Jolley interview

He should just decide on his best XI and stick to it. PH did it and got loads of stick for playing LJL irregardless of his performances, but in the end he was successful. Even RS has a decent spell last season with a settled side. Once managers start to blindly swap and change it's the beginning of the end.

Of course, everyone knows it's easy to stick with a winning team and equally easy to change a losing one. Keep losing easily and he'll keep changing it.

It doesn't necessarily have to be an identical XI every week but we desperately need some consistency of selection and formation. I want to see something simple like the 4-5-1 we finished last season with or a 4-3-3. We then need a relatively settled team who can get used to it and each other. Back to basics and simplicity has to be the first step.

To be fair to Jolley, we have had some key injuries and suspensions. One of the areas we keep shuffling are the full backs, with both left backs injured and RHJ missing from the other flank. We are using centre backs to cover those positions, leaving us light in that department. Hendrie i thought looked more than comfortable at full back yesterday and i would say he was our best defender overall. We quickly need to get a settled back four and midfield, another area that has been chopped and changed too much. Losing Cook to another injury was also a blow yesterday, as i think it made us a bit weaker up front. He was buzzing around their back line causing problems before he had to go off. We've also lost a key signing for the whole season before he kicked a ball and lost our captain last week, not to mention Thomas getting banned for 2 games for nothing. He hasn't had a lot of luck so far with establishing a regular first choice eleven.

I feel we have no choice but to let Jolley get on with it and hope to god he can turn it around. I think another season changing a manager and/or fighting a relegation battle, will just about see me off.

I think you make some fair points there mate. I'm not anti Jolley at all and I really don't know who to be angry with. I do feel that the squad is mostly populated by average players and short on quality in key areas but I'm not sure I blame the manger for that. I don't want Jolley to be sacked or even put under pressure. I just can't fathom why, whoever manages us, and whoever plays for us, we are mostly sh1t. Especially at home. Like most long time supporters I'm just sick and tired of it. And bewildered.

I was bewitched at FGR and Macclesfield and bothered at Blunder Park too.

Quoted from chaos33

I think you make some fair points there mate. I'm not anti Jolley at all and I really don't know who to be angry with. I do feel that the squad is mostly populated by average players and short on quality in key areas but I'm not sure I blame the manger for that. I don't want Jolley to be sacked or even put under pressure. I just can't fathom why, whoever manages us, and whoever plays for us, we are mostly sh1t. Especially at home. Like most long time supporters I'm just sick and tired of it. And bewildered.

Yep, i too am perplexed at our seeming inability to even look comfortable at this level, never mind look like we might ever progress toward the top 7. Managers come and go, players come and go, but we remain steadfastly poor to average, which leads one to speculate that there is something else going on. The law of averages surely dictates that somewhere along the line, we get in a manager and set of players that can go out on a football pitch and do the business. Alas, it never materialises and it is becoming increasingly harder and harder to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  

Quoted from MuddyWaters

It does make you wonder. Not sure how gnarled senior pros like Collins, Woolford, Pringle & Welsh accept orders from Limbrick, Forrest & young Greg.

Because they are exactly that...professionals. This whole thread pays no credence to the possibility that our seniors pros might be regularly included in tactical discussions. Does any good employer/manager in football or outside of it still work on the basis of what I say goes?

Quoted from sam gy

Last season when he came in, those first few games he had us trying to over complicate things and we were just as bad. It’s only when he made things simpler and actually played to the players strength we began to pick up points.

He needs to do that now. Stop trying to play it out from the back if we haven’t got the players. Start playing in a formation they understand. We’re not Man City, this is league 2.

Ironically the first few months under Guardiola, City were laughed for trying to pass it out from the back and every expert going told us they didn't have the players to play that way - nor would it work in the English game...

We've looked at our best when we've tried to play it out from the back and on the floor.  We've got some fairly decent technical players in the squad so we should play to their strengths.  We don't have a target man or even a proper physical presence up top, playing it long and into the corners is not going to win many games.  

I completely agree Jolley needs to pick a formation and by and large stick with it, the odd tweak is fine but not every week.  The summer was spent recruiting, retaining and developing players to play in a 3-5-2 system.  Ditching it after an early wobble is ludicrous.  


We're either trying to build something for the future here, a style and a philosophy or we're pandering to every whim and will change with the wind because we're frightened of criticism.  Jolley needs to decide which it is, because at the minute we're building nothing and getting tonkings in the process.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I apologise if you go to home games but, watching the warm-up yesterday, I saw seasoned professionals going through the motions with a young assistant fitness coach (Greg Howard). In the background, Adam Forrest was walking around whilst Anthony Limbrick was kicking the ball around with the mascots.

I've not played sport to a very high level but I have had coaching in other sports by one or two national level coaches - I respected the need to get fit to be the best I could be and, therefore, respected the people coaching me. I may be very wrong but I certainly didn't see any intensity yesterday.

Now that we have all sorts of back room staff including sports science coaches, fitness coaches, etc I am very surprised we have so many out injured  and for so long. Just saying.