'When will the penny drop? When I decide to rebuild?' - Shaw sick of repeating himself to underperforming players

Mark Shaw isn't ready to give up on this season, but admits the chances of his side finishing top of the pile in the NCEL Premier are growing slimmer and slimmer.
Staveley Miners Welfare v Worksop Town
Inkersall Road, Staveley
14th January 2015

Worksop Manager Mark Shaw 

Pic by Dan WestwellStaveley Miners Welfare v Worksop Town
Inkersall Road, Staveley
14th January 2015

Worksop Manager Mark Shaw 

Pic by Dan Westwell
Staveley Miners Welfare v Worksop Town Inkersall Road, Staveley 14th January 2015 Worksop Manager Mark Shaw Pic by Dan Westwell

The manager spent very little time with his players after their woeful display in a 3-2 defeat at midtable Maltby, because he’s sick of saying the same things.

“There’s plenty to say, but they’ve heard it all before,” he said.

“When is the penny going to drop? When they realise they can’t win the league?

“When I make loads of changes and decide to rebuild?

“The penny won’t drop if I keep telling them.”

Shaw praised Maltby Main for their performance, and said his own players failed to follow instruction.

“We can’t play like we have done and expect to win.

“We knew it was going to be tough and physical, we knew there was going to be a lot of long balls, but when you don’t stick to the game plan you’ve got no chance.”

“They stuck to it, they did the same to us that we wanted to do to them, crosses into the box, get people amongst it.

“Credit to Maltby, they were up for it, they battled, they won headers, second balls, they wanted it more.”

Tigers made it easy to question their hunger by losing countless 50:50 challenges, and when they were in possession showing very little quality.

Shaw said: “I’m disappointed with the application.

“We gave them every opportunity to play the right way and win games, and they don’t go out and do it.

“We had a great training session on Thursday, we worked really hard, I was really upbeat.

“There’s going to be a point when some of these players aren’t going to be playing.”

And while he hasn’t thrown the towel in, Shaw concedes the season is slipping away.

“In the last four we’ve lost two, won one and drawn one. We thought we could only drop in the region of 13 points, and we’re getting close to that already.

“Eight points dropped in four games. The margin for error is tiny.

“Do we start thinking about next year? No not yet because there’s something on the table.

“But the chances of us failing are becoming higher and not lower.”

Related topics: