The Bohemian
Member
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2012
- Messages
- 524
- Reaction score
- 2,521
Much credit is deserved to the manager in tearing up Plan A and going back to basics to find a winning formula over recent weeks.
Whilst his instinct towards free-flowing, expansive football is admirable, like any system, it needs the right components, i.e. players with the requisite speed, agility and technical ability. Adkins has players at his disposal – e.g. Adams, Reed, Scougall, Freeman, JCR and Baxter - with some or all of the above qualities, but none have shown they can be relied upon to deliver consistently.
It’s to Adkins’s credit that he gives his players every chance to succeed, but even more important he knows when to call time and his changed approach was overdue.
So what has changed?
Size: Nine of his starters against Scunny, including all his defence and midfield, were six footers, compared with five in the season’s opener. Adkins has evidently seen enough of his players being overcome by sheer physicality.
Experience: The average age of the Scunny team was 29, compared with 25 in the opening game against Gillingham. Experience generally adds more nous and better judgement (McEveley is an exception to the rule).
Character: Adkins has had plenty of time to assess the make-up of his dressing room both in terms of ability and character. Too many performances have been undermined by a lack of desire and he is now relying on players he knows and trusts to give him their all every game (presumably why McEveley and Woolford have been recalled whilst McNulty and Baxter have been marginalised).
Bite: The Coventry game marked a significant change of approach with the Blades flying into challenges and looking to bully their opponents into submission – which the crowd responded positively to. This is backed up by the stats, with 38 fouls committed and 7 bookings received in the last two games, as opposed to 53 fouls (ave.10 per game) and 8 bookings (ave.1.6 per game) in the first 5 games of the season.
Adkins’s change of tack should provide reassurance to his doubters that he is not a one trick pony and if he is allowed reasonable time and resources, he may have the guile to succeed.
He now faces a dilemma in January over whether to try to resurrect Plan A with younger, quicker, more skilful types (older, quicker, skilful would cost too much!) or stick with his newer, uglier but more effective style.
History tells us that the latter is more likely to succeed in Div 3 and my sense is that most supporters are past caring how we gain promotion - just as long as we do.
Whilst his instinct towards free-flowing, expansive football is admirable, like any system, it needs the right components, i.e. players with the requisite speed, agility and technical ability. Adkins has players at his disposal – e.g. Adams, Reed, Scougall, Freeman, JCR and Baxter - with some or all of the above qualities, but none have shown they can be relied upon to deliver consistently.
It’s to Adkins’s credit that he gives his players every chance to succeed, but even more important he knows when to call time and his changed approach was overdue.
So what has changed?
Size: Nine of his starters against Scunny, including all his defence and midfield, were six footers, compared with five in the season’s opener. Adkins has evidently seen enough of his players being overcome by sheer physicality.
Experience: The average age of the Scunny team was 29, compared with 25 in the opening game against Gillingham. Experience generally adds more nous and better judgement (McEveley is an exception to the rule).
Character: Adkins has had plenty of time to assess the make-up of his dressing room both in terms of ability and character. Too many performances have been undermined by a lack of desire and he is now relying on players he knows and trusts to give him their all every game (presumably why McEveley and Woolford have been recalled whilst McNulty and Baxter have been marginalised).
Bite: The Coventry game marked a significant change of approach with the Blades flying into challenges and looking to bully their opponents into submission – which the crowd responded positively to. This is backed up by the stats, with 38 fouls committed and 7 bookings received in the last two games, as opposed to 53 fouls (ave.10 per game) and 8 bookings (ave.1.6 per game) in the first 5 games of the season.
Adkins’s change of tack should provide reassurance to his doubters that he is not a one trick pony and if he is allowed reasonable time and resources, he may have the guile to succeed.
He now faces a dilemma in January over whether to try to resurrect Plan A with younger, quicker, more skilful types (older, quicker, skilful would cost too much!) or stick with his newer, uglier but more effective style.
History tells us that the latter is more likely to succeed in Div 3 and my sense is that most supporters are past caring how we gain promotion - just as long as we do.
