Ian Hendon & The House of Cards

Let's make no bones about it, I want Ian Hendon, Andy Hessenthaler and all of your cliquey pals out of my club.

I'm one of a few that can say I didn't want him in the first place, can't see what he brings to the table, thinks he lacks the leadership and managerial skills to be a manager and also needs to learn more about his audience.

Granted he got off to a flyer, hoodwinked us that there was more to come throughout September , but has been absolutely poor since.

This squad of players we have, even with injuries to Cox & McCallum, should be top three. Any experienced manager worth his salt could do it. The team practically picks itself. There is no need for tinkering, stupid tactics and stomach-turning sound bites.

An Ian Holloway inspired team playing a 442 would walk this division. It really is so poor.

To be fair, we shouldn't be surprised at all. This is what a Barnet supporter posted on a forum:

In reference to Hendon signing new players, when he was in charge at Barnet in season 2009/10 and the team was starting to slide down the table, Hendon signed a number of players on loan such as Craig McAllister and Callum Butcher, a young defender from Spurs but they only stayed for a handful of matches and were very ineffective; McAllister didn't score a single goal. Later in the season, he started signing players on short term contracts such as David Livermore who was useless and then a lot of fuss was made about a new Zealand international called Chris James who then only made a couple of substitute appearances. Lee Sawyer, who did look good, was promptly released after a couple of games. Ben Wright who joined on loan in April came on as a substitute once. The only really decent player he signed during this spell was Ed Upson from Ipswich who did look very good but he was often on the bench too. His recruitment that season was awful. 

On 1 December 2009, we drew 1-1 at home to Bournemouth, who were promoted at the end of the season, and we were very unlucky not to win and I think that we were 6th or 7th at the time. From then until Hendon was sacked after losing at Accrington in late April, we won 4 league games and lost 15. We won on the last day of the season, two weeks after Hendon was sacked, and stayed up (just). 

The posters who have said that Hendon is tactically poor are spot on. At the start of the season, when we were doing really well, a lot of the play was coming through our two wingers, Albert Adomah and Yannick Bolasie (yes pretty good players at that level), but after a while the other clubs sussed that our only tactic seemed to be to give them the ball and let them run at defenders and cross the ball for our strikers (John O'Flynn and Paul Furlong) to get on the end of them. The teams started heavily marking Adomah and Bolasie and the service dried up and Hendon didn't have a plan B and the team plummetted down the table. 

Given the players we had at the club at the time, there was no way we should have been down the bottom of the table. Hendon was agreat player and captain for the Bees and started really well as a manager but when things start to go wrong he doesn't have a clue hw to turn things round. I cannot see any way that he will get Orient out of League Two. Unless it's to go into the National League! If it were up to me, I'd get shot of him now.

Furthermore, I believe I have a theory as to why Hendon is disliked by so many in such a short space of time. Read on my avid listener.

This is a story about bending the truth

Purely by chance (because I'm waiting for the new Stephen King book for Xmas) I'm reading a book about football management throughout the football league. It's called 'Living on the Volcano' by Michael Calvin (who has backed the O's several times and in his previous book 'Family' offers an amazing insight into Alan Dunne). The book opens with a fantastic chapter on Martin Ling, mentions Dean Smith and also speaks of the ridiculous situation that Russell Slade got caught up in with Becchetti last season. But I digress from the person I want to quote.

Sean Dyche:

If you want me to be brutal, if you're going to BS people, you'd better remember your BS. But if you're going to be honest, you don't have to remember anything because you've told it how you see it. That's why I won't project to my players about honesty or authenticity without delivering it. I don't spin. I'm not trying to work an angle.

Simply put, Dyche has nailed it. Be honest, show integrity and don't mess people around. Yeah some will love you, some won't but at least you're genuine and people know where they stand.

Now I can't prove that Hendon is lying. But something's just don't add up to me and time after time it does appear that Hendon is trying to cover his tracks.

