How the mighty have fallen.

I trust we all had a good laugh at Man U’s expense? Did it, in a small way remind you of our own discomfiture, the latest manifestation of which played out at Hyde last Saturday?

I hesitate to be critical of a manager who I’m sure is doing his best. I don’t want this manager and have never wanted any Lincoln City manager to fail but I thought the latest misadventure just about takes the biscuit.

I listened to snatches of the commentary on the radio and learned that Farman was injured. Steve Thompson said the manager will have to determine if he was fit enough to continue otherwise an outfield player would have to go in goal. I thought no more about it except to say to myself, obviously, Preece would go in goal.

It was only later when I switched on my radio I realised a goalkeeper had not been named as a substitute. What kind of madness is that? Whilst I by no means expected a win at Hyde travelling without a substitute goalkeeper is a sure and certain way of putting that likelihood at risk. I really can’t believe it happened. Not only that but we put our best player in goal. I was furthermore alarmed to read in the Echo:-

“The manager, Gary Simpson, asked at half-time who would want to go in goal,” said Newton. “I said I had done it before when I was in my youth team, I was a bit more confident about it, and David Preece, the goalkeeping coach, said it would be better for me to do it.”

So we went to Hyde without a sub keeper and the manager had to ask who fancied a go at it. You couldn’t make it up.

As it happened, City did win, so what do I know?

Simpson admits. We’ve nowhere to Hyde if we lose tomorrow.

With a little luck Lincoln City won’t have to play Hyde next season although the possibilities are endless for corny headlines. (See above) It would be catastrophic if we do play next term as they are virtually certain of relegation and we know what that means don’t we? It happened to Stockport and sure can happen to City.

I have to admit I went along to Tuesdays match hoping for a repeat of the performance against Halifax but was swiftly disabused of any notions of that as the team set off giving every impression they had never met each other before. Those pre match hugs and handshakes taking on new meaning.

Still, where better to put all that right than a visit to the basement boys. Clear our heads with a few easily taken sucker goals? Not according to Gary Simpson:-

“We will be expected to win the game, but to be honest I think we are expected to win most games in the fans’ eyes,” The City supremo told the Lincolnshire Echo
“They are bottom of the league, they have won a game recently and they have drawn quite a few, but they are bottom of the league for a reason and people will be looking at us to go and win the game. It always puts added pressure on.
"If we had won the other night we would be going into it full of confidence but football has a habit of kicking you up the backside and we go into it having had a defeat, so obviously there is added pressure.”

Actually, you’re wrong there Gaffer. Most of us turn up at Sincil Bank most definitely not expecting a win but ever optimistic bunch that we are and all that, we’re more than happy to be proved wrong.

Is the manager trying to prepare us for yet more disappointment?

“We are hoping we can get a win at Hyde. But I suppose everyone would have been saying the same thing when Hyde played Welling and they won that game. Then they got a draw at Southport so things happen in games.
“We approach every game in a positive manner and it will be no different. They are not bad going forward and they always play football. They have Scott Spencer who scores quite a few goals for them, but they have had a tough season. Who would have thought they would go to Welling and beat them. On a given day, anyone can beat anyone.”

Remember where you heard it first. I’m sure Simmo is just winding us up - Isn’t he?

Onwards and er ……………

I suppose when you consider Nuneaton were on a run of four away games without securing as much as a point and given the fragile state of our heroes none of us present at Sincil Bank last night ought to have been under any illusions that City were going to do anything. Particularly the way the team lined up at the start.

I’m not normally one to harp on about formations, preferring to leave that to the experts although there are plenty amongst my fellow fans who do fancy themselves as budding managers. Suffice it to say that many Imps fans do get frustrated at watching what they consider to be a team set up for an away game, at Sincil Bank. That’s certainly the way it seemed last night and by the time things had been changed, to allow for greater attacking by then the damage was done and City were unable to claw their way back for a draw although no one could say they didn’t try.

It occurs to me that for success, as in the previous Saturday v Halifax, City have to get ahead and stay ahead, they are rarely successful chasers of the game. You can apportion blame as to who’s fault that is but the fact is we don’t often witness a stirring fight back these days. Such a shame after Saturday but last night’s team was a shadow of the one that successfully saw off the Shaymen. Tomlinson, well he looked a different player altogether, Jordan, less said the better and it’s saying something when the man of the match is announced to raucous laughter.

On then to Hyde. I’d seriously considered making this my first away game of the season provided City put on a good show against Nuneaton. You’ll not be surprised to hear I’m not going.

Top of the class.

He’s a lovely mover that Ben Tomlinson. That much was in evidence last Saturday as the Imps delighted their followers with a relatively untroubled home performance v Halifax. An unusual early goal preceded by an even earlier goal set the scene for a much needed three points.

Steve Thompson said on the radio that he made Sam-Yorke his man of the match which was fair enough but I don’t think you can take anything away from a player who has scored a hat trick as Tomlinson had. The final of the three was the best for me, a very assured finish although Tomlinson’s second an audacious looped effort that almost went into orbit before returning to earth and dropping in the Halifax net, reward for a determined charge at the Shaymen’s keeper.

