As another game passes, it’s the same old story and this time an embarrassing 4-1 thrashing to Chesterfield, writes our Shrewsbury Town blogger James Pugh.
And everybody is still going on about “we need one more win.”
The problems are that we don’t looking like winning. The gap between us and the bottom two is getting smaller and we are running out of games.
It wasn’t that I expected us to get much away to Chesterfield, and to be 0-0 at half time with a decent side was very commendable. But once Chesterfield had taken the lead, I feared that we might cave in as a result of out current form.
To be fair to Simpson, he was very honest in defeat and was very critical of our defending - in particular our second half performance.
As with the game against Macclesfield, our defence fell to pieces for a spell in the second half which cost us the game. When we keep defending like that and gift team’s goals then the players are just shooting themselves in the foot.
It’s difficult to be critical of the players - I have no doubt they’re giving it their all and realise what they need to do. But what is the answer?
I am worried that Simpson doesn’t even know what to do to get the team to win. He has already tried different personnel and different formations.
But when it comes to installing confidence in the players it’s very difficult for the manager to do so and a lot of the time it’s up to the players.
I thought installing Simpson as the new manager was a good idea and I still do, but my fears about the timing of bringing in a new manager so close to the end of the season seem to be coming to fruition.
But would we be doing any better if Peters had remained in charge, or if McMahon had kept the job until the end of the season? What do fans think?
Managing director Rob Bickerton has praised the fans support this season and has asked them to remain behind the team. I agree, but the team is not making it easy for the fans to keep turning up every week when we are expecting the team to lose.
My worry is that the poor season we’ve had and the dreadful form we’ve shown since the turn of the year might affect the number of season ticket sales for next season.
We’ve done brilliantly to average over 5,000 gates at home this season, but that was due to the high number of season tickets sold in pre-season.
This was when expectation was high with the new ground and the hope we could build on last year’s success.
A strong end to this season and Simpson making some much-needed changes to the personnel in the summer will hopefully mean that fans will want to buy season tickets for next season.
By James Pugh
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21 Comments
i was always behind macca and for employing within. macca was in charge when he and the team got 2 creditable draws against the top 2 teams in the league. indeed it may be those 2 precious points that keep us up. but town’s future is no longer in their hands, they need other teams to trip up. from my distant armchair, all i can say is there must be a lack of confidence within the squad. if we stay up and i think we will, we should know by the end of september if we have a success at the top or a lemon. early signs induce me to think of pancakes. come on town, floreat salopia, 6 more points. it reminds me of a railway joke. they are closing sutton bridge junction down, oh why, shrewsbury town need the points!
I know our position is pretty dire but despite what we all think we must remain positive however hard it is. The players now more than ever need our support if they are to gain the confidence to get us out of this mess. We had the good times at Wembley last year now as always if you are supporting a team there will be bad times. If you cannot accept that there will be bad time then you should not be following a football club as a pastime.
I know it is tough but we must all stick together and cheer the team on. If the worse should happen and we do go down then it is even more important that we keep behind the team. Anyone can support a winning team like Man U, it takes a true die hard support to support a team from the lower end of the football league through the good times and the bad.
I know I will be critisised but so what knocking the team at this time will only make matters worse.
so kelvin langmead hopes wrexham will stay up, so do i, i just hope kelvin wants the town to stay up and what are he and his colleagues going to do about. there is bags of talent in that squad, even i from my armchair from afar could manage the squad, the big question is why that person who is paid to do the job, seems incapable of doing so. come on you shrews prove me wrong. there is a feast of points there for the taking, chester,wrexham,mansfield etc come on show us you can do it, or else
we went to chesterfield to get a draw and as soon as they scored we didn’t have a game plan,
to me simpson telling the back four that they are rubbish on live radio is not exactly a morale boosting team building exercise.
even if you don’t want these players paul it will be easier to recruit better ones if we’re still in the football league.
I was at the game Saturday, and the first half display was not too bad at all, both teams looked on a par, and Town could of scored.
The difference in the second was that in my opinion Chesterfield wanted it more. Whilst you could choose to complain about the defending for the goals, two of the strikes were very good (but not as good as ours!!)
I am worried that unless the team are able to dig deep an get wins against the 3 teams below us that we have to play, it could be a disaster.
