The Admirable Carey

This might sound a bit odd. I found Brian Carey’s press conference after the Wycombe game moving.


What struck me was the dignity of the man. Try to put yourself in his shoes. He has just been removed from his position. How would you feel rolling in to do your job in the morning if you had just been demoted?


Furthermore, this was a very public matter. Everyone with an interest in football knows what has happened, and you will have to face questions about it afterwards. The manner in which he faced these questions impressed me.


As he perched himself on the edge of his desk to answer questions, starting off with a witty comment which put a tense press corps at ease, I was struck by two key facets of his personality.


The first one was his dignity. I’ve used that word before to describe the man; it springs into my mind when discussing him. He has never, even in the most trying times, let his demeanour slip. He’s clearly been churning inside sometimes, but that never changed his behaviour.


The second is a remarkable lack of ego. Life in general and football in particular is heavily peopled with preening peacocks, desperate to brag about the tiniest achievement, always looking to bow their own trumpet. Their appearance to others, their standing amongst their peers, their desire to scramble ahead of the rest, is everything.


It’s a rare pleasure to find a man who doesn’t conform to these standards, but as a relaxed Carey explained his position I realised that he is one of those people. He has said from the outset that his first priority is Wrexham Football Club, and his behaviour over the last few days has shown exactly that. Would you accept a demotion for the good of your employer?


The other thing to come out of this situation as the dust settles is a surprising one. It seems the board might have pulled off a very clever piece of management! In finding an original solution to the problems on the pitch they might manage to hold onto two men whose talents are clearly crucial to the future of the club, albeit in a different capacity.


Rich, my co-commentator, has long suggested that Carey has the potential to be a fine manager in the future, but that he was appointed too soon. If the board’s approach works we might be able to benefit from his maturation.


Of course, Carey was right to point out on Wednesday that nothing is sorted yet. We don’t know who is coming in, and he might decide to bring in his own backroom staff. What will the board would do if their chosen man says he’ll only do the job if the previous manager is not around, looking over his shoulder? I hope it doesn’t come to that, because I suspect it just won’t be a problem. The lack of ego that Carey has shown proves that he’s a big enough man to put service to the club first.

The Admirable Carey

This might sound a bit odd. I found Brian Carey’s press conference after the Wycombe game moving.

What struck me was the dignity of the man. Try to put yourself in his shoes. He has just been removed from his position. How would you feel rolling in to do your job in the morning if you had just been demoted?

Furthermore, this was a very public matter. Everyone with an interest in football knows what has happened, and you will have to face questions about it afterwards. The manner in which he faced these questions impressed me.

As he perched himself on the edge of his desk to answer questions, starting off with a witty comment which put a tense press corps at ease, I was struck by two key facets of his personality.

The first one was his dignity. I’ve used that word before to describe the man; it springs into my mind when discussing him. He has never, even in the most trying times, let his demeanour slip. He’s clearly been churning inside sometimes, but that never changed his behaviour.

The second is a remarkable lack of ego. Life in general and football in particular is heavily peopled with preening peacocks, desperate to brag about the tiniest achievement, always looking to bow their own trumpet. Their appearance to others, their standing amongst their peers, their desire to scramble ahead of the rest, is everything.

It’s a rare pleasure to find a man who doesn’t conform to these standards, but as a relaxed Carey explained his position I realised that he is one of those people. He has said from the outset that his first priority is Wrexham Football Club, and his behaviour over the last few days has shown exactly that. Would you accept a demotion for the good of your employer?

The other thing to come out of this situation as the dust settles is a surprising one. It seems the board might have pulled off a very clever piece of management! In finding an original solution to the problems on the pitch they might manage to hold onto two men whose talents are clearly crucial to the future of the club, albeit in a different capacity.

Rich, my co-commentator, has long suggested that Carey has the potential to be a fine manager in the future, but that he was appointed too soon. If the board’s approach works we might be able to benefit from his maturation.

Of course, Carey was right to point out on Wednesday that nothing is sorted yet. We don’t know who is coming in, and he might decide to bring in his own backroom staff. What will the board would do if their chosen man says he’ll only do the job if the previous manager is not around, looking over his shoulder? I hope it doesn’t come to that, because I suspect it just won’t be a problem. The lack of ego that Carey has shown proves that he’s a big enough man to put service to the club first.

Progress of Sorts!

