And so the fat lady sings...

I wanted a couple of days to think about things before I posted. I wanted the dust to settle so to speak.

Firstly, I would to address directly the people who went onto the pitch on Saturday. You are not fans of this club. We don't want or need you. I completely despise your behaviour which does nothing but bring the standing of our club down further. You wonder why everyone finds it funny we've been relegated? Because of people like you. I cannot do anything but hope the police find as many of you as possible from CCTV footage and you are banned for life. Good riddance.

Right, now I've got that off my chest I can say something thoughtful and insightful about what happened on Saturday in footballing terms and its repercussions. The match was fairly decent. We played well for the first half but whatever Wise said at half time it clearly did wonders for the opposition because after the break we were dreadful. Instead of continuing to hit dangerous cross field balls we retreated into our shell and let Ipswich come at us. It felt like Southampton all over again. And inevitably, with minutes remaining, we succumbed to the pressure and they equalised. News had by now filtered through that Hull were winning at Cardiff (oh, the Risdale connection just bites a bit more doesn't it!) and we were relegated when the whistle finally blew.

I still feel slightly numb. Analysis at this stage is difficult. So is looking forward to next season. A board meeting today is set to discuss the clubs future with rumours of Bates wanting out. I don't think that'll happen. He's invested too much time and, I hope, money to walk now. Wise has also said he wants to stay. I'm less sure this is what I want. At times he seems to know what he's doing, gets the players working hard and over the past couple of months has put together some decent results. But. And it's a big but, at other times (including Saturday) he has been dire. No better than Blackwell - a decision that is looking shakier by the day. If Luton finish above us next season we'll all be eating humble pie.

Are there any positives? Well, by all accounts we will finish all the ex gratia payments to ex-players over the summer and begin anew. We have a good crop of young players but blooding them in the war-zone of Tier 3/Division 2/League 1 (what a crock of shit that name is by the way) is a dangerous experiment. Apparently Blackpool is quite nice this time of year for an away trip but we'll probably end up there in mid-January knowing our luck!

I suspect I may comment further as and when. I hope our "fans" behave ourselves next weekend in Derby.

Finally, I would like to thank Gary Kelly. After Saturdays debacle and the humbling prospect of relegation now a reality it was a bitter note to end a wonderful career on. In his first season, Gary was in the squad that won the Championship. He played in European Cup campaigns all over Europe and battled back from injuries to remain a stalwart of the club. He was a bloody good player in his prime and will be missed. I wish him all the best in whatever his future holds. Thanks Gary.