From day one the appointment was a bit odd and shrouded in mystery:

• Club announce at 22:28 on a Thursday evening that Hendon is appointed (that's just odd and not 'Orient')
• No details of the deal mentioned (length of contract)
• Position is Head Coach (not manager)
• Extensive recruitment process - http://www.leytonorient.com/news/article/leyton-orient-name-ian-hendon-as-new-boss-2474875.aspx
• In regards to the recruitment process Becchetti has since mentioned he appointed Hendon because Ian approached him directly and had a short chat
• Can't start until a month later (bizarre)

Jobi McAnuff:

• Jobi spent the summer playing for Jamaica and got them to the finals of a cup where he was playing against Messi. He was a star player.
• After reporting on his exploits throughout the summer, the club offer him a squad number for the season, then tell him not to bother to turn up for the team photo.
• Hendon hopes Jobi will move - http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/13599780.Orient_boss_Hendon_will_try_to_help_McAnuff_move_to_Championship_club/
• Hendon open to sending McAnuff out on loan - http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/sport/13754492.Orient_boss_Hendon_may_consider_sending_McAnuff_out_on_loan/
• Hendon happy with McAnuff - http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/football/leyton-orient/hendon_hails_mcanuff_s_commitment_1_4339961

Dean Cox:

• Cox's nose was put out when he was told he weren't in the squad for the Morecambe game. He sat in the stands.
• Why not tell him before he travelled? Was he lied to? Whatever, it's just petty.

Banning the Guardian Series:

• Banning them from talking to the players - http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/sport/13877018.Leyton_Orient_boss_Hendon_bans_Guardian_Series_from_speaking_to_players/
• No, actually it was all a misunderstanding - http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/13877419.Leyton_Orient_release_statement_over_post_match_player_interviews/

Hotelgate:

• Failing to mention it to anyone at all. Until the DailyMail picked up on it. Then it all went a bit.. 'it's just a group of lads getting to know each other, happens all the time thing..' - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3324144/Go-room-Leyton-Orient-s-stars-forced-week-long-stay-100-night-hotel-suffering-defeat-Hartlepool.html
• If we'd have known, nobody would have cared. In fact it was a pretty decent idea.

Amazing Players:

• In one of Ian's programme notes, we were to be amazed at the players we were trying to sign.
• We didn't sign anyone and Ian whinged that nobody good enough would drop down to League Two. We then get beat by Hartlepool by a youngster. On loan. Who'd they'd signed that week. From Crystal Palace. Round the corner.

Dagnall:

• Ian is going to speak with the owner about Dagnall - http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/sport/14133814.Orient_boss_Hendon_to_speak_to_owner_about_possibility_of_bringing_Dagnall_back_to_club/
• Really Ian? With your track record should you have said this?

January Transfer Window:

• Ian is going to speak with the owner about players coming in in January - http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/football/leyton-orient/hendon_timing_of_scunthorpe_goals_was_key_1_4349763
• Really Ian?

After the Scunthorpe defeat:

• “I need to pick those players up. It is not the end of the world. We have lost a game of football. Yes it was a massive prize, but we have Yeovil on Saturday and it has always been about trying to get promoted.”
• Oh dear

Harry Lee:

• After threatening to make changes to the team after the Accrington defeat, Harry Lee was recalled from his loan at Welling
• Lee sits on the bench for the Staines match
• Lee is sent back to Welling on loan
• Team reverts back to normal

Jay Simpson:

• Jay is going nowhere
• Jay is available at the right price

To sum it all up

I think from day one Ian Hendon was brought in as a yes man and has to constantly toe the line. Yeah funds are available, the owners backing me to the hilt, everything is rosy. It isn't fine and dandy Ian and stop treating us mug punters like fools. We can see something isn't right.

It's obvious from the above points that you've tied yourself up in knots and now have to lie to cover previous lies. Practically every report i read is contradictory. It don't matter what you do now, you're being ridiculed because we don't trust you.

That's why you've lost me, most of the supporters and also the players too looking at the last few games.

It's why you've come across as unlike-able from the first day. Because it's dishonest. We can see through it all now. Did you really want a small squad? Did you really want Jobi gone? Did you really want the Dover job that much? Did you really tell the players not to talk to Guardian newspapers? Were you as honest with Coxy as you could've been? Were you trying to bring in amazing players? Why do you only seem able to sign players from West Ham, Gillingham and live in Kent / South London? Are you playing the pals act?

Even if you told me the answers to these questions i wouldn't believe you.

Look around you, look at your peers, young managers are humble, appreciative of their surroundings, learning their trade, picking up knowledge, building contacts. You've basically done the polar opposite, claimed we're aiming for the top three, thought you knew it all and when the going got tough you square up to people, we've seen you do it. Alternatively you send little Hess to speak with the press.

Every week someone else is to blame, you can only do that once you've earned respect and achieved.

So there it is, the Orient house of cards is falling down. A house built on bending the truth.

