this division. That is why we have had to play a system that suits the players we have had available for a regular period.
" Looking beyond the systems and looking beyond the shapes and that we have actually had some fantastic performances playing 4-3-3 and scored a lot of goals this season. We have not got many teams below us in the table who have scored more goals than us so our problem hasn't been scoring goals. It certainly hasn't been creating chances because we have played some terrific stuff with that system.
" Now the argument could be that you have also played some dire stuff this season playing that system, which we have playing 4-4-2 and we have playing 4-3-3, whichever you want to call it. But in all that every club below us will have had that same situation where their manager has been at loggerheads to think how they could be wonderful one week and pretty ordinary the next week. "
" Do you know what it comes down to? It comes down to that is why a lot of these players end up at League One level because consistently they can't keep the levels where they need to be. Because if they did they probably wouldn't be in League One, and we probably wouldn't be able to afford them. They would probably be at bigger clubs and higher division clubs than we are.
" So that I feel is an explanation, an honest explanation, of why at certain times we play certain systems and certain styles of play. When you look at the results, which are the be-all and end-all in football, ultimately the be-all and end-all are results.
" Because firstly it is the result you look for first, and then you look at a style of play and a style of performance that would attract more supporters. That is what we are looking for now, we are looking to attract more supporters.
" So I have to listen, I have to listen to opinion, and what I am doing is I am listening to opinion. I am trying to do something about it and in the meantime trying to keep getting enough points to keep everybody's job safe and keep the financial side of the football club on a level footing.
" So I think with all that I have just talked about I hope that relays to the fans why we do certain things at certain times, and gives them not excuses, but explanations of how and why and when we do certain things against certain teams with certain systems. "