Slip sliding away

In the last 4 games we have dropped 10 points. We know we won't win every game, but we need to win some games. The sense of pessimism amongst supporters is growing and we are in a bit of a pickle, to say the least. Worse still matches have become tedious. The Salford game was awful, the Swindon game just as badl Prenton Park is not rocking it's groaning. 

Amidst all of this you have the positivity of Nigel Adkins. There's nothing wrong with optimism but at the moment it seems severely misplaced. It's not just about the results but about how we're playing. Too often the ball is hit long and high and it's like watching a school football match. In fact it's worse. On a recent holiday to Jersey I watched my Gt Nephew play in a match there, an under 15 game, the passing was crisp, the skill was impressive and the ball was passed accurately between players. Tranmere seem unable to deliver this kind of football. 

We are promised 'jam tomorrow'. A brave new dawn is emerging with new ownership and new investment. The problem is that we have another 37 games left this season. Despite the excitement of fans the new signings have yet to deliver improvements to our overall game and the players who predate this  just appear to be losing confidence. Doubtless this is, in part, a sign of the uncertainty around the change of ownership. If the intention is to make us the new 'Wrexham', there must be a fair few of the current squad who know they haven't got a chance of being here for very long. Unless being the 'new Wrexham' means spending a decade in the division below? 

Everything is in transition and things will only change when the ownership issue is sorted. It's even the case that relations between the club and the supporters trust have become strained, allegedly over the development of the fan park, but also it is suggested because the Trust have lost their representation at Board level. I am a life long member of the Trust, and a life long supporter of Rovers, it's like seeing two mates falling out both of whom want the same thing. Not good.

At the back of my mind is a concern. What if the proposed takeover doesn't go ahead? What then? We have a squad which has been established on a shoestring, a manager who feels like a short term appointment and finances that look uncertain. At that point we will all need to pull together. It will be like the end of the Osterman period where the club looked into the abyss until Peter Johnson emerged to rescue us. 

As supporters we will continue to turn out, continue to watch games. At the moment though many are passing through the turnstiles out of a sense of loyalty not with any great degree of excitement or anticipation. Season ticket sales and gates have been remarkably robust. Supporters continue to show patience but the concerns are there. There is not much we can do as individuals other than hope that this is a blip. As is often said, 'it's the hope that kills you'.