Now Time To Plan For Next Season

After the day out against Norwich last night it was back to the real thing, with plenty of questions to be answered. Would the consecutive defeats against top-six teams (Plymouth, Wycombe) prove to be the end of our hopes of a second half of the season surge up the league into a play-off spot (and would the players perform as if they believed that)? Would the effort expended on Saturday leave us short? Or could a six-point return from this one and Cheltenham on Saturday revitalise our hopes? And not unrelated, would Stockley and/or Washington be available – and if not how would Jackson use the available forward options, given that the opening of the transfer window has not resulted in an early addition (ie we had nobody lined up to sign or perhaps Sandgaard has been reconsidering the merits of spending more for this season)?

We did get answers in that we delivered a performance in some respects reminiscent of the Adkins days. While far from perfect we dominated the first 30 minutes, got into a number of good positions, but failed to force their keeper into a save, let alone actually score. Our best moment of the first half saw us break with intent and good forward movement pulled away defenders, leaving Washington in the clear. But the ball to him was poorly delivered, he failed to control it, and the chance was gone. I remember at the time thinking we just needed a little more patience in picking out the pass and a lot more precision when making it – ie more quality.

It seemed as the game progressed that we considered ourselves superior to Crewe and that it was only a matter of time before we put them away, leading to sloppiness in possession. We started to gift them openings with poor passes (not least a dreadful ball out from a goal kick by Clare – who otherwise had an impressive first half – which was easily intercepted), mistimed interventions. So although it was against the run of play when with the break approaching Crewe took the lead – with a poor goal as an innocuous ball forward was won by them in the air, not dealt with, the resulting ordinary shot was palmed aside by Henderson (keeping his place as MacGillivray was away on prospective parental duties) into the path of another of theirs for a tap-in, as our defenders stood and watched - it wasn’t out of the blue.

Like too often this season going behind seemed to spook us. How dare they? We needed to get to half-time and sort out the attitude, accept that Crewe had players starting to cause us problems and deal with it, up the work rate. Instead the game was up as after Henderson got away with a close call for a penalty (I think the ref, contrary to form, got that one right as their guy went looking for the outstretched arm to tumble over) the resulting corner was simply headed into the net as Henderson came out and got nowhere near it; a fellow Addick was more kind in suggesting that he realised their guy was going to have a free header and tried in vain to stop that. Either way it was woeful all round.

With hindsight that was effectively game over. Give a poor, starving dog a bone and what do you expect? Crewe were then able to focus through the second half on spoiling the game, taking advantage of a truly dire refereeing performance to break things up with professional fouls, and hold what they had. Although the game was more even than in the opening period, we did create good chances. Their keeper pulled off a couple of good saves, from Washington close in and later from a curling Clare effort, while Burstow couldn’t get on the end of Washington’s low cross after he robbed a defender.

Also, we were denied what was in my book a clear penalty. Lee had been fouled again and from the resulting free kick outside the box he sent in what must be said was a pretty weak shot. But their keeper only parried it. Unlike for their first goal nobody appeared to slot home the rebound and it was cleared. But I can’t have been the only person to see that Leko was clearly pulled back by his shirt, otherwise he would have got there. He threw his arms in the air but there wasn’t the sort of collective clamour to demand a decision which Crewe mustered through the second half.

That incident came during a period in which the ref had simply lost control of the game. Players from both sides had no idea whether a challenge would result in a free kick and a yellow card or something in their favour. That worked against us as we were chasing the game, and the frustration could be seen in the reactions of Gilbey and Washington in particular, who both gave the impression that if they were not both already on yellow cards the ref might have been given an honest appraisal of his performance. Gilbey was to be withdrawn not least to keep 11 on the pitch.

Against that, Crewe might have had a penalty too, another forward tumbling under a challenge. There was a decision to be made and as in the previous instances no decision at all was the outcome. We had by then replaced both wing-backs, Purrington and Jaiyesimi giving way to Blackett-Taylor and Burstow, with Leko moving wide right and CBT occupying the left side. And the sense of desperation seemed palpable as Gilbey departed and Morgan took his place, which meant that Washington would have to last a full game, despite JJ having said his minutes would be managed, while there could be no final throw of the dice with Inniss up front. That said, if there was one small positive to take from the game it was the cameo from Morgan.

We did get back into it with 10 minutes of normal time left as Washington’s shot was blocked and the rebound looped up in the air, Burstow getting to it first to nod into an unguarded net (OK, a second positive). We still had the time to nick a point, although as the desperation level increased Crewe could easily have extended their lead on breakaways.

The game was of course to end in farce and utter indecision on the part of the officials. Lee’s deflected shot bounced up and over their keeper and in the net off the bar. Only for the linesman’s flag to be raised. With the benefit of replays we could see both that Leko could have been offside in the build-up and that he ended up standing alongside their keeper as the ball passed him, potentially in his eyeline at least. We were of course gutted at the time, but on reflection we can’t say it was an awful decision, which is not to say that the ref had a clue what to do.

In any event, a desperate draw would not have changed the picture. We needed a win and a performance and got neither. The fat lady has indeed sung. It was indicative that in the post-match interview JJ talked of trying to ensure a ‘positive end to the season’ rather than any hope of getting in the top six (of course there is still a chance, just an increasingly remote one and no reason to believe we are poised to close the gap), while in the TV room Steve Brown was suggesting quite rightly that the focus in January might rather be on sorting out contracts for those we want for next season rather than additions to bolster a push for promotion.

Last night in that sense only served to underline the impression left after the Wycombe game. We had the opportunity with the outstanding results and performances which followed JJ’s appointment to get among the top six, if we could keep it going. A combination of the physical effort required to keep up the style of play and make it work, the suspension then injury for Stockley, Washington’s temporary absence, plus probably teams working us out (stamp down on Lee and without a big guy up front they will struggle to score goals).

For the first time since JJ adopted the wing-backs and formed the midfield trio of Dobson, Gilbey and Lee it is fair to at least consider whether a change is needed (that is of course for him to decide). A case can be made for a switch to 4-4-2 – with Purrington and Matthews or Gunter operating as full-backs and two from DJ, CBT and Leko as wingers, perhaps giving Lee a breather. It is clear we need freshening up. I’m so despondent I’m now almost ready to embrace the Papa John thing, just to give us some fun.

Further out, we have not once in my lifetime spent more than three consecutive seasons in this bloody awful division. The only upside to being out of it for the current campaign is to be able to plan from a long way out just how we expect to get promoted next season. That work can begin in earnest now.