Phil SumblerOne of the things that I find hugely frustrating about football is the almost expected requirement for someone to say something positive when it is pretty glaringly obvious that there is no real positives to take from a performance.
I completely understand that at the same time you don’t want to be overly negative, especially as club captain, but there is a space in the middle where nothing gets said publicly especially when you know it is glaringly obvious that you are using words for the sake of it.
The performances against Luton and Millwall cannot be dressed up in any positive way. We have been dreadful in both games and any hopes of the play offs have disappeared in a period of pure mediocrity. Sure we could win the next 6 games and sneak into the play offs before beating a march to the Premier League but, let’s be frank, it isn’t going to happen and we all know that.
Which therefore begs the question as to why we have to read the words of Matt Grimes when he said yesterday
“We bounced back well on Tuesday night, I think it was a slight improvement from the game against Luton. It’s never easy going to a place like Millwall.
“I thought they set up really well and it was a tough game. We showed character to come into it, so a point was probably a good result.
“We needed a reaction, and I thought we did that.”
A bit like the boss he was watching a different game to all of us at home. And Millwall is a difficult place to go but to be fair this isn’t the Den with their fans completely behind their team it is a near empty football stadium which is already proving to be a factor in wiping out much of the home advantages that are normally seen across Europe.
Grimes though was ready to top it by adding “This year there are so many teams going for the sixth spot. But there are six games to go – it’s such a busy period with a quick turnaround. We have to make sure we’re sharp and fresh.
“We know we can do it.”
It has been said before but actions speak louder than words and when abject performance follows abject performance it is very difficult to believe in the words. As the heading says “You say it best when you say nothing at all” – where is Ronan Keating when you need him.
@psumbler.Football,being a business,is all about image whether it to fan and the Media to show the club and performances in the best light possible.This is why we see Cooper coming out with meaningless platitudes and the captain simply trying to gloss over inadequacies.Both are doomed to fail as many fans aren’t taken in,such as ours.
I dont want to be personal but I read and saw post about the late Simon Davies fan and his shirt and how touching it was to see it on the seat.Im asssuming players would have been aware of this and if not they should have .What should have followed was a performance to make Mr Davies and his family proud.What transpired was unforgivable ,insulting dross which ,jut about describes Grimes and our players.
They go through the motions pure and simple and it is down to the manager to address this isue.
Ours does not