Ian Hendon, '..We're Bored..' & The Yeovil Debacle

What I've just witnessed at the O's this weekend wasn't acceptable. From what I've been reading, it doesn't appear to have been acceptable to the other 4,406 fans in attendance too. Even the forum keyboard warriors, Twitterati, idiotic Facebook groups and exiles around the World also seem united that it wasn't acceptable.

Yeovil started the weekend at the absolute bottom of the Football League, 92nd position without a win in 15 league games, came to Brisbane Road and outplayed us for long spells in the match that our own Head Coach (not Manager, we'll come to this later) deemed as a 'must-win'.

If it wasn't for the fact that McAnuff scored the best goal on the planet this weekend we'd have lost. Gone out with a whimper. No fight, controlled aggression, pressure. Nothing.

I'm glad for Jobi for three reasons:

• He's been treated appallingly by the club
• It was a sublime individual strike, that nobody else can claim credit for (like the management team)
• His mere presence on the pitch galvanised the rest of the players

Totally forgot about it but Yeovil should've had a penalty in the last few minutes to win it that could've done us all a favour.

Here's someone's view from the forum if you fancy reading a bit more about it..

Yet again Hendon fails to surprise us by yet again putting out negative starting elevens that in his own image look absolutely petrified of losing. Remember this is bottom of the table Yeovil we are talking about and yet staggeringly it still seemed to me that Payne and James were given instructions not to cross the half way line. The build up play in the first half was breathtakingly slow with sideways tip taps in our own half and NO penetration at all. Then finally high balls to young Kashket with his 6ft 4 marker behind him. Total shambles. What coaching is there ? 

Hendon stubbornly refuses to go 442 from the start because he's too scared. Invariably we revert to that after we have all suffered a heavy dose of Hendon's turgid boring negative nonsense that he dishes up. Again from the start there was no width. Hendon would argue that he played Turgott but why wasnt he hugging the touchline? The only thing he has is pace so why was this not used ? Why did he keep dropping inside ? Frankly he's not good enough and its blindingly obvious we need a right winger. As for McAnuff suffering the indignity of starting as a sub, this nonsense typifies Hendon's reign. Personally i don't care if he is leggy , he has class and we all know that he can produce. Turgott or McAnuff ? I know who would have my vote. Surely the first rule of management is that you cant afford to leave your best players out. Oh dear that wonder strike must have been a wee bit embarrassing for our leader.

Yes. It really was that bad. It was so bad, that the 3 media outlets (Guardian Orient, BBC, Archant Group) and official club press people on their Twitter feed couldn't agree on the formation or what was going on.

But an amazing thing happened in the 70th minute. People started waving their phones about and declaring in no uncertain terms, that they were bored. I've never witnessed anything like that at Brisbane Road before (maybe technology wouldn't have previously allowed it), nevertheless the message was loud and clear. To the tune of  'Sloop John B' the chant of 'We're ..... Bored' rang out. Hendon and Hessenthaler shrunk back to the dugout.

There was even a solitary light from a mobile phone in the Directors balcony, couldn't tell you who it was from the South Stand though.

I just think the message may have got through.

 #lofc pic.twitter.com/8sybiIeBOi

— ORIENT_JAY_ (@orient_jay_) December 19, 2015

#LOFC pic.twitter.com/IPiokAgi2R

— Conor (@ConorMonk_) December 19, 2015

#lofc pic.twitter.com/WYT3chVNqD

— Simon Bernstein (@simonbernstein) December 19, 2015

Close the door on your way out please Mr Hendon.

We're now more than a third of the way through the season and something has become quite apparent. We need a new manager.

Ian Hendon's stock has fallen so low after his admirable start that it is seriously becoming a problem for the club.

Here's a list of stuff that has annoyed me about Hendon. If i've missed anything off, contact me and i'll add it.

• Trying to be Big Sam
• You ain't Big Sam, you're Ian Hendon. You haven't achieved anything near what Big Sam has as a manager yet and until you do stop trying to be clever with the media, fans, players and the club. It was working after 5 games because you earned that right. However now you look a prick trying to do it having won 3 in the last 3 months.

• Attitude
• It's never Hendon's fault. Definitely got a touch of the Ben Chorley's about him.
• Constant lying. Being outspoken and then not backing it up at all. Eg.. Signing players, offering out fans.
• Talking in riddles. Just answer the questions asked of you by the press people.
• Banning the local media. Then saying it was a misunderstanding.

