The wrap - Forest Green, Bradford, Rochdale, Plymouth

I haven't written anything on this blog for a while. It's not as if things aren't going well on the pitch. Since the last post we've won three and lost one and we're in the third round of the FA Cup after an excellent win over Plymouth.

Not only was that win important in terms of progressing, it was our first one away from home against a team at our level (Checkatrade aside, which it always is). We're scoring goals and we've stopped conceding. The performance against Rochdale was, at times, as good, if not better than performances under Michael Appleton in League 1.

But, something is missing. The opening months of the season have been brutal, and the recovery from the start of the season has been slow. I admire Karl Robinson for getting us out of the hole we were in. I can see why people struggle to warm to him; he's like your mate in the pub who is full of energy and a great laugh. Except when you get home and all you want to do is go to bed, he's the one still going, plotting something, badgering you to go back out to some club or other.

He needs that energy, it's a thankless task being a football manager, harder still turning a team around in the face of an endless stream of criticism. Even harder in the modern game when you can't bring players in outside transfer windows. When everyone was down, he had to be up, he had to keep coming into work and putting the hours in to solidify the defence and create an attacking style that wins games. He's done all of that.

The Nile Ranger affair, as much as it was anything, didn't help with the mood. You can't blame Robinson for looking where he can for players given the constraints they're under. It's not that Ranger doesn't deserve a chance while he's free to take them. If we simply punish people endlessly for things they've done, what is the point of trying to turn yourself around? You might as well keep trucking on with your errant ways. But still, the last thing we need is to become a club that attracts negative press or appears to put its morals aside in the pursuit of league points.

We're also being wound up, apparently. HMRC are taking us to court in an attempt to make us pay our bills. I don't really know how serious these things are, they sound serious. I don't know how easy these things are to resolve. My guess is that, practically, all HMRC want is a cheque and the whole problem will go away.

Yellows Forum is not exactly a good barometer for how serious this is, but OxVox are sufficiently concerned to have written an open letter to the club about it. My guess is that it's not the lack of money that's the problem, more the poor administration of that money to pay bills. It doesn't bode well for January.

But, and I think this is where my head is at the moment. What I felt sitting in the stands against Rochdale is that the club doesn't currently have a narrative. At least not one I can easily relate to. Results on the pitch are good, and that's an important start, but the spirit of the club isn't there. There isn't a buzz on social media for each game, crowds are hardly booming, the relationship with players still seems quite distant, fan culture seems a bit flat, the club doesn't feel part of the city or fans or something.

This season has been one about the mechanics of surviving a terrible start. Perhaps the FA Cup will give us something to believe in, a spark, perhaps January will bring us some inspiring signings and we will take our form into the New Year and, like in 1996, we'll go on a run which will bring a tilt at promotion and everyone together. But, the club have got to resolve its issues, off the field has got to feel better than it currently does, otherwise the results will be a side issue and those with a casual interest in us - who turn 6,000 crowds into 8,000 crowds - will continue to stay at home.

The wrap - Gillingham, Bradford and MK Dons

It was generally acknowledged that December and the Christmas period would define our season and so it has proved to be. It seems most likely that the play-offs are beyond us, and even if we manage to sneak in, then the last few games seem to prove we are still not ready for the Championship.

Whether this is a good thing or not is open to endless debate and probably depends on how impatient you are to see the club achieve its ambitions. The four Christmas games were, of course, overshadowed by the Wigan thrashing. But, looking objectively, they are league leaders and look well equipped to be in the same position at the end of the season, then we played sure-fire play-off contenders Bradford away. Plenty of other teams will lose both those fixtures this season. The problem with them being so close together is that it put pressure on the Gillingham and MK Dons games to pick up points. Four points (and three minutes from taking six) is actually a respectable, if not thrilling points total. So, although Wigan was a humiliation, as a block of results they were probably not wholly unexpected or as disastrous as initially perceived.

Defensively there are issues, of course, if you think that last year we had Edwards, Johnson, Dunkley and Nelson - three of whom can comfortably play in a division above. The back-four we have now is makeshift, each can compete in League 1, but together as a quartet there are issues. 

