Yes, IK. Spectating was as bad as you say but commentator Tom explained that:
Mansfield are a good team; with money spent on it; time put into the development; a plan – and their players were two divisions better than ours. ALL true. Maybe you disagree with him.
(What’s more, when your GK/player of the season has regressed two years …)
All that we could hope to get out of that match was: experience for the young lads; pointers as to which of the young ones will/won’t get contracts; extended time on the pitch rather than 11 minutes at the end of a game when the match is already decided; genuine info for the management team to assess how assorted players respond etc.
The only thing that matters now is next season.
Yesterday’s game was all about the bigger picture. For one thing, the manager needs to know precisely what kind of players to spend his halfpennies on.
He needs to continue exactly as he is doing for the final few games. Results are totally irrelevant.
I didn’t watch that game expecting to be entertained (that’s something I gave up on a long time ago) – I tried to watch it through a manager’s eyes as he works out where he most needs to strengthen.
A dozen players may come in. Some will fail as they always do, but, if knowing his squad fully means that it’s two out of 12 who do so rather than four or five – it’s a different sort of win.
If your doorbell is wonky you don’t repair it with a hammer.
