With such a provocative title, I must immediately make it clear that this is not a knee-jerk reaction to a season which is just two games old, however disappointing those two games were. Those of you who’ve read my previous pieces will know that I have been questioning the management of the squad since the Cook/Payton loan incident some 9 months ago. Whether or not you think that our alarming slump in form for more than half of the season after that was just a coincidence, or whether the alleged training ground punch-ups and dressing room bust-ups are all just part of the game, I genuinely have come to the conclusion that the way the squad is managed, both motivationally and tactically, has got to change, and change drastically.
And I don’t think that Stan is a man for turning, because everything he does points to a stubbornness which can frustrate one to the point of tears, and which I now feel is working against the interests of the club.
The most telling factor about the Brighton game was that nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, changed from the latter two thirds of last season: Branch is not a left back, so why play him there and substitute him at half time? Briscoe is not a midfielder, he’s a left back, so why play him in midfield? Ian Moore is not a goalpoacher, so why play him with Taylor when the two never work off each other? Surely the difference Johnson made should have told Stan something about the front pairing. Little is a right winger, so why let him roam all over the park when what we need is a supply of deadly crosses? Blake, ah Blake! If only he knew where he was supposed to be playing, let alone anyone else. And when the side needs an injection of creativity and match-saving goals, Cook and Payton stay on the bench.
Then against Wolves, Stan seemed finally to realise that the left back position needed addressing, but his obsession with Briscoe in midfield continued, with yet another player, McGregor, being forced into an unfamiliar position. At least Cook got a start this time, but presumably only because the ineffective Grant was injured, and the desperation of a player who may only get this one chance, combined with harsh refereeing, put paid to that. Once again, our only tactic seems to be ‘lump it to Taylor’, and the awful tally of no shots on target (with Payton marooned on the bench again) and not even one corner, spoke volumes about the complete bankruptcy of ideas and creativity which has persisted since last December.
These issues should surely have been addressed during the close season, but the fact that they haven’t leads me to the view that the management don’t seem to think there’s a problem. When thousands of us witnessed a team lacking in fluency, creativity and goal attempts for more than half a season, nothing was changed apart from the fortuitous introduction of Johnson. And if Stan and Sam really think that we’re going to plug away this season with the same ‘system’ which, had it not been for the excellent start (with Cook as playmaker) would have earned us relegation last season, then I for one feel obliged to seriously question their judgement (not that I think Sam has much of a say).
Everywhere you look, the hand of Stan is omnipresent and omnipotent. I’m sure it’s the same at Old Trafford, but a club with our meagre resources needs a versatility, creativity, and even a willingness to take the odd risk, which can go at least some way towards compensating for the lack of money, and I just don’t think that Stan’s management style, which seems to be strongly based on fear and personal recriminations, can bring out the best in the squad we’ve got, when this is a time for collective enthusiasm and a winning spirit.
With the exception of Blake, the players who took the field for the Brighton game were basically the ones who seriously underperformed for more than half of last season, and the capitulation against Brighton was as bad as at Cheltenham, Sheffield United and Grimsby, not to mention a whole load of home games. So what is Stan’s analysis? Slag off Blake publicly. That in itself is the act of a desperate man without a plan or an explanation, and if we get that sort of thing after one game when everyone bar Alan Moore was available for selection to a formation and tactics carefully planned during the close season, God alone knows what it’ll be like when the suspensions and injuries start. So on to the Wolves game, and it seemed to be a knee-jerk reshuffle rather than anything else, and whilst we had a dose of bad luck and a crap referee, there still does not seem to be a plan.
So, nothing has been learned, and the plan is the same as the second half of last season. Are you ready for a season like this?
Here are a few questions:
- Kevin Ball was released at the end of last season. Why?
- Paul Cook and Andy Payton are out in the cold. Why?
- We go to a drab, second rate pre-season venue against opposition that will tell us nothing, and we’re back again next year. Why?
- We don’t take any of the young professionals on pre-season. Why?
- Branch plays left back, even when Alan Moore is suspended and Branch is surely his natural replacement. Why?
- Grant and Briscoe labour in midfield, when our most creative midfielder is on the bench, even at three goals down. Why?
- Robbie Blake was signed with a ‘stomach strain’ and allegedly no medical, risking £1 million of the club’s money. Why?
As well as all having the same answer – ‘because Stan says so’ – the most telling factor is that, apart from the Kevin Ball question, they all apply to last season. Now, pick out the ones which also apply to this season. Scary, isn’t it?
If Stan genuinely believes that the second half of last season was acceptable, which he presumably does because absolutely nothing has changed, apart from playing Robbie Blake out of position now that he’s fit, I believe that it’s time for a change.
A change to a culture of team spirit and fun (yes, Stan, fun!) not fear, intimidation and rancour.
A change to the passing game for which Burnley were famous for generations, rather than the ‘Taylorcentric’ approach which invariably loses us possession because the midfield are not supporting attacks.
A change to allow a replacement for Kevin Ball’s role, so that we actually get some possession. McGregor, Gnohere, Armstrong, even Briscoe playing deeper – someone has to win and hold the ball.
A change to allow at least one or two of our youngsters to prove themselves and genuinely compete for places, rather than just being used as idle threats to the seniors. If Payton is not going to be used, even at two goals down, surely his place on the bench could go to someone else.
A change to bring about a solution to the left back position. This is just becoming a lottery each week, and even during games.
You will note that I am not calling for any new players, mainly because it isn’t going to happen, but this squad was good enough to finish seventh last season. OK, we’ve lost Ball, but we’ve got a versatile defender/midfielder in McGregor. And surely Blake is effectively a brand new £1m signing, which should go a long way towards compensating for the loss of Johnson.
These players, correctly organised and motivated, have the ability to compete well in Division One, and achieve at least a top half finish. That’s not being ridiculously over-optimistic or unrealistic, is it?
Something changed quite dramatically during last season, and it has resulted in a deflated, directionless squad, some of whom don’t look like they really want to play for Burnley (or Stan?) any more. The Cook/Payton incidents, the alleged ‘Grimsby Four’ bust-up: these are not the indicators of a squad working in unison with the management.
In my view, some new impetus and a fresh approach has to come from outside. The irony, of course, is that we couldn’t afford to pay Stan off and pay someone else’s wages, but if the alternative is a Division Two budget next year (and I really think that’s on the cards if you look at our points tally from the last 20-odd games) then Mr Kilby really ought to be getting his calculator out and eyeing the family silver.
And who should replace Stan? Certainly no-one from inside the club. Kevin Ball as a caretaker player-manager? In the short term, I don’t think it really matters – all we need is someone who can work with the squad and get them playing together again, on and off the field. Stan left Bury because of the lure of bigger things at Burnley, but I genuinely feel that he’s better as a big fish in a small pond where his abrasive style and stubborn tunnel vision will be perceived as admirable qualities in a less discerning culture.
In this demanding financial climate, it’s going to take more than ‘battlers’ to survive, and we’ve got precious few of those anyway. Time for a change. Time to go, Stan.
