How was it for me? Well, pretty crap if I’m honest. It started with Atkins and the same old rubbish being played and ended with a managerial team that offers more hope if not, ultimately, a better end-of-season position.

A look at the respective league tables from 2004/5 and 2005/6 shows quite remarkable similarity for Rovers: In 2004/5 we finished 12th with 60 points; in 2005/6 we finished 12th with 60 points. Even the goals scored are almost the same: 60 last season and 59 this, although there are some notable changes too.

For a start, those draws that we grew to know and, well, curse last season have disappeared with the whopping twenty-one from last term shrunken into a minute nine, a feat that also literally changed us from top drawer to bottom. Unfortunately, while we no longer draw almost 50% of games, Rovers have failed to change many of the stalemates into wins: instead of thirteen victories we had seventeen but, worryingly, there were twenty losses this season rather than twelve last. Even after Atkins left, Rovers still lost fifteen games, or three more than the whole of last season and our total of twenty was higher than all but one of the division, that one being bottom club Rushden and Diamonds.

And then there are the goals Rovers have let in this season, ten up from fifty-seven to sixty-seven. In Stephen Byrne’s review of the season on the Official site he says: “Despite criticism in some circles, Shearer was a regular and dependable goalkeeper and only 67 goals were conceded in the League.” ‘Only 67’ is some spin when you consider that only three clubs fared worse: Macclesfield (conceded 71), Rushden and Diamonds (76) and Stockport (77), all of whom were in danger of relegation – or were relegated – at the end of the season.

Worse still is the statistic that shows that thirty-six of the goals conceded were against teams in the bottom half, against only thirty-one against those in the top half. Rovers also managed to score more against the top half: thirty-one against twenty-eight and our overall ranking against the bottom clubs was twenty-third (of twenty four) compared with seventh against the top sides. In other words, performing against the bottom teams as well as Rovers did against those at the top would probably have guaranteed a play-off place.

The other area of major improvement was away from home where there were only three victories recorded in 2004/5 along with nine draws and eleven losses. This time around there were still eleven losses but only three draws and an impressive nine wins; only Carlisle, Northampton and Orient fared better with eleven each, while Grimsby, Cheltenham and Wycombe all managed nine too. Our overall ranking on the road went up from nineteenth in 2004/5 to seventh in 2005/6 but this was matched with a similar slump at home, where Rovers ranking fell from seventh to twentieth overall, losing more games (9) than anyone bar Rushden and Diamonds (10), Chester City (10) and Oxford United (9).

Given Rovers’ ability to implode at home, it’s no surprise that Mem attendances were down by over 1000. This is undoubtedly compounded by yet another season without any success whatsoever and the general ennui that has set in throughout our support. It’s also a reason why I maintain that the Forrester decision was a terrible one: we needed to give Rovers the very best chance of the play-offs because just getting in would have raised morale enormously. I’m not sure anyone running the club really understands how much we crave a bit of success or how much we all need it and I’d wager that seeing that chance diminish as we helped out one of our rivals will take a few more off the crowd at the start of next season. Worryingly, those who have stopped attending include plenty of long-serving supporters who the club simply cannot afford to lose.

Financially, the drop in attendances is a disaster and, unless the management team and board can do something to lift Gasheads’ spirits over the summer, it’s something that will continue. In real terms we’re looking at a drop of over £10k per game, or about £250k per year and a good run is absolutely vital from the outset in 2006/7 if the club is to claw back support and also gain new fans.

As far as the squad goes, there are many that can look back and think that they could have done better. The goals from Agogo and Walker kept us going but without the former about the latter looked impotent. If, as widely tipped, Agogo does move on in the summer then we will need to either offload Walker as well or find another striker in the Junior mode to work alongside him. Haldane will be pleased with the way he’s coped, particularly with a change in role, and his performance in the final game of the season was particularly impressive.

The defence as a whole has failed to cope with set pieces on more occasions than I care to remember and clearly needs a shake-up, while more consistency in midfield is also a necessity. Carruthers looked tired by the end of the season – though that’s no surprise as he played more than he ever has before – and Campbell seemed to switch between his ‘invisible man’ routine of 2004/5 and a really useful player. If he can get the latter right all the time then he could just become a real asset.

There is a definite need for improvement though, starting with the defence which has to prioritise far less goals conceded next season. At the other end, if Agogo does leave we’ll have a gaping hole that needs to be filled even accounting for his inconsistency.

As for us supporters, well, we need to work out how to get an atmosphere going at home. If the little scrotes who threatened and pelted the Macc fans with missiles at the end of the final game could channel their energies rather more positively it would be a start. If the team was successful and got rid of the general torpor that pervades the Mem then that would help too. At the end of the day though this is a collective responsibility.

Overall then, it’s yet another season that carries the epitaph ‘should have done better’. The management team will finally get to stamp their mark on the team this summer and it’s imperative for the club that they get it right: more failure is not an option for anyone in 2006/7.

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