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No coincidence that Eardley has been at his best since Joe took over and recognised his quality. Really pleased for the lad. If he gets to move to a club where the fans also appreciate him, I shall be sorry to see him go but wish him well.

Ian Marshall and the stag do lads were easily the most entertaining thing I saw all afternoon.

We have two high quality young players IMO: Taylor and Eardley. Smalley and Alessandra are also young and talented and should be at the heart of team-building. Lee certainly has flair, would like to see him when he is match fit. Gregan reads the game so well I would like to see us get another season from him. Lomax is a solid lower division full-back and I would keep him. Not so sure about anyone else: Jones, if he wanted to sign up, has a lot to offer but is suspect defensively. Fleming, I have never seen play badly but both Shez and Joe have been quick to drop him at the first opportunity which makes me wonder. Hazell and Allott, players I have admired in the past, seem to be much less effective at the moment.

I have just got home having stayed to the end. But it was noticeable today how many people, having spent time and money to get to Brighton, were walking out well before the end. I cannot altogether blame them. The first half was dire. We had one shot and gave them a couple of goals which made you wonder where our defence vanishes to at times. Second half perked up a bit. We were looking decent and making Brighton look the shaky team they are. When we scored, it was well earned on the balance of play and I thought we would get another. But immediately, we gave away as soft a goal as you will ever see and that was that. Although we still had more of the play, we never again really looked like scoring. Any positives? Eardley played well, Taylor and Alessandra worked hard and Lee looked a clever lad but disappeared from the game quickly. Some decent things from Jones and Gregan at times. But Hazell does not look the player of six months ago, nor Allott the one that was so good last season. Bigger defenders meant Wolfy was easily taken off the ball and I fear that will always be the case for him. All in all, another depressing day out.

The idea of playing him without any match fitness is unfair to him and the rest of the players. You only have to see Lee, a talented player, who is fading early in a match because he has not been playing. If Stephens is up to it, I am sure he will get his chance next season.

Only just got round to reading the LeylandLatic post. Superb. I have felt all season how discouraging it must be for Eardley to be deprived of the kind of football environment in which he would thrive and then have to put up with the loudmouth morons who seem to see everything and understand nothing. The lad is one of our most talented players and often seems to be totally unappreciated. It is really good to read an intelligent piece like this telling things the way they really are.

Seems unlikely. He was clean shaven for the 40 years I knew him.

Sad news to report: the death of another lifelong Latics supporter, Reg Cass. Reg, who lived in the Garden Suburb, was 78 and had been a year-in, year-out supporter since the immediate post-war seasons. A season ticket holder for most of that time, his preferred spot at Boundary Park was in the old paddock at the front of the main stand where he would stand at the top of the terracing next to the players’ tunnel ready to give players, managers and referees the odd bit of timely advice. When that area was seated, he migrated to the Lookers stand. Although he had to cut back on attendance at away matches in recent seasons, he never missed a home match until December when he became ill. He was one of the old school supporters who never gave up on the club through a diet of Third Division North and Fourth Division matches and got his reward when he watched - as he later admitted - through tears of pride as Joe Royle and Mike Milligan led the team out at Wembley for the Littlewoods Cup final, an achievement that supporters of his generation had never imagined possible. The Latics can ill afford to lose loyal diehards like Reg.

[ I'm thinking of making a comeback as a fat unfit 46 year old as I wouldn't have looked out of place by Gregan. Just as long as you can read the game as well as he did today and shut out their central attack. Not the least annoying thing was that we managed to lose, despite the fact that our central defence worked so well that Supple did not have a shot to save apart from the goals, neither of which was his fault.

