I didn't go today so I can't comment directly on our performance. However, here are a few basic facts regarding our current situation:
1. We haven't scored a goal since August 25th. This is simply not good enough.
2. If you discount the opening day win at Woking, we have failed to score away from home at all this season.
3. We have not won in our opening 4 home games.
4. We are barely registering any shots on target, let alone scoring goals.
5. We have reverted back to a fairly negative style of play, despite signing a lot of attacking players in the summer.
6. We have players capable of playing good football and scoring goals but they are not doing either.
7. Our manager has carried on his petulant rowing with opposition fans and general embarrassing behaviour.
8. Being part-time and not having money are no longer excuses for under-performing - Barrow have proven this to be a myth.
9. We are nearly a quarter of the way through the season and we only have 6 points!
10. We have not won in 8 games.
So......
Do we replace the manager?
Do we just accept another 8 months of this sh*t followed by relegation?
Do we hold out some false hope that the pattern of the last 2 years will break itself and we'll suddenly start winning games on a regular basis?
Geoff Goodwin and the board have done great things for this club. Let's be fair, they dragged us out of the sh*t and helped us back to where we are now. They have done countless good deeds for Altrincham F.C. Furthermore, Graham Heathcote did a great job to get us here, sometimes taking unwarranted flak from certain well-known detractors. However, in more recent times the criticism has often been justified and we seem to be stuck in a repetitive cycle of poor league performances and 11th hour reprieves.
Sometimes to break the cycle you have to approach the situation from a new perspective, freshen things up. I believe our board, to a man, is intelligent and strong-minded enough to realise that a change of personnel might just be what the doctor ordered, if they consider the welfare of the club to be more important than that of their good friend the manager.
I understand there are emotional ties, this is a tight-knit club with strong bonds. The bottom line is the club must ALWAYS come first and I would eternally respect the board and manager alike if they took the sensible step while there is still time. Freshen it up, get a new man in and keep this club in the Blue Square Premier - relegation is not an option!
I really am sorry to say this but we are nearly a quarter of the way through the season already and nothing has changed from last year. There comes a time when we have to say enough is enough. Thank you for everything, but please make way for someone else, there is no room for sentiment.