Exeter City Fans Losing Confidence in Manager Paul Tisdale

Exeweb have polled its members with the question “Do You Still Have Confidence in Paul Tisdale as our Manager”. This poll comes a year after a poll that asked a similar question. Last October Exeweb asked “Do you think Paul Tisdale is still the right man to manage Exeter City?”. The result of that poll was a staggering 90% in favour of keeping Paul Tisdale.

A year later, just 47% have confidence in his management of the Grecians. A “Not Sure” answer was added and that polled 13%. A dramatic change in support.

Without a doubt it has been an incredibly difficult 12 months for the Club. A win in League 1 after October was rare. A series of loan players appeared but were unable to deliver a change in our fortunes. The season ended with City relegated after just 3 seasons in League 1, so Exeter City returned to League 2.

This season started badly. An exit from the League Cup at the first hurdle at home to Crystal Palace was followed a few days later by a season opener defeat at home to Morecambe. At this point there was real concern by Exeter City fans that nothing had changed within the management of the team, despite a number of new players, and a number of troublesome players having been moved on.

However, a win at Aldershot after 8 false starts perked up support, which was followed by wins at Accrington Stanley, then at home to Burton and seemed to indicate an upturn in our fortunes. A first round exit at home to Aldershot in the JPT via penalties perhaps just a blip. A comfortable win at Oxford saw City cemented in 2nd place. But York visited the Park and we struggled to get a 1-1 draw, Wycombe then had us on the racks but we pulled through for a 3-2 home win. Concerns by City fans creeping back in.

Then the season imploded. A defeat at Southend United was followed by another defeat at home, this time to Bristol Rovers. A hard fought win at Barnet didn’t provide much comfort for City fans. Free headers at the back post for the opposition became the norm, along with defeats at home to Port Vale, away to Northampton and another home defeat, this time to Chesterfield. Surely, asked City fans, “we’re working on our defensive frailties and will stop giving away free headers”? But apparently not. Free headers continued aplenty. But to add to the Grecian woes our ability to score goals had stopped. A 1-1 draw at Dagenham & Redbridge, was followed by free headers and a 3-0 defeat in front of over 900 fans at Cheltenham.

So, would there be hope and consolation with a run in the FA Cup. A certain fatalism set in as soon we were drawn away to Bury. To upset City fans even further it was a free header again, and it was scored by Efe Sodje, as predictable as Monday follows Sunday. Well, excluding City defenders who can’t even cope with the lumbering Sodje.

So, recent form has us with 9 games played, 1 win and 1 draw, the rest (7 games) being defeats. 4 goals scored and 16 conceded. Or for the recent 6 games just 1 goal in 540 minutes playing time.

The thoughts of the author:-

2 homes games this week against AFC Wimbledon and Fleetwood Town. No points will surely mean that fans patience with the Club will run out. Without drastic action by the Board there will soon be little in the way of a fan base at matches. In fact it would be fair to say that no win this week will mean that this month’s poll will very much over state the Confidence for Tisdale as manager. Desperate times.

An important week this week.