Liam Norcliffe's Chesterfield column: Results have been very disappointing but John Sheridan's honesty is refreshing to hear

“If I look at myself as a manager - which I always do - I am not frightened to say when I am wrong.”
Chesterfield manager John Sheridan has admitted he has 'tinkered' too much with his team.Chesterfield manager John Sheridan has admitted he has 'tinkered' too much with his team.
Chesterfield manager John Sheridan has admitted he has 'tinkered' too much with his team.

The results might not be going to plan so far for Chesterfield but you can’t fault the honesty of Spireites boss John Sheridan.

Week after week the 54-year-old has come out and told exactly how it is.

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Time and time again you hear some managers trot out the same old lines and look for any excuse they can.

From refereeing decisions, to fixture congestion to travel arrangements, some in the game will say anything to avoid getting any blame.

And that is why it was refreshing to hear Sheridan admit ahead of the Dagenham and Redbridge match that he has tinkered too much with his starting line-up.

“I have got to look at myself and put a stamp on it and go with what I really think will get us results and get us a performance where we are going to win a game,” he said.

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Given the disappointing start to the season Sheridan could easily have tried to use the injuries to strikers Anthony Spyrou and Tom Denton as an excuse for having not won a game.

Dagenham and Redbridge manager Peter Taylor says Chesterfield boss John Sheridan will 'get it right'He could easily have pointed to some debatable officiating for only picking up five points from the first eight matches.

But he hasn’t.

He has pointed the finger at himself.

He admitted that he has been making too many changes to his team.

Are you in our Chesterfield fans gallery?As I write this ahead of the game against FC Halifax Town, Sheridan has made 17 personnel changes in eight matches.

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That is an average of more than two a game which perhaps does not seem that many but given it is the start of the new campaign I think he is right in what he has said.

Especially when a lot of the changes have not been made because of injuries. He has chosen to chop and change in order to find that winning formula.

Glynn Snodin gives his assessment of Chesterfield's draw with Dagenham and RedbridgeSheridan has only named the same starting line-up in one match so far, which was against Boreham Wood after the draw with Maidenhead United.

Of course, the Spireites boss rightly pointed out that so many changes have been because no one has been stamping a claim for a starting spot.

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“Because of the uncertainty of my team and who I am going to play cause no one is standing out telling me that I should be playing week in week out, I have probably messed with my team too much,” he said.

As well as personnel changes, the Town manager has also changed formation on several occasions, alternating between 3-5-2, 4-3-3 and 4-4-2.

From what Sheridan has said, I believe he will now stick with his favoured 3-5-2 to try and get some consistency.

Before the Daggers game, Proact bosses called for Chesterfield supporters to ‘raise the roof’ and get behind the team even if they do go behind.

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The Spireites did indeed concede first but I thought the supporters were excellent and most definitely stuck with their side.

Finally, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has wished me good luck in this new role.