Brown searching for cure to Dons blues (From Your Local Guardian)

Brown searching for cure to Dons blues

2:29pm Wednesday 28th December 2011 in AFC Wimbledon By Graham Moody

Terry Brown knows he must find an answer to AFC Wimbledon’s mounting problems soon or face the wrath of the Dons faithful.

Wimbledon made it 10 league games without a win on Boxing Day when they lost 2-0 at home to Oxford United following a dire first-half performance.

They improved after the break and had two strong penalties appeals turned down by referee Andy D’Urso but still failed to score for the third game running and fell to their sixth defeat at Kingsmeadow this campaign.

And Brown, whose side only lost three times on home soil last season, now hopes for a result against promotions chasers Southend United when they visit south London on New Year’s Eve.

“We need to win a game at home,” he said.

“As patient as the crowd can be and as good as they are, they are going to start having a right tear up if we don’t improve.

“I could see the same game they were watching at half time on Monday and they are thinking that’s not good enough and it is my job to make sure it gets better.

“We are giving teams two-goal starts nearly every week and we have got a major problem scoring goals but what you have to be careful of as a manager is you don’t start changing everything.

“I need to get to a system I am happy with and not have to change it at half time – it is easy to say we were much better in the second half but I picked the first-half team as well as the second-half team.

“I felt we really didn’t have enough belief in the first half and you just can’t afford to be carrying anybody in our present run as you can get in a position where you start feeling sorry for yourself.

“We had one stone bonk penalty and another a lot of referees would have given on Monday but Andy D’Urso is not our problem – our problems are in house and they start off with me and end with me and I have to get it right.

“As for the 10 games, it is easy to say it is 10, but we went to Scunthorpe in the cup and beat a first division club and we went to Rotherham last week and were the best side on the pitch.

“It is about getting our noses in front in a game and the confidence will come flooding back as soon as we register a point and I reckon we will do all right against Southend.”

Despite the poor run of form, Brown, who’s side go to Swindon Town on Monday, has played down the need to make wholesale changes to his squad once the transfer window opens at the end of the month.

“We brought five in last year and that made a difference but we don’t need that many this year,” he said.

“I know that might sound stupid but I watched the Gillingham and Cheltenham games recently where we played some wonderful football and if we can keep most of that intact and most of that belief, then I just need to bring someone in who will make a little difference.

“The board have been great and given me some money to try and strengthen and there are two or three I would like to get in and I would assume there are two or three here that won’t be getting much of a chance who we will try and get out on loan.”