B's in a pod

THE manager, I'll call him Mr B though many have been calling him a lot of unsavoury things over the past week, now knows he is really up against it.
The honeymoon period is over.
He has come in with a good reputation, but recent results have not been what the fanbase expect.
To be fair, his remit was to change around the whole ethos of the club.
Players on good wages failed to perform last season. There was even talk of a rebellion by some who had loyalties to a previous manager. It is argued that their combined efforts actually got rid of the first guy who came in to replace him and that some players had more influence than the man in charge.
In the summer, the club bought into Mr B's long-term plans for the club. Some players went, new players came in and early results produced some optimism among the faithful.
Now the wheels seem to have come off, there is criticism and questions from all corners, and the issue is being raised... should the new man, after just three months of the season, be sacked?
Interesting.
But I don't really care what Chelsea do about Andre Villas-Boas.
I bet Paul Buckle wishes he had the Chelsea manager's headaches - a pretty bottomless pit of cash, world-class players, a chance to pit your wits against the best teams in the Champions League and an unthinkable fifth place in the Premier League table.
Unfortunately Buckle has a group of hard-working, lower league journeymen trying to turn around an atmosphere of impending doom and a current position of 17th in League Two having lost one of his main strikers and one of his key defenders through injury.
Saturday's result was an absolute nightmare for Buckle. Bristol Rovers 0 Barnet 2.
Just when it looked like Rovers might start feeling more "at home" in front of their home fans, they are turned over by a team who were finding it difficult to extricate themselves from the lower reaches of the table.
Only recently Barnet conceded six goals at home to Burton, yet the Gas couldn't break through their resistance in 98 minutes of football. Not good.
But to blame it all on Buckle is to put up a smokescreen. Four managers have tried to come up with a winning formula at the Mem, five if you include the brief spell under caretaker Darren Patterson. All, so far, have failed.
So do we spin the wheel again?
Some, looking across the city, have seen things change at Ashton Gate.
Bristol City were rock bottom of the Championship a little while ago, but a change of manager has seen them put a run together.
To be fair, though, Keith Millen had been given over a season to get things right, and had made absolutely no progress. A change was due.
Buckle, on the other hand, is a victim of his own early-season optimism. He talked up the team and is now having to backtrack. Lower expectations.
He is a victim of his own press conferences.
But what he really needs is the fans to get behind him - not shout abuse as seems to be the worrying trend at the Mem lately.
In turn he needs to develop a thick skin, a plan of action, and repay the faith the chairman put in him when appointing him to the job in the summer.
Next up it's runaway leaders Southend, away, and on the horizon is a real FA Cup banana skin at Totton.
Time to show us what you're made of, Mr Buckle.