Neglect...from both myself and the players

I've neglected this blog for far too long, in fact, I haven't written to it since pre-season (some of it may be due to the fact that I keep forgetting the password!). I could have sworn I had, but there's nothing there since pre-season, so I must have dreamt it. I hope that fills you with a warm, squishy feeling inside, as it comes from the heart, I mean, if I dream of something, then it must be important, it must surely mean something? Yes? No. Thought not!

Our last couple of games haven't been great, and I'm kind of getting that sinking feeling again. One that is all to common for us Wrexham fans. I keep trying to tell myself that it's still early in the season, but I can't see how we can achieve very much playing the tactics, and the players, that we are at present.

I don't want to start getting on players backs, that's the last thing that I want to do, but sitting up in the press box, it's pretty obvious where we're going wrong. I don't understand how Brian Little can't see what's happening. Now, I'm not slagging Little off, as I think he's doing alright for us, and I genuinely think that he's the right man for the job. He has the experience, certainly, but I just feel like he's missing something. Playing 'hoof-ball' (or 'long-ball' for the more cultured amongst us!) just isn't working. Having Stevie Evans playing the long diagonal every time, without looking up is just giving the ball away nine times out of ten. Our midfiled looks anonymous at best, Kearney works hard, but he hasn't got the right player along side him in the middle of the park. The news that Conall Murtagh is back in contention (give or take a reserve game or two) is music to my ears. Levi Mackin looked ok pre-season and in the first game or so, but know he looks out of his depth. Little has got to give Murtagh (or even Tom Taylor) a run in the side. Murtagh is the man for the job in my opinion, I said this in pre-season, and I'm sticking to it. He's a tidy player, who is good and the ball, has a decent footballing brain, and sweet jesus, can he strike a football. 

We need to use our wide players more, we're letting teams, both home and away, dictate the play, and everything becomes far too narrow. We're not getting enough service to the strikers either. I also believe that a Louis-Proctor partnership up front would work very well for us, with Whalley out on the wing. Jeff and Mike are the sort of players who, with time, can form a partnership that will allow them to play off each other with great success. Hopefully, tomorow will be the time for Little to introduce this.

The defence is another issue - sometimes we look solid at the back, and other times we look worryingly shakey.

I don't know, maybe we can turn things around tomorrow at home to Ebbsfleet. I hope we do. I wan't a good performance as well. In fact, I'd take an excellent performance and a loss, as that would be a step in the right direction...possibly. We should be beating teams like Ebbsfleet, and I say that with now disrespect to Ebbsfleet whatsoever, but come on, we really should be.

Well here's hoping for three points, and a decent performance from all tomorrow.

As my good friend Matt Wedderkopp used to say in his 'On the Kop' feature in the Red Passion fanzine: Keep the faith!

Rich