Terminal Boardom RoyalBlue Never forget how he met with some of us in the rain in Norfolk road one evening after a dreadful performance had led to protests from the supporters. Was quite happy to spend time debating the issues with us (and gracefully accepting the return of some season tickets!). Of his manager Branfoot he uttered these memorable words ' He got us into this mess so he can damn well stay and get us out of it'! Probably the most unorthodox vote of confidence a manager has ever received!
Sadly his loyalty (or desire to make Branfoot suffer) backfired.
I remember it well. 19988/89. We had just lost 2-1 at home to Bristol City. There were about 20 of us in Norfolk Rd once the Old Bill got wind of what was going on. Annie Bassett came out in her tight skirt and high heels. Smee was there as well so fair play to them both. A fairly calm discussion was ongoing when some twat from one of the fanzines came steaming in shouting his mouth off. He got told to feck off fairly quickly by all and sundry.
What happened next was that I reminded Roger Smee of his statement at the start of the season where he said that Branfoot had got us into this mess (Relegated back to the third) and it was up to him to get us out of it. He looked me in the eye and nodded. The following day on Radio 210 (That's what it was called back then), he recounted our encounter. We only stayed up that season after beating Chesterfield 4-2 at Saltergate on the last day of the season. Had we lost, and we were 2-0 down at half time, we would have been relegated back to the 4th Division.
Chesterfield could have stayed up if they'd won an results elsewhere had gone their way. We signed Darren Wood from them in the summer, and he is supposed to have said that at half-time somebody came into their dressing room and told them the half-time scores in the other games, all going against them. It explains their less than enthusiastic second half display.
