8th October 1999 

Hatters preview
Bookies look to luton
Zine subscriber Geoff writes

ANDY RITCHIE will choose between in-form strikers Craig Dudley and David McNiven before finalising his side for Athletic's home match against Luton tomorrow.

The Boundary Park boss has dropped Welshman Matthew Tipton (pictured, right) and now faces a straight choice between two youngsters who have both been pushing hard for a place. Dudley (20) has made two substitute appearances since returning from his loan spell at Chesterfield and also scored the winner for the reserves this week. The improved form of McNiven (21), who started three games earlier in the season, saw him recalled to the first-team picture last weekend. Said Ritchie: "Craig has done well when he has come on, while I believe David is one of the great under-achievers. "He has absolutely everything but needs to switch himself into gear and prove it a bit more. "They have both played very well in the last two reserve games and are both looking sharp in training. 

"We'll have to see which one of them plays, but I wanted to make a change because Matthew Tipton has been a bit quiet recently." The axe falls on Tipton after four consecutive starts, the first two on the left-hand side of midfield. He looked comfortable in that unfamiliar position but two factors — Steve Whitehall's injury and the switch to a sweeper system — meant he reverted to the front line. Ritchie's anger at the goals conceded in defeat to Notts County has not provoked any changes at the back. He said: "We have the option to bring on Mark Hotte if things aren't working, but last week wasn't too bad apart from switching off at free-kicks."

Athletic — bottom of the table and already four points short of the safety zone —have an urgent need to pick up the winning habit. They have lost three of their four home games in a worrying repeat of the problems which plagued them last season. ATHLETIC (from): Kelly, Rickers, Holt, Graham, Thom, S McNiven, Duxbury, Sheridan, Adams, Allott, Dudley, D McNiven, Innes, Hotte, Tipton, Sugden, Miskelly.

Against all odds

ANDY RITCHIE and Lennie Lawrence will be brothers in arms tomorrow when Athletic and Luton Town meet at Boundary Park. Though the two managers have had different starts to the season, they have one thing very much in common — they are both in dire straits. Athletic’s financial problems, serious as they are, would seem like light relief for Lawrence, whose club is so short of cash it isn’t allowed to run its own affairs. The Luton boss has to ask permission from the receivers even to make a loan signing and, when he recently wanted to bring back a favourite player, was told that a one-month contract was the maximum he could offer. Such are the harsh facts of life at Kenilworth Road, which, at the start of the decade, was still playing host to top-flight football. The descent into chaos and crisis eventually led to massive debts and the arrival of the receivers to help clear up the mess. There were high hopes that this unhappy period in the club’s history would end at the start of the season, but legal arguments are still raging and Luton remain in the hands of an outside agency. Lawrence has sold £1.4million worth of talent since deadline day in March, being allowed to compensate with only one full-time recruit.

That was centre-back Efe Sodje, who was a cult figure at Macclesfield until his summer move under the Bosman ruling. And yet lion-hearted Lennie is defying the odds with a squad dominated by products of his youth set-up. At times this season his starting line-up has included 10 players who have come through the system, while he has also named entire squads which didn’t cost a penny in transfer fees. Among his ranks is 17-year-old wing-back Matthew Taylor, who leapt straight from the youth team to the senior side and has so far been ever present. His recent front two have been Stuart Douglas and Liam George, but the latter’s absence tomorrow could mean Neil Midgley features more prominently following his loan move f rom Ipswich. In the face of such adversity — and even though most supporters blame members of the board for the club’s demise — the mood has become one of unity. Last season’s terrace disquiet has settled down as, faced with a choice between pulling together or falling apart, the vast majority have opted for the former. It has helped the Hatters make a solid start to the season, with five wins in 10 games taking them to eighth in the table. Their away form, however, has been less convincing and Athletic will be aiming to exte nd a sequence which has seen four Luton blanks in five games. Lawrence, who found his way to Luton via Charlton, Middlesbrough and Bradford, has enough experience to know exactly what to expect. He said: “We had better get ready for battle stations — Oldham will be desperate for a win. “I have been through it myself and I know how hard it can be when you’re down there and things are going against you.

“It will be tough because I remember the same fixture last year being a right battle — not out of hand, just a really hard game in which the 1-1 draw was a fair result. “The first goal tomorrow will be vital. If Oldham score first it will be hard for us, but if we score first it will be even harder for them. “There’s no vast difference between top and bottom in this division because Oldham are capable of beating just about anyone they play. “Having said that, I’d rather be playing them as they are now than if they were up there and everything was going well.” Lawrence also pinpointed the contests within a contest which could settle the outcome. He said: “Midfield might be the area where it’s won or lost and I know Oldham will be quite strong there. “Lee Duxbury was one of my players at Bradford and I’ve a lot of time for the lad. “But we don’t score enough goals away — or at least we haven’t so far — and Oldham don ‘t score enough at home. “It will be very close, very hard and we’ll be prepared for it.”

Ritchie is, quite rightly, a legend because of his playing days and his status in my eyes is undiminished.  However, it's quite obvious that he is not up to the task of managing the club in it's current state.  His tactics are questionable e.g.. the substitution of Allott against Notts County, the one goalscorer in any kind of form, when players such as Adams were having a poor game (and arguably a poor season).  3 strikers should have been deployed at that time to attempt to score an equaliser and not replacing the in-form striker we have got with one who has hardly played for 2 years (David McNiven).  In addition, the defensive performance against County was appalling, giving away soft goals far too easily.

We need a manager with some experience of managing a "club in crisis", not one who is just finding his feet.  We need a manager who will scare
the hell out of players who are too comfortable, forcing them to play for their position and not just turn-up every week to pick-up their pay
cheques.  The problem is, who do we attract to a club at the bottom  of the 2nd division?

This is where the Board must take responsibility and make all efforts to find a buyer for the JW Lees share.  Despite numerous rumours about take-over bids, not have been made reality and this is unacceptable.  Without a new owner and backer, Latics have no chance of attracting a manager capable of commanding the respect of the players and I see only relegation into division 3 and oblivion.

Despite all of this, I'll still be going to the Luton game tomorrow in the vain hope of an improvement of fortune!  Sucker!!!! Anyone else want to comment or write a match report please contact me. Gary.