• Mismanaging his players. 
• Took Cox up to some far flung Northern destination and didn't even put him on the bench. This course of action should be enough to get him the sack on it's own. Not because Cox is untouchable, but quite simply because he was replaced in the squad by a 16-year old who didn't have a hope in hell of getting on the pitch.
• Absurdly stating that Simpson should bag more goals. I can think of a lot more players who deserve criticism before Simpson.
• The treatment of Lloyd James has been despicable. Just what has he done wrong? He was the holding figure in what was a quite remarkable start to the season. Statistics will tell you we're a better team with him in it.
• Recalling Harry Lee and sending him back to Welling for a giggle was just baffling.
• Bringing Maguire in from Liverpool and not using him whilst at the same time burning that bridge wasn't masterful in the slightest.
• Treating Alan Dunne like a cack-stain on the club. Granted he's been absolutely pony, but the way how he's been replaced by someone who hasn't played football since May and also a 19-year-old has pretty much left us with a liability on our books for the next two-years.

• Experience / Lack of Contacts

• Talking up your many contacts in the game but then nothing comes from it.
• Whining that players won't join a League Two side.
• Only being able to sign ex West Ham youth players and Dover and Gillingham rejects.
• If you sign non-league players, expect non-league performances. Yeah you might pick up the odd decent player. But you haven't.

I could go on about team selections, formations, style of play, lack of cover in the signings made. But i just can't be bothered. I've not even really touched on the McAnuff debacle or the bull about staying in hotels.

Let's just say a decent manager with experience would have us easily in the top three of this division. The fact that we really are this bad and still in the play-offs is almost as bad as getting relegated last season with the team we had.

Cisak, Baudry, Dunne, James, McAnuff, Turgott, Pritchard, Payne, Cox, Simpson and Marquis have all played and been adept at at least League One level. The fact that we're struggling this season is down to bad management and lack of tactical awareness.

Hendon & Hessnthaler have to go.

Where it went wrong for Ian Hendon

It was the pursuit of Jack Payne that has proved to be Ian Hendon's downfall. Allow me to explain.

Let me start by saying that Jack Payne is a fine footballer. If you follow me on twitter you've probably garnered that I'm not his biggest fan. That isn't quite true, i just think that Ian Hendon is playing him about 15-20 yards too deep in a division of outright mediocrity.

I'm not gonna lie to you, we've played Peterborough a lot over the last few years and I can't say he ever stood out for me, but whatever the case, he gets stuck in, can spray a pass about and generally keeps things ticking over.

So why is he the cause of Ian Hendon's problems?

Simply put, we just don't need him. Lloyd James, Sammy Moore, Bradley Pritchard, Jobi McAnuff were already in situ. And all but Sammy Moore have played consistently at a higher level. Harry Lee is meant to be decent too.

Plus we started the season on fire with James, Moore and Pritchard. That midfield trio was quite settled and didn't need disrupting. Even Cox looked OK at the tip of the diamond.

Having said that, he's arguably the second best player of that bunch with Lloyd and all are somewhat short of what McAnuff(if coached and played) is capable.

But what Hendon should have been doing in that transfer window was spending the money elsewhere.

It's sheer lunacy that we've started the season with only a single left-back in the squad who had never played league football before.

Another centre-back would have been good and also a right-winger.

But no. We pursued a player who we didn't need.

Hendon has fucked this up royally and it's hitting home now. Even Becchetti has backed you.

Post Apocalypse: Leyton Orient Managerial Stats 2014/15

That's it. We're relegated. I'm sure that we'll pore over the finer details in a few days time (i already have 3 blog posts drafted) but for the time being, here's some interesting managerial stats from this season (League Matches Only):

Mauro Milanese (Played: 5, Won: 1, Drew: 1, Lost: 3):
Our worst performing manager of the season.

If we extrapolated these results over a season we'd have been relegated with 37 points. Finishing in 24th place.

Kevin Nugent (Played: 6, Won: 1, Drew: 2, Lost: 3):
Not much better than Milanese but equally not worth getting excited about.

Taking these results over 46 matches we'd have finish in 24th again with 38 points.

Fabio Liverani (Played: 27, Won: 8, Drew: 6, Lost: 13):
This is where it starts to get interesting. Fabio's win % is the highest of any manager we've had this season. Unfortunately he just couldn't hold out for draws because his loss % is on par with Milanese & Nugent. Fabio also has the honour of conceding the most goals per game.