Yesterday was definitely a step in the right direction. For once everything that could go wrong didn't go wrong! Okay, considering the way our season has been going the missed penalty did have a certain inevitability about it, but Anthony Williams' two iojury time saves broke a pattern. For us to batter a side and not concede the winner when they manage their only real effort on goal in injury time's a real step forward! Maybe the cruel god of irony has finally left us alone!

Sadly Inevitable

It’s a shame that Brian Carey’s tenure came to a premature end, but the events of the last few weeks made it inevitable.

Carey is a man who has made a huge contribution to Wrexham Football Club, and his demeanour as player, coach and manager has deservedly won him a lot of friends. Sadly the amount of goodwill and respect he has earned could not outweigh the facts.

The notable milestones in Carey's reign are negatives. He suffered the worst start of any Wrexham manager, having to wait until his tenth match before registering a win, and also saw his side suffer the second longest run without victory and equal the second longest run of games without a goal in the club's one hundred and thirty-five year history.

All those landmarks were established last season though, and after managing to survive relegation to the Conference by the skin of our teeth last season, we were seized by optimism in the Summer. A pre-season under Carey, with the chance for him to build and prepare his own squad, was seen as an opportunity to go forwards. Unfortunately it hasn't turned out like that.

Matters have hardly been helped by the fact that Carey's fate has been debated publicly like that of no other Wrexham manager before him. Neville Dickens' remarks before the Barnet game were unhelpful in the extreme, but Carey has alsoput pressure on himself. He labelled three home games as must-win, but lost two of them, one by a disastrous 4-0 margin. If you make such public pronouncements then don’t get results the vultures are bound to start circling.

Furthermore, he took a huge gamble on the Barnet game which backfired spectacularly. The side featured a swathe of green defenders as we went into a huge match, prompting one of my colleagues in the press corps to describe the team sheet as a suicide note. As the inexperienced defence crumbled it seemed an accurate description.

The fact is that the Barnet debacle fitted into an alarming pattern. Of our last seven home games we've lost four to mediocre opposition which was able to capitalise on our toothlessness in the second half. Factor in a good thumping by Chesterfield and you have a problem. Few managers survive a run of seven losses in the last eight home games. In total we've only scored in two of our nine home games this season, conceding seventeen.

We should remember that Carey saved us from the jaws of disaster last season. Up until he plumped for a settled side and a solid 4-4-2 and got that run going, things had looked bleak as he seemed to be casting around for a solution, switching personnel and systems, looking for an answer. Sadly we have seen a similar pattern emerge this season.

Of course, Carey should not bear the blame alone. The players have not bailed him out when he needed them. Ask a regular fan who has been our best player so far this season and you're likely to see a lot of head-scratching. No one has been consistently good, and that's a huge part of the problem which Carey can't be held accountable for.

Yet surprisingly the board might ultimately have handled the situation well. It would be a huge shame if Carey was lost to the club, completing a cull of the club's senior figures. At the start of 2007 we could call upon the experience of Denis Smith, Kevin Russell, Darren Ferguson and Carey. The rash decision to remove Smith precipitated a brain drain which has cost us dear. If Carey is willing to remain and work under a new manager, it will be a measure of the man’s commitment to the club, and a rare feather in the cap of a board who have managed to remove a manager without losing his expertise.

Is Carey Gone?

Heaven knows what's going on! Can he realistically continue as an assistant after being manager? This is all very confusing!

Supposedly we'll be appointing Brian Little, Brian Flynn, John Aldridge and Matt Busby as boss on Thursday.

Keep It On The Floor!

There have been plenty of lows over the last year, but the second half of the Shrewsbury match was hard work. Watching us pump long balls at strikers who are not known for their aerial ability was dispiriting.

It was especially pointless once Neil Roberts had been taken off as at least he was causing their centre-backs some discomfort, although he has been forced to fight that fight all season; I am unshakable in my belief that Roberts will cause problems for League Two defences if he is given service to his feet or chest. However, he has been fighting for high balls all season, and although he wins his fair share, he's just not that sort of striker.

Reality Check

I'm generally seen as someone who tries to look on the positive side of things when it comes to Wrexham. It has become something of a running joke to my family that no matter how disappointing the result my analysis will come back to the notion that we were unlucky, robbed or somehow emerged the moral victors. For the first time in my life I can't see it that way any more.

