I've been struck down with a rather nasty virus, which still has me confined to the house for the best part of a week, so I've been a bit tetchy anyway, so perhaps I'm over-reacting just a tad, but looking at the club right now leads me to the conclusion that we're fast becoming a joke outfit.
For starters, the club's away form is becoming something of a cliche now. I'd hoped that our away win at Darlington was something of a watershed for the club, and we wouldn't suffer on our travels as we have done in previous seasons. But a 7-0 caning at the hands of Shrewsbury Town, a defeat against Conference champs Aldershot (thanks in part to a brainless challenge from an ineffective centre forward) and another shaming, this time a 3-0 defeat at another former Conference side, Exeter City, has certainly proved my hopes to be unfounded.
As for the manager, well, to say the jury's still out would perhaps be a little inaccurate. In truth it seems that many have already come to a verdict, and it's not good news. Stimson's record of 12 wins, 13 draws and a whopping 21 defeats from the 46 matches we've had under his stewardship suggest little in the way of improvement results-wise.
It's difficult to put the finger on exactly what the problem is - as clearly the team looks younger, fitter and better motivated than it ever was under Ronnie Jepson, but there's still quite a bit missing. Stimson's character seems to rub people up the wrong way, and he appeared to somehow get off on the wrong foot with a good number of our fans - and he's not really recovered since.
From my point of view, I couldn't care less if the fans love him, hate him, or are totally ambivalent. All that interests me is his ability to get results - and so far, he hasn't got enough. Some fans are calling for his head already, but I think that might be slightly premature. Besides, I can't see it happening anyway. The fact that League Two is such a poor division means that a lot of our shortcomings are offset by those at other clubs. Despite an inconsistent start to the campaign, we're still handily placed in ninth. Some would argue with a better manager, getting more out of the squad (or recruiting better players earlier in the summer) we'd be higher. I wouldn't disagree with that.
Personally, I can't see much changing. I'd be very surprised if Paul Scally sacked Stimson, and even more surprised if Stimson walked, so we'd better get used to what we have and hope that things improve. I'm hopeful (or deluded, you be the judge), but unconvinced. The daft thing is, it wouldn't take that much of an improvement for us to become a promotion contender. Nothing in this division compares to some of the sides we faced (and beat) in League One last season - so we really should have nothing to fear in the teams at this level. The problem we have is a lack of quality, of which more later.
The other story to grab the attention this week appeared on the club's official website. It wasn't so much a story as a begging letter, asking fans or local businesses to chip in and help out the club with a number of items.
Of course, the club won't be paying any money for these items. Instead "spectacular Matchday Hospitality packages" and "Sponsorship and Promotional Opportunities" are on offer for people who can provide these items.
But when you look at what the club's asking for, it really hits home what a tin-pot outfit we've become.
We're asking for a minibus for the youth team, some stationary supplies, a printing supplier and a laptop computer.
It wasn't all that long ago that we were told that relegation wouldn't affect us much as a club, but now we've got the begging bowl out asking for someone to buy the club ONE LAPTOP. You can buy one for less than £400! Are things really that bad financially? I thought that Paul Scally's much-trumpeted debt restructuring, which supposedly reduced our operating debt from around £13m to around £3m, would have meant we had enough leeway to buy a single computer, but it appears not.
It does make me wonder whether the chairman's shuttle flights to and from Dubai to watch the team are coming out of his own pocket or the club's coffers. I'd like to think he's paying for them himself. After all, it was his decision to move out there, not the club's.
The situation isn't that surprising to me, though. For example, from my own experience I know that the club's penny-pinching approach cost them the services of a world-class motivation coach when no fees had even been discussed. What we wouldn't do for someone like that right now!
The situation certainly demonstrates how quickly fortunes change for our football club. Less than ten years ago we'd sold our star striker for £1.5million, reached the quarter finals of The FA Cup and gained promotion to the Championship. Now the club can't even afford to buy a laptop.
My last blog suggested that some of our fans needed to temper their expectations with some realism, but sometimes it's hard not to look at the club and be anything other than totally disillusioned. The team will have good days and bad days, and I think as fans we are more than aware of that.
Maybe we should be more worried about the club off the field than the team on it…