The booing is back, the purple patch is most definitely over and I left Glanford Park on Saturday feeling numb.
This weekend’s embarrassing defeat against the resurgent Hartlepool, who were cut a drift at the bottom of the table just a matter of weeks ago, made it all much worse.
Calamity Canavan once again showed the turning circle of an articulated lorry to giftwrap a goalscoring opportunity to Franks, who made no mistake. It’s becoming his party piece and when he isn’t manhandling the opposition, he’s letting them stroll through for the easiest goal they’ll score all season.
People point to clubs such as Leeds and Nottingham Forest to illustrate how ‘the mighty have fallen’ and although we were never mighty, we were alright. A good Championship outfit, who’s front two of Hooper and Hayes scared the most secure and experienced defences with their incredible link up play.
It wasn’t too long ago we played Newcastle off the park, hammered Sheffield United and put four past Palace on their own patch. Any lingering doubt that we’d fall as quick as we rose through the divisions was quashed with some fantastic blood and thunder performances and a top class manager. Since Adkins left we’ve been in desperate decline on and off the field
The big money signing of the biggest ever Iron flop Rob Jones cannot be excused, however money we did spurn under Baraclough and at the beginning of Knill’s tenure is leaving us desperately short of cash, ideas and any sense of hope for the future. The fans that think we’ll stay up, on current form, need to wake up and smell the coffee.
After limping to wins over Portsmouth and Crawley, a spirited 3-1 win against Carlisle did give me hope that we would pull ourselves together and move clear of the relegation zone. However whilst Cup hero’s Oldham strengthened with proven goal scorers Lee Barnard and Chris Iwelumo, which should see them have enough, we did nothing.
Apart from pinning our hopes on Akpo Sodje. The former Wednesday hitman netted four goals two weeks ago, but has offered little else. I have a feeling those who had their fingers crossed that he’d be the next Jon Parkin or Leon Clarke, will be left very disappointed.
Despite the fact that some fans reckon Brian Laws has mellowed since his last stint at Glanford Park, his blaming of the ref for the heavy defeat at Yeovil is just the start of a string of excuses we’ll be subjected to on our slide into the depths of the Football League’s basement. At this rate our old manager, who was touted as the messiah by a section of the disillusioned support, is going to take us back to where it all started. Dark days indeed.
Even darker then, that the club have no clear direction. With chairman Steve Wharton stepping down at the end of the season- the only man to have expressed any interest is boxing promoter Dennis Hobson. If only one thing is certain, its the fact that the club needs boxing into shape, from top to bottom.
Hobson is attending the Iron Trust’s AGM on Thursday and I for one cannot wait to listen to what the board’s latest egomaniac has to say.
Five years ago we were grabbing an oar and pulling together towards success. Now we’re sailing into stormy waters without a captain.