What To Do Next

According to Cod Almighty the following players are out of contract next summer:

Russell;
Davis, Ring;
Hessenthaler, Whitehouse, Wright;
Vernam, Cardwell, Cook, Ogbu

I personally think Jolley needs to look at shipping out the majority of those in January to free up funds and bring in some fresh and genuine alternative options if we want to do anything than float around mid-table.  
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Russell: he’s our gk coach - why would we ‘ship him out’?
Davis/ Ring - maybe a case to release
Hessenthaler- practically an ever present for two seasons - surely we want to keep him?
Whitehouse - just back from injury - too early to make that call
Wright - a player with massive potential - a Chelsea fan told me he was clearly our best player.  Why on earth would we want to get rid of him?
Ogbu - clearly a player who can unlock chances
Cook - has done well this season and featured in most of our best results
Cardwell - agreed
Vernam - bit of an enigma

It seems a bit sweeping to lump all these players together as ones to move on vs any other group of players from the squad.

Quoted from Bigdog

What to do next?

Stick to footballing principles. Resorting to anti-football tactics mid-October is far too early. Jolley is either losing his nerve or lacking confidence in the squad he's brought in. Long balls to Hanson or setting up to defend will not improve the confidence of the players. Neither will the constant chopping and changing of starting eleven, formation and tactics. Self-defeating if it's putting off the fanbase too.

We were promised front foot attacking football with pace and a bit more physicality. Time for Jolley to earn his salary and coach that into the players on the training ground. If it means we use Hanson from the bench as plan B for the last twenty minutes, then so be it. We've got enough pace and potential in Ogbu, Vernam, Wright and Rose if the rest of the team can move the ball quicker and more accurately and move themselves around the pitch quicker too.

I think the players are playing too much to instruction and not enough with their instincts, probably with the fear of getting dropped if not carrying out precise orders due to the constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven.

Jolley needs to loosen up a bit and not worry about results as much as developing a better long term effective entertaining style of play. We only need a point a game to be safe for god's sake..

Setting up to defend: losing is bad for the confidence too. It's been 1 game where we've set up to defend - as opposed to playing the counter-attacking game. I'd rather we had the type of performance on Tuesday that stopped the rot, then push on when we've got over our current challenges (e.g. Wright and Robson being out). Much rather that than have a slide like we did last season.

Not worrying about results: best tell the rest of the world that first. What if in leaving the worries behind we continue to get beat? When should he start to worry again?

I agree that the best means of defence can be attack, but when your attack is hit and miss, then the ball just keeps coming back and you end up losing. We've lost a couple of the most effective attacking players in the squad to injury so it's not surprising the attack went off the boil and our frailties were exposed.

Under Hurst in the Conference I'd have agreed that we worried about not losing or about the opposition too much. We were one of the big teams. One automatic promotion spot meant you had to win games - drawing was no good. Drawing 46 was no good at all because there were 4 relegation spots. In this division with 3 automatic promotion spots, you don't need so many wins to grab a play off place. And we're not one of the big teams. Not losing is relatively more important.

Wright needs tieing down!

Quoted from Rik e B

Wright needs tieing down!

Try to keep your fantasies to yourself please Rik

Tuesday morning: "If we lose again tonight then Jolley has to go".

Wednesday morning: "Jolley needs to stop worrying so much about results".

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

Tuesday morning: "If we lose again tonight then Jolley has to go".

Wednesday morning: "Jolley needs to stop worrying so much about results".

You're quoting my post on Wednesday morning Rodley re stop worrying about results, but I've not advocated that Jolley has to go. Haven't even posted on those threads that have appeared over the last week or so. My context is that if Jolley stopped worrying about the opposition and whether we lost the previous game or two and concentrated on developoing a more expansive and less one-dimensional brand of football game by game, we would more than likely end up with a higher points total at the end of the season than his methodology is bringing in at present.

I saw nothing on Tuesday night that gave me any hope of progressing as a team other than a game of attack and defence for ninety minutes, and Saturday was just urine poor all round. And if that's what he's going to set out to do because he's panicking or running out of ideas, then It doesn't bode well for us going forward. The last few games we really have looked like relegation fodder and a team looking to scrape enough points to survive.. again!! And it's only October..

I'm not looking for our manager to be sacked, but he's got to show a lot more nous over the rest of this season than he has done. Six years out of the Football League desperately wanting us to get back and I've been thoroughly frustrated and bored with what I've seen since our return over the past three and a bit seasons.. and now we've ended up with lump it to the big man or ten men behind the ball away at Cambridge. It's just not good enough..

I didn't quote anybody but how can you suggest he not worry about results when other people are talking about sacking him? As others have said, there is a ludicrous swing on here in mood and opinion from week to week and result to result - we've taken one point from 4 but we're only 5 points from the play offs. I thought Tuesday made sense in terms of arresting the slump but wouldn't accept playing like that regularly or at home at all. People just need to calm down a bit though.

Hi Rodley,

Hope all is well.

Tuesday can be summed up in three words STOPPED THE ROT. Needs must, although Ethan and I found it a painful 90 minutes. My main concern is I still can't see a consistent system of play, although maybe flexibility is a positive. Still very undecided about Jolley.

The problem being is it's not just the odd "off" game is it?...last season we avoided relegation yet we were near the zone most of the year...our performances weren't exactly sparkling and this season we've had more poor performances than good.
I am not calling for jolleys head...no yet anyway..but he has to learn to learn from his shortcomings, stop with his constant tinkering, stop with his obsession with the opponent and concentrate on building a style of play that suits this squad and stick to it...if that's long ball and he can make it successful then so be it, but pratting about putting square pegs in round holes has to stop...

Inclined to agree Northbank. The lack of Wright and Robson does limit his options though.