Post by mick on Feb 22, 2010 1:10:59 GMT 1
WHARFEDALE CUP SEMI-FINAL: OTLEY TOWN 3-1 GUISELEY RESERVES
I’m a Manager who is very open to comments and criticism – especially when so many Guiseley fans made the trip to watch our semi –final. While I was at BPA as Reserve & U19 Manager for four years then Ossett Town joint first team manager at the beginning of this season, I was very ‘open’ on their Fans Forum – a format that got me some criticism from certain people.
Here are my honest thoughts: I went to watch Otley two weeks ago v Pool when they won 3-2. They played with two very tall strikers and lumped the ball forward to them so my idea was to combat their strengths and play a 6ft+ holding player in the centre of the park.
We were camped in their half the first ten minutes but they broke away to score – goals change games – then our goalkeepers clearance went to an Otley player whose shot went through the eye of a needle – our keeper makes a save at the near post and two opposing players fall on the floor – the Otley player is the first to react, gets up and scores to make it 3-0.
Forgot to mention, our striker goes through but their last defender hauls him down – surely a red card – no, and I quote the ref who I spoke to at half-time “it wasn’t a goal scoring opportunity” – but our striker was central and would have got through if he hadn’t been brought down!!!
During the first period we broke them down time and again but our crossing and finishing was very poor
HT
At the break, we decided to go for pace up front and revert the centre-mid player back to his usual position – the centre back we took off has a 35 day suspension starting on Monday. I apologised to the two players who I took off but I felt we had to make some changes – I could have taken anyone off!!!!
We scored early in the second period through Will Boye and created some good chances but it wasn’t to be our day.
In summary, look at some of the results from Saturday:
Accrington Stanley 2-0 Bradford City – see the 78 comments from BC fans on the T&A web site!!!
Buxton 3-1 Guiseley – see the comments from the Guiseley fans who went to Buxton!!!
Everton 3-1 Manchester United – see below
I saw Sir Alex Fergusons interview and he said “Everton were the better team and deserved to win, we just didn’t perform”. I would like to echo his statement and say that Otley Town worked their socks off – as you would expect – I complimented their Manager and said “well done”.
We had recently gone on a 5 match unbeaten run in the Lancashire League to go top of the League. Since my appointment four months ago, we have worked hard with the players to overcome the disappointment of 1. Losing Vince Brockie to BPA and 2. Losing 6 players to Thackley & Harrogate Railway. The players have improved greatly over the past four months.
Football is all about opinions - it was a bad day at the office – this is why football is the greatest game in the World!!!! Stuart Gray and myself spent half an hour in the changing room analysing the players, our performance and what we might have done better. In fact, I woke up at 6am on the Sunday morning asking myself the same questions (!!!!). I ALWAYS ask myself; was this week’s training and preparation good, was the warm up ok, what was the mood of the players, were the team talks ok etc. BUT – once the players cross the white line, they have to perform.
GUISELEY RES: Alex Woodcock gk, Callum White, Danny Todd, Jamie Cairns, Calum Strodder, Dan Husband, Liam Robinson, Chris Davey, Adam Edwards, Paul Wills, Danny Berry. Subs: Duncan Beckwith (for Adam), Will Boye (for Paul), Will Hutton (for Jamie), Graham Shaw (not used), Clark Lydon gk (not used)
hitman – we did play three forwards in the last half hour because I moved the right winger up front to join the other two strikers. In training last Tuesday & Thursday we made the players play two touch football because I felt that against Silsden Reserves, too many players were running with the ball when they should have passed it!!!
For the Otley match I would like to thank Stuart my Assistant, Kate O’Connor the physio and Rachel O’Conner for being the Res Sec. Finally, a BIG thank you to all the Guiseley fans for your support – again – I’m sorry that we let you down.
Regards
Mick Couzens
Reserve Manager
I’m a Manager who is very open to comments and criticism – especially when so many Guiseley fans made the trip to watch our semi –final. While I was at BPA as Reserve & U19 Manager for four years then Ossett Town joint first team manager at the beginning of this season, I was very ‘open’ on their Fans Forum – a format that got me some criticism from certain people.
Here are my honest thoughts: I went to watch Otley two weeks ago v Pool when they won 3-2. They played with two very tall strikers and lumped the ball forward to them so my idea was to combat their strengths and play a 6ft+ holding player in the centre of the park.
We were camped in their half the first ten minutes but they broke away to score – goals change games – then our goalkeepers clearance went to an Otley player whose shot went through the eye of a needle – our keeper makes a save at the near post and two opposing players fall on the floor – the Otley player is the first to react, gets up and scores to make it 3-0.
Forgot to mention, our striker goes through but their last defender hauls him down – surely a red card – no, and I quote the ref who I spoke to at half-time “it wasn’t a goal scoring opportunity” – but our striker was central and would have got through if he hadn’t been brought down!!!
During the first period we broke them down time and again but our crossing and finishing was very poor
HT
At the break, we decided to go for pace up front and revert the centre-mid player back to his usual position – the centre back we took off has a 35 day suspension starting on Monday. I apologised to the two players who I took off but I felt we had to make some changes – I could have taken anyone off!!!!
We scored early in the second period through Will Boye and created some good chances but it wasn’t to be our day.
In summary, look at some of the results from Saturday:
Accrington Stanley 2-0 Bradford City – see the 78 comments from BC fans on the T&A web site!!!
Buxton 3-1 Guiseley – see the comments from the Guiseley fans who went to Buxton!!!
Everton 3-1 Manchester United – see below
I saw Sir Alex Fergusons interview and he said “Everton were the better team and deserved to win, we just didn’t perform”. I would like to echo his statement and say that Otley Town worked their socks off – as you would expect – I complimented their Manager and said “well done”.
We had recently gone on a 5 match unbeaten run in the Lancashire League to go top of the League. Since my appointment four months ago, we have worked hard with the players to overcome the disappointment of 1. Losing Vince Brockie to BPA and 2. Losing 6 players to Thackley & Harrogate Railway. The players have improved greatly over the past four months.
Football is all about opinions - it was a bad day at the office – this is why football is the greatest game in the World!!!! Stuart Gray and myself spent half an hour in the changing room analysing the players, our performance and what we might have done better. In fact, I woke up at 6am on the Sunday morning asking myself the same questions (!!!!). I ALWAYS ask myself; was this week’s training and preparation good, was the warm up ok, what was the mood of the players, were the team talks ok etc. BUT – once the players cross the white line, they have to perform.
GUISELEY RES: Alex Woodcock gk, Callum White, Danny Todd, Jamie Cairns, Calum Strodder, Dan Husband, Liam Robinson, Chris Davey, Adam Edwards, Paul Wills, Danny Berry. Subs: Duncan Beckwith (for Adam), Will Boye (for Paul), Will Hutton (for Jamie), Graham Shaw (not used), Clark Lydon gk (not used)
hitman – we did play three forwards in the last half hour because I moved the right winger up front to join the other two strikers. In training last Tuesday & Thursday we made the players play two touch football because I felt that against Silsden Reserves, too many players were running with the ball when they should have passed it!!!
For the Otley match I would like to thank Stuart my Assistant, Kate O’Connor the physio and Rachel O’Conner for being the Res Sec. Finally, a BIG thank you to all the Guiseley fans for your support – again – I’m sorry that we let you down.
Regards
Mick Couzens
Reserve Manager