[Prodigal Dragon]

We called for someone with football knowledge to help make the decision, and Dixie McNeil was that man. The re-appointment of Dean Keates leaves me feeling quite ambivalent: he has plusses and minuses as both a manager and individual. If he was the 'stand-out' candidate then I presume we had few, truly worthy applicants.

In some ways I can respect the Board's decision to stick to their guns with Keates' appointment, despite all the negative comments on here. However, having made that contentious decision, they must now back him with more resources to improve the squad. We are still perilously close to the relegation zone, so must begin easing away immediately. With 2 home games we have the chance to do so. Both Keates and the players must deliver, otherwise the Board will rightly be bombarded by criticism for re-appointing him.

What should our goals be for the rest of the season? I think it unlikely we could ever win the league after such an awful start but, equally, with 31 games still to play, there is scope to get into the POs. That will require us to string a lengthy, winning run together, which admittedly seems implausible, but certainly not impossible. We could also do with an FA Cup run to bring in some much needed revenue to cover the lost gate revenue we are likely to face.

At least the Board has moderated its enthusiasm for lengthy contracts. Keates has this season to do the best possible, but we must be fully prepared for next season, when promotion must be achieved. The demise of the WST's hold on Wrexham AFC has been put on hold whilst we see if Keates can perform miracles; however, it has not been remedied until we see concrete evidence of an improvement after the Barrow and Hughes debacles. I fear that our current players lack the necessary quality, but they now have an opportunity to prove we fans wrong.

The ball is now well and truly in the Board's and manager's courts. There can be no more excuses or faffing. This is their final chance to get it right. They must either produce the goods or leave.

I look forward to seeing a win against Harrogate on Tuesday.