Another match in which our second half performance was not a patch on the first half. Before half-time, we were totally in charge. The players were obviously up for it and Whitaker (outstanding for 45 minutes) and Allott totally controlled midfield. After the interval, Orient brought on a left winger who gave Hazell a hard time (Rubes simply is not a full-back) and we just fell away. Even so a draw was the least we should have had. Their penalty was a terrible decision. If that was given, then we certainly should have had a penalty a few minutes later when Taylor was brought down. But it is baffling that a team which can play so well for 45 minutes can let things slide so easily. In the first half, Whitaker was terrific and could easily have had a second goal with a good header. That was from a centre by Jones who worked well on the left with Westlake in the first half and used his pace and accurate crossing to create several chances. We really looked dangerous then. But all that mysteriously stopped in the second half. Westlake overall does not not look like a wide midfielder to me. Nor did Taylor look much cop today, a lot of work but nothing achieved with it. Up front, Smalley and Alessandra worked their socks off but too often they were not physically strong enough to win or hold balls against the defenders and, to be honest, for all their good work, they rarely looked like scoring. Over the 90 minutes, the most consistent and successful players were Gregan and Stam. Neither put a foot wrong, and Gregan in particular showed his class and was my MOM.

Precisely - and, as most people would agree, with very poor service. Unless Joe has something unexpected up his sleeve, that same lack of service is hardly going to help our youngsters to score. I shall go to Orient hoping for the best. But I am baffled as to where anybody thinks they are going to pick up another 18-goal striker.

Absolutely right. We have got 13 points from the last 13 matches. Bottom four form.

Line-up was: Andy Goram, Gary Hoolickin, Paul Heaton, John Bowden, Kenny Clements, Martin Buchan, Mark Ward, Tony Henry, Darren McDonough, Derrick Parker, Roger Palmer. Sub: John Humphreys. The gate was 5,750 Good luck to Mark when he comes out, he was a fine player.

This is the most entertaining thread I ever read. Living down south, I have no chance of checking out the facts. Surely one of you guys has got a camera?

I share some other people’s fears that expectations may be too high. He is no overnight wizard - he had been manager for eight years before the ‘Pinch me’ season. Almost all his time has been spent managing at a higher level than this. But he is a proper, strong manager which was what we needed. Let’s hope the magic is still there. We certainly have enough quality players to succeed, it is to be hoped Joe has enough time to sort them out.

Telling to hear this from a fan of another team, contradicting the usual knee-jerk stuff from our own supporters who simply slag off the players and think that is it. Many of us have been saying this for months - we have a core squad of players here who could have had us in the top 3 all season. But there is no one in charge of them with the tactical nous to turn them into a coherent team.

Agree with you almost completely apart from the defence. I think a strong new manager would get the best out of Eardley and keep Gregan in line. Both are, IMO, talented players. For the rest, I would let Whitaker go and find out why is behind the ignoring of Lee, another talented lad.

Perhaps someone who can impose discipline on and off the field - not a manager who himself apparently has to be censured by the directors for his behaviour, something I can never remember happening here or anywhere else.

It is interesting and sad that you obviously got involved with the Trust because of your love of football and the Latics, yet the experience has apparently left you disillusioned instead of inspirited. Anything you can publicly tell us as to why that should have been? I am not being nosy, just wondering what could be so bad about something that should have been so positive.

Listening to the MK commentators, who were obviously very home biased, it nevertheless sounded as if we would have been even worse off without some good work from Gregan

TTA have been superb for the club, but their one failing has been in appointing managers. This season, they have given the manager all the resources anyone should need to put together a team which can at least make the top six. He has failed. We have only stayed up there because of our good start to the season. Current form is 13 points from the last 12 matches. We have some good players but it is clear where the real fault lies.

Not sure why anyone should be surprised that players do not, by and large, share our own commitment to the club. It is the way of modern football. The use of agents and the freedom of contract rules mean they are inevitably going to be looking to change clubs on a regular basis if there is something in it for them. The modern use of a flood of loanees does not help to breed any loyalty or togetherness.

No, quark is not called Bob. But I must admit I actually was watching the Latics when the old king was alive. And probably moaning even then.

Dowie was an excellent manager at the time he was with us - I only wish someone with the approach he showed then was in charge of the current squad of players

Let’s hope the board are as sick as we all are of seeing our club thrown into turmoil by appalling off-the-field indiscipline and inexplicably poor performances from talented players, and take firm action to sort things out - yes, Mr Hardy, I am sure most of us will back sackings if that is what is needed. I agree totally with everything written in this thread – although I am brassed off that I somehow missed reading anything about the serving wench at Lydgate.