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Predictions 2008-9 - 13th Macclesfield Town
Predictions 2008-9 - 13th Macclesfield Town
Sunday, 3rd Aug 2008 19:16

We now preview of the team who'll be chanting "Top of the League, on 2nd page of Ceefax, Top of the League, on 2nd page of Ceefax". That's unless Ceefax has gone the same way as Betamax and Halifax.

Macclesfield Town
last season at a glance

It was a season of draw after draw after draw for the Silkies. By the end of their tenth game of the season, they had already picked up seven draws, but with just one win. This looked to give them a decent start in terms of league position, but they soon started a gradual drop down the division to the extent that they looked genuine relegation favourites in March. However, the sacking of Brightwell saw Keith Alexander come in and do what was necessary to ensure that Macc's ten year love affair with the football league continued for another season at least.

The gaffer - Keith Alexander

When we were writing about Macclesfield's fledgling manager this time last year, we didn't half get some stick from their fans. The Silky types immediately turned themselves into a the Ian Brightwell appreciation society, pouring scorn on this site's comments about the unsuitability of Brightwell to be a manager, telling us what a nice man he was. Which was pretty much what we'd said about him anyway, citing that as a reason why Brightwell wouldn't work out.

There's no change of the same thing happening with Alexander in charge. Long time readers will be fully aware of our opinions on Alexander. We think his style of football is pre-historic and dreadful to watch, we've cast doubts on his honesty from his time at Lincoln over that sending off, and his time at Bury has left severe doubts regarding his character. We don't like him and should he ever turn up enquiring about the manager's job at Spotland, he'll be drilled out of town faster than Dwayne Chambers after a visit to Boots. But what we have never attempted to do is try and convince anyone that he is anything other than a successful manager at this level.

His record may well have one or two blemishes on it, but his successes far outweigh them, and at a smaller club like Macclesfield where expectations are never very high, he'll flourish and make up for the six months spent at Gigg Lane by over achieving with the Silkmen. It won't be pretty, and he'll no doubt divide supporters at a club which is traditionally a footballing side, but he'll make it thoroughly unpleasant for opponents all over. Basically he'll be Keith Alexander, yet again.

Reasons for a better season

Simple, they have a manager this time round who knows how to manage. Last year, it was clear to everyone that Brightwell was not up to the job. Alexander will have a plan. He'll know where he'll want to be with Macclesfield, and he won't care who's noses he puts out in the process of doing so.

You take Alexander's time in charge so far, and he's lead them to more wins than defeats. If he can replicate that over a full season, or at least something close to that, then he'll have the basis of a successful side. Seven of Macc's eleven wins over the season came with Alexander at the helm. Immediately you can see that Alexander works better with that squad than Brightwell did. You can't blame anybody for thinking that better times are on the way for the Silkmen.

Reasons for a worse season

Where's the changes to the Macc side? On the face of it, Macclesfield will go into the season with pretty much exactly the same side that they finished last year with. There's been a couple of changes, with someone not good enough for Chester coming in to become the new club captain after a loan spell at Macc last season, and someone deemed not good enough for Bury coming in on loan. There's the token non league signing, but there's nothing else there to make you get overly excited about the new season.

Furthermore, Alexander has even come out and told the Macclesfield public not to build their hopes up about the new season. When your own manager is coming out with quotes like that, then there's hardly likely to be queues at the season ticket window.

You take away that honeymoon feeling that came with Alexander's appointment and you have a side that were a bottom four side last season, and the new signings will struggle to improve upon that.

Season depends on - Francis Green

There was talk of Dale making a deadline day swoop for Green back in January following the sale of Glenn Murray. It's unclear how true that was, but he has been a striker who has been linked away from the Moss Rose, with Notts County the latest side ready to make a move for the former Boston striker.

Comfortable on the wing or up front, he's proved himself more than capable in League Two, and is usually reliable enough for a return of ten goals over the season. There been talk that he wants away due to an issue between himself and Alexander, but given that Alexander has been his manager for most of his career, I can't see that being true. Unless KA is stalking him.

RochdaleAFC.com Prediction

13th - Mid table

Reasons for our prediction
We do indeed think that better times are on the way for Macclesfield this season, and not because of last year's dummy spitting from the Cheshire set for having the audacity to think that they were a team destined for the drop.

We think they're a couple of seasons away from being a side capable of battling it out at the top end of the division, so there should be no delusions of grandeur about where they think they may finish these season, but the last couple of seasons will have ensured that they are a little more realistic about where they will finish.

It would appear that Alexander has identified that the defence is what is needed the biggest improvements, and he has certainly gone with tried and tested. Two of the three defensive signings were from players who spent parts of last season at the Moss Rose on loan, and the other is Paul Morgan who was a rock at Lincoln for Alexander, tho it never really worked out for him at Gigg Lane.

It's typical Alexander, make them hard to beat, and then hope the rest will take care of itself. I suppose that's the way to go for a side who's primary ambition after two successive relegation battles, and that realism will go a long way to ensuring their very comfortable safety.

Look at the sides who have been relegated over the past few seasons: Mansfield, Wrexham, Boston, Torquay, Oxford, Rushden,  etc and very few of them, with the possible exception of Boston, were the sort of sides who regularly get tipped for the drop season after season.

Where are the Accringtons, Dagenhams, Morecambes, Barnets and dare I say it Macclesfields in that list? It's that reality which is often the difference between staying within the Football League for another season and trying to work out whether places like Ebbsfleet really exist.

Photo: Action Images



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