Dear Roker Report,

I have some thoughts on the subject of fans leaving early. If I’m factually wrong, I’m happy to be corrected, but as a local and one of those who stay until the end regardless of the score, here’s my take:

1. My seat is towards the back of the North Stand, so it takes me a few minutes to get down to ground level. By the time I get to the toilets and head towards the East Stand, I see the SAFC fan buses already on their way. If I needed one of these buses, I would definitely have to leave at least 10 minutes early.
2. The same would apply if I used the park-o-ride buses; If I didn’t want to end up at the back of a queue of 200-300 people, I would have to leave early.
3. If I had a car in the SAFC car park I would either have to leave early or be prepared to sit in the car for half an hour waiting for the queues to clear, which is not an option attractive!

I don’t have any answers and I understand that it might seem bad to see the fans leave early, but I think a lot of the criticism is unfair.

Stephen Brown

Note from Ed (Martin): Thanks for the email Stéphane. You can justify a lot of things in life and make reasonable arguments about why things happen, but I always come back to two things when this topic comes up. Firstly, in any other form of live event – ​​music concert, theater, cinema, etc. – you just don’t quit until the end. If you do, that means it’s absolutely crap. Doing it in a theatrical performance would be the biggest casting finger, and I’m sure we’ve all been to some pretty shitty movies. Second, especially when players are putting absolutely everything into it and playing well, it must be pretty discouraging to see people go out for like 75 minutes. It’s also quite disturbing for anyone trying to watch the game. Players deserve the applause of the whole crowd at the end of the match, and it is interesting that this happens regularly in home matches but rarely in away matches. I just don’t understand, especially when the game is close. I do think, however, that the club and local authorities could do more to make it easier to escape gambling, and I think that is part of the purpose of this investigation they are carrying out.

Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images

Dear Roker Report,

Two 0-0 away games, two points won. Good teams have resolute defenses that don’t give up, and we are still in the lead with a two-point lead and 30 points. Coventry are next in the SoL, with three points to play for. Then we will take a two-week break and be ready to continue. Getting over 40 points by the new year will put us in a great position, especially with the potential for new players to strengthen the team. All positive!!

Robert Stoker

Note from Ed (Martin): All of this is extremely positive as far as I am concerned Robert. We haven’t been at our best in the last two games, but we still picked up points and looked solid. A win tomorrow will settle everything, but even a draw will mean we have picked up 12 points from this six-game run between the international breaks – averaging 2 points per game will see us reach the top at the end of the season. It’s natural for people to react to individual results and performances, but for me, a long-term view is often best!