Burton v Accrington Reflections

On the face of it it actually wasn`t so bad. OK, we lost 2-0, but to a team who in their last nine league matches had won six and drawn three, taking out some pretty decent sides into the bargain. So why the disappointment on the faces of the supporters as they filed out of The Pirelli?

We`ve known since pre-season that whichever defenders are selected, collectively they are going to leak goals like a colander leaks beer (assuming someone has been daft enough to fill a kitchen implement full of holes with beer that is). It wouldn`t matter if Andy or Ronnie Corbett was at right-back, the outcome would still be the same and, likewise, whichever central pairing you put in there you just know that at some point they are going to part like the main doors at Leicester Prison, allowing the opposition to score at will. There`s also a distinct lack of pace in the middle, perfectly demonstrated on Friday night when Micah Evans, the pacey 19 for Accrington, chased down a ball with Tony James in the second half. Jamo had a good couple of yards on Evans, but the kid skipped past him and was away on goal with the slightest of ease.

In midfield I thought the wide players did ok and Palmer put in a fair few decent crosses that our forwards failed to capitalise on, but more on that in a minute. Bolder, awarded man of the match on the night, put in a good shift especially in the first-half, but faded late on.

And then there`s Macca. Possibly he tried too hard and, as he was quick to point out on Facebook, you can never accuse him of not trying. Anyone watching saw that he wasn`t on his game and it was pointed out to me as the teams came away from the pre-match handshake that you could see in his face he was more pre-occupied with the booing and dissent that had accompanied defeat to Hereford a few days before, and he made a big show of ignoring the centre section of the Popside. I`ve no doubt at all that this contributed to him being probably the least effective Burton player on the night. As for the swearing at his own supporters during and after the game, that is probably best left for another article on another day, but I would like to say this. Macca is the captain of Burton Albion Football Club and irrespective of anything else that role comes with responsibilities. In particular he is seen as an ambassador for the club, a figurehead if you like, and one that people at the club should be able to look to as an example. If Friday night is anything to go by, then he is setting the completely wrong example.

Up front, our forwards that were so prolific up until recently right now couldn`t hit a lame cow`s arse with a banjo, such is their misfortune. Chance after chance came and went on Friday but other than the one Dunbavin save from Justin, I think the only other things our forwards threatened were the pigeons flying over the ground.

But these things come in spells – one week you are scoring for fun, the next you can`t buy a goal. As one old manager said, or possibly it was on a banner somewhere, “form is temporary, class is permanent” and that sums up our three main forwards. Billy has been struggling with his groin for a while, Justin is getting back into things after a spell out and poor old Calvin has had to work like crazy and could probably do with a rest.

So despite everything seeming so bad right now, let`s put things into perspective. We sit in eighth place today, one place outside the play-off positions, with half of the season remaining. The manager accepts that things could be better and as a consequence is trying to recruit people for key positions. Callum Driver was brought in out of necessity, but I wouldn`t complain if he was retained for the remainder of the season. For a young man in his first ever first-team game he acquitted himself very well, understandably tiring towards the end of the match but giving a good account of himself.

No doubt we need a commanding central midfielder, someone in the mould of Accrington`s captain Andrew Procter would do me just fine. We also need a midfielder with a creative spark but, if a midfield general could be recruited, I`m wondering if we haven`t already got that player in Chris Palmer. Look at the goals he`s been involved with in their build-up since Pesch started playing him in that central role.

And then there`s the need for a central-defender, someone who can organise and bully the back line, instilling some discipline into them. Think back to Darren Tinson and you`ll see what I mean – the man never stopped coaching his fellow defenders whilst he was on the pitch.

Most of all though, we need a captain, a leader who communicates with his players. We just don`t have that in McGrath and I mean no insult to the man by saying that. The perfect example was on the pitch on Friday night, but unfortunately captaining the opposition. Procter gave what I think has been the finest example this season of how a captain should work with his team mates and that is the standard our manager needs to aim for as he looks to recruit.

So there you go, I`m not despondent in the least. I stayed behind to applaud the players after the game as I could see they had worked hard, but it just wasn`t to be on the night. A couple of additions to the squad will do wonders, just you wait and see….