Quote Originally Posted by jon1959 View Post
We don't need more confusion for the last 5 games.

We do need direction, motivation and confidence lifting. We need a bit of stability with selection. We need to change the catalogue of mistakes at the back and the clueless approach to set pieces.

I can see someone like Warnock injecting some positivity and confidence into the squad - as a presence around the training ground not as a replacement manager. Riza says individual players have psychologists who work with them, but there was no indication that the club or the coaching staff have actively tried to do much work with the squad as a whole to improve focus, motivation, confidence and concentration.

The players are what they are, but if we had the best version of the squad out every game we would be all right. We don't - they blow hot and cold. Most are capable of a 7 performance or better, but then next game (or next half) fear, confusion, apathy or poor concentration throws up a 4 or a 5.

I don't know what Riza and the coaches are capable of doing with the defence beyond selection decisions, but that is the biggest problem to solve. Work on corners, free kicks and throw ins must surely happen every week - but there is not much evidence of it on match days. A new coach to work on that for the next month - and a new face/voice on the training ground - might make the difference.
To me, when you're a struggling team, struggling with confidence, the last thing you need is looking across at the halfway line and seeing Riza standing there with his hands in pockets looking gormless. If Warnock was only to show a tad of leadership, authority, even respect [which I suspect for Riza has long gone], then maybe we'll scrape a win instead of a draw. Colwill's set pieces las night did not have the look a someone who's expecting a b*llocking.