With Fabio's results extrapolated over the season, we'd have still been relegated, finishing in 21st position with 51 points.

Russell Slade (Played: 8, Won: 2, Drew: 4, Lost: 2):
Russell couldn't buy a win for love nor money at the start of the season and was given his ultimatum and duly left.

What Russell could do was hang in there with his results. We weren't getting beat often and the goal difference was neutral. His win % was lower than Liverani, but his loss % is by far the best of the other three managers this season.

Taking Russell's results over a season would've had us finishing in 15th place with 58 points.

Conclusion:
Using averages the only manager to have kept us up this season would've been Russell Slade.

Interestingly, Russell's career stats at Orient have him finishing each season on average with 70 points (P: 242, W:103, D:61, L:78) which is quite impressive for Orient. 70 points would've seen us in the play-offs.

Throw into the mix that historically Slade's teams got better over the course of the season makes sacking him, or giving him an ultimatum illogical and probably one of many catalyst for our dire season.

To rub salt into the wounds Slade has actually performed better at Cardiff than he did at the O's and is averaging 65 points over a 46 game season at Cardiff compared to his 58 points he would've achieved at Brisbane Road this season. This may indicate that he does improve over the course of a season.

So there you have it. Pick the bones out of all that.

The need for Darius Henderson and wingers.

When we played Crawley away, i thought that Henderson put in one of the worst performances i've seen from an O's player in recent years.

Henderson - Got plenty of stick from the away support for not winning a single header all match or even really putting himself about. A fella of his stature shouldn't be in the pockets of defenders.

I also wrote:

One statistic that you might come across is that we probably put in about 70-odd crosses. And we did. So why didn't we score? Because not one cross was put in with conviction. Not one from the by-line. NOT ONCE DID A WINGER OR FULL-BACK GET PAST THEIR LAST MAN AND PUT A CROSS IN. NOT ONCE. Every cross was from deep. Practically the half-way line.

So i  thought i'd look at Henderson's goals this season.

Not very surprisingly most of his goals come from a ball that has been whipped in and he's attacked it.

More surprisingly is that when Henderson is picked to start, we lump balls at him from deep. This makes him look clumsy, pedestrian and pretty useless. Like at Crawley.

It also smacks of a team that has run out of ideas and a coaching team with no actual idea. If i can figure it out why can't 'football' people.

Look at this clip of Darius Henderson scoring from the recent match against Crewe.

That's Marvin Bartley beating the last man and putting a cross in with conviction for Henderson to attack.

Now look at this clip of Darius Henderson scoring against Gillingham.

That's also Henderson attacking a cross-ball from Dagnall.

And again we've got Cuthbert beating the last man and whipping a ball in vs Swindon.

And a fine attacking header from Henderson.

Lovely ball in from McAnuff with pace at the back-post at Fleetwood.

Powerful header from Henderson.

There's a few others too where he hasn't powered in a header, but attacked the ball in front of him.

If i were in charge of the O's tomorrow i'd play with Dagnall and Henderson upfront, push McAnuff / Cox and Hedges / Batt right up the pitch trying to beat the last man and putting crosses in.

I'd also have Lloyd James in the middle trying to feed the ball into Dagnall's tireless running. Bartley can break up the play from the middle and drive forward if he gets the chance.

I'd go for consistency at the back with Clarke and Baudry in the middle, Cuthbert at right-back and Omozusi at left-back. They didn't do too bad for us in them positions last year.

Cisak in goal.

Though i fully expect another random selection from Liverani. He doesn't do himself any favours does he?

Going down.

'There's so much going wrong at Orient at the moment it's hard to pinpoint what the cause is' - That's how the saying goes.

But it's actually quite simple where to appoint the blame. Fabio Liverani.

Yeah you might harp on about how Slade brought in a few pensioners, dodgy keepers, engineered a move to Cardiff and f*cked us all up but that was something like 30 games ago. Liverani has had about 20 games to weigh up the squad and sort something out.

But he hasn't. What he has managed to do is coach the best parts out of arguably our best player (Cox), sent the only striker we have that can hold the ball out on loan to Stevenage (Lisbie) and probably the most cardinal sin to disrupt any harmony left in the camp, play loan players ahead of your own squad players.

By the way.. What has happened to Omozusi and Batt?

There's no tactics, no game plan, and when we do actually put in a performance it's more through luck than judgement. A broken clock is accurate twice a day.

