We can go back & forth on this subject until the cows come home but DC has made the position clear, he is backing AB and that remains the position.  Of course, we all know about the Chairman's dreaded vote of confidence but my reading of the situation is that DC is not going to change his position yet. AB is a lucky man.

We have been here before but the damage was done in the summer with the woefully inadequate midfield signings, the failure to replace Akinfenwa with a proven goalscorer and the constant changes in central defence which were only rectified when this dismal season was well under way.  It is now very difficult to stop the slide and DC is between a rock and a hard place on this one.  Another limp away performance at Chesterfield and I think a change in manager is as inevitable as it is necessary.

Of the oanees Ravenhill should be available on a "free" in January since he is out of contract in the summer and out of favour at Bradford.  Of the others Norris is also out of contract at the end of the season and, unlike Dallas, has not been offered terms yet. However, if he keeps on scoring Brentford may well change their attitude and either offer him a contract or demand a fee which would rule us out.  Ferdinand cost Pish £200,000 a little over a year ago and knowing Barry Fry he will be demanding a substantial fee for him which again rules him out.  I would have thought Leicester will hold on to Blyth. 

Yes, it was an entertaining match and a few more like that will see more supporters at Sixfields.  And, yes, Steve Riches is completely right with his comments above.  Just to add what an excellent games Ravenhill, Reid & Tozer had yesterday.

And not a minute too soon....................................

Although much of the supporters' frustration has rightly been vented about the strikers, or lack of, it has also been apparent since August that the midfield signings this summer were not up to the task and a major weakness.  Hackett may just keep his place in a reorganised midfield  but he is another one who has disappointed this season.

I don't sense a lynching mob at work.  It will be a sad day if and when AB leaves.  At best he is now hanging by a thread and despite the Chairman's show of support in the local media the directors must be planning for a post AB future.  Not to be doing this would be an abdication of the directors' duty to the club and its supporters. The simple truth is that the current team is very much AB's team and even making allowance for injuries the personnel on the pitch are in too many positions not up to the task.  The table says it all and it is shameful.

For the majority of supporters this is a difficult one. AB inherited the mess that was Gary Johnson, saved us from almost certain relegation and with much the same squad took us to within 90 minutes of L1.  Now we find ourselves propping up the Football League.  It is as bizarre as it is humiliating.

However, the signings he has made of his own choice this summer, especially the midfielders, are simply not good enough, the stubborn and stupid failure not to replace Akinfenwa with a more pacy proven striker relying on the flawed notion that Platt & O'Donovan would provide the goals, the realisation only well into the season that there were weaknesses at the heart of our defence (this from a manager who speaks often about the spine of a side) are all AB's doing.  I would only add that many of the players are also responsible and too many of them need to up their performance levels.

All of us who have supported the Cobblers for years know that once you are on a downward spiral it is very hard to stop the decline and turn results around.  A week ago I voted to keep AB but said it was a close run thing.  Very sadly, I think I was wrong.  A week in football is a long time.

It gives me no pleasure at all to write these lines but including and since Wembley AB's management has been a disaster, wrong midfield signings, abject failure to sign a goal scorer to succeed Bayo, belatedly sorting out the heart of the defence, 2 year contract for Tozer, JJ Hooper (why?) and poor tactics away from home.  Shots on today?  AB's team and AB's failure.

Understand the sentiment Drilling but midfield has also been very poor throughout the season.  The simple fact is that midfielders even loanee midfielders are easier to sign.  A must win game but that does not mean we will. 

£7K a week?  I don't think so.  That equates to £364,000 a year for a L2 footballer to be paid by a club that has cut its budget?  I think a touch of realism with these groundless rumours might be a sensible start before they are peddled.

Memories of Luton away in the FA Cup and Gary Johnson come to mind.  I hope I am wrong but with our loanee striker(s) probably unavailable for this match there is nothing up front.

