40 Years of Hurt

Tim Burrows reflects.

Right. Colours to the mast. I’m a rose-tinter. Unashamed. Glass half full, rather than half empty. A season ticket holder, I first went to Edgar Street in 1970, have been to 90% of home matches since 1979, and about 15-20% of away games. I saw Billy Meadows, John Charles, Dudley Tyler, Terry Paine, Dixie McNeil, Chris Price, Jimmy Harvey, Phil Stant et al grace the Edgar Street pitch. I was there in the Miles years, the Hill years, the Turner era, Tuesday, yesterday and will be there next week . I was there when we were elected to the league, when we beat our neighbours up the A49 to win the Division 3 championship, when we regularly sought re-election in the 80s, when we didn’t have two pennies to rub together. I was there against Brighton, at the Walkers and at Brentford. I’ve been to Halifax and Middlesborough and back on a Tuesday night, to Knighton, to Leek, to Hednesford. Not a boast, because there are others who read this who have done all this and much more. I simply wish to establish my credentials.

When I am not there, I am listening to every minute of the game. I kick every ball, win every header, moan at every goal conceded and celebrate when we score as if I had applied the final touch. I have introduced my family to the Bulls and have brought my son, Gloucester born and bred in to the fold, to the point where he commentated on the Official Website on Tuesday.

So. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Jamie Pitman and Russell Hoult for taking over last season and helping (with, as it now appears, considerable assistance from Dave Kevan and Lennie Lawrence)to maintain our precious Football League status. However, even as a rose-tinter, it is painfully obvious that things are badly wrong. Jamie Pitman stated when he took the job full time that he wished to be judged on how his squad performed this season. Well, it appears that the jury is back and the result is not favourable.

The league table does not lie. We are worse that we were this time last season. The playing squad is, most observers would agree, considerably better than last season. I have no doubt that we have the players to get us out of this, but only if they are used properly. To my mind, yesterday was an object example of what is wrong.

When I heard the team on the way to the ground, I was happy. Midfield and attack the same as the team that finished so strongly against Dagenham. Concerned about Will Evans in central defence, but could see why Townsend had been rested. But why no Kovacs? Why no Rose? Where is the experience in defence. Green has performed admirably, but a 19 year old up against a big strong West Ham loanee? I was happy, but worried. I wasn’t wrong to be concerned.

When the fifth goal went in I was texting my son to ask if he wanted me to get a refund on his Cheltenham ticket. When the sixth went in, I was laughing. I actually found myself hoping the opposition would score more. We’ve been here before. The air yesterday on the Meadow End was resigned. The manager has lost the fans. The body language on the pitch suggests that the management have lost the players as well. I want to see passion and commitment, not wrestling and arguing over who is to take a penalty or free kick. Haven’t seen that since I watched my lad playing under 9s football. Guess what. The manager at that level stepped in, told the boys that there is no “i”in team, subbed the miscreant and it never happened again. Time to grow up boys.

So why is it the management’s fault? I don’t listen to or repeat those posters on the forums who state that they are “in the know”. I just state what appears to me to be the bleeding obvious.

So. Here goes. Opprobrium and debate welcomed.

Why bench our best footballer? We set up yesterday to use youthful enthusiasm and speed to get at the gills defence. We needed someone on the pitch who could play the “killer” pass on the floor. Previously mis-used out of position on the right, Lunt is even less likely to influence proceedings on the bench. He didn’t warm up as far as I could see at any time during the game, was conspicuous by his absence off the pitch at half time (Facey looked very lonely by himself) and wandered out just before the others at 4pm, before settling down on the bench with his metaphorical pipe and crossword. Has he fallen out with the boss now?

Centre defence. For all his faults, Townsend is a decent league 2 centre half. We’ve had far worse. Will Evans will be a good player, if his current loan period doesn’t shatter his confidence. He’s not ready to be thrown in to a relegation fight, because make no mistake, that is what we are in. We know Stam is injury prone. (as an aside why were Stam and Bartlett both brought back from injury to play at Bournemouth). We do have another decent league 2 centre half at the club. Yet, because of pride it appears, Kovacs will never play again for the club under the current management. We all know that to play Kovacs and Townsend together is a recipe for disaster. However, I would happily lay a considerable amount of “hindsight money” on a centre defence of Kovacs and green not shipping 6 yesterday.

Which makes me wonder about the wisdom of ostracising Kovacs and Canham. It makes the manager look ridiculous when he states that they are taking up his budget, yet their wages are being wasted, loanees are being brought in to “cover”them, and they are not being given any opportunity to play elsewhere, because they are not in the shop window. Canham scored three in not many appearances last season (yes- including one against Hythe, credited to Fleetwood but clearly scored by Canham). Facey is far better at holding the ball up, but I’m not sure that we have anyone who benefits from that ability. Not now anyway. Because Fleetwood has gone. I am both camps on this one. A player who is on course to have more clubs than Jack Nicklaus, yet a huge crowd favourite. Good business to get a decent fee, but it does smack of a short term solution. Borrowing from a loan shark to pay off debt. Short term relief, but at what ultimate cost? At the moment we have a possible solution in Winnall, but if he scores regularly, I doubt that he will want, or Wolves will want, him to continue his football education at our moribund club.

And what sort of message did Fleetwood’s sale send out to the rest of the squad?

I could go on. I’m not too depressed about yesterday’s result, as I hope that it will be the catalyst for change. Remember 7-1 at Mansfield. The next day we took on Exeter, blooded some new players and beat Exeter 3-0. The manager that day? A certain Mr Layton. We’ll survive as a club. Hopefully we’ll still be in the league next season, but on current form I wouldn’t bet on it. We’ll take no more than 500 to Cheltenham next week. I’ll be there. In 20 years I’ll still be there, hopefully with my grandchildren, because once it’s in the blood it stays there.

But change is needed. And it’s needed now. So hard though it is for me to type this, it’s thanks Jamie for what you have done. You not be a quitter, but a good manager knows when it’s time to hand over to someone else. You still have a huge amount of goodwill. Don’t outstay your welcome.

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