FOR those sat in some psychotherapist's waiting room this week, anxiously awaiting the calling of their name so they can discuss their latest failed suicide attempt, leaflets advertising ShrimpsVoices, the Morecambe FC unofficial messageboard, will have been few and far between. In all probability, a quick browse of its content will have pushed them over the edge.
Negativity is seemingly the word on everyone's lips. But for those of us lucky enough to have been born at the right time, we are somewhat accustomed to success.
Even forgetting the mega progress we've made in the last two seasons, the last 10 yea
rs have seen a giant rise in the club's fortunes. From FA Cup third round days to play-off semi-finals, we've been spoilt.
It is perhaps this perception of success being commonplace which has prompted the negativity to spill from certain sections of the Christie Park faithful.
But, let's be honest, it's completely unfounded and wholly unjustified.
The season may well be fading into obscurity and it's true there's more chance of Paris Hilton having the next Immaculate Conception than there is of our strikers scoring a goal; but there is little cause for complaint.
We're still exceeding all expectation. It's actually kind of amusing to think that, back in August, if we were told we'd hit a bad run of form around March, it would have no doubt envoked fears of relegation. In reality, we've already expelled any prospect of being sucked into the relegation scrap, are still in touch with the playoffs and have had a run in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, as well as the Carling Cup, that nobody anticipated.
The performance away at Grimsby in last week's second leg will quite easily keep me content whatever our results in the coming weeks.
It proved that even though we aren't at the top of our game, the desire for success still prevails. The goalscoring woes were still depressingly evident but it was as if we'd awoken from a prolonged spell of apathy, resurgent and determined but with just too much to do.
Where do we go from here then? I think even the most optimistic of Shrimps would accept that, with our current form, the play-offs are going to be out of reach.
It might then be a good idea to start experimenting with what we've got in the squad to ascertain who is worth retaining and who isn't. Perhaps it was desperation in search of goal, but introducing Paul Lloyd at Bury at the weekend indicated to me that Sammy is thinking along the same lines.
No matter what the outcome of the season is, our new Ferraris will probably always be too slow and our golden shoes too tight.
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