On paper we look like a half decent side, but sadly the points aren't decided on paper; they're decided on the pitch. There's a patent lack of confidence and the results have collapsed. Just look at the facts. We can't buy a point at the moment. No one has lost more games than us in the entire country. No one has scored fewer home goals than s in the entire country. No one in the Football League has fewer points than us. It's getting hard to keep a brave face.

How to manage

I'm not sure beimg able to rant like Heather Mills is a sign of a good manager, but the common cry from Wrexham for someone to get stuck into the team's an interesting one. The question to ask's how would you react to a good rollocking at work? Would being screamed at double your productivity or demotivate you? If you work in an office would you really bust a gut if the boss abused you, or just feel a bit less guilty about the time you spend surfing the net when he's not looking? Likewise, if you work in a fast food joint a carpetting is surely more likely to make you spit in the burgers isn't it? I'm not saying motivation doesn't exist, or that it can be achieved only by the carrot, not the stick. However, both Arsene Wenger and Rafa Benitez seem to have won plenty without resorting to the hairdryer, though Wenger's occasional explosions are said to be spectacularly effective!

As if supporting Wrexham wasn't bad enough...

Most depressing fact of the year: John Arne Riise pays nearly twice my salary in tax EVERY MONTH!

What About Mackin?

So we're to have another central midfielder for Sunday apparently. Danny Williams and Mark Jones are injured, Andy Fleming, Matt Crowell and Conall Murtagh are not match fit so we need reinforcements.

Fair enough, but what about Levi Mackin? He had a good run in the team at the start of the season and looked good until he was swamped during the Aston Villa fiasco. And now, apparently, he's persona non grata. Bet he feels great.

A Chance For A Get-together?

I wonder if the Peterborough game will give Brian Carey and Darren Ferguson a chance to reknew acquaintances, or will we be under new management?

Racecourse Anxiety Syndrome

There's a big obstacle which Wrexham must overcome before they can stage a recovery this season: home advantage.

I don't care what anyone tries to tell you; I'm convinced that playing at home has become an issue to the players, and until it gets sorted we'll be struggling.

You can tell by what is said after matches. Naturally, players' post-match comments often reflect what has been discussed in the changing room after the game, and an edginess about playing in front of the Racecourse crowd has been a recurring theme. Even more so, Brian Carey has often made reference to the importance of pleasing the home fans, and although he has gone out of his way to argue that it isn't a problem within the squad, I suspect he may protest too much.

The ironic thing is that, considering how poor our home form has been this season, I feel the Racecourse faithful have been pretty easy-going about it all. I accept this is not an opinion shared by all, and you get different impressions of the crowd depending on where you are in the ground, but I'd have thought that generally speaking a side which has been on a losing streak at home like ours would get a rougher ride.

I think the three reasons why the fans have been fairly easy-going are simple. Firstly, they appreciate the effort the side put in to surviving last season, and can see that any failings this season are not down to a lack of commitment. Secondly, Brian Carey has, through his years of honest service to the club, earned the fans' respect. No true Wrexham fan would boo his side lightly, which leads us to the final reason why there has been no real rough ride for the players; we're down to the hard core of our support.

Of course there have been cases of abuse towards the players, and that's never a nice thing to deal with, but by the same token it's also inevitable that when a few thousand people get together in the safety of a crowd, some will act unreasonably. It hasn't mushroomed into anything more widespread though. That's epitomised by the fact that a brief spate of booing as the farcical second Barnet goal went in had abated by the final whistle into a low level disgruntled mumbling.

Furthermore, the attendance's have sustained a surprisingly healthy level despite our troubles. When I think back to the mid-eighties, when a mid-table Fourth Division side scraped league crowds around the one and a half thousand mark, the turn-outs have been pretty robust.

I understand the players' nervousness that the crowd could turn; of course they could. Yet the problem is that this nervousness seems to be transmitting itself into their game, which can only perpetuate the problem. Look at how we had to cling on at the end against a clearly inferior ten man Lincoln as we froze in sight of a precious three points. There's a fear of failure which leads to players not taking chances, and when a player consciously plays within himself he starts making bad decisions.

So what's the solution? Well, the wonderful thing about football is that happiness is always just a good ninety minutes away. A lucky early break, or a day when a few players click or the opposition press the self-destruct button is all that is needed to make our travails at The Racecourse fade magically away.

However, hoping for something to turn up is nowhere near as satisfactory an approach as doing something about a problem, so here's a concrete suggestion. Let's try to forget what's happened in the past and make a double effort to get behind the side. If they come out to a terrific racket which sustains itself throughout the game next weekend then the players might just get the lift they need.