While MK Dons oscillated gently from boring organisation to blythe incompetence, our performance did show glimpses of what we saw earlier in the season. We were far more mobile in attack, something that has only become possible in the last week or so with the return of van Kessel, Obika and Mehmeti. You could also see the intention to keep moving the ball to pull teams out of shape. English fans are notorious for their affliction to passes going backwards, but it draws the opposition on, helping us to attack on the break. How many times in the last 15 years have we complained about not being able to break teams down at home? This can be a very effective way of doing it.

Of course, the ultimate ambition is to be competitive with the teams at the top of the division. But, there is little doubt that the Eales project was significantly disrupted during the summer, so being on par with last year is not an unrealistic ambition in the circumstances and, despite the disruption, that's pretty much where we are.

Pep Clotet's arrival coincided with the gutting of Michael Appleton's squad. He filled the gap with people he knew he could trust and, more importantly, were available. He's implied in interviews that he didn't expect to have to fill so many holes in the squad. So, what we we have seen to date is not so much the end state, but glimpses of Clotet's philosophy.

If December was a test of our current credentials on the pitch, January may be more important off it. While it's unlikely that we'll fix all the weaknesses in the squad, the nature of any signings we make could give us a clearer indiction of the real Pep Clotet model. 

The wrap - Oxford United 2 Bradford City 2

If I were to summarise Michael Appleton’s philosophy, it would be that if we couldn’t out-think our opponents, then we’d simply try to outplay them. It worked most of the time, sometimes spectacularly so, but there were critical moments during a season when we’d find ourselves undone.

While we may have been equals or even betters in terms of pure ability, teams who were tactically better organised by managers like Chris Wilder, Phil Parkinson and Phil Brown were able to find ways to pick us apart just when we needed the points.

Last night’s draw against Bradford saw a tactical awakening and a significant step forward. There was an article about Pep Clotet in the Football League Paper which described his philosophy as complete discipline in defence and midfield, complete fluidity in attack. Easier said than done because some players have multiple roles. But there was evidence of it in the first hour as the team shape expanded as it broke forward and contracted as a single unit when Bradford had the ball. While constantly threatening in attack, we squeezed the life out of their options when we had to defend. It forced them to revert to the spectacular. Many teams won’t have the ability to execute a goal like their opener, which means most teams simply won’t get a sniff of Simon Eastwood’s goal if we carry on playing like this. We’d mitigated the risk to such an extent that while the goal was a blow, the fact that we could only be beaten by a moment of extraordinary ability was a huge positive.

There were other benefits; a more disciplined approach is much more efficient; we weren’t reliant on Simon Eastwood’s agility, Chey Dunkley’s strength or Chris Maguire’s mercurial talents to get us out of difficulties. Players jogged into their positions, rather than sprinted or lurched, that’s expending less energy and reduces the risk of injury. If we can use our brains rather than our bodies to win games, we’ll sustain ourselves longer.

The final half-an-hour saw something slightly different. It might have been tiredness, the disruption of substitutions or the desperation to get something from the game, but the shape of the game changed. I’m tempted to say it was a deliberate change of approach – we started passing the ball along the defensive line, but while it was viewed by some fans as indecision, perhaps it was an effort to draw Bradford out and open up some space. There were other things that were odd enough to be deliberate – Ryan Ledson drifting into John Mousinho’s right back position allowing him to lumber into the centre of midfield. It didn’t feel like a loss of discipline, more a deliberate tactical shift.  Perhaps it was a way of disrupting the shape in the middle, allowing fresh legs of van Kessel and Mowatt, along with the endlessly energetic and cunning Wes Thomas, to exploit the spaces that were created. If it was deliberate, it was very clever and it worked with two very well worked goals showing the concept of ‘full fluidity in attack’ in all its glory.

While their equaliser was a kick in the guts, I suspect, this is a point that we might not have got last year. Watching the game was like a great film where the story evolved out of the tension of the piece,  rather than telegraphed through a series of dramatic set-pieces, as it might have been last year. The quality of the performance, rather than the size of the explosion making it an enthralling spectacle. This growing maturity is undoubtedly progress.

Weekly wrap - Bradford City 1 Oxford United 0, Oxford United 2 Port Vale 0

As the season peters out, so it seems so does Liam Sercombe’s Oxford United career. According to Michael Appleton, Sercombe is embroiled in a ‘discipline issue’ which he implied is more than just a manager/player falling out.

