BARNSLEY manager Andy Ritchie gave his thoughts on a disappointing afternoon at Layer Road. He said: "That was totally unacceptable. We did not play at all and the lads were, for some reason, not up for the game. We looked lethargic, ran out of ideas and it is very, very disappointing. "We have a good bunch of lads here at the club but today they were not up for it and got what we deserved against a team that I feel we should have beaten. "The lads have had plenty of rest, we travelled down yesterday and prepared well for the game so it is not a case of playing three games in a week and that cannot be used as an excuse. We will have to play three a week at other times and the lads are fit enough to cope with that. "We changed things around a bit because we wanted to be a bit more solid away from home but bringing Paul Reid in for Chris Shuker cost us some of our threat going forward. Maybe we should not have done that. "We were not in any danger in the first half although I felt it was a very poor game. Colchester were not better than us in the first half and I do not think that they were any better after the break but we were simply not at the races throughout. If we had put in another ten or fifteen per cent then we would have won the game and we really should be better than what we saw today. "I am expecting this team to come to places like Colchester, perform and win the game. I will not send the team out to play for a point because this was a game that we were more than capable of winning. However, to win games you have to put the effort in and that was not there today. "I am very, very disappointed with the performance and we will not be forgetting it. The lads know, in no uncertain terms, what I think of the performance this afternoon and I think we will sit down and discuss it again on Monday when I have had chance to calm down a bit".
It's about time we had a manager who says what we all think. Lets hope the players take it in and correct it next week.
a translation of part of that we came here for the win, so i took an attacking player off and replaced him with a defensive one (shuker for reid) erm wtf?
resign you prat, why drop Shuker for another crap defender, offload the entire defence or go sit with your mate Harty.
same old story every season,i know we,ve only played 3 games but things are looking ominous,aint it the manager that motivates the players!Hit the ground running mr richie you said.
At least he admits Shuker is too lightweight my one positive from today. play Colgan and Carbon, get beat. simple fact of life am afraid. the longer it take him to realise, the more pointless our season will become. he needs to pick his best team, and those 2 arent in it. and we're a striker short.
