Another home defeat. Cheers!

 

I seem to be at that stage of life where quite a lot of things in my day annoy me. My family and friends will probably advise you they had realised this rather sooner than I have.

The lady I sit next to said something yesterday that certainly reflected how I feel at the football. She said she was fed up of queueing to get out of the stadium being regaled with the delighted cheers of the away fans who, in many cases after months of struggle following their team, came to Lincoln to be gifted three lovely points that their team barely had to work for, there you are, you don’t deserve it, but there’s the points, have them on us.

Once again, a very modest team, one that had sacked their manager, the likeable football genius, according to him, Steve Evans, had left a club teetering on the brink of relegation but, help was at hand in the form of a benevolent Lincoln City who gave them a bit of relief from their troubles and their fans, starved of success, getting some air in their lungs singing some songs they thought they wouldn’t be singing again this season. Happy to help. Safe journey.

I’m starting to get in my stride now. We seem to employ a man whose sole responsibility is to chat to the fourth official. In my seat I have an unrivalled view of this. Here he comes, he’s sent back to the dugout. Undaunted, two minutes later he’s back again. I know other teams do this, not as much admittedly but they do. Usually, but not yesterday he wears an Imps bobble hat. Again, nothing wrong with that but he looks like a fan and I think, I could do that, for free. Chatting to the spare referee, how difficult would that be?

You’ll notice I’m doing anything but talk about the football. One more annoying thing though. Alan Long, announcer, we love you but for goodness sake, welcome the away fans by all means but please don’t encourage them to start cheering, it’s us home fans you’re supposed to be geeing up. Oh, and we know you’ve done your research but the away fans don’t need to know how far they’ve travelled, they’ve done it and we’re not bothered. Rant nearly over.

Yesterday was a new experience for us. I’m not going to jump on the Appleton out bandwagon, it’s getting a bit crowded anyway but often I can see how difficult it is to break down a team whose sole aim is not to be beaten. Time after time teams have come to Lincoln after getting a pasting elsewhere and City have looked pretty good, to be fair. Take Doncaster. Incidentally, they were very loud, well done you. Anyway, they looked as if they wouldn’t score if they’d played till Christmas then they were gifted a penalty and, as we know, you score, we lose. Wycombe was a bit different, although pegged back when we could have won it was a good performance but again, one point when it could have been three and here we are, no points and definitely not a good performance.

Michael Appleton, manager, BBC Radio Lincolnshire, what happened there? What do you want me to say? He really did say that, what do you want me to say? We really don’t help ourselves sometimes.

Bit of rough and tumble? Don’t mind if I do.

 

Strangely enough I probably enjoyed the Wycombe game a bit more than the win against Morecambe. Obviously the three points were better than one but for some reason, probably the fact that I wasn’t expecting anything from the game, I was more relaxed about the outcome, particularly as we’d picked up three points last time out.

For a start, there wasn’t so much of an insistence of playing out from the back. That’s not a criticism of that tactic, about which more later. In the days when City used to play like Wycombe, managers used to say things like, they’re good at what they do. Call it a backhanded compliment, I call it not a compliment at all, it was a signal that it was not the way opposition managers would have their teams play. I didn’t believe a word of it then and I don’t believe a word of it now, Wycombe are up at the right end of the league and that’s the end of it as far as I’m concerned.

What I would say though is you play that way if you haven’t got an awful lot of talent at your disposal, well that’s how it was when we played a more direct game. We play the way we do now because that’s the way our manager wants it and basically if we didn’t the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal wouldn’t loan us their young talent and we need that to balance the books skills wise.

Talking of young players, I sincerely hope young Norton-Cuffy’s parents were watching on Saturday as their lad grabbed the opportunity presented to him with both hands. Once he embarked on that mazy run the roar that greeted Norton-Cuffy’s every touch was tremendous and well deserved.

In fact several players seem to be emerging from the doldrums they had drifted into, not all, but many, and, certainly on Saturday there didn’t seem to be the nerves, either from the crowd or the players when Wycombe equalised. Maybe it was the fact that nothing was expected from the game but I do hope, having emerged from this difficult fixture City don’t throw it all away by losing the third of three home games this coming Tuesday.

Assuming, hoping the Imps emerge victorious from the Doncaster clash then the home hoodoo may be said to be over. I hope I don’t regret saying that.

The madness of crowds.

 

Going home in the car I was almost on my drive by the time Michael Appleton was interviewed on the radio. It was the usual spiel, I thought we were excellent in the first half, true. I silently mused, please praise the crowd because, for me, not for the first time but probably the first time this season the LNER faithful were instrumental in getting the team over the line with all three points. He eventually did acknowledge the fans not before commenting on the assembled faithful’s nerves after, with a certain inevitability Morecambe pulled a goal back. You bet we were anxious Michael, we’ve seen it all before.