Sercombe has had a difficult season. He came into it as the first choice attacking midfielder with John Lundstram, but facing better teams meant we needed to become a little more conservative. Lundstram became the playmaker with Ledson providing the defensive cover. It squeezed Sercombe out to the wing where he looked a bit of a spare part in comparison to Marvin Johnson on the other flank.

By rights he shouldn’t even be in the team having been ruled out in November only to return like some kind of bionic man in January. Plus, this is the first time he’s really faced the prospect of being out of contract during the summer. He had been at Exeter since he was a schoolboy and chose to turn a contract down in order to move to us. He’s never been in the position of his future being out of his hands before.

Wembley was pivotal; a late burst of form from Joe Rothwell saw him sneak a starting place ahead of Sercombe who appeared from the bench, with us 2-0 down, like a caged animal. He got our consolation goal; proof that he should have started? He seemed to think so, although it was hardly definitive. He followed up by uncharacteristically re-tweeting fans’ praise about his performance.

We don't know exactly what the problem is but all this pressure, then, seems to have got to him, which is sad to see. It could be all manner of things; ill-discipline in training, a fight with another player, discussing contract negotiations, bad mouthing those involved. Or perhaps a combination. Or something else.

It seems that 12 months after promotion, only John Lundstram and Chris Maguire (if he stays) will start next season at the club. Both Joe Skarz and Chey Dunkley, along with Liam Sercombe, have stripped their social media profiles of Oxford references and Benji Buchel is sure to move on. If you consider that the last remaining member of the 2010 promotion winning side – Jake Wright – left six years after Wembley, it shows how impatient Michael Appleton is to move the club on.

None of this is great for nostalgics, we all want to believe that eras go on for years and that players are immortal. But even the greats either decay slowly or get sold onto better things. In the modern age things are a bit different; with the exception of Kemar Roofe and Callum O’Dowda, who were subject to lengthy speculation, the promotion squad is simply evaporating with little warning. Last season we packed in a lifetime of achievement, perhaps that' why it feels like the golden era is passing so quickly.

Sercombe’s contribution last year was immeasurable; Roofe may have stolen a lot of the limelight, but included in Sercombe's 17 goals there was the equaliser against Swansea and his fabled goal away at Carlise, this season he got the winner against Birmingham, the equaliser away to Swindon and, of course, the goal at Wembley. He may be leaving the party prematurely, but his contribution will be felt for years to come.

In this context, Port Vale was a curious affair, like a game of park football where tactics were set aside for a test of pure ability. As a result, Vale showed themselves to be full of endeavour but ultimately not very good, we showed ourselves to be lacking in motivation but ultimately with too much quality to lose.

Michael Appleton admitted that he had to recognise that there was nothing to play for and that many of the players’ heads were elsewhere. It wasn’t clear when he said that if they were players on the pitch, the bench or elsewhere.

On the pitch it was difficult to see who he was referring to. At a stretch (and it would be quite a stretch) maybe Joe Skarz didn’t quite seem to be on the money but, overall, it looked like a team that was playing without pressure rather than one which was unmotivated.

To some extent, after more than 60 games this season and nearly as many last, it's a bit of a relief to be able to run the season down free of pressure, but as calming as that feels, it also seems changes, and big ones, are afoot.

Bradford wrap - Oxford United 1 Bradford City 0

“Alright Dave, I’ll see you next time” said the bloke in front just as Chris Maguire was tee-ing up a freekick on the edge of the box.

There were six empty seats in front of me when Maguire foxed the Bradford keeper to win the game on Saturday. I get both sides of the ‘leaving early’ debate. On one hand, if you’re young with too much time on your hands, then football is life and you support the boys to the bitter end regardless of the consequences or futility. On the other, there’s traffic and convenience to consider, football is good, but so is Strictly and a curry.

Neither view is particularly wrong, but football is made of moments and you miss them at your peril. Saturday’s was a tight high quality game punctuated by three moments; the penalty, the free-kick and the non-penalty (which was one).  

