Restless natives.

I was on the road last Saturday as night was falling, listening to Radio Lincolnshire as we were just about in the county. I rather like listening to the football on the car radio but I never tune in for the match commentary when I’m at home.

Anyway City’s game slithered to its inevitable conclusion with the final score flattering to the home side according to those at the game and the non league paper too, I learned today. I was not expecting anything if I’m honest and a season that started off with such hope is now once again causing disappointment.

Gary Simpson sounded a tortured soul in his after match interview and it’s an all too familiar refrain these days as a puzzled manager attempts to put some kind of a gloss on the performance or explain what went wrong. Except he didn’t put a gloss on the performance and couldn’t explain what went wrong.

All this was grist to the mill of the texters who offered their considered opinion of the current state of Lincoln City and many of them were, guess what? Calling for the managers head. Any fans who expressed themselves satisfied with the current managerial position were denounced as deluded and it was stated that David Holdsworth would have been slaughtered after such a run. That much may be true although I dare suggest that general results this season, even given the slump of late were surely not as bad as last and at least we have had some decent home performances.

Given that I am not calling for the managers head I suppose I am one of the deluded ones. I’ve been following City for 40 odd years now and, apart from a period in the seventies when we really seemed to have established ourselves as a third division side (that’s league one in new money) my demeanour has largely been one of hoping that things will improve. As things stand now, that’s my current mood, as it was last season and the one before that recurring.

I dare say I’m no different to most other fans who are not disposed to contact the radio station demanding blood but by the same token I am not unhappy with the manager as much as not happy with the current situation. Who would be?

Simpson told a very interesting story when invited to comment on the Andrew Boyce saga, the players agent was agitating for a move, very much sideways, Mansfield Town was one of the clubs interested, I can’t remember the other, at the end of last season but it does underline the real movers and shakers in the football world and moan though we may at the manager and the clubs chairman and board therein lies the frustrating truth about football at this level. You can chop and change as much as you like and the result will probably be, well, exactly what happened to the Imps.

Should I stay or should I go.

Much speculation in the press and amongst the twitterati at the moment about Andrew Boyce and his release clause.

Personally, whilst I would miss seeing Boyce’s performances, he is one of my favourite players, I don’t think the club should seek to prevent the player leaving and indeed I think the fact that there is conjecture is a good thing. At least we have a player who is coveted by a football league club. Alright, I understand that club is Scunthorpe United but, leaving aside slightly hurt pride no one can deny they are a well run club whose recent status has been considerably higher than the Imps.

Boyce reminds me of a slightly less beefy Gareth McAuley and I believe with the right guidance he can go on to emulate that player and perform at the highest level, at least in club football. I’ll say this through gritted teeth; I believe he will get at least the start of that guidance from the Iron, Brian Laws et al.

Given the fact that former Blues owner Peter Swann is now at Glanford Park we have all the evidence we need to support the theory that Boyce will be playing his football next season up the A15. If he does, good luck to him, he’s done us a good job and at least we’ve had the opportunity to see him for a couple of seasons.

Slightly more concerning is the pronouncement that Gary Simpson did not know about the release clause in the players contract. If he didn’t, he should have done.