We’re in a crisis of our own making

AT half-time on Saturday, The Specials were playing over the loudspeakers as the players trooped off the pitch.

“Stop your messing around . . . ” admonished Lynval Golding. The warning was not heeded and we were served another half of fragmented, disjointed football which laid bare our inability to make chances count.

The defence with Terry back in his rightful place looked more robust, but the midfield and the strikers look as far removed as Double winners as you can get.

I’m often accused of being a doom merchant, but can we all agree that this is a crisis? Our worst run of form in a decade — there’s no arguing with that fact. Our once enviable forward line made yet another old, unfit central defender look world class. Step forward Sylvain Distin, to join the likes of Titus Bramble and Sol Campbell.

Is it any wonder I’m depressed?

A win would have only papered over the cracks, although it could have gone some way to restoring confidence. It was a frustrating sight to witness our forwards with the ball at their feet, in the penalty box, desperately looking for a pass rather than a shot.

Is it a coincidence that our form has plummeted since Wilkins departure? It’s easy to read too much into the timing of it but I heard an interesting radio show with Steve Claridge who was with him at Millwall. He said Wilkins was particularly good at speaking to players going through a bad period, and that he was a “positive influence” to have around the dressing-room.

I don’t think he is the reason for our slump, but equally I don’t think his departure helped.

Also, what’s going on with Ancelotti and Emanalo? I don’t know what relationship they have but the manager spent almost the entire match on his feet and only sat down when the former scout got up and started giving direction from the touchline. Such a lack of interaction is not a good sign is it?

Leaving the ground at the final whistle my biggest fear is how much we looked like the Liverpool of last season. An over-reliance on two or three players, thin squad and an inability to change formation. And we all know how that ended up.

Some of you may think I am being overly dramatic here, but we really have been fortunate that Abramovich’s meddling hasn’t been more damaging in the past. If we add lack of investment in the team to the current shenanigans then we really could be looking at some hard times.

We face Tottenham this weekend who have had an up-and-down season themselves but what worries me is their speed which is something we have lacked for some time, even before our current crisis. They also seem to have a number of players in form while we are completely the opposite. Time for Ancelotti to show his mettle.

He looks unhappy, ill at ease in front of the camera and tired. So different from just a few weeks ago. He says he doesn’t fear the sack, he takes a very fatalist view to his job at Chelsea, but is it that he doesn’t care rather than doesn’t fear? In his position, where seemingly every obstacle has been put in his way after proving his worth the previous season, would you care if you were given the sack? Although financially we can afford to keep sacking managers, there is only a finite number of great managers in the world. As such they are able to pick and choose where to ply their trade. The next half a dozen games could define our season. With our current form, that’s a scary thought.

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