That set back, as is depressingly familiar, rocked the team back on its heels. I was thinking, poor as they were, if Morecambe get an equaliser, they’ll win it. The reason for that is, that’s what keeps happening, Step forward, us. The Imps weathered the storm and kept it at 2.1. The crowd sensed resolve was slipping, something was needed from us and gradually, metaphorically speaking people began to rush to plug the gaps pushing, heaving the team over the line. Led and cajoled by the ever excellent 617 the cry rang out, red and white army, red and white army. The silence signs in the library were covered over, come on, more is needed, red and white army, you can clap along but we need a massive effort, so those who wouldn’t normally utter a word did join in, red and white army, red and white army on and on it went until finally, finally the referees whistle went. Even then the chant still rang out, a home win. We’d done it.

Any notion that the steam had gone out of the City support was answered last night. A very healthy, I thought crowd of 7500 turned up to see what was the least attractive  of the triple header to come. I’m not that sure I enjoyed it all that much as the game took on a familiar pattern. City imperious in the first half. Two goals, I thought at the time if we could just get one more maybe the nerves will subside but it didn’t come. A free kick was awarded in a dangerous place. Free kick. Really? Morecambe got one back. It was a great strike admittedly. Here we go again backs against the wall. You’d think we’d cope better, we're very experienced at this sort of thing. Talk about deflated, the body language seemed to say, go on then, win it, that’s what usually happens but somehow, I like to think I know why, the inevitable didn’t come about. City survived, we survived. We pushed and shoved and did the only thing we could and it worked.

Rob Bradley tweeted afterwards , give the crowd Man of the Match and he was right, well he wasn’t, I’d have given it to Conor McGrandles. Can a crowd win a game for a team? No of course not. Did a last nights crowd win the came for City? I’d like to think so.

New look team. Same old result.

 

When John Marquis stuck a boot out to put City in the lead yesterday, we all said, there you are, that’s the missing piece of the jigsaw. Unspectacular, being in the right place at the right time, just like last week when the player arrived in the right area, stepped forward and slotted home. Just what we’ve been needing.

Unfortunately, the goal didn’t mask that other underlying problem. When a good reliable solid unspectacular centre half head was needed to clear the ball it instead was scrambled into the net, yes those old defensive failings are still there and, once again we went home disappointed after yet another home reverse.

I suppose the one thing you could say is that Burton Albion are a decent outfit, far more so than Cambridge a couple of weeks ago. Uncompromising, direct when they needed to be, well drilled and energetic. If it hadn’t been for the fact they were playing City I could have quite enjoyed their performance.

The home fans were certainly up for it, with a big crowd in and in good voice City fluffed their lines. Certain players, I wont name them, failed to back up the promise they had showed previously. It wasn’t a bad showing but perhaps Josh Griffiths’ heroics in goal deflected the fact that City were up against it dealing, as I said with a more than capable opponent coached by the biggest managerial name in the division and that showed. It’s ironic, one of the smallest clubs in the league, their biggest star was in the dugout and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, I felt, had all the answers or rather City didn’t have the answer to the Brewers threat.

Not for the first time the Imps home form proves to be their Achilles heel and I really can’t see why. I don’t go to many away games any more but I have in the past, many times and it’s not the crowd. I’m sure we’re no worse than most and better than many supporters but that same old home hoodoo rears it’s ugly head. For years it’s been better following City on their travels than at home.

Yesterday I suppose you could point to the double defensive change that sunk the Imps. The manager was quick to point out the change was forced upon him by circumstances but the upshot was, straight after the change the game was lost and City will have to go to MK Dons to put matters right. I’m encouraged by the fact that I was at that game a few years ago when an imperious City swept aside the home team to more or less seal their promotion from League Two.

Of course, that marvellous performance was quickly followed by Carlisle away which we also attended where the Imps were, let’s say less than magnificent. Oh, and we had a little shunt in the car afterwards. Happy days. Up the Imps!

Tales of the unexpected.

 

I can’t remember his exact words but I was struck by the here today gone tomorrow nature of some players employment circumstances and possibly Michael Appleton’s ruthlessness and desire to succeed when Appleton was invited to heap praise on the returning hero Max Melbourne who, after all had secured all three points with his last gasp winner. Was there any way back into his affections? Ha ha, yes, he did quite well. That’d be a no then.

There are plenty more examples of players who seem to be part of the furniture, Neal Eardley and Michael Bostwick for example, absolute bedrocks of the team, yesterday’s men before you know it. I was impressed with John Marquis’ ability to override his situation, one minute generating, for our level, big money transfers, the next, new manager comes in, out in the cold. He commented it was a long way home last night but where is home?

Yet here they all are, thrown together in the melting pot that is the modern Lincoln City, the actual permanent squad, decimated by injury and not just injury, this is a Lincoln City roster of crocks, serious medical difficulties and players that can’t play three games in a row. When will it all end I ask myself? The answer is, I would imagine, these players will be shipped out as soon as circumstances allow, see above for an example of the managers resolve.

