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.
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The
gaffer - Keith Alexander |
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Season depends on - Francis Green |
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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.
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RochdaleAFC.com Prediction |
13th - Mid table
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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.
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Photo: Action Images
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