As we progress through the divisions these moments will become more fleeting, but also more intense. Games will become tighter, the reliance on technical quality – and the ability to execute it at a moments’ notice - over raw physical ability will grow. When Nathan Cooper suggested to Chris Maguire that he had some kind of magical ability to produce on demand his response was ‘Well, I do practice them’ echoing his manager who’d spoke moments earlier.

The big signings of the summer, Marvin Johnson and Kane Hemmings will do well to recognise these points. Both came with reputations for rampaging through defences, but have found space and opportunity much more limited down south. Hemmings seems to be coming to terms with this although Johnson seems more frustrated. He has the physical attributes and if he maintains what is sometimes referred to as a growth mindset, then he should come good. He’s at the right club to do that.

You get the feeling that we’re becoming sharper and more competitive as the weeks pass. John Lundstram spent good chunks of last year spraying 60 yards passes over the heads of League 2 lunks, this season’s lack of space came as a bit of a shock, but he’s starting games quicker now and becoming more physical. As a result he’s started earning the space and right to get his passing going.

Ryan Taylor had his best game in a yellow shirt in the most unfamiliar of positions. In a sense, he’s also benefitting from his ability to adapt to his surroundings. He’s been OK holding the ball up playing as a striker, but playing on the left where he was able to use his physical attributes alongside his short passing ability was a masterstroke.

Two points off the play-offs and our growing confidence makes ours a very happy place to be. As we climb the division, we should expect games to become tighter and the moments of magic to become more special. Just make sure you don’t miss them.

Johnny Weismuller's yellow and blue army

Somehow, despite losing his star striker for four games, being knocked out of two cups, missing out on the manager of the month award and now losing perhaps the best goalkeeper in the division for the nearly 3 months, Chris Wilder has steered us to within 2 points of the play-offs following our dominant 2-1 victory over Bradford. Adversity, it seems, is Chris Wilder's greatest friend.

The National Office of Abstruse Football Statistics based in Winchester confirmed that around the middle of December, Chris Wilder finally accumulated a club record number of “Outs” surpassing the previous record held by Brian 'Horton-out' Horton.

“The crowd were never more united than they were chanting for the removal of the Staffordshire Guardiola” commented head statistician Wilfred Leibermeister “Wilder’s achievements have been altogether more fragmented but it is no less impressive”.

Earlier this season, the pursuit of Chris Wilder seemed to take him to a point of no return. Defeat followed complacent draw followed defeat. Any return to form, received wisdom had it, would be temporary, a mere diversion from an irreversible downward trend.

But what about the financial constraints?

Wilder Out

What about the injuries?

WILDER OUT

What about the pitch?

WILDER OUT

Idiots like Dougieonradiooxford, who take the time to phone in after every game to tell us 'at the end of the day', 'the thing is', 'to be honest' and 'its a results business' before claiming that in any other walk of life a reduction in performance results in instant dismissal.

But, while sabres were being rattled, Wilder just kept on managing; well, not so much managing, but wrestling; fighting a flailing crocodile Johnny Weismuller style. Duberry's injury, Whing's injury, Craddock's injury, Constable's ban, the pitch. And they're just the major issues; there's JPP, Liam Davis and Dean Smalley's injuries, Lee Cox, Johnny Mullins and Jake Forster-Caskey going back to their parent clubs.

And now, just as we hit form and just as it looks like we've survived the Constable ban, and just as some of the key players are coming back to fitness, Ryan Clarke is out for 10 weeks.

But where in other walks of life, people take knocks in their job and go and look for something else to do or worse; they give up and blame other people, Wilder kept battling on. Doing loan deals, creating a squad that is prepared to play for each other, changing the way we play, nursing players through games. It's a quality that managers frequently miss; the requirement to actually do something when things go wrong, to manage, to drag their charges out of the mire.

Wilder thrives when he has to work; back in his Halifax days, faced with extinction, he took them to the verge of the football league. At Oxford he turned around a supertanker which was adrift and broken; bringing in players, chucking others out, throwing teams together. At the point when it looked like we were cruising, things went pear-shaped. When things went pear-shaped he wrestled them back into shape. When big games come along, where the circumstances need managing, more often than not he has performed.

Last season, with the play-offs there for the taking, we collapsed, a product of injuries and of a Swindon hang-over, but more than anything because we all thought we'd pretty much made it. His personality doesn't suit a cool detached calm, he wants to be able to do something.

