Blues biggest danger at the moment is the potential disconnect with its hardcore fan base.
Whilst hundreds of ‘so called’ supporters get behind the Twitter shield and spout anything they like, the genuine fans are the ones who you get to see and talk to directly. Since writing for Vital I have tried to get about and talk to big numbers of Bluenoses across our area and beyond. These are the pay as you go as well as the season ticket holders. It is the only way you get to gauge true feelings.
This is why, in my opinion, our club is currently undergoing a shaky period bordering on a potential disconnect with its supporters. Garry Monk’s departure hurt, Adams and Morrison leaving hurt and this new venture of ‘Zolagate’ is not helping one bit.
Add it all to the influx of below-par players who don’t look anything like the gritty Blues we are used to, then it doesn’t take much to get the anger brewing.
What can be easily done is to ditch this rather naive summer plan of possession football and get back to basics, but the hard part is utilising the players brought in. Our problem centres around the new coaching set up which, if totally dismantled, would be a massive undertaking. Supporters understand this and the consensus is a programme of damage limitation this season and simply survive.
Gates are also an important issue.
Whereas Monk achieved healthy 23,000 crowds regularly, we don’t want to see regular drops that dip into the teens. Again a good cross-section of supporters do not feel the first five games are a knee jerk reaction – far from it.
Bluenoses are no mugs, believe me, and they bought into Monk big time as they did Rowett, but this weird Ren/Spanish love – in is not in our orbit.
Disconnect is not nice and certainly not what is wanted at this very early start to the season, but it is hovering and our owners must recognise it.