Star’s front row seat for sporting history
- Local newspaper week
Shrewsbury’s worst performance
Monday 2nd March 2009, 8:30AM GMT.
Town’s worst performance of the season had fans rightfully booing the players at the final whistle of Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Macclesfield, writes Shrewsbury blogger James Pugh.
Putting it simply: Town were awful and did not deserve anything from the game.
To suffer our heaviest defeat of the season to a struggling Macclesfield side says something about the performance.
It was not that Macclesfield were a quality side on the day, it was just that we made more mistakes and our players lacked fight and passion, which their players showed.
We lacked creativity, didn’t keep the ball well enough, lost the 50-50 battles, had players arguing with each other, and did not even look like scoring.
Everyone had a bad game, but if I was to pick two players who didn’t disgrace themselves in a lack of effort, it was Holt and Coughlan.
Confidence is definitely low at the moment and it showed after we conceded a sloppy first goal, where our heads just dropped and the players lacked belief in trying to turn the result around.
If you concede an own goal and a penalty in a game you are just asking for trouble.
Some fans may say the booing of the players at the end was unfair and we should keep on getting behind the team, but how can you expect fans to put up with a performance like that and go three quarters of the way into a season, having only won once away in the league?
Despite our awful run, the away following the team had was unbelievable and if the players can’t react positively to that, they what can they react positively to?
For the first time this season I noticed some fans even call for Simpson to go, but I must admit this was unfair. Although I think Simpson has run out of ideas at the moment, you have got to give any manager at least two full seasons to build a quality team and I still think he is the man for the job.
There was also some abuse aimed at Daniels at the end of the game and for a young lad who gives his all every week this was again unfair. Although he has made a couple of errors recently, you can’t really blame him for any of the goals on Saturday; at the end of the day the whole team was poor.
Changing the team every game isn’t helping with consistency at the moment and I thought playing two debutants who haven’t played a lot of football was a big mistake.
And how can you expect players like Sherriff and Langmead to come back into the side after missing games and perform to a high standard? It shows a lot about what Simpson thinks about some of his current crop of players, which is not filling them with much confidence and is showing when they do get their chance.
The signings of Worrall and Ashikodi were definitely panic buys and I don’t see how they are going to help in our promotion push.
Worrall is a young lad, with only one league cup appearance for West Brom to his name and he lacks the experience needed at this level.
Ashikodi is another young lad who has a whole host of clubs to his name, considering his age.
If performances like Saturday are anything to go by we will not get promoted and Simpson will have to have a massive summer clear out and start again next season.
I’m not sure Simpson knows what to do next and if the manager has run out of ideas, what hope have we got?
Sponsored Links
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
LIVE traffic updates
Road, rail and airport - latest
Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
put it simply…………shrewsbury are rubbish and a waste of time league 2 is where they will always be, im glad i dont go and waste £16 every saturday lol!!!!
Report abuse
i am concerned there is a betting ring or worse about our away defeats. i cannot point the finger, but if this is how the first team play make way for the resrves and youth to restore pride in our club. has beens and deadbeats you are finished
Report abuse
put it this way…i’ve them at 200-1 not to go up with william hill i put the bet on at xmas, not telling how much i bet but if they dont im laughing all the way to the bank.
so come on shrews, keep losing as usual and make us smile and laugh!!!!!
Report abuse
Two major issues:
1. Leaders lead, make Coughlan captain
2. Consistancy starts with a settled team. Simpson needs to decide his best team and style of play and stick with it where ever possible with only minor changes in personnel. Tinkering never won anybody anything
Report abuse
given that most of the players in the team are Simpson’s, if he’s given another season, do you have any confidence that he’ll buy quality players that will do the business next season? I’m not sure that I have that confidence. Its easy to go out and buy players, but if he cannot get them to perform or even fight for their performance, then he needs to examine his abilities as manager and coach.
Report abuse
This is a serious comment.
I am a salop fan for the last 50 years. I also know what it is to die in a Salop shirt having been part of their youth set up in the sixtys. I know my football. The time has come to show these players some footage of previous Salop games,early and late sixties, early seventys, the Rowleys, the Durbans, the Mulherns, the Alf Woods, showing players who would die on the field for Salop. Now the other factor is that I, as well as a few thousand others on the terrace, know this trait from those days, so I and others can look the current players in the eye and tell them that is the standard and the fans know that standard and that is what gives us the right to demand that standard. Currently they are not at the races.