Monster Mash

Sunday's game will have more bearing on Wrexham Football Club's fate than any derby since, well, since we played them last season actually.

That bald fact illustrates quite neatly how we've lurched from one crisis to another so constantly in recent years that, like those twins in Big Brother, it's hard to tell where one ends and another begins. What worries me is that defeat on Sunday could pitch us into the deepest trough so far, a fact I've divined from reading the signs in my own home!

Last Saturday I missed my first league game in over a year as I fed my lad's addiction to monster trucks by taking him to see them in the Millennium Stadium. The cynics among you might suggest watching awkward giants lumbering calamitously around the pitch should be familiar to me. Shame on you!

I've done my parental duty, ensuring that while Ben's teachers tell him of the Tudors I've taught him about Jim Steel, as they've told him of the growth of the Victorian Empire I've filled his head with the conquests of Arfon Griffiths' side.

Therefore he was thrilled as we wandered on the pitch prior to the show and I pointed out the spot where Juan Ugarte flicked in the opening goal in our LDV Vans triumph. Trouble is, he started watching Wrexham the season after that, so to him that victory's an abstract historic event, set far in the past, just as Ugarte's merely an historic name. Sadly his perspective is becoming every Wrexham fan's.

His introduction to watching live football has been a season of mediocrity followed by an horrendous flirtation with The Conference which never seems to end. Maybe this is a good thing, as his character is built up by constant disappointment. He has certainly learned an important lesson in life; don't get your hopes up unnecessarily! However, our poor performances are having an inevitable result.

Naturally his faith in Wrexham is waning. He has a season ticket and goes to all the home games, but he's not totally sure whether he wants to go to the game on Sunday, even though the alternative is his worst nightmare; being dragged around clothes shops by his Mum!

It's understandable that a child might get frustrated at never seeing his team win; there are plenty of adults who are feeling the same way. It just goes to show how important it is that we turn things around, and quickly. I'm amazed by how well our attendances have held up considering our poor form, but it can't last forever.

The fact that Sunday's game is a derby match will mean we get a decent turn-out again, but a poor result and I dread to think how many fans will turn out next Wednesday for a mid-week game in winter when there are Champions League games to watch on television instead. We might be approaching the point where the dam bursts. Even a nine-year-old can see it coming.

What's To Be Done With Done?

Whither Matty Done?

I heard a phone-in on Talksport the other day which asked fans who was the first player on their teamsheet. It provoked the usual response as Liverpool and Manchester United fans called in from Kent to put forward the likes of Gerrard, Rooney and Ronaldo. However, it got me thinking; whose name would I put on the teamsheet first for Wrexham if I was the boss? One of the names that sprang to mind was Matty Done, but I'm afraid that current circumstances hardly favour the gifted winger.

To be fair, Done's impressive progress does tend to lead people to forget that he's still very young. Brian Carey and Denis Smith before him have wisely opted to nurture him gently, looking to avoid the dangers of over-exposure to the week-in week-out rigours of taking on lower league clogging full backs. However, the current 3-5-2 formation would appear to pose a more serious threat in his hopes of immediate first team involvement.

It's not as if an out-and-out winger like Done is incapable of filling this role. After all, when Denis Smith started playing it he had two very similar players on the flanks in the two Edwardses, Carlos and Paul, and converting to a wing-back hardly hampered Carlos' career did it?

Unlike Smith, though, Carey has already got two players who are well-suited to the role of wing-back in Neil Taylor and Simon Spender, and the side looks balanced with them on either flank. The experiment of playing Michael Carvill in that role illustrated the dangers inherent in playing an attacking player down the flank on his own.

And that's the point. Unlike 4-4-2 there's only one wide position available on the left. Unlike 4-3-3 there isn't the option of popping Done to the left of a front three. So where does he fit in?

Injury or loss of form amongst his rivals for the position hardly look likely to help his cause, as Ryan Valentine and Mike Williams are as natural as Taylor in that role. So where does he go from here? Is he to permanently be a substitute, only to be used when we need to throw him on to chase a game?

A switch up front is a possibility, but when he came on in attack against Lincoln he was clearly finding his feet: we won't get the best out of him there.

So what do we do? We've had problems finding the right place to play Mark Jones if we're going to get the best out of him; let's hope that doesn't happen with the next bright young thing to come off the Collier's Park conveyor belt.