Martin Tideswell: Fans' fears understandable, but we must keep the faith

THE reaction following Tuesday night's defeat at home to Exeter was entirely understandable.

Supporters are angry, frustrated and genuinely concerned that a team who looked odds-on for automatic promotion six weeks ago have lost their way.

What was a terrific run of form in January suddenly feels like a long time ago as we stutter rather than strut towards the end of the season.

What seemed like a fairly simple equation in terms of points required for going straight up now seems probable rather than a nailed on certainty.

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The goals have dried up. Confidence players like our wingers simply aren't producing the form they did earlier in the season.

It has also been plain in recent games that opposing teams have flooded midfield and we've been overrun.

These are the facts. This isn't an over-reaction. I'm not being disloyal to the team or the coaching staff.

What's more, fans have every right to criticise and question when things go wrong – just as they lavished praise on the team and the manager earlier in the season.

I still think we will finish in the top three, so I'm not pushing the panic button just yet.

But, by the same token, it is time we recognised who and what's at fault here.

This, I guess, is where we all become amateur football managers, so forgive my clumsy attempt, as follows.

Yes, some players are under-performing, but isn't the simple truth that we got our tactics wrong on Tuesday?

Playing what was effectively a 4-2-4 formation against a team who set up 4-5-1 is asking for trouble in my book.

Ryan Burge and Doug Loft, as good as they are, need support when a team swamps the middle of the park.

Sam Morsy or Chris Shuker could have bolstered the middle against Exeter, leaving Tom Pope as the loan target man.

I wouldn't dispense with our wingers, irrespective of their indifferent form of late, because both are capable of producing moments of magic.

However, I would always favour either Ben Williamson or Louis Dodds playing alongside (or just behind) Tom Pope, rather than Calvin Andrew – even if he did score the winner at Torquay.

As Mark Grew said a month ago, it is a case of horses for courses now. Or at least it should be.

Six wins and two draws are all we need, so let's keep the faith.