“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic”

Extremely poor management from a manager who is looking increasingly out of his depth, it has to be said. Liddle and Parkes have never and will never work as central defensive two – so it’s hardly a shock we conceded two goals of the highest defensive ineptitude. I’m not sure what Liddle thought he was doing for the first goal, you certainly couldn’t call it defending. Our organisation for the second goal was non-existent much like any communication from Captain Fantastic, or anyone else in a blue shirt for that matter.

And as for our overall tactics? What an absolute sh_t show. Where was Etuhu supposed to be playing? Why did we lack any width on the right hand side of our team? Why were we pumping long balls up towards Bennett all afternoon and what did Yates think he was playing at? To create so little at home against a side (with all due respect) of Morecambe’s character is an embarrassment. Then we have our subsitutions, throwing players on in random fashion hoping for the best without any actual clue what you’re doing. Fair enough take a defender off, but when you’re chasing goals at home you do not take your centre-forward off (especially when you bring a genuine winger on). McCarron found himself in excellent positions time and again but found himself crossing to thin air as Bennett had been removed from the fray. So tactically inept it’s painful to watch.

Please Sheridan, have the decency and honesty to apologise to the supporters for having to endure another horror show thanks to your own tactics, team selection and lack of discipline and organisation. Don’t disrespect the fans by continuing with the “we played well” bullsh_t. Suck it up and be honest for a change.

Collin – 3 – Poor effort for the first goal, these type of saves should really go to wide areas rather than back centrally into the danger area. Was non-existent for the second goal (although he wasn’t the only one) and his stiffness and poor communication didn’t help the defence today.

Miller – 5 – Quite a refreshing change to have a genuine right-back on the pitch and got Liddle out of jail on a couple of occasions. Also used the football very well, some of those balls down the channel to Nadesan in the first half were of excellent quality. It’s a shame for him he was part of a defence which conceded two goals at home to Morecambe however, so you’re never going to see high marks for that – but on this performance I’d keep him in the team.

Liddle – 0 – Says it all about Sheridan’s current awareness Liddle is captain. I’m hoping this is just an attempt to talk Liddle up into good form like he did with Etuhu. However, it is (sadly) irrelevant how confident you are when you are inept defensively. His defensive effort for the first goal was excruciating and it’s typical Liddle when he plays centrally. You might as well play with no defender and an extra forward or midfielder than play Liddle as a centre-back. He can just about get away with playing right full-back but when he’s at the core of your defence he’s a disaster area and a liability.

Parkes – 3 – Struggling alongside Liddle today, but unless you’re Clint Hill you’re always going to struggle in fairness. When your central defensive partner is numb as a lamp-post, quieter than a church mouse and has the positional sense of a limping donkey it can’t be easy. It’s like Parkes is so distracted by the horror show going on alongiside him he can’t concentrate on defending. He needs to forget the insult of who is wearing the captain’s armband and actually tell Liddle, in plain Anglo-Saxon where to stand and what to do.

Gillesphey – 4 – Used the ball quite well but I’m not really sure what he was doing defending that corner. I can’t blame it all on Liddle, Gillesphey is supposed to be a centre-back so should be stronger in the air. Linked with the midfield quite well but not his greatest afternoon.

Jones – 6 – Busy, involved and the fulcrum of our midfield. I’m really hoping he isn’t fully fit because he was easily not the worst player on the pitch when substituted. Some of his passing was excellent, his awareness very good and worked tirelessly in front of the back four all afternoon.

Etuhu – 1 – Playing Etuhu in a more advanced position worked very well against a team like Oldham, who were looking to play the ball from in front of their back four. However, today – against a team who came to defend and nick a goal or two playing him in such an advanced position was a waste of a shirt. When we got hold of the ball it was usually in deep positions leaving Etuhu lost in no-man’s land. He was neither close enough to our midfielders nor close enough to our forwards to link any play or pick up any loose balls. In fact, this was the kind of numb, pedestrian performance so typical of Etuhu under Curle. It was plainly obvious from early in the game he was not having any influence and he was slowing to an un-confident crawl – but it wasn’t until the manager made his desperate substitutions he was pulled back into a deeper position and all this ended up doing was completely disrupting the balance of the team.

Sowerby – 2 – Allegedly one of our more creative players but his passing was predictable, his crossing awful and his shooting horrendous. I’m struggling to remember too many influential things he did today. Yes he gets the ball and moves it on quickly, but in terms of actual impact this was a really poor performance.

Yates – 1 – Looks like he can barely beat an egg, let alone his full-back. Lots of busy looking runs to nowhere, awful crossing, disgraceful attempts at shooting interspersed with about a hundred attempts at dribbling past his full-back which all failed. In a defensive role last week he looked great – when he’s asked to attack he looks utter toilet.

Bennett – 3 – Won a few headers but was given precious little to work with in terms of crosses and balls to his feet in and around the penalty area. The afternoon was there for Bennett when McCarron came on and the crosses started coming in but the manager decided to substitute him.

Nadesan – 3 – Tireless running today but his head too easily goes down when things aren’t happening. Some of his touches were, frankly, very poor and by his own standards he wasted two great opportunities in the first half. Struggled to lead the line alone when Bennett went off, but this will always happen – he’s not strong enough to play upfront as a one.

Subs:

McCarron – 6* - A ray of sunshine on a rainy afternoon. Great to see a winger who can beat his man with a bit of skill and pace and put a decent cross into the box – it’s a shame the rest of the team were standing around in midfield scratching their nuts. He deserves a league start, Morecambe could not cope with him and the sooner he plays the sooner he’ll improve.

Glendon – 4 – Looked a bit more like the Glendon from the start of the season, spraying the ball around from the middle of the park, although to little effect.

Slater – 2 – A pointless pair of legs in central midfield, did nothing and certainly didn’t improve us.