Welcome to the Championship boys and girls, Niall said it wouldn't be easy and from the looks of things he was right.
So there's a couple of things to cover this week and before making his excuses for him I want to share my biggest concern with Niall Quinn's revolution. His first team selections.
Why play Delap at right back when we have the perfectly capable Steven Wright? Delap has proved he can operate successfully on the left side of the pitch, impressing in that position and scoring from it at Goodison Park , the under-rated Lawrence is more or less wasted on the left side.
If for whatever reason Wright is unfit to play at right back then why not play one of our midfielders who has been tried and tested in that position, namely Whitehead.
He filled the gap there for Mick McCarthy on a couple of occasions and didn't look completely out of place. Playing him there and pushing Miller into the centre would free up a right wing spot for Lawrence giving us excellent prospects going forward on the wings in the shape of him and Delap.
It is bad enough playing a team so terribly low on confidence but by forcing them to play out of position you are hampering what few things we still have going for us.
Another thing, I keep hearing an annoying rumour on many message boards. It is this paranoid concern many fans seem to have that the consortium is going to swoop into the Stadium of Light force our best players out to cash in on a quick buck and then leave us high and dry.
To put it bluntly this is bollocks. Quinn offered to equal the wages any Premiership club offered Arca, he then told McCartney that if he wanted to stay at the club that he would pull the plug on the Clarke transfer.
These are not the actions of someone who is looking to get rid of the clubs best players. In fact, in my opinion Niall has done an excellent spot of business on two players who had had their day, were looking to leave, and could have done so for free in a years time anyway.
The idea that Niall Quinn's eloquence is a smoke screen is ridiculous and massively insulting to a man who is trying his very best to please the supporters who at first welcomed him and now already seem to be sharpening their knives.
Despite results and pitiful home attendances from at times a fickle and ungrateful fan base there are still some positives to come out of this week. The signing of Riera is an exciting one as anyone who saw him play the Korean side will testify and I think this lad could go on to be a big player for the club.
Also the performances against two of the leagues better sides were for the most part encouraging despite some massively frustrating moments from a team that lacks a cutting edge, confidence, and luck.
That we can play this way with a team that is still being strengthened, has lost two of its best players, and is being played out of position is enough to let me get to sleep at night.
Remember Niall is here for the long haul, there were always going to be troubled times. Keep the faith and for heavens sake lets start getting bums on seats, he can't do it alone.
FTM
Regards,
Michael
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