Statement Required By The Club

Thanks JC. I always enjoy your posts and they are thought through and well argued. I don't bother engaging on this topic very often, and many of the posts on the matter make me log off. I think there is a very valid argument for firing LJ but I still remain of the view that we shouldn't.

IMHO all problems stem from the flawed transfer strategy he was given in the summer. He wanted to play 4-5-1 but hasn't had the centre forward to play it. He's had to try and form a team from the players he has but the squad is unbalanced and the better players don't really complement each other (as Wilson struggled with). The key point is the lack of on field leadership, experience and communication.

The young players have done what young players do without the above; their heads go down once they concede and confidence disappears. I've seen some posters say LJ can't change a game once we go behind. For me the players heads go as soon as we do and they are unable to pick themselves up. They lack the maturity and calmness.

As for young lads like Bree, he can't really play them as right back is one of the few positions we actually do have a (bit) of experience.

After Fleetwood I said that no matter who was manager that until the mistakes of the summer strategy were rectified in January whoever was in charge was going to struggle. I still remain of the view that the addition of quality and experience in key positions will lead to a significant improvement, and that the money sacking LJ would be better used in supporting that. The club seemingly agree.

 

I agree with most things you have said. We lost to Wigan because they have a better and bigger squad and whatever formation and personnel we had tried we would probably have lost. I would say 3 players in the positions you noted would make us a comfortable upper mid table team. My expectations at the start of the season were not great and I thought an acceptable return from the manager in his first season would be lower mid table with signs of developing players. I think even by this fairly generous expectation level we cannot see any signs of progress.

The problem with the tactics was not against a strong Wigan team. It was against weaker teams particularly at home where we set up poorly, played poorly had clearly not analysed the oppositions strengths or weaknesses but set up in a formation that the manager favoured without correct analysis. A sign of a weak and inexperienced manger welded to systems and inflexible rather than taken a fluid approach to the opposition. You note that the Wigan coaching staff had looked at our strengths and weakness and reacted after the cup match. Was it jnot reasonable to think they might do so and change things accordingly. Again shows naïveté in thinking that they would not do this.

Not sure that Wavara's extra 1/2 an inch justifies his selection myself...

 

The replies above from Jimmy Cricket et al have more than covered most of your questions Red Rain and, in relation to tactics, 8LJ's tactical cluelessness was exposed in full glory on Saturday.

I am not a professional football manager paid a hefty six figure sum to coach and organise my players but even I spotted what was about to happen as soon as I saw the Wigan teamsheet on Saturday. It then became patently obvious in the flesh within 15 minutes and yet the clueless one did nothing.

Wigan's rookie manager dropped centre forward Revell from their JPT team, played Grigg up on his own leaving our four numpties at the back facing only one man. This gave them extra numbers to win midfield where Hourihane and Pearson had won the JPT battle two against two. These extra numbers were also able to run through and support Grigg exposing our static central defence.

They played three centre halves, moving Daniels wider to double up with the right full back on Hamill when we had the ball and reducing Adam's effectiveness. When they had the ball the full backs were able to push up wide and their full backs were the more prominent and wider wide players throughout despite us playing two wingers (well, Adam and the woeful non-winger Watkins). Love hugged the right touchline in the first half and had no end of space.

The Wigan change in tactics was, as I say, obvious from their teamsheet, and absolutely crystal clear within a few minutes of kick-off. Yet the clueless one did nothing, not even changing personnel until over an hour in. He never changed tactics, hence the same players who had outplayed Wigan for most of the game two weeks ago were left well beaten.

If he had spotted the Wigan changes and the players didn't do as he'd told them then that's even worse in my view. If his players don't listen to him then that speaks volumes as to whether he should be left in charge.

 

"the money sacking LJ would be better used in supporting that. The club seemingly agree."

And whose fault is it that the club would have to pay Johnson off for being a failure?

Who gave him that ridiculous contract to start with?

The lifeblood of the club is ebbing away.

The lifeblood of ANY club are the supporters and ours deserve to be treated with respect.

Keeping LJ is not showing respect, its trying to save face, trying not to admit they have cocked up again.

Allegedly

 

talked about a first half that was dominated by the Barnsley midfield that should have been rewarded with more goals

make that ten minutes from the kick off and I would agree.....after that it was eighty minutes of pure gash..........again!!

note to happy clappers: how long are you lot gunna give him exactly before the leaves?

 

I'd say Ark that we are not a million miles apart. If we put recruitment to one side and say the Head Coaches main role in the strategy that was outlined to him is the development of young players and turning them into saleable assets/first team regulars then this in my opinion is the main area of weakness. Other than Hourihane I cannot see any of our players getting better under Johnson's coaching and man management. This is the crux for me.

I'd agree about not spending the money to save him. If it were y choice I'd have a serious talk with Lee and say it's not working as it is. Look to move him sideways and bring in a more experienced manager to both steady the ship and develop Johnson who may in the future develop into a good manager.