In the meantime we reflect on the unlikely turn of events that have got even some of our legendary pessimists thinking we may yet be alright this season. Oxford, home, Sunderland away, Cambridge home, Plymouth away, that’s three points for the Cambridge fixture, forget the rest and move on. Wrong again.

How has all this been done? Well, for my money, as long as City weren’t bottom of the league I don’t think Michael Appleton’s situation was at all vulnerable as far as the board were concerned, whatever the doomsayers were predicting. The powers that be were aware that the summer transfer business had been a disappointment to say the least. I don’t think the injury situation was regarded as the managers sole responsibility either although you do have to wonder how this mayhem has come about. Is football just too hard at the moment? I think we mostly regard modern footballers as a fairly pampered lot, even at our level but something’s going awry and it’s not often City don’t have a midweek game to contend with and with the powers that be insisting that minor cup games be fitted in at the drop of a hat it’s probably no wonder players welfare is being threatened.

Anyway, where were we, oh yes, Plymouth away and, innocent that I am as regards team construction and tactics it was always my belief that this team wasn’t that far away from being a decent outfit, in fact you could almost narrow it down and say if we’d had a fit Tom Hopper and maybe an understudy, we’d have been doing a whole lot better than we have. Well now we’ve rectified that, at least for the moment. I wonder if the Marquis situation is regarded by the club as a temporary solution, until Hopper is fit. I don’t really see how the club can afford his wages once the reported support from Portsmouth ends but there again, what do I know? Nothing Lincoln City do surprises me anymore. Exciting, isn’t it?

Another one bites the dust.

 

My wife knows better than to greet me with a cheery, “Had a good time?” after (another) home defeat. For some reason I really did have an enjoyable afternoon though despite the fact City were unable to add any points to their admittedly meagre tally.

Judging by the fact that the smattering of boos were replaced by a smattering of applause from the departing fans in the Selenity Stand, a lot of supporters thought their afternoon wasn’t entirely wasted either.

City started brightly, not for the first time but it felt a bit different as Michael Appleton threw his new recruit on and it was a new look side not least because the existing team members seemed to be playing with a panache not always seen earlier in the season.

In the end though it was an outcome we’d seen so many times before with the Imps doing everything but score, an admirable rearguard from Cambridge and a keeper in sparkling form. Just our luck!

I suppose the only surprise for me was the inclusion of Scully in the starting line-up. I’d fallen for Michaels gloomy, “He’s fifty fifty” in Thursdays interview only to be replaced by a sprightly “He’s in the team” by Saturday. The player was sprightly too as City set to Cambridge with all guns blazing. They were firing blanks unfortunately but whereas I’d never felt someone’s going to get a real pasting from this team in the not too distant future, now I can well imagine one opponent is going to learn City are not the duds they thought they were but it wasn’t to be on Saturday. Of the three fixtures City faced this was surely the one they could take maximum points from? No was the reality of course.

Still, onwards and upwards and City face opponents every bit as good as Oxford and Sunderland and every bit as vulnerable too on Tuesday. That’s why we love football. Never a dull moment.

When the going gets tough.

 

Many moons ago my late father-in-law was on the board at Lincoln City, a thankless task at the time. City had a new manager, a young man plucked out of the team in his first managerial role. It was not going well but Dad saw some potential in the earnest young man who lived and died football and he had an ally on the board who thought the same. Together they persuaded the other board members to give the manager a bit longer to turn things round. You may have guessed that wet behind the ears coach was Graham Taylor. The rest is history. I was fortunate to meet Taylor, again a good few years ago and he told me that my father-in-law had effectively been responsible for saving his job and, as we know, it didn’t exactly do City any harm either.

So I’m always sceptical when people start calling for a managers head particularly when the reasons for the slump are reasonably obvious, finances, or at least an unwillingness to be held to ransom, loss of form in players, injuries and disappointment in the transfer market. When a club suffers all of those setbacks it’s difficult to see what good changing the man in charge would do, apart from what is known in some circles as a dead cat bounce.

Personally, although I did allow myself the possibility that the Imps could find themselves back in league two, I never believed that ditching Michael Appleton was the right thing to do, as my old boss used to say, in any way shape or form.

Anyway, not to put the cart before the horse, on Saturday and again last night, two of the unlikeliest fixtures to arrest the slide were faced and City emerged victorious. It wasn’t down to luck either.

We can’t yet say that we are out of the woods but things certainly look a whole lot rosier when you consider also, that a further quality addition to the squad is expected and finally the injury woes might be easing together with a return to form of some team members I had been wondering about.

It’s all particularly pleasing personally, Oxford is a team I’ve seen many times, home and away, usually with disappointing consequences and Sunderland, well Sunderland, you can forget your Ipswich’s and Charlton’s, Wigan’s and Sheffield Wednesday’s, Sunderland are right up there as the gold standard as far as away wins go. They must be highly delighted to fail to go top of the league courtesy of the leagues Cinderella side.

Hopefully it doesn’t end there, City now embark on a mixed programme for the next few games but the way things are going I wouldn’t put anything past them.