Contractually obligated

So the boss says,'it's your turn to do the article' and I'm like 'You what!?' There's absolutely nothing to write about at the moment. He's not having it though and says, 'just get on it'. Now I'm sat looking at a blank screen wondering what the hell I put, cos most of the topics of conversation are about the great unknown.

The first great unknown is why this season has delivered so little? Back in August there was shed loads of optimism about. We had a decent squad, improvements on last time out, and some good signings. Jordan Turnbull was one. Then there was this new policy of bringing on youth, so we had players like Hockenhall, signed a s a bright prospect for the future and late developers like Elliot Nevitt, who would surely make an impact going forward. Then it all went belly up. We got stuffed by Stevenage on the opening day, a physical, pressing team, and I don't think we ever got our brown stuff together after that. 

Then there's the second great unknown, how come so many players have been crocked? I reckon there is a massive swimming pool with a huge diving board at Solar Campus. Every now and then, 'for a laugh' one of the staff drains the pool just before a player makes an Olympic style dive, and then splat. Injury, after injury after injury. If you look into the main stand, at the back of the Directors box, you'll see all the injured players watching the game. There's a coach load of them, sat with their water wings deflating,looking forlorn. I bet some of them will never put their speedos on again, and who can blame them.

The third great unknown is around the January transfer window. Some of you, with good memories, will recall we once had a manger, Micky someone, who said he couldn't make substitutions unless they improved what was already on the pitch. In January he brought ina load of players who, with the exception of Harvey Saunders, all seemed to offer less than we already had. What was that about Micky!? Now we struggle to fill the bench with subs. The fitness test needs to be looked at. I mean, checking a player has a pulse is a good starting point, but maybe it needs to be a bit more detailed. 

The next, the fourth, great unknown, is why we stuck with Micky for so long. They say hindsight is the cheapest of all wisdoms. By my reckoning that means foresight is the most valuable. Enough people were saying that Comrade Mellon had become a lemon long before he was relieved of his duties. I know that loyalty is a value in scarce supply in the modern game, look at Chelsea, but misplaced loyalty is another matter. Just think, if Micky had've been given the push before Christmas we could be sitting comfortably in 9th by now! 

The fifth great unknown is who will be our manager next season? It seems certain to be one from a narrow list of about 40 rumoured names. The fella from Eastern Delight has been interviewed but turned the job down because they wanted him in the ground by 2pm. As he pointed out, that's their busiest time, those chips don't fry themselves, and Robbie Fowler was not interested in working for them. That's probably where the Fowler rumours come from. At the minute there is no shortage of speculation but a complete absence of credible new managers at the helm. The longer this goes on the more likely it is that Dawes and Parky will claim the post as theirs. 

Two games left then, 180 minutes of football. The only known certainty is most of us will come next season.