I voted to keep AB  but my view counts for nought.  The only one that matters is that of the Cardozas.  They have shown in the past they can be ruthless (e.g. Sammo) and they will act if they feel the need to do so.  I am not being a hypocrite about AB.  I have posted often enough about his terrible summer signings for which we are paying a terrible price with results but he has also shown with Doumbe, Reid and loan signings Blyth & Norris that he has not "lost it".  But it is a close run thing.

I think we have been here before on the budget cuts.  Unwelcome as they are, and perhaps arguably largely unjustified given the unbudgeted earnings from Wembley and the CCFC rental income, the summer signings of Boothroyd are demonstrably poor.  Only when it was clear that this was the case did AB begin to get his act together by signing the likes of Doumbe & Reid.  

It is all very strange when you consider that prior to the close season almost all of AB's signings such as Carlisle, Collins, Guttridge and even Harding were a significant improvement on the weak squad he inherited from Johnson.  The argument that his signings are a consequence of the budget cuts wear thin when you consider that clubs with smaller budgets are doing much better.

This is AB's squad and he stands or falls by his decisions.  I may be wrong but I don't think he has much time left to save his job because, bitter pill though it will be for DC, the club cannot afford to drop out of the Football League and yesterday's poor performance told me that we have a real battle on our hands with this group of players.  

I didn't hear the post match interview but was anything said about the "Invisible Man" aka the striker we were supposed to be signing in time for Rochdale and then yesterday?  Another let down.  Not that a striker is the only position for which we need new players.

I am not one of those calling for AB's departure just yet but the clock is ticking down.  Unless there is a big improvement in what looks like tough November fixtures the chances are he will be gone.  That's football.  This has not been a good week.  We snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory at Rochdale and I thought we looked a poor side today.  The manager's decision to dismantle last season's side looks deeply flawed.   The current midfield is significantly inferior to last season's and is a dysfunctional unit.  We looked more likely to lose rather than win the game and that was the same a week ago against Dagenham.  

At the end of a week when the club has brought a new meaning to the phrase "on the verge of signing........." and "imminent" as regards a new striker, a PR cock-up on a par with the broken close season promises I am not feeling optimistic.  Thoughts of doing something this season have been replaced by the grim reality that we have another battle on our hands for Football League survival.  The reasons are obvious enough.

The Chairman is very unhappy with our position and we feel the same.

The criticism of Hackett is right, his performance level this season is not good.  He is not running into the opposition's penalty area and rarely getting past the left back.  When he does the quality of crosses has generally been poor. The problem with a player like Hackett is that he is not a midfielder but an old fashioned winger.  Therefore, his presence in the side places places more pressure on the rest of midfield to provide adequate cover.  When Hackett is "on fire" great but for most of this season he has not and this may be one reason why midfield as a unit is not working well.

Good post Bungle.  If we are to change managers I can't recall an appointment of anyone who was in employment elsewhere.  Compensation issues no doubt prevailed.  Therefore, you look at the ranks of the unemployed and no one looks the part.

I have just seen last night's goals and it has to be said that it was not a good night for Duke although to be fair the defensive wall failed miserably to deal with the equalising free kick and, apparently, it arose from a stupid free kick given away by Deegan.  You can't blame the manager for that or Duke's mistakes but you can blame him for poor decision in the summer and that is why we are where we are.

GrangePark - of course an improved income stream doesn't guarantee success but it certainly improves our prospects and will make the club a sustainable business which in turn enhances our chances of attracting new investment to the club and in time that should be seen on the pitch in the level and quality of the football we watch and with more support than the current 4000 faithful. 

Yes, we do have an on-field crisis and that has to be addressed very quickly whether by Aidy Boothroyd or a.n. other.

You miss the point entirely when it comes to corporate boxes and enhanced hospitality.  The redevelopment is all about the club having an increased income stream 7 days a week and not relying on home match day revenue and the very occasional cup run.  Increased revenue should see the manger at the time having better financial resources and with more money comes better players.  Football is still an industry very dependent on the manager signing the right players so enhanced income has to be combined with wise management.