|
" It was reasonably encouraging in the first-half, if only we had been a bit better with the final ball in the last 30 yards of the pitch then we would have found a goal. A cross or something like that, we could have been better at that but I felt that we passed the ball better throughout the team, with a bit more authority which I had asked them to do in that first period.
" Then in the second period it obviously didn't happen, we didn't get that again, we didn't get that type of consistency over the full game. We have made a couple of changes, we have tried three substitutes and it just hasn't had the desired effect at all in terms of the whole game. From being encouraged and having a promising feel about the second period, I feel very disappointed about what we have finally done. I agree with you that it doesn't make my position any easier either.
" Even though the first goal was five minutes in, we had actually started that five minutes very promising ourselves, and had gone forward. Even after that I felt that the response to that was decent from the team, we did get on the ball. (Marc) Bridge-Wilkinson and (Graham) Kavanagh getting on the ball and passing the ball and getting wide and getting in decent positions.
" Even when we got through though, you saw Danny Graham with the one and he has lunged at it instead of taking a wee bit of care. Jeff Smith has had good crossing positions and things have not happened in that period, so the response was OK but it was just that snatching football in the last 30 yards of the pitch. Where we were snatching at the thing and hoping that it will go in instead of being composed. Of course then we have not even got in too many good positions after that.
" Young Simon (Hackney) has come on and he put a good couple of crosses in, he has put a couple in behind the goal which is not like him at all. So the things that we have been used to seeing from this group of players is just not happening for them at this particular time and it is a long period of time, which is really disturbing. "
" I don't know where we go now, I can hear the shouts and stuff like that and I don't blame them, they can't shout 20 names can they. It is a lot easier to move one name than it is 20 people so we will have to see. I don't know, I am straight after the game, and it's not just today, I am extremely upset with the whole situation.
" I can't imagine being as disappointed as this because I know that there is some quality in that dressing-room. I am bringing guys in from good clubs who have got quality themselves and the whole level of the play has been extremely low over periods of games. Not every game all the time but the people that I am looking at out there are not the people that I was looking at at the beginning of the season, the first half a dozen games.
" I am trying to find the reason for it, and I am finding that difficult at the minute. Because I made five changes on Tuesday and I have made changes again today and substitutions again today in trying to shuffle it around to get the right pick if you like. Pretty much everyone has had a go at it on the playing staff and everyone has fallen into the same bracket at the minute, where they are not performing as well as they can do. Obviously when that happens you get the results that we are getting.
" We would be top of the league if it was for training, we would be in the top six. It is taking it back onto the pitch and that is the disturbing fact because we set them out, we work at them, Greg (Abbott) and I, and we put good sessions on for them. No different to sessions last year when we were doing very well, but we are trying to pick out the reasons for what is going wrong and what we need to do on that training ground. Then decision making has to come on the pitch, and we are not getting that right, or the passing or the crossing, that has been erratic to say the least.
" I bother because it is my job and I am a very proud man. I want to be better than I am at this particular time and that is why I bother. Because there is a pride about what we do, not just in me but in that group in that dressing-room. Greg is a very proud guy too and we are very hurt that the team representing us is not performing the way that we would like. So that is why we have to be there. "