Youth or euthanasia?

When George Rolls left his seat in the South Stand and began strolling towards the home end yesterday, I was briefly thrilled by the thought that he was about to mingle with the ordinary terrace fan. After all, this is traditionally what new chairman do, in the first flush of ownership, during those precious first three weeks before their popularity dips. (Only joking George – in your case I’m sure it will be at least a month.)

Instead he kept walking purposefully past, and at least seemed uninterested in whether anyone noticed him – which is a small tick in the credit column. Perhaps he was wandering over to check how the game looked from the empty bank of sponsors boxes. It can’t have been worse than any other angle. So accustomed are we now to effectively conceding the game in the first ten minutes, it has ceased to have any capacity to shock. Once Alfreton had hit us with a couple of early jabs, the fight was over and they were content to bob around the ring, conserving energy for tougher contests ahead. And there’s another 8 instalments of this to come? Time to meet the new sponsor:



If it's possible to have such a thing as a good relegation, 2001 was it. Under Shutt we very nearly pulled off the great escape, winning 4 out of our last 5 and somehow walking away from the last game with renewed hope. This time, however, is shaping up to be a bad relegation, like 2003. The footballing equivalent of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. A demotion so ragged that we hit the division below like a box of crockery dropped from a height. Or perhaps the division below the one below.

Ever the realist, I am approaching our imminent descent with a bit of a plan. First I focus on Blue Square North. I look at the ex-League clubs we might well encounter there – Chester, Halifax, Darlington. Not too shabby. Plus there’s Nuneaton, Alty, Corby and all the plastic Jock baiting that awaits. And the Conf North wasn’t so bad when you think about it. I hold that thought and then try thinking about the Southern Premier. Here it gets a bit more difficult. Well there’s Redditch. And, er, Bedford. Leamington, they get a few. Weymouth in August? Frome’s meant to be nice. Brackley – technically a local derby, assuming they aren’t by then a level above us (sob).

Maybe it's time we accepted our situation and shipped out all the disinterested / useless loan players, instead giving a bunch of under 18s a few games to show what they can do. They can hardly be any worse and if any earn a contract, it will be the sort we can afford!

But, hey, there’s still 24 points to play for! Or if we can just keep ourselves ahead of Bath, all we need is three other clubs to fold, resign or be kicked out at the end of the season and we live to fight another day. If our name was Forest Green, ya wouldn’t bet against it.