Much has been said and reported about the result against Brentford at the weekend and generally speaking, l would agree with most of it and say it was probably our worst performance since l have been at the club.
Now however is not the time to waver in our efforts and support of the manager and the team. We must all be even more determined to help them come through this and get things right on the pitch.
Your continued support and backing will be paramount to our success this season.
That said, the players are fully aware of the fact that not only did they let themselves, the manager and his team down, but far more importantly, they let you - the supporters – down.
With the exception of a handful of players, the team very much had an off day and everyone needs to dust themselves down quickly and get back to the level they are capable of with an even more determined attitude to improve and turn things around.
Lingering on the performance on Saturday will not help and fortunately with two games in the next five days, the focus has to be on these matches rather than the last one.
I believe some of the quotes attributed to the manager post-Brentford are very much being taken out of context and were said in the heat of the moment, immediately after the match.
He, like everyone else, was hurting and did not have time to process the comments being put to him literally minutes after the final whistle, although l appreciate that the media have a job to do.
I know for sure that I was hurting, but unlike the manager, l have had the time needed to reflect on the game before commenting.
What l can tell you is that the manager and his team are not quitters and will pick themselves up, look at everything and address the problems.
Likewise, the spirit and the attitude of this group of players is second to none and they are hurting as much as the rest of us and will work even harder to turn things around and show that they have the quality to play and stay in the Championship, which as we all know is of a much higher standard than the last time we were here.
You only have to look at the quality of the opposition and money that has been spent by many clubs in the last two seasons to see the level we have to be at if we are to achieve anything this season.
We should also not forget that we have had a very difficult start to the season and have played four of the current top seven teams and two of the teams relegated from the Premier League last season.
l can assure you that our scouting team are actively monitoring players that are free agents available to sign now and which are fit for immediate selection.
We are also actively scouting players who may be available in January because they are in the last year of their contracts or are looking for a move.
The criteria given to the recruitment team is that we are only interested in players who will improve the squad and give us options that we do not currently have.
We must not forget also that for the season so far, the manager’s team selection has been severely restricted due to injuries to six of our first team squad.
Hopefully, some of these injured players will be returning after the international break which will enable us to field a stronger and more balanced team and bench.
I for one am looking forward to the break which will give us time to get players who have not featured so far this season fit and back in contention.
l can fully understand the feelings and disappointment on the terraces, at home and at work, of you - our loyal and supportive supporters - but l can assure you that l experience the same disappointment and frustrations.
That said, it is even more important that we all stick together and continue to support the manager and team through thick and thin and ensure that we do our utmost to climb the league over the next few months and retain our Championship status.
The more support that we are able to give them, at this difficult time, the better the chance we have of getting the results we need going forward.
Together, we will succeed.
Kind regards,
Ken