Michael Duff can have big Wycombe Wanderers success - he has to overcome what Mike Dodds let slide first | OneFootball

Michael Duff must overcome Wycombe Wanderers' mentality issue to bring success to Adams Park.

Wycombe Wanderers have shown some signs of progressing into the team they want to be under new boss Michael Duff, but Saturday’s setback at the hands of AFC Wimbledon has proven there is still a long way to go.

The writing was on the wall for Mike Dodds early in the season, as results were poor, the style of football was laborious and frustrating, and the relationship between supporters and the head coach had soured beyond repair, following a defeat to winless Peterborough United.

Whilst the news of Dodds’ sacking was the least surprising thing most League One fans have heard this season, the man who was brought in as his replacement certainly turned heads, as it was a complete change of direction from the Wanderers hierarchy.

Instead of a young, upcoming coach who is experienced at developing youngsters, Wycombe opted to go for a strong, authoritative, and experienced leader in Duff, who has enjoyed a modest career in the EFL so far with Cheltenham Town, Barnsley, Swansea City, and Huddersfield Town.

The 47-year-old has proven elsewhere the success and stability his managerial style can bring, but he will need to overcome a glaring issue with the current playing squad to become a success at Adams Park.

After a disappointing conclusion to last season’s exploits at the top of League One, calling the start of the new campaign a disaster is being polite, given the expectations and excitement in pre-season that this could finally be Wycombe’s year.

Unfortunately, it never kicked on under Dodds, with inconsistent results and performances, an all-round lack of progression, tactical stubbornness, and some bizarre and frankly concerning post-match statements, all playing a huge part in the downfall of the rookie head coach.

Whilst nobody likes to see a person lose their job, it was clear that the Dodds experiment would never come good, and a change was required before irreversible damage was done to the season. Thankfully, the Wycombe hierarchy acted quickly to ensure a smooth transition between head coaches.

The appointment of Duff certainly raised eyebrows, as it was a huge change in direction from the previous head coach, but it was well received. Things got off to the perfect start as well, with the former Barnsley boss winning his opening two matches, keeping two clean sheets and scoring four goals.

However, a pressing issue that plagued Duff’s predecessor reared its ugly head in Saturday’s trip to Wimbledon, as a slow start saw Wanderers 2-0 down with a mountain to climb before they even began to play. This was the fourth time this had happened in the opening ten matches for the Blues.

After the match, a furious Duff cited a mentality issue in the squad, which he believes is causing these performances and ultimately costing the club points they should not be losing.

Now that the shackles of Dodds’ laborious football have been removed, it seems the new head coach has another issue to combat if he wants to turn this Wycombe squad into the powerhouse it looks to be on paper.

Michael Duff must overcome Wycombe Wanderers mentality issues to bring success

The story of Wycombe over the last ten months has been nothing short of bizarre. From the outside looking in, it would appear that the departure of Matt Bloomfield in January was the main catalyst for the club’s struggles, but this is far from the case.

Too much has changed in too short a time. With 25 new players arriving across the last two transfer windows, it is clear there will be a period of transition while a completely new squad learns how to gel together and play as a team, rather than as 11 individuals.

However, the most pressing issue is the mentality within the squad. Too often, Wycombe fall two goals behind before starting to play, a habit that has already cost them up to 12 points. Duff was quick to diagnose this as the main problem holding back what is, on paper, a talented group of players.

The 47-year-old has been vocal about the dangers of continually going 2-0 down. He has also pointed out that the squad can switch on when they want to, as seen in his opening matches in charge. The challenge now is maintaining those levels every week, rather than only when there is extra motivation to impress someone.

This Wycombe side certainly has the quality to push for the play-offs, and Duff has the pedigree to be a success at Adams Park. But his most crucial task is to stamp out the mentality problem within the group, and fortunately, he looks like the type of leader capable of making that happen.

It remains unclear what the solution will be. Whether through team selection, tactical tweaks, or a firmer psychological approach, Duff must find a way to instill resilience across the squad. The sooner that happens, the sooner Wycombe can turn their fortunes around under their new boss.