It was a late one on Tuesday night.
That trip to Gateshead never gets any easier, especially after a defeat. I got back around 3am, and already I had been asked by the media what my view was of a lot of the criticism that was flowing on the social media sites after the game.
Firstly, I should state that football is a game of opinions. It’s what makes the sport great. And I have no problem with someone who doesn’t share the same opinion as me. That’s what football is all about.
I was disappointed to hear so much being said about formations, and my decision to go with one striker and an extra midfielder at Gateshead
We played two up front at the weekend against Grimsby, and chances were at a bare minimum.
Against Gateshead, away from home and after a long journey, we tried to get an extra body in midfield and control the game, which I felt we did much better than we have done at times this season, especially in the first half.
At the end of the day, formations are what you make of them and you only have to look at the very top of the game to see that. It is all about players. People can have their say on what went wrong, and point fingers, but we were undone by errors at Gateshead, like on most occasions this year, nothing more.
Their first goal was a great strike, but we could have done things better leading up to it. The second goal came from a set piece, and was particularly disappointing as we didn’t pick up our men
And then the third came from an error, a square pass in the middle of the field. You can’t legislate for that. It can happen whatever system is played. There are no excuses.
If someone like Jose Mourinho is not immune to criticism, after everything he has achieved, then why would I be? I admit there have been mistakes made by myself and I will take sole responsibility for our current position, but so much negativity isn’t going to help anyone.
I’m not one to shout from the rooftops when we are doing well, but I take great pride, personally, in what we have achieved over the last three years. We have won three promotions and three league titles in that period, but obviously that can be forgotten quickly and I am well aware it’s all about now.
We know we need to improve. We know we need a bit of energy at the top end of the pitch. The trouble is that those players are not currently available and, believe me, I am working morning, noon and night to get this right.
Anybody who knows me knows I am very approachable and, as a fan-owned club, I believe that is a big part of my responsibilities. If anybody has any questions, concerns or general opinions, I will be at the CFU meeting tonight and I will answer them.
We will continue to work hard to improve our league position.
