Image: Peter Hughes, via Flickr
Exeter City sit one point away from the drop zone, having lost 7 of their last 8 league games. The Grecians have only scored 3 goals in the league over this period. It’s time to press the panic button. And the worst thing is, sacking the manager won’t help.
Up front Exeter City have been woeful this season.
The squad that lost Josh Key, Sam Nombe, Jay Stansfield and Archie Collins last year has not seen reinvestment off the back of major deals, such as Sam Nombe’s one-million-pound move to Rotherham – and my word does it show. Up front Exeter City have been woeful this season and have relied on two players for attacking threat. Ryan Trevitt and Demetri Mitchell have been the standout players – Mitchell zipping in off the wing-back position, with Trevitt playing at attacking midfield, both creating threat with ease. Any Grecian would call these two players pivotal to the position City is in, making sure it’s not even worse. Here’s the catch. Mitchell has just gone under the knife for an ACL injury taking at least 6-9 months to heal. There goes the leading attacking force in the squad. Exeter City are now arguably a one-man team.
Gary Caldwell can take some blame. He leads recruitment and also will lead the direction of players and new signings. Admiral Muskwe has seemed lost at sea, which means that Yanic Wildschut has no one to give reception to. The insistence on making Will Aimson captain after two months at the club is biting back as an out-of-form Aimson cannot be argued to provide leading performances – there coming from the former skipper Pierce Sweeney. Only Viljami Sinisalo is doing his bit aside Wildschut and Trevitt.
A long injury list hasn’t helped City but is in no way an excuse. The real worry now however is that even with a new gaffer, which could include a now dismissed Matty Taylor, this squad is an outright fourth-tier matchday selection. No getting around that. The January transfer window has to deliver.
The mood at St James Park is souring. Anger is building online and fans are calling for change. An angry fanbase is the last thing that any team needs when looking to build back form. For reference, 7,600 people packed into SJP for the EFL Cup tie against Middlesbrough. Only 3,500 came days later for a 2-0 loss to Wigan in the FA Cup, 3 pm on a Saturday. When SJP rises to the occasion, so do the players.
The halcyon days of top of the league after matchday 1 seem far, far away.
I don’t talk about this scenario for fun, however, relegation to League Two seems inevitable. An important transfer window lies ahead, as a half-baked squad struggles to find any confidence or competence at times. The halcyon days of top of the league after matchday 1 seem far, far away. From staring up to the sky, down to the depths of the EFL.
