Don't you just love this stage of the season? The first whiff of autumn in the air and games coming thick and fast, with every one seen as a barometer of our likely fortunes. One win could lift us 10 places in the table. Another defeat could send the doom mongers into overdrive. Once upon a time we shuffled up to Rockingham Road, took our medicine and grumbled quietly as yet another optimistic pre-season gave way to reality. League tables weren't even printed for the first few games. If we were still bottom three by Christmas, the ET's letters page would attract some correspondence. Otherwise, fans relied on that traditional message board - shouting "bloody rubbish" at 4.45. Nowadays everything is immediate. Instant reaction on chat rooms, phone ins and twitter, with opinion seesawing back and forth. Last night was a classic example - Poppies 1-0 down, moan moan moan, Harper out. Poppies equalise - yeeeessssssss, give him time, bring on Saturday. I guess that's what supporting a club does to people - drives them to extremes. Luckily there is Patgod - the voice of reason - to steer a balanced course.
After four games we've earned two away draws without playing well - not bad at all, and suggestive that this season we will again be a tough proposition on the road. At home we lost to a good Luton side and were easily stifled by a Darlington outfit that was set up not to lose. A far cry from their last team to visit Kettering 20 years ago, in fact that side could probably still beat the current lot. Anyone can drop the odd couple of points at home - it was the utter predictability of it that causes concern. The team is set up much too defensively by a manager who by his own admission knows how to stop goals but not score them. Boucard and Noubissie are too similar and neither poses a threat. The build up play is pedestrian, giving the opposition time to defend in depth, and JP is too obviously inviting the challenge so he can go down and try to win a free kick. Apart from set pieces, we appear to lack any ideas at all.
On paper it's 90% of a capable squad. Ok, we'd love another Simon Heslop or even someone half as good to give the midfield some thrust, but it's tactics not personnel that are holding us back. Andre could be so much better if he was told to get forward and spray some of those passes behind the opposition rather than sideways. Remember how he was the playmaker against Fulham? Meanwhile the front two need to get within the same postcode, so that when Furlong finally produces that knockdown, his partner is on to it. Not sure about Makofo - didn't pull up any trees in Conf North, Serge by name but not by nature. However, despite what we've seen so far, there are goals in this team. We need Furlong, as Harper's assistant, to blend his striker's expertise with the boss's defensive nous and then maybe there will be something worth watching.
If the season so far has proved anything, it's that lowering the admission prices will only work if there's some entertainment on offer. After the Darlo snoozefest, even charging a quid for kids seemed steep. My lad felt so abused he almost called Childline.
That's another thing, it's not all about results. Had we scraped a draw against Luton despite being outplayed and fluked a winner last Saturday we would NOT all be happy. Least of all Imraan I suspect.
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