Why doesn't it excite me any more?

[SimplyRed]

It's not just the loss in the JPT, nor is it the fact that it was the Gas who put us out. The Gas away was always going to be a difficult game, mainly because we failed to kill them off at home. I was not surprised that we lost at the Mem - it was on 'on the cards'. I didn't even bother to listen to it on the radio.

I think maybe it's because we haven't had much to write home about at the Gate this season in the league.

Anyone who reads my opinions knows I place a lot of importance on performance - and having seen 14 of the 16 home league games this season, I have to say there's not many that I would consider a 'good' performance.

We've seen too many 'games of 2 halves' and too many downright shabby displays that resulted in shameful losses. I'm absolutely gobsmacked that we've managed to grind out enough results to leave us still with a good chance of getting promotion.

Too often, our play - in the main - has been sub-standard and dull to watch at home. We lack consistency in imagination, passing and accuracy of attack that produces excitement in the crowd and generates the atmosphere that so many on this forum crave.

My suspicion of Gary Johnson as the right man for the job has been well-documented (and criticised!), but while he can take credit for keeping us in the hunt for promotion, his team selection, tactical nous and motivational skills must be suspect on this season's showing so far. I would speculate that the reason we're still in with a shout has rather more to do with the extremely poor quaility of our league rather than some messianic revelation brought to the team by the manager.

Many of the players, who showed a lot of promise earlier in the season, now seem jaded and are underperforming. Johnson himself has become a little too glib in passing off poor performances and defeats as 'something we have to learn from and move on' or 'take the positives from it', and he is careful never to shoulder any blame himself.

He has invited criticism by stubbornly playing his son at times when he's been obviously off-form and overdue for a rest and by allowing him to take all free kicks and corners. Whether or not it is nepotism is irrelevant, because it is human nature to perceive it as such.

Even allowing for the spate of injuries we've had recently, Johnson's squad should've been up to the task if you believe his own rhetoric. The board has backed him to the hilt and the pay-off is now approaching with the final quarter of the season.

The probem is, if we do win promotion and play in the Championship next season, consider how much the team must change in order to survive - because, for sure, the squad we have right now would only last one season and we would be back where we started.

And do I really want to watch this team play in the Championship? - I think not