All which is rather a shame for Delano who certainly caught the eye with an all action display. I’d reserved judgement on this player until now but I’m definitely a fan after Saturday but this week he’ll have to settle for best supporting role but it was a good performance all right, one of many. Those nagging doubts about the custodian remain though.

The City bandwagon rolls on with a couple of winnable games, one home tomorrow, against Nuneaton and then an away trip to whipping boys Hyde. Lets not be too sympathetic there lads?

Of course it wouldn’t be Tomlinson without a booking and Saturdays was an odd one. Tomlinson went down in the box although it didn’t appear he had been brought down but having hit the deck he decided to wave his arms about to see what might happen. A yellow card, thank you for asking, the referee deciding that, having booked Halifax’s Adam Smith for what he considered a dive, I was too far away to venture an opinion, then Tomlinson ought to go the book too. Very strange

This lad’s Conner be a star.

When young Conner Robinson went down in a heap a few weeks ago having only just established himself in the first team I really did fear the worst.

Victim of a shocking tackle that has no place in professional football I wondered that might have been the last of Robinson in an Imps shirt.

I really like this boy and think he will go far, so credit to the club for securing Robinsons future with a new contract.

“I said I wanted to reward the lad," commenting Imps supremo Gary Simpson
"He has gone out on loan to get games and has got himself going and pushed on again.
"He has come back and forced his way into the team and has been playing well.
"As a local lad, we try to look after them and do things right.
"We had an option for another year on Conner but we got it done properly and spoke to his advisors.
"We did everything right and it is great news for everybody."

Simpson has a good record for bringing on talent and moving them on for good fees. I think that may well be the future for this player and I look forward to watching his displays for some time before he secures a move upwards, as I m sure he will.

Quotes taken from The Lincolnshire Echo.

University Challenge for Imps?

It was announced on the BBC Website today that land for a mooted new Lincoln City stadium had been identified near the University of Lincoln.

Chairman Bob Dorrian said he hoped relocation would secure the club’s long term future:-

"If everything goes to plan I would hope something concrete has been sorted out by the end of this year in terms of a way forward for the new stadium,"

The problem is, and this is recognised by most fans apart from the most diehard traditionalist’s, these days the stadium has to produce an income for the pro budget rather than matches in themselves providing the clubs income.

The plain fact of the matter is, try though the club might it has failed to find ways of making Sincil Bank pay for itself let alone run at a profit. Dearly though we may love the old girl the stadium just cannot compete for conference business, weddings, parties etc particularly now that Lincoln has become something of a conference and seminar city with the flowering of the University and of course the facilities on campus are brand spanking new and up to the minute, something the Bank for all the sentiment we feel, cannot boast.

Long time fan Steve O’Dare said:-

"It would be great if we could move, but my concern is whether or not the money is behind the club to allow us to do that.
"I would like to hear some economic background to this and how it's going to be paid for.
"The last thing I would like to see is the club moved to a new stadium and it can't afford to run it."

The point is though, can the club afford not to move?

Attack is the best form of defence.

I told you last time of my amusement, or is it bemusement, when my eyes fell on Lincoln City chairman Bob Dorrian last Saturday at the match. He sat stony faced after City had just scored. There’ll no doubt be more of that tonight as the latest fans forum is held. Dorrian is under no illusions that he will win any popularity contests at the moment but told the Lincolnshire Echo that he and the rest of the board would go if the conditions were right:-

“We would sell our shares at a loss,” said Cap’n Bob
“If we believed it was to the right person, we would do that.
“What we want is serious investment from people who have the club’s best interests at heart.
“One way to ensuring that is asking that whoever takes over the club by buying the holding company also invests another £500,000. It is a guarantee that the person taking over is not doing so to just asset strip the club. That is why it is a hard and firm caveat.”

It will come as news to some fans that there are any assets to strip given the axe wielding over the last few years and whoever takes over would have to have very deep pockets indeed with an initial investment of £1.5m quoted for the dubious honour of sitting in the Sincil Bank hotseat. Don’t expect to be under any illusions of grandeur either:-

“When I took over as chairman it was obvious that the club was financially fat and flabby,” said Dorrian.
“My hope was that I could come in, see the first season out in the Football League and then slash the costs at the club.
“In the end relegation meant it had to happen quickly when we went into the Conference. That is a frustration.
“My intention was that if we were in the Football League, the cutting back of costs meant more money could have gone into the playing budget.
“As it turns out I’ve been fighting fires since I started. The first two seasons of life in the Conference have been about survival as a full-time club. We had to make decisions to ensure we could afford a team to keep us in the Conference Premier.
“This season is the first time we have been able to look properly at the pro-football budget in greater detail.”

Well the devil is in the detail as they say and the question is, would a financially fat and flabby Lincoln City have survived in the Football League? A certain Mr John Reams took over the reins at City and immediately set about making the club leaner and fitter and that too resulted in the club losing it’s Football League status although, as us old fogies and students of the Imps history know City returned to the League at the first time of asking and the late Mr Reams did eventually find a place in many fans hearts. Whether Bob Dorrian will be accorded a place amongst those upon the Lincoln City Gods smile down upon time will tell but in the meantime Bob and the board must submit themselves to the scrutiny of the fans forum. Bet they can hardly wait.