Man in the Stands...

Once again he's spot on in regards to the loan players. We've sold our soul, and its taken everything away from what we all grew to love in yester-year. I didn't bother today and glad i didn't. Who cares anymore?? here u go................

AND so another loan player drifted into Carrow Road this week, and so The Man felt his current enthusiasm levels wither a little more.

Before Jonathan Grounds went back to his lofty parent club Middlesbrough, Leroy Lita's arrival briefly took our number of loan signings to nine - nearly enough for a whole team.

I have moaned about this loan situation before; and I acknowledge the arguments about us not being able to afford these sorts of players permanently, and that somehow we are pioneering a new way of existence that will become the future template for cash-strapped Championship clubs.

The Man is also grateful to superfan Carl Moore for again putting his hand in his pocket to help fund the signing.

But my overwhelming reaction to this latest signing - and I really hope he scored today - was one of resignation.

Let's be clear: we've signed a Reading reserve, their fifth choice striker.

If he's any good he will go back to Reading soon, a club who, all things being equal, should be borrowing players of us, but that's three they've lent us in the past few months now.

This is the fickle hand the football's finances deals us now.

Maybe I'm alone, but my heart sank when I heard a Radio Berkshire reporter say: ?The plan is for Lita to go to Norwich and try and rediscover some form, then he can come back and do the business for Reading.?

Yippee do da.

As may have become apparent over the past few weeks, The Man is suffering the first real crisis of his supporting career. I am in the midst of sulkathon, although I'm not quite sure when it started.

I thought the day would never come when I'd wake up on a Saturday and not fancy going to the game.

But I'm finding it harder and harder to drag myself to matches these days, even with the primary motivation of meeting up with friends.

In some ways this is not because I don't care enough about the club, it is because I care too much - like thousands of us do.

Watching a team full of loan signings scrabble to stay in the division is just too painful to watch sometimes.

When compared to the game we once knew, it stinks. It is joyless and seemingly futile.

Posted By: M11SNAKE, Oct 4, 19:13:29