One thing I’d like to see for the remaining games is two up front, two wide and Davies (outstanding on Saturday)and Ryan in the middle.
C’mon you Blues!
andrew, i am sure you are right about the positional changes. the squad is a good one and has strength in depth. it is low morale and an understandable lack of confidence that is preventing town from achieving. those who are paid to manage should do just that and their most important role is fifting morale not lowering it!
Dennis I agree with you.
Lets forget the inquests and get 100% behind the manager and team. Our destiny is in our own hands. We have to play three of the bottom teams two at home (and we have points over 2 of them).
Its in the bag, no way are we going down. I am sure Wrexham & Mansfield (probably Chester as well) would swop our position for theirs.
A plea to Mr Simpson. Stability is our best bet, just pick the team and formation deployed by John McMahon as per the Darlington and Rotherham home games and stick with for the run-in.
I am senior salesman !! Support the lads giant killers all the way !
What we need is a new football ground and we will end up in the premiership !! Oh dear we tried that one already. Spend a bit more on the team and less on the ground might help. Rather than fill in the corners get someone who can take them.
how right you are desperate dave, i hope you are a little less desperate in 5 games time. it was the 2 points macca inspired against the top two teams that may keep us up, not impressed with the new man who may find his own level with a western screwfix team. i was proud to have been one of the 3% who wanted john mcintyre as manager. his turn may soon come to get us back into league 2, or more hopefully up into league one
Devon Salopian - agree support the team but it’s still absolutely in our own hands. Unfortunately, the players are not that good and personally I would only keep a maximum of four players next summer. Like Martinshrew said Wrexham & Mansfield would swop their positions with ours but we need to beat one of them on Sunday and draw with the other to be safe IMO. Unfortunately, I can’t see where the goals are going to come from - maybe an out of the blue effort like Saturday will come but if it goes in off the defenders backside that’ll do.
The only way we can maintain season ticket levels for next year is for the club to give reassurances that they’ll pay off the contracts of all our rubbish players and (by means of an apology), reduce the cost of next years season tickets for anybody still considering renewing their 2007/08 ones.
On the plus side, my season ticket gets me into reserve games which, on many occasions, have been superior to the pathetic efforts of the first team (7 o’clock tonight V Coventry City if anyone’s interested).
Oh and al murray, I’ve no idea what you are talking about?
of course i was referring to john mcmahon and not mcintyre. i too am not totally with al murrays comments, is it to do with seagulls following the fishing boat, a comment from a former man utd french international, or is he alluding to 3 points tomorrow and sunday i think we should be told
It’s about time we had a manager like Simpson,he say’s it like it is,Peters kep’t telling the players they are better than they are,look what happened relegation fight.
i to went to the last game at chesterfield and it hurts me to say this but we were guttless 2nd half. with games against wrexham chester (at home)and mansfield left if we do go down then we only have self to blame
Devo Salopian - Who is John Mcintyre? How can you comment on the club when you do not even know the names of the personnell
i’m sorry, but i have seen shrewsbury a lot this season, and i think i have wasted my money, they started really well, but then got worse and worse, now they are pathetic, we need a massive change over the summer, and hope that we stay up this season!
Josh, a small dose of viagra in the half time oranges maybe??
denis john mcintyre was a film star in the cowboy series wagon train he took over from ward bond as wagon master . town were possibly in 3rd division north when it was made. any way as my immediate correction made clear i was referring to john mcmahon. i cant be held responsible for an errant toshiba. wagons roll! 3 points at morecambe and floreat salopia
who cares? football is rubbish!
From my comfortable computer chair many miles away in New Zealand, I eagerly seek, after each match day, to find out how the Town have got on, but as the season has developed into almost a complete disaster, my thoughts go back to the early part of the season when GP is purported to have stated that this team was the best he had ever had. So what ever happened, where did it all go wrong, with, I hear, such a lovely ground and the modern training facilities to go with it, how could we find ourselves in such a predicament, or is a continual hoodoo that the Town fails to fire on all cylinders, leaving a wake of thwarted supporters tearing their hair out, season after season.
Like ‘Lelo’ says it is about time that we had a Manager like Simpson, and with his previously proven ability can only hope that he can now steer the club in the upwards direction.
FLOREAT SALOPIA - YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS, MUCH BETTER.