I totally understand why people may want to take some time before passing judgement, but my opinion on this one has not been formed over the last few days or even weeks, so I feel happy to share it.
When Danny left the club it left us with an enormous problem and there was the chance for our season to implode before it started. The board deserve enormous credit for rolling the dice and bringing in an experienced manager, who knew the league and who had the potential to be an excellent appointment.
There is no question that the first few months were a challenge and in the circumstances Chris Willcock did a very decent job. He was backed (more than many other previous managers) but he got more things right than he got wrong, he steadied the ship and he delivered results.
The issue was that on the pitch things were slowly changing and we were becoming a very one dimensional team who were organised and could “win ugly” but in actual fact could do very little else.
The problem for me (and I guess many other supporters) is for two years we had been shown that we could be something else. When Danny arrived we were an absolute car crash, but he ripped it up and he changed everything and it was fantastic. Covid robbed us of a certain promotion (perhaps two) and that makes the pain of this season even harder to take, but it doesn’t take away the memory.
Jim acting as a footballing goalkeeper, two attacking full backs roaming freely, Wordsworth and Smith passing the ball to feet, Casson commanding the tempo, Tinnion and Hubbold conducting the play, Symington and Allison a class apart and Jerome a big man with great touch and movement. None of it happened by accident, it was by design and it all centred on one word “pass”.
Let us not kid ourselves, the last few games have been hard to take and we have once again been on the wrong side of the footballing gods, but when did we last play well? I genuinely can’t remember.
Wonder strikes, moments of individual brilliance and opposing players getting sent off have masked some of the short comings, but they have been there in the bucket load. Market Drayton will probably be forever remembered as an all time low, but was it really such a shock? Days before we played against Kendal at home and didn’t create a single chance worthy of the name in open play. Just prior to that we had 45 minutes at Marine, when we truly appalling. It was all about the result apparently, but sometimes it isn’t.
Last night I watched for signs of life and hope and saw none. I do not fault the attitude or effort of the players, they wanted it badly and they were hurting. I also do not question the managers commitment and desire, but he clearly wants something different from the game than I do.
In the first half, we were gifted a goal and then sat back. We didn’t control the tempo, we looked nervous all over the pitch and not once did we get the ball down and play. They equalised and they deserved to be level.
In the second half, we started a little better, but it seemed that the small sections of football that broke out happened against the managers instructions, rather than because of it. Casson played a ball square to a teammate and was lambasted for not putting it in behind, Allison seemed to benefit from being far enough from the bench to play without constantly being encouraged to get rid of it. Indeed the instructions from the sideline seemed focused on getting the ball forward in any way shape or form, in the quickest way possible. All of this aimed to a centre forward, who is clearly not cut out to play the role of a lone target man, but who actually thrives on the neat little interchanges that we no longer play.
It could somehow have got a result, indeed if the referee had managed to stick even vaguely to the time allowed it would have done. It doesn’t change the facts that once again we weren’t good enough.
The question is what to do now?
Do we show loyalty to the man that came in and has given his all. He loves a celebration. He gives a decent post match press conference. I don’t doubt that he is a decent bloke.
Or do we look to move on and perhaps try to re-hire the man that walked away. The man that changed everything and that made every part of our club significantly better.
The only thing that matters is what is best for the club. If there is a chance, even a chance that Danny Grainger wants to return, then I am all in.