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Whether Wanderers’ next goals come from an agricultural lump forward or a 25-pass exhibition of tiki-taka football, Phil Parkinson couldn’t care less.
There has been plenty said about Wanderers’ style of play under his tenure, and some of the more direct stuff has not always pleased the purists.
Parkinson and his staff have prided themselves, however, on getting the fine detail right. Organisation, set pieces, preparation – all meticulously planned on the windswept grounds of Lostock, often well in advance.
And, in the main, the application and spirit shown by the Whites this season, even in defeat, has been enough to please the manager. Until now.
Since the international break Parkinson has seen some alarming slips in concentration which do not sit well, especially as they have manifested themselves at such a crucial time in the campaign.
Defeat at Leeds United was largely self-inflicted, the poor defending masking over some encouraging attacking play. Yet defeats against Birmingham City and Derby County contained the same errors, without any of the positives to glean.
Now, with just five games remaining to save their Championship skin, the Wanderers boss finds himself having to press the reset button once more. Searching for a new line-up or formation might seem desperate at this stage of affairs, yet such emergencies are nothing new for Parkinson as he approaches an eventful two years in charge.
“You look at the Leeds game and we played some terrific stuff at times,” he said. “I’ve read in the paper we looked more pleasing on the eye. But at the same time we looked defensively vulnerable at Leeds. We didn’t do the basics right and that cost us a couple of goals.
“People talk about style yet the two most direct teams in the league are Cardiff and Millwall. We simply don’t have the ability to play the way they do.
“Really, it doesn’t matter about the style of play, the fundamentals have to be there to get results. And at Derby the fundamentals were missing.
“Until you get them right you can play whatever way you want, you won’t be winning games of football.”
Parkinson has had to contend with criticism from all quarters during the club’s dip in form but is not looking for clemency. Wanderers sit 21st – a position which would be regarded as successful should they still remain there in May – but with relegation rivals starting to stir, he knows an answer must be found.
“No-one feels sorry for you in football. Only we can do something about it,” he said. “It is a cut-throat business but we need to find a formula to get ourselves up and running again.”
Source
There has been plenty said about Wanderers’ style of play under his tenure, and some of the more direct stuff has not always pleased the purists.
Parkinson and his staff have prided themselves, however, on getting the fine detail right. Organisation, set pieces, preparation – all meticulously planned on the windswept grounds of Lostock, often well in advance.
And, in the main, the application and spirit shown by the Whites this season, even in defeat, has been enough to please the manager. Until now.
Since the international break Parkinson has seen some alarming slips in concentration which do not sit well, especially as they have manifested themselves at such a crucial time in the campaign.
Defeat at Leeds United was largely self-inflicted, the poor defending masking over some encouraging attacking play. Yet defeats against Birmingham City and Derby County contained the same errors, without any of the positives to glean.
Now, with just five games remaining to save their Championship skin, the Wanderers boss finds himself having to press the reset button once more. Searching for a new line-up or formation might seem desperate at this stage of affairs, yet such emergencies are nothing new for Parkinson as he approaches an eventful two years in charge.
“You look at the Leeds game and we played some terrific stuff at times,” he said. “I’ve read in the paper we looked more pleasing on the eye. But at the same time we looked defensively vulnerable at Leeds. We didn’t do the basics right and that cost us a couple of goals.
“People talk about style yet the two most direct teams in the league are Cardiff and Millwall. We simply don’t have the ability to play the way they do.
“Really, it doesn’t matter about the style of play, the fundamentals have to be there to get results. And at Derby the fundamentals were missing.
“Until you get them right you can play whatever way you want, you won’t be winning games of football.”
Parkinson has had to contend with criticism from all quarters during the club’s dip in form but is not looking for clemency. Wanderers sit 21st – a position which would be regarded as successful should they still remain there in May – but with relegation rivals starting to stir, he knows an answer must be found.
“No-one feels sorry for you in football. Only we can do something about it,” he said. “It is a cut-throat business but we need to find a formula to get ourselves up and running again.”
Source