This season has not gone to plan; but Wilder continues to wrack up little records that show he remains a force to be reckoned with. First time we've been in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup for 10 years, furthest we've ever been in the JPT, and now, following Saturday's 2-1 win over Bradford, the first 4 game winning streak in the league for 16 years.

Nobody should kid themselves that we're now on a play-off or promotion charge; although your average hyperbolic Kassam regular will struggle to keep things in context. The Clarke bombshell is evidence that we can't assume anything, because as soon as we do, something comes along to destabilise us. It really is a case of taking each game as it comes. And that could be the best thing for us at the moment.

Whether he stays or goes, Chris Wilder deserves respect

I can't get into an extended discussion as to whether Wilder should go or not. The statistics and facts can be manipulated either way to support your predisposition; the long term development of the club during his tenure and the mitigating factors of injuries against the cold hard facts of five league games without a point following a poor finish to last season.

After Saturday's soul destroying defeat to Bradford, I was tempted to avoid the Radio Oxford phone-in. I did listen, however, and it wasn't as bad as I thought. There was a surprising balance of opinion and Jerome Sale was prepared to challenge back on some of the more ridiculous suggestions (such as, it is time Ian Lenegan released some of his hidden gazillions to get us promoted).

However, there was an unpleasant passive aggressive tone to some of the Wilder-out brigade; "I'm sorry, I have nothing against the bloke, but he's got to go." That was the main thrust from people who have clearly never been in the position of having to fire decent people.

Whatever Wilder's future is, Oxford fans owe him a debt of gratitude. He fought against a deep complacency that had existed in the club for more than a decade. He deconstructed the club's over-inflated ego and put in place a work ethic and level of professionalism that levered us out of the mess we were in.

He brought in a squad of players that has taken us to a comfortable position in League 2, has given us three legendary derby wins and plenty more moments of breathtaking excitement. More than that, he has recreated a football club out of a wandering zombie. Don't pretend that the fans did that, the growing crowds are testament to the fact that fan loyalty is locked to positive results. To treat him as though he is a piece of meat is to act in the way 'plastic' fans of the nouveau-Premier League treat their teams. As a distant product to be bought and played with, not a club run by real hard working people. 

Chris Wilder deserves respect. His achievements should not be simply dismissed on the basis of a poor run of form, even if that does cost him his job ultimately.

He believes he can turn it round, and he's every right to hold that belief. He is under no obligation to resign just to satisfy our frustration. If he were such a quitter he would have given up on the Oxford job a long time ago and we would probably have been dwelling in the Conference today because people forget just how stuck we were. His track record affords him the right to try and get it right, and above all as a person, the guy has the right to try and earn a living.

As he himself says, he understands the game and the frustrations of the fans. He doesn't need reminding that defeats are unacceptable, or that our current position is poor. However, why should we simply follow fans of other teams and dismiss his previous successes, labelling him some kind of failure? Chris Wilder has proved that he is one of the finest managers the club has seen. Perhaps he is even the best considering the circumstances in which he is working and where he picked us up from. Whether it is his time to stand down or not he deserves some respect.

Still going up?

After the derby last week I walked the children into town to spend their World Book Day vouchers. The adrenaline was still pumping, my brain still processing the sights, sounds and experiences of the last few hours. The weather was spring-like with a slight chill cutting through the warm sun. People around me were getting on with their normal Saturday afternoons. It was a quiet weekend in an Oxfordshire market town.

It reminded me of Cup Finals during my childhood. It was the only domestic club game shown live on TV. The television would go on at 8am for a cup final themed Swap Shop or Saturday Superstore, then we'd flick between Grandstand on BBC and World of Sport on ITV, depending the celebrity-strewn line-up each was offering. There were things that I thought were unique to the Cup Final - hotels, team coaches, suits, the ritualistic inspection of the pitch, flags - nobody had flags at games unless it was the Cup Final. I remember the 1984 Cup Final coverage opening with shots of Andy Gray and Mick Lyons, topless, hanging out of their hotels smiling and laughing. I realise now that there were probably hookers, lager and cigarettes just out of shot. But for me, this was a simple football celebration.