The simple fact that we played the most form team in Barnsley off the park and have just spent 90 minutes playing in Crawley's half goes to show that the players we have are definitely of league one quality (at least), we just lack a decent manager and coaching team.

We've all said it this season. A decent manager would easily have this team in the play-offs. Other league one teams must look at ours in envy. Cox, Vincelot, McAnuff, Simpson, Dossena, Cuthbert, Lisbie, Dagnall. They would all walk into pretty much any other league one team.

Having said all that, my rant is borne out of frustration of today's match against Crawley.

Now Crawley are crap. Absolute dire. Not quite as bad as Yeovil and probably on par with Colchester. A similar level of players to Gillingham, Port Vale, Walsall, Oldham and Notts County. They also lack a decent manager, but have one who is better than ours in Dean Saunders just by his knowledge of sh1t Lower League English football. You can probably say the same about the other clubs too.

Before i tear the team apart i'll exclude Cisak the keeper because he didn't touch the ball all game and the defence for pretty much the same reason. Also Marvin Bartley who actually drove the team forward today which is something that has been lacking since Dawson went to Barnsley. For the record Bartley in my opinion played very well. I expect him to not make the bench next week and probably next appear as a sub for the last two games as part of our Italian's masterplan.

Josh Wright - I wrote a blog earlier this season about the central midfield. This is just an extension of that. Yep the boy can pass and he can definitely keep things ticking over, but who is he passing to? If you have no movement he'll look like a crab just going side to side.We all slaughtered Jack Price and Lundstram in the same way. Lloyd James too in his first season at the O's. He'll only be as good s those around him. So when we smash teams he'll look great, when we get dominated he'll look crap.

Dean Cox - He don't even look 10% of the player he can be. Whatever they're coaching him or telling him what to do, it's not working. Cox is regarded as one of the best in this division, not just once, but regularly, by numerous people. Yeah we know he's a sulking little sod and you probably lose a bit of something having him in your team, but you gain a lot more. The point with Cox is that if you ain't playing him, sell him.

O'Neill & Hedges - Pair of them didn't look interested. And this griped me a lot. We're dropping two of our own players to play this loanee pair. Slade used to get stick for not playing loanees over 'own' players, but if you want the squad pulling together get your own players in. The pair of them constantly shirked tackles and didn't give it the full 100% because this relegation battle doesn't matter to them. Omozusi would fly in, Batt gives it his all, McAnuff has started to pull his finger out.

Dagnall - He gave it his all as ever and it's no surprise that when Bartley broke forward, Wright could pull more strings, Dagnall had more space to run into and we were creating chances in the first half.

Henderson - Got plenty of stick from the away support for not winning a single header all match or even really putting himself about. A fella of his stature shouldn't be in the pockets of defenders.

Subs - Throw a hat over Mooney, Simpson and McAnuff. None of them had any impact, the subs were made at the wrong time and for the most part it all got baffling when Bartley went off. Mooney was playing in central midfield and Cuthbert had a spell as a striker.

Yep. Fabio is throwing shit up the wall to see what sticks.

Statistics - They can lie. Yep we dominate the game, had loads of the ball, double the attempts of target, loads of running, blah, blah.. and all that nonsense. One statistic that you might come across is that we probably put in about 70-odd crosses. And we did. So why didn't we score? Because not one cross was put in with conviction. Not one from the by-line. NOT ONCE DID A WINGER OR FULL-BACK GET PAST THEIR LAST MAN AND PUT A CROSS IN. NOT ONCE. Every cross was from deep. Practically the half-way line. In fairness to Henderson, who took the brunt of the criticism, what the funk can he do with a ball that's dollied into him from the half-way line? He wants a winger to beat a man and smash one across the face of goal. So i do feel a bit sorry for him.

My last rant is about that poxy corner-kick routine: Two players run over to take the corner, Wright taps it to Hedges who taps it back. Wright passes it back to O'Neill who's nearly back on the halfway line, who plops a floater into the box. I kid you not, it didn't work the first time, it didn't work the 18th time, i probably ain't gonna work all night. I don't knowwhats worse, the fact we perservered with it, or Crawley couldn't work it out. Or could they work it out and they just let us faff about with it.

Rant over. Decent players, but sent out with no tactics, gameplan, shape, co-ordination or insight into who they're playing against.

Management failure. Sack the Italian management and get a proven British manager in. Holloway would be ideal, Steven Pressley. Basically anyone who can speak English, knows the players, can get a message across and motivate them for the last 9 matches. We've got the players, just no leadership.