Selective memory IA. There was much complaining when his insistence on 5 at the back with a squad unsuitable for the tactic was delivering dire football and poor results.
A few on social media called for his head but most were calling for a change of formation. Even at Scarborough when he bolstered his 5 at the back with Evans playing in midfield in front of them against a bang average team there were no Butler out shouts. When we went out of the cup against Guisley without having a shot worth the name fans still bit their lip. I accept at half time after a desperately poor half against relegation threatened Marine then about 30 of the 5 or 6 hundred away fans booed Butler back to the dugout. There was a few of these individually requesting Butler do one. I didn’t join in but certainly felt he was likely to be “sacked in the morning”. Watching one of our 5 defenders (Nicholson) handing a goal to their loan forward whilst we failed to create a chance at the other end tends to only end one way.
Lady luck stepped in during the second half with the ref giving us a very dubious penalty and their centre half gifting Whitehall another one. That’s the centre forward and leading scorer that came on in the second half having been dropped for some reason only one person will ever know.
I have heard from someone that claims to be ITK that Butler was told at that point to change the formation. I prefer to hope he finally spotted the obvious and actually changed his mind.
No matter the quality of football improved as did the results and the rest is history.
Any pressure on Butler was a result of his own pig headedness.