Report abuse
Have to agree with Rampant – there is too much tinkering with the team for me. For the remainder of the season Simo needs to decide on his best 11 and play them week out week in (injuries permitting) It must be difficult for the players as they are in and out of the side like yo yo’s at the moment, especially the strikers.
He seems to be falling into the same trap as Peters where he’s constantly getting new players in but not improving the quality of the side.
Bigg game on Tuesday – time for supporters and manager to get 100% behind the team and get us 3 points v a promotion rival.
Report abuse
I have to say, following our recent performances we were expecting a 3-0 scoreline…..but to you not us!!!!
A much needed result for us, thank you for not turning up!!!
Report abuse
who cares any more
we only pay there wages
Report abuse
i actually find this post quite offensive! i think that macclesfield were excellent in all areas of the pitch and although they were not spectacular and we still had a couple of gears we could have gone up especially near the end if needs be, i believe that the game came down to who wanted it more! the macc defence was the best ive saw it all season. The midfield worked as a team rather than individuals. It resulted in passion and commitment on the day and credit where credit is due macc deserved it and wanted it more.
Report abuse
Wait for it……. There’s bound to be another article soon from either simpson or from one of his donkeys in blue shirts rattling on about promotion again. I think the town can kiss promotion goodbye, they don’t deserve it either. An absolute shambolic team and a complete laughing stock of the league. Town fans must be totally embarassed.
Report abuse
Now is the time to put all this behind us and get 100% behind Paul Simpson and the lads on Tuesday.
Report abuse
Wowee, We had 2 shots on target and scored three.
Report abuse
simpson hasnt got a clue.
Report abuse
macc are bad and shrewsbury are even worse, more fun going on off the pitch!
Report abuse
i go to all the shrewsbury games and The team are excellent on a good day, but PAUL SIMPSON needs to sort himself out. He has not got a clue what he is doing anymore. He should ether have the sack or sort himself out.
The team have only own 1 away game, which is not good enough, Ether sort paul out or get the SACK!!
Report abuse
£16 quid or there abouts to watch the town play………….. taking the schmeichel i reckon!!!!!
Report abuse
Why did we waste money on bringing bit-part players to the club in the January transfer window? We have signed players with no experience & a player who “has good experience of this league” (read not good enough to play at higher level).
A few months ago we couldn’t afford to bring back Sean Thornton on loan for the rest of the season – surely it wouldn’t have cost us as much in wages as the signings made (plus undisclosed transfer fees). One class player like Thornton would make all the difference.
That said – Good luck tonight, this game is massive, lose & kiss goodbye to any thoughts of promotion.
Report abuse
1 we are still in a play off place
2 if we beat high flying exeter tonight we will cement our position, leaving the door open for up to 6 away wins.
3 it is all down to team morale, confidence and the will to win. the manager is responsible for that.
4 floreat salopia
Report abuse
devon salopian: your having a laugh pal, dream on, the best thing they have cemented is the rest of there days in league 2.
wake up!!!
Report abuse
Sorry Devon
1) you are not in a promotion place any more
2) couldn’t beat Exeter at home so 6 away wins an absolute joke
3) the team have no morale and give up after 60 minutes or after the first goal (which ever comes first)
4) floreat salopia means ‘may shropshire flourish’ – please don’t drag all of shropshire down with the shrewsbury sinking ship. Our neighbours to the east are doing very well if you haven’t noticed.
Report abuse
it can only get better, town 3 county 0. morale, confidence and sap all rising. with players and manager singing from the same hymn sheet look out notts county. floreat salopia, loggerheads rampant and erect. the sinking ship has new bouyancey BELIEVE and KEEP THE FAITH
Report abuse
“Monkey .21″ – Neighbours in the east doing very well – isn’t that the very, very easy league though?
Sorry, being a female, I don’t know the official term for the very, very easy league.
Report abuse
KarenK,
That’d be the Blue Square North then. As for it being a “very, very easy league”, I think STFC had a taste of how “easy’ it is when they lost in the FA Cup, very, very easily (3-0 in fact) to a Blyth Spartans team who are almost bottom of the Blue Square North, not in third place like “the neighbours in the east”.
Not knowing the name of that league is in no way related to your gender, you do yourself a disservice to even suggest it. However, your lack of knowledge in this area clearly isn’t limited to not knowing the name of the Blue Square North, the fact that you think it is a “very, very easy league” kind of confirms this…
Report abuse
maybe we should let the ebf back in the meadow and liven the place up a bit, if not the players, would be more entertaining than whats on the pitch…
Report abuse