The game would happen - and then my mum would turf me out into the street. I was full of fizzy pop and sugar and hydrogenated fats, exhausted from my sedentary day, overloaded with the noise and epicness of the coverage. there would be an early evening chill in the air, and a quiet void as my head span. I loved Cup Finals.

'Our Cup Final' The withering solipsism of the moronic Swindon fringe. If a cup final is a big game you're desperate to win, then yes, indeed last Saturday had all the hallmarks of a cup final. It isn't our only focus or necessarily our biggest game, it seems that in modern football not winning is actually cooler than winning. Teams forgo winning 'cups', or in this case, derbies, for apparently bigger prizes (5th place in the Premier League or the vague hope of group elimination in the Champions League). Some Swindon fans appear to have dismissed last week's derby because their focus is the league. Last time I looked, winning games was integral to winning leagues. If their focus is the title, I still can't quite fathom how losing to Oxford helped their chances. Still, if they wish to by-pass the fun of actually playing in big games to attain a position within the League they're barely able to attain, and incapable of sustaining, then so be it.

Ian Lenegan's post-match interview against Swindon talked of gentle, sustainable growth, with the aim of reaching the Championship. Beating Swindon isn't the reason for his investment; but he'll enjoy the journey as much as the ultimate destination. And so should we. And so should they.

But the reasons that made last Saturday so special - triumph in the face of significant on-pitch adversity - was likely to bite us on the arse eventually. Unlike most 'cup finals' there is no recovery period afterwards, and so no rest-bite to our injury crisis. Perhaps Tuesday's excellent draw with Shrewsbury was the benefit of momentum but Saturday was a game too far. Perhaps we've forgotten that we're still playing with a patched up team. 'Struggling' Bradford have not lost at home since November, and so despite their supposed lowly position, it was never going to be a push over.

Our own form is both good and bad, depending on predisposition. Miserablists will look at four wins in 12 during 2012 and too many draws. Chirpy-heads will look at two defeats in the same time and nearly 4 months without an away defeat up until Saturday. The reality is that we are 16 points ahead of where we were this time last year and we've been sitting in the play-off places for some weeks. Teams in a similar position, of which there a few, are similarly undulating. Swindon are in a stellar run, which is a reference point that doesn't help the doomongers finding 'proof' of our supposed failings. In reality, their existence is really only relevant during the 180 minutes the clubs spend in each others' company. Although perhaps not for the Swindon tweeter who last week tweeted their youth team victory over United with the hashtag #priderestored. Ah, bless.

Two years ago we'd just been beaten by Hayes and Yeading at home, now we're in the League 2 play-off places 16 points better off than we were last year. We have a decent chance at the play-offs and should we make it, will be able to go into it relaxed in the knowledge that whatever is achieved is on an upward trajectory (even if Swindon do end up as champions, it still be lower than they were last year and a third year of decline). The knowledge we can beat the best in the division home and away, should offer some confidence that we can go up this season, even if it is by a narrower margin than we would hope. Promotion would be a lot of fun, and this season has already delivered two truly memorable chunks of fun already. If we don't get promotion, that doesn't mean we're failing. Going up, however, will need people to keep some perspective in the coming weeks.

Oxford United 1 Bradford City 1

As if the blurry mess of turf in front of the North Stand needed to remind us, That Game is coming up next week.

The spectre of That Game was evident everywhere during the draw with Bradford on Saturday. Radio Oxford were banging on about how important form was - we wouldn’t want to go into That Game on a bad run. Because, obviously, there are some games where a bad run of form is completely desirable.

The team doesn’t feel settled; eighteen players in three games; is it injuries? Squad rotation? Panicking about getting the formula right for That Game.

A goal up and holding firm, the three points were bagged and… the mind drifts: “this augurs well for That Game”. It’s not just the players, but the fans too. We concede when, with a bit more concentration and application, we could have been out of sight.

Michael Dubbery confirmed the shadow of That Game after the match, saying that it was all he’d heard about since he’d arrived at the club. It probably doesn’t bother him as much as others; he’s played in big games throughout his career – his form certainly suggests it’s of little consequence.

Players and managers may not feel the spectre of a big game as individuals, but each fragment of doubt, complacency and apprehension within every player, official and fan builds up to be one massive mental barrier.

