Not Fit (Enough) To Wear The Shirt

So now it’s official, there are only three problems with the current squad:

1. They aren’t fit enough
2. They aren’t good enough
3. They don’t care

Just fix those and we’ll be flying!

It’s generally agreed that the rot began in pre-season, described by David Bridges as like a “holiday camp” after being beasted up the Stevenage sand dunes twice a day by Westley.

Actually, having just rechecked the quote, he said it WAS a holiday camp. The boys spent the mornings lying by the pool or enjoying a gentle stroll, before Camp Leader Morell upped the tempo with a game of five a side bingo.

Players were recruited on the strength of a short video of ball juggling or possession of a sufficiently exotic name. Meanwhile, those with knowledge of the fitness levels required at this level must have been bound and gagged, judging by the results.

However some of these players now have 10 to 12 games under their belt so they ought to be catching up. Instead we’re still starting games like we’re half asleep and gifting opposition strikers time and space to pick their spot. So it’s not just physical fitness with a lot of this bunch. Our results won’t automatically improve if they eat more greens and knock out a few more laps of the training pitch.

Maybe Stimson has hit it on the head – some of them, maybe most, are mentally weak. Morell told them they were great and would take the league by storm. They weren’t expecting to be booed off the pitch several times in the first month. That wasn’t in the script at all and these fancy dans, used to looking good at a lower level, haven’t the appetite to scrap for every ball, deny space and generally make the other side at least break sweat before it’s game over.

The mind goes back to 1992, when at a similar stage of the season a new manager – Graham Carr – inherited a load of dross and wasted no time in bringing in players who maybe weren’t the prettiest but he knew he could rely upon. Oh for a Graham Reed now – in fact, anyone got his number?

Like then, we do at least have a bit of time (the one silver lining of ditching MM so soon) and in Stimson, like Carr, we have a manager with a decent CV at this level. Sort this mess out and it will be an even better one.