A Game Of Opinions

There is a large proportion of conflicting views from fans of Northampton Town at the time of writing, some furious with the plight of the football club and some happy to sit back, accept mediocrity and see what happens.

Is there a right or wrong? Personally I think there is and as it happens, I'm right and you're wrong.

For those that know me you'll probably be aware of where my views current sit, however for those that don't - I'm seriously unhappy with the manager and would like to see him relieved from his duties. I was never particularly enamoured by his original appointment as his track record hardly screams 'I am God' and I was well aware of the style of 'football' he chose to adopt at his previous clubs. Having said that there could be valid arguments why he deserves a bit of time....

Make no mistake about it that when Aidy Boothroyd picked up the reigns at Northampton the club was only heading in one direction and that direction was one that kept fans up all night. He saved the club from relegation after the disastrous Gary Johnson era, professionalism and organisation were brought to the club along with strong values and beliefs - coupled with some astute additions to the squad it was a very successful troubleshoot by Boothroyd and I take my hat off to him for that. The following season we made the play off final, on the face of it he's doing a great job, right? Wrong.

It sounds an odd thing to say but was last season really that enjoyable? I can count on one hand the games I actually came away from smiling. Is that a bad thing? If you're successful then fans put up with it despite having underlying concerns and that is exactly how I felt all season. The play off defeat to Bradford actually was a perfect description of how the season felt - we lacked goals at times, lacked creativity and struggled to pass to team mates. Luckily we were a big strong side and bullied teams which led to some good results. But overall, hand on heart can supporters say that last season we ever looked like a play off finalist side? You're a liar if you claim we did.

So what has gone wrong? Well firstly getting rid of Luke Guttridge for Darren Carter is quite frankly a scandalous decision, Carter is a player going through the motions who is living off his brief spell in the limelight earlier in his career, he's got some big fucking ears as well and I never trust someone with big ears. Secondly getting rid of Bayo I can agree with but to not replace him and place all your eggs in the Clive Platt basket is another scandalous decision. I actually like Platt as a player but it is clear for all to see that he is not a goal scorer. Bayo, Guttridge and Carlisle were three huge characters last year for the club and they pretty much pulled the club up into the play offs despite the performances. Take them out of the equation along with Captain Thundercock (Langmead) and the side lacks spine, leaders and bite. 

The players brought in to the club over the summer all smack me as having one thing in common, they are 'yes men'. Boothroyd has got rid of the characters in the side and replaced them with wishy washy players like Ian Morris. The recruitment process has been nothing short of a disgrace. There is only one man culpable for that, step forward Mr Boothroyd.

There is an argument for continuity in football but you have to have the right man at the helm initially and we haven't. We've got a stubborn manager who has started to lose his marbles, the following few quotes should back that up :

'I'm happy where the team is'

A week later...

'We're clearly not where we want to be'

What?!

"I saw that red card coming. You don't react like that, and you don't look for revenge" - Good man management, why not take the player off?

There are lots lots more quotes from the last few weeks that suggest the manager is struggling to cope with the pressure, he certainly didn't help himself yesterday when taking a 0-0 at home against a poor Morecambe side. One thing I struggle to understand is that last season when performances were poor but results were good then people kept banging on about it being a results business, fair enough. Now the performances are slightly better in terms of footballing style but the results are shit, now we're told it needs time as results will come. I thought it was a results business?

Part Two To Follow....