Expect more tonight, a complete no-win situation. If we take three points, then we’re back on form and ready to take on the scum. If we lose then we’re doomed. The players will be sent off with a flea in their ear and, if they need it, more pressure to perform on Sunday.

And what about the repercussions? There are already preposterous noises coming from some that Chris Wilder has lost it (some even suggesting he never had it). A win in That Game and he’ll be a legend forever, but we lose and the world will surely collapse. The pressure will grow and we could screw the season up before October is out.

Personally, I can’t wait for next Sunday to be over.

Yellows 2 Bradford 1

If art is supposed to challenge our beliefs and make sense of what is around us, then there was a period on Saturday where our performance verged so much on the artistic that scoring an equaliser would have spoilt it.

A goal down, but utterly dominant, it seemed wrong to belittle such artistry with the triviality of goals and results. This was a lesson about no matter how much you try, material reward is not guaranteed. And how important it is to be happy with your efforts and that this should far outweigh what you gain from those efforts.

Peter Taylor looked like a man who’d invested his savings in a five-bedroom house overlooking the sea only to find that coastal erosion would claim it within months. At first he was angry and animated, but he regressed watching wide-eyed and helpless as his charges crumbled against our unstoppable tidal wave.

His aides buzzed around him, looking for a moment of wisdom that would release the pressure. Taylor, however, with years of experience coaching some of the world’s best players knew there was nothing he could do.

To distance the diminutive point that a win was needed, from the grand art statement that was the performance, the goals – a mere platitude to the need for points and league places, were ugly, scrappy and bundled affairs, anathema to what had come before them.

The play-offs are now just a point away and history may still read that we briefly dallied with promotion before fading late in the season (personally I think the seven away games from nine during February and March, will ultimately push us to mid-table). However, the question we must consider is whether we can keep up with this pace of progress?

Signing the likes of Maclean, widely accepted to be the calibre of player we’re now in the market for, inevitably puts pressure on finances. We’ve also got to find players like this to sign. There is a scenario where we end up in League 1 with a couple of Macleans playing alongside decent Conference players. The machine could blow a gasket because we can’t evolve quick enough. As fun as all this is, maybe we need a cooling off period to build up a bit of robustness for beyond League 2.

But that’s just my logical/rational side speaking. A bloke next to me descending from the South Stand Upper turned to his mate and said “Well, it’s not often you get what you deserve”.

In this game, mate? or in life?

Bradford City 5 Yellows 0

Your best mate is getting married and he’s turned to you to be his Best Man. You’re very proud to take on the responsibility and all it entails. You organise for the guys head off on the stag do, an opportunity to have a few drinks and a good chat.

Early on in the evening, everything is going well. After a couple of beers you’ve got that warm fuzzy feeling. The banter is flowing; it’s promising to be a good night.

A couple more drinks and the fluorescent shots are brought out. After two, perhaps three, your world tilts on its axis and things start to fragment. A couple of the blokes disappear; eventually you get a phone call. One of them is sobbing incoherently. They’re in prison waiting for a bloke from the British Consulate to negotiate with the swarthy prison guards. They claim the pig was already wearing a thong and an Ugg Boot on its nose when they found it.

Then, of course, there’s the groom. You’ve still got his brown moccasins – the ones he bought to get into the ‘no jeans and trainers’ club you got priority passes for. He gave them to you as he dashed into the sea to win the £20 bet that he could swim across the bay to the sign saying “BEWARE RIP TIDE - DO NOT SWIM HERE”.

Depleted, you head home to face the bride. She’s worried you’ve shaved his eyebrows; you’re worried he’s dead. It was supposed to be so much fun, but it all went horribly wrong. She enters the room with a warm smile on her face. Slowly, as your silence persists, her smile contorts into curiosity, then fear. You’re paralysed, unable to talk, this is your face.

Whichever way you look at it and you can try and style it out if you want, but there’s nothing good about a 5-0 defeat to Bradford with 2 men sent off. From a position of relative comfort, the game descended into a chaotic farce of our own making. Perhaps it’s an aberration, a one off, and a bad day at the office, but there is something disconcerting about this season. It has no mojo. As the dark winter nights draw in, it feels like it could descend into a tedious mid-table slog.