A Terrier's Tale.....

Bit of time on my hands today, off work and car at the garage for repairs, thought I would get a few Town issues off my chest........

Andy Ritchie

Is our new (I know its been a few months but he still is to me) gaffer going to be all he's cracked up to be? Someone on DATM has gone to the trouble of finding out the following statistics:

AR (3 clubs) Games 279 - Won 93 (33.33%) Lost 109 (39.07%) Drawn 77 (27.6%)

PJ (1 club - 2 spells) Games 292 - Won 114 (39.04%) Lost 99 (33.9%) Drawn 79 (27.05%)

So lets play spot the difference here!! Nope, me neither, only in so much as ARs record is spread over 3 different clubs. Proves to me that it it hadn't been for last season that Jacko would still be our manager, further proves that Davy quite clearly doesn't do statistics (replacing one Manager with another one with an almost identical win ratio) and that AR was appointed on the strength of his play-off season at Barnsley.

None of this makes Andy a poor manager of course, and I'm not calling for his head here, far from it. When we play well we look good, but there has been precious little of that lately! No, what I am getting at is where will any improvement come? Ok, maybe if Mr Davy loosened the purse strings for a loan striker at the very least, and Andy was allowed to bring his own backroom staff in (anyone know why John Dungworth is still assistant) maybe we would be rewarded with better results (I'm not going to cite injured players here, our squad is threadbare regardless). Get the distinct feeling that AR is being made to work to exactly the same constraints that ultimately saw off Jacko.

Chris Brandon

Before anyone on here is accusing me of blatant favouritism here, I'm saying the following because, like him or not, this is indisputable: Brandos work rate and determination at present is putting the rest of the players to shame at the moment - no exceptions - and yet STILL he is criticised, no doubt by the same ones who were maligning him vocally (unjustifiably imo) behind me in the LB Lower last season. So, there is no end-product his detractors insist - but is there any end product anywhere on the pitch at the moment? I for one am glad Blackpool decided not to keep him. I can't help it if he's my favourite Town player, but if he wasn't putting it all in (like several at present) I would say so - truly I would (I get the feeling no-one believes me...)!

Ken Davy

My views on our Chairman are well known, but as word reaches me that a Rugby match that probably wont happen has meant us bringing forward the kick off of the Luton match to 12 noon, you have to wonder yet again what is going on here. Mr Davy can deny it all he wants, but you wont get many Town fans convinced that The Giants aren't leeching off Town, that coupled with our strangling rent agreement and the lack of funds yet again materialising for players - and he probably cant understand why a fair section of the support wish him gone. Which brings the old chestnut of "...what would happen...". Anyone got the phone number of an Arab Sheik / Oil Baron / Lottery Winner? Thought not - we are lumbered then, well and truly. Top 30 by 2008.... even the most optimistic fan knows how unlikely that is. With no investment and over-reliance on the academy we may well remain in Division 3 for the foreseeable future.

In Conclusion

At the end of the day, I am mightily proud of supporting the greatest team in football, love Town with all my heart, and will be there forever no matter what - its the most addictive drug in the world, but it does get difficult at times - perhaps that's why we all stick by them through thick and thin. The most fantastic box of delights ever made don't you think? You really don't know what you are going to get next.............