Another week, another seven days of anguish for fans of the Silkmen. Two defeats taking the run to eight consecutive losses has turned up the pressure on Gary Simpson and his team, as Macc’s football league status begins to look more than a little fragile. The latest setback, going down 3-2 at Sixfields to fellow strugglersNorthampton, is especially damaging as the Cobblers narrowed the gap from the bottom to three points.
The performance on Tuesday was not terrible, there were plenty of promising moments and it’s difficult to pick out any singular poor performer. The formation was positive – finally the first choice pairing of Donnelly and Tomlinson was available and in action and both found their way onto the score sheet. Colin Daniel performed solidly as an emergency left back, provided you aren’t among those who seem to think he can do no right. Kay has played a lot better but alongside him Mendy was back on form making a host of ball-winning tackles.
When Macclesfield took the lead you really thought this could be the turning point, the Cobblers defence looked vulnerable, but a freak goal direct from a corner and the good work was undone. Futcher had a debut that will not live long in the memory – understandably as he was thrown straight into the side having only arrived on Monday as part of the makeshift back four lacked cohesion. The defence was duly punished for slack marking by a sucker punch goal on the stroke of half-time and another soft goal after the break left the Silkmen with too much to do.
Perhaps if Marshall or Tomlinson had taken chances earlier there would have been time for a dramatic season-defining equaliser, as it was, despite the positives, we were left with the bitter taste of another defeat. In a game we couldn’t really afford to lose.
The overwhelming sense of disappointment was compounded by further injury woe – Veiga forced to finish the game virtually on one leg, and Diagne feeling his hamstring go. The light at the end of the tunnel of the injury crisis appears to have been a train. And that train seems intent on running over players legs.
Inevitably, despite the colossal amount of injuries, questions have been raised about Gary Simpson’s position at the helm. He has done so much for this team bringing them through the last two years, and while there is little place for sentiment in football these days, this has surely earned him more than a little leeway. Moreover the squad seems to remain behind him – removing an unpopular presence in the dressing room often serves as a catalyst for a turnaround, you just don’t get the feeling it would play out that way. It is difficult to see anyone else getting much more out of the squad given the knocks, strains and breaks we have been cursed with, a change at the top doesn’t seem to be the obvious solution.
With all that said it would be very naive to think his position is not in jeopardy. Whatever the circumstances, the run of defeats will eventually reach breaking point. Saturday’s trip to Oxford brings low expectations, but the home tie against Plymouth next Tuesday could be the final straw. Defeat there could well leave the Silkmen languishing in the bottom two and if unrest builds among the fans, change may be inevitable.
Even without the latest casualties piling into the treatment room there is a pressing need to invest the loan market. Simmo has already spent many hours on the phone before Tuesday night, coming close to signing one player only for his manager to pull the deal at the last minute. Its obviously easier said than done to bring in suitable players, but hopefully with persistence backed with some financial leverage he can find the desperately needed quality additions. Hopefully they will arrive soon enough to protect Macclesfield’s and his own future.
By Macclesfield blogger Alastair Pattrick
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