Cod Almighty | Diary

Revolutionary biscuits of Italy, rise up out of your box

28 March 2018

What do you think about when you think about Town's battles against relegation?

The back-to-back struggles of 2009 and 2010 are fresh in the memory. Aldershot's Kirk Hudson wrote his name into your original/regular Diary's personal history books with a double strike against Town's relegation rivals Chester. A group of us watched the latest scores from a Nottingham pub – a group whose contingent of GTFC fans initially numbered three or four, but which had become entirely consumed emotionally with the exhausting travails of the Mariners by quarter to five that afternoon. In the untidiest of circumstances we were safe. The drink flowed freely. Less Messi, more messy.

This must never happen again, we said. Twelve months later it happened again, but this time we ran out of chances. At Burton it all came crashing down. The long-running mismanagement of the club at last exacted its price. Meanwhile roaming bands of knobheads knocked over plant pots at a garden shop on the way to the ground, threw advertising hoardings onto the pitch, and generally suggested that our town has failed psychologically to progress beyond about the year 1975.

Before the final reckoning of both seasons, though, there was a sense among fans that we could do it. We may not have had confidence in the manager, but we seemed to feel there was enough nous and fight among the playing squad for the team to pull through. There were signs that they could do it, and wanted to, and we took hope from those signs right up to the end. In one case our hope was rewarded; next time, it wasn't. But the hope was there.

Back at Tranmere in 2004 the feeling was similar. Don't ask me why, but it was. The appointment of Nicky Law had seemingly ruined the respectable six-game caretaker job done by Graham Rodger, whose steadied ship was in danger of capsizing all over again. But we travelled in belief that Town could dodge the drop. In the second half when the players rolled over against ten men, we didn't just sigh. It came as a shock.

It was different the year before. Remember Easter Monday at home to Walsall in 2003? All the rallying cries and defiance just ran out of energy, only 4,600 showed up, and Town's last glimpse of second-flight football slipped quietly away. We knew what was coming and we settled for it.

And that's what the mood seems like again now. We're mostly resigned to our fate.

But… it's not quite the same. Despite the intervening years of Fenty failure, Town's support is more committed and positive than it was in the early 2000s. Today we're desperate to see young players given a chance, and when they are we get behind them. Back then the management was far less hesitant about blooding the likes of David Soames, Chris Bolder and Darren Mansaram. Sadly the fans were far less supportive.

So when, in these final weeks, Michael Jolley appeals for the crowd to do our bit and get behind the players, we are not unjustified in responding, but we have been behind the players all season; now it's their turn to respond to our backing.

Town fans have done brilliantly this season in continuing to support players who we don't really have much faith in. Indeed, compared with their predecessors, brought to the club before the Slade era, some don't even look like they want to be here. I'm not hesitant about pointing out the ill-effects on the team when the supporters moan and groan. But this time that's not the case. Whatever blame can be apportioned for the current crisis, none of it lies with the fans.

In 2010 we didn't believe in the manager but we thought the players might have proved just committed and capable enough. In 2018 the players might not seem up to the job, but we have one remaining cause for hope in the manager. Over to you, Michael.