 

I do not believe that Johnson is inflexible. This season he has tried 3-5-2 (5-3-2), 4-5-1 (4-3-3) and 4-2-4 (4-4-2). He tried these systems in order to try to find a balance that suited the team, but as I said earlier, he was 4 players short whatever system he tried. Who would have predicted that Wigan would play 3-6-1 (5-4-1). It was totally unexpected and it was only after they had got a player in the pocket on 3 successive attacks that I had a count up and figured out what they were up to. Who would have planned for that in advance, because if you had planned in advance, every other system would have made you look stupid.

 

I think this was the biggest error. I don't think young players can improve or develop without the experience or communication alongside them and they will in fact get worse without it. Mawson being a case in point. Put a talking centre half next to him, give the partnership time, and I reckon he will really grow as a player.

I played at a much higher level at centre half than my technical ability allowed because I never shut up. I knew where I needed to be but also where others should be and told them. I think LJ can do what he wants on the training pitch but without someone out on the field on match day it'll be wasted. Paul Scholes always points out Hansen was right with his won't win anything with kids comment, and that their success and progression all came from Bruce, Irwin, Keane, Bruce and Schmeichel. That was the spine and they filled the gaps around.

 

I'm very impressed with that post.

Can you explain each match every week?

 

It keeps being mentioned that we screwed up in the summer recruitment. Who are the we? Whoever made a mess of it should be fired.

 

No they don't. They are hoping against hope it turns round.

 

But would you have reacted once your realised?

Johnson didn't and that's nowt to do with transfer policy or recruitment. It's not the first time and won't be the last he's not reacted to the opposition changing tactics.

 

But once you'd realised you'd have presumably reacted?

Johnson did nowt. Not for the first time won't be the last.

That's nowt to do with transfer policy.

 

Again I agree Ark experience alongside youth works best for development and it's where the faults in our policy lie. At the same time players like Winnall and Scowen have gone backwards. When we needed another keeper we didn't bring anyone with experience in but brought in an equally inexperienced Townsend and that, at least would seem to be Johnson's decision.

Rhys Oates was kicked out Wilkinson brought in again a Johnson initiative again flawed.

I don't have any answers but what we are doing at the club at the moment isn't working and I'm not just talking about recruitment.

Coaching, team spirit, tactics all seem poor.

A further issue would surely be if we couldn't attract experienced players who would add value in the summer why would we be able to now with the real threat of relegation hanging over us.

 

That is because Wigan have a good manager and out foxed and out thought our Pathetic out of his depth manager

 

Earlier in the season all the systems operated were from the same template. They all involved an isolated figure up front with players supposedly supporting them and linking play. It didn't work. The players we had were incapable of operating complex systems against poor opposition who sat back defensively and had little interest in attacking us except on the break. The tactics were a confusing muddy morass that looked like they had been gleans on some FA training course and were not understood by the players and easily outfought by opposition managers.

Against poorer opposition specifically Crewe, Shrewsbury, S****horpe, Blackpool, Doncaster and Fleetwood the tactics didn't consider the opposition or the best way to counter then. Didn't look that perhaps a traditional 4-4-2 may still be the best ( but not only option). Against better opposition such as Wigan when it's more important to be flexible and adjust tactics again this wasn't done but we just blindly stuck to a system that had done ok few weeks ago.

 

You say that you could tell from the team sheet that Wigan would play 3-6-1. Well you are a better man than me, because that is the first time I have seen that system. But for Johnson to have changed his plans, he has to have known the team sheet before both managers have handed their team sheets in to the referee, and as far as I know, that is impossible.

You say that Johnson did nothing, but that is not right either is it. He asked both his full backs to play narrow, his idea being to restore their 5 to 4 advantage in centre midfield/centre defence back to a 6 to 5 advantage to us. Of course, this gave more room to their advanced full backs, who should have been marked by our wide players rather than our full backs. This is how it should have worked defensively.

When we had the ball, they became 5-4-1. The traditional way to beat this system is with pace. Either your forwards split wide and you break down the middle or your quick midfield players break into the wide positions and into the space vacated by the full backs. When we played in the Premier League, we were exposed time and time again by pace in just these circumstances. Once they had the lead, it becomes more difficult to use either method because the opposition drop deeper and it is harder to find room behind the full backs. Not only that, but we do not have enough pace in the team and we are too young to adapt to something that we have not seen before.

I would be interested to know what changes of personnel you would have made. I agree that changing Watkins for Williams was an obvious one and should have been made earlier, but given the players available to him, I am not sure what other changes would have improved us. Given that you knew what system Wigan would play from the team sheet, I am sure that you also know the changes to our team and system that would have made a difference.

 

I watched the game with Nicky Eaden & Norman Rimmington on Saturday. They both said the same thing:

'If the players are no good, it doesn't matter how good the manager is'.

The point is that most sensible folk realise that the reason why the players are no good is not just Johnson's fault. So he & the board need to be given the chance to change it in January. If we sign better players (or more suitable ones IE experience in this division) then you can judge his performance. But only then.

No statement is needed, everyone says this when we're *****. What do you want it to say other than 'we're working hard to fix it'?

 

'We must have 4 tall players in the team is priceless'.

God knows how Barcelona have won European cups.

Heading's not all about size, it's more positioning & bravery