I’m not sure where the worst performance this past couple of days happened – AFCW or the SW19 WordPress database.
In case you’ve followed the horrors from about Friday morning onwards, a brief explanation.
I tried automatically updating to the latest version of WordPress, and it failed to fully connect to the right server to complete the task.
Basically ensuring that not only did it fuck up at that very moment, but fucked up to the point I couldn’t even access it to sort it out.
The main page is back up, but I can’t upload anything to it, so I’m using this messy “temporary” version of WordPress.
Although you can thank Colin who does the technical side of things to even get to this stage.
I might move away from WordPress if anyone knows of a suitable alternative – I’ve tried uploading about 24 years worth of bullshit onto Blogger but it’s acting like Chris Gunter when I do so.
All suggestions welcome. Things like Drupal might work, or indeed if there’s something I’ve never heard of that’s reliable and easy enough to use…
I tell you all this because it’s preferable to talking about Rochdale yesterday.
The only takeaway is that all the good work, and all the good feeling from Walsall has been truly extinguished again.
Those there will doubtless relive the horror of it to their therapist, to go alongside Crawley from a couple of weeks ago.
You might be able to explain it if you believe a) we’ve got nothing to play for, and b) Rochdale are fighting for their EFL lives.
If you look at it this way, it could be understandable – after all, when we had our Great Escape (TM) how many times did we get points against sides who were effectively on the beach?
We still have to ensure we’re mathematically safe. Yes, I know, but as said on here too many times recently – that’s the hand we dealt ourselves in January.
The feeling I get from yesterday though is different, in comparison to Barrow last week and even Crawley a couple of weeks ago.
For the first time, I am now wondering if JJ is going to be gone in the summer.
It’s a very strange reaction to how we played last Tuesday, almost too strange. Especially as it was more or less the same XI that delighted most of us against Walsall.
The reaction of the supporters is what you would have expected, but it’s very telling the amount of previously on-the-fence dwellers now wanting Jackson gone.
The usual caveats still apply, with Pell and Davison and whoever else is injured needing to return. But that feels increasingly like an excuse as opposed to a reason.
I don’t know what the relationship between JJ and the club’s decision makers is at the moment, these things can sour very quickly in football.
And don’t forget that our current manager was turfed out in odd circumstances at Charlton**, when he was telling fans only a week before his sacking about his 22/23 transfer targets.
** – which is where your editor was yesterday. It’s an overused SW19 cliche to say this, but I really did get the better deal.
If he was led up the garden path with the budget in January, and it’s the second job he’s been at where the hierarchy have done him over – why would he want to be here?
The same could be said about matchgoing fans as well. There were 7,380 there officially, though less in reality, and this season was supposed to be a lot better.
That it’s fast turned into the last four or five campaigns comes at a costly price for the club, as more and more people decide to do something else on a gameday.
Not only does that affect the bottom line but season ticket sales are due to go out soon. The anecdotes currently going around should make the bean counters shit themselves.
Even though most who say they won’t renew ultimately will – what else are you really going to do on a wintery Saturday? – there’s still likely to be a sizeable drop.
I think I said it after Walsall, but the best thing AFCW could do is to freeze the prices and make a big announcement they’ve done so.
They won’t, and the constant delay pretty much hints you’ll be paying more for more on-field shite next season.
This may also explain the growing feeling that next season is likely to be worse than this campaign, especially as the club’s paranoia over the debt grows and revenues fall.
Our attendances this season have been genuinely impressive. But that’s definitely not guaranteed for 23/24.
Still, we’ve got Easter coming up, a time of year I can never recall us doing well over. Sure some nerdy stat type will list all the results from around this period and say that we’re not so bad ackchyually.
But after the highs of last Tuesday, we’re back to shiteness again. And it gets harder and harder to go again.
After we lose to both Harrogate and Salford, we only have four games left to endure. And then we get three glorious months without AFCW ruining your weekends…