Paul Colgan is the architect of his own problems

It’s early days in the season, and although they have yet to win, a trio of draws means Glossop North End are at least unbeaten in the three games they have played.  However, there appears to be much disquiet among the fans of the club, and unfortunately manager Paul Colgan has to a large extent brought it upon himself.

Whilst he is not to blame for the departure of Jay Gorton and Sam Hind, he has yet to prove he has the contacts to replace them.  Indeed, all of Saturday’s starting eleven against Louth could have begun a game in season 2011-12. 

This might spark a seed of impatience among the Hillmen faithful, but Colgan’s huge error was to undermine the achievements of the popular reserve team coaching staff of last year, and their team.   Colgan publically blamed the reserve set up for the first team’s end of season slump, stating on several occasions in the press that the strength in depth was severely lacking.  Not only was it a PR disaster, it was also wrong.

There is a touch of Royston Vasey amongst North End fans and we like to see ‘local’ lads being given the chance to prove themselves.  For instance, Trevor Smallwood (who I played against on the playground of Whitfield Primary back in the day) was and is hugely popular around Surrey St, along with long serving Glossop Comp old boy Darren Hamilton. So slating untried reserves was almost guaranteed to raise the hackles of a close knit club, and it has. 

The question that remains is whether those players were good enough.  The answer to that is we don’t know, and now never will.  My observations over the years is that players who come from the reserve set up are nervous, of course they are, but unless they are an instant hit are never able to get a run of games to settle in.

I don’t blame the manager for this, I blame the other players.  Reserve team players who came through in the era of Antony Trucca’s reserve reign were not treated by players as if they would have been had come from another club – they received no leeway or respect.  Where a regular first teamer should encourage and coach a youngster they would instead criticise and abuse, leaving an already reticent player even more lacking in confidence....which of course leads to further mistakes and a fast track back to second team football.

THAT is why the players coming from the reserves didn’t succeed.  Not because they weren’t good enough, but because no-one at a first team level thought sufficiently on how to get the best out of them.  

It’s too late now, most have moved on, annoyed that their management was marginalised and unhappy that the first team boss has told them via the papers that they aren't good enough.  So it was a surprise to see Colgan tweet “sad only 4 old resy players bk from last season“ at the end of June.  I’m not sure what he expected.

Coupled with results, this has added to the discontent among supporters.  Whilst message board rantings are often unhelpful and often unrealistic, they are a gauge of what people are thinking.  Fans know there is a limit to the budget at the club, and that that probably means North End are a mid-table side.   That being their fate, I suspect they would prefer to see it achieved with a few more lads with their hearts in the town rather than see those former Glossop Juniors forced out.

Still, like at every football club, the current travails are nothing that a few wins wouldn’t put right. It’s amazing what the scent of victory can do to a supporter’s memory and although Colgan’s treatment of last year’s reserve side has given him less time and goodwill in which to achieve, if the club were to go on a good run it would soon be forgotten.  Starting at Louth tonight?