It's nice to be proven right for once.

As a fan, an opinionated fan at that, it's as sure as eggs is eggs that you're going to talk a fair amount of bollocks. This is particularly true if like me you aren't scared of getting it wrong. Once I've seen a fella play once I'll have an opinion, I'll tell you where I think he should play, how he can improve, all of that stuff. The fact that I pull pints for a living doesn't dissuade me one bit. I'm daft/arrogant enough to think I've got a small clue, and football is after all so much about opinions. 

The good thing when you have loads of opinions is that while you'll look silly sometimes, the law of averages says you'll get one right occasionally. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and so it was for me on Saturday.

I'm not on about the "Let em come" blog post either (We didn't play in the formation I advised in any case, that was all the coaches own work), no, I'm on about the "Give the manager a new contract" stance.

And no I'm definitely NOT saying that based on one game, that means Johnnie is about to morph into Pep Guardiola or Jürgen Klopp. I'm not saying that those of us who said he should be retained got it right for that reason at all. Disclaimer-Johnnie may go onto becoming a world class manager for all I

I know, I'm just agreeing that it'd be silly to say he would on the strength of one game. No, the reason why the new contract was 100% the correct decision is because it freed the manager up, gave him some room to start swinging. I point you in the direction of the team selection on Saturday, the change in formation and line-up. Look closely at how brave it was, how bold, and ask yourself would he have done it if we were still in "Let's wait and see" mode?

I suppose only the man himself will know for sure, but to describe the selection of the team as "ballsy" would be akin to saying Mikey T was quite excited when we got the winner. We'd taken one point in the previous four league matches, scoring the princely sum of one goal. We'd been soundly beaten by the same opponent a month earlier, and things weren't looking rosy. To then go for broke took some cahonas.

I think to fully understand the bravery of Johnnie Jackson's approach, you really ought to look at what would have been said if we'd lost. Firstly we went to a 3(5) at the back which we've barely played since the beginning of last season. At right full/wing back we played a fella who doesn't play there, leaving out one of our most consistent performers in Isaac Ogundere. Had Josh Neufville not played well or had gotten himself roasted, the manager would have come under severe scrutiny.

At centre half we played a fella who hasn't played a full 90 minutes in a long time and hadn't started a game for us. Alongside him we continued with Lee Brown, and brought a fella off the treatment table quicker than you can say "magic sponge".

Then when not in possession of the football we didn't just "steam into them", we sat, waited, picked our moments. This was the bravest thing of all. Seriously if we'd got beat 3-0 playing like THAT, the shite would have hit the top of the floodlights never mind the fan.

So the plan was as daring as it was brilliant. I don't think a young manager in THAT sort of run and in THAT big a game could have gone for it without the security of a contract, THAT'S why we were 100% correct to reward Johnnie, Skivvers, Rob and Bayzo earlier in the year.

Now, two days on, it fully looks like the stroke of genius that it was. I hope the management team are emboldened by it's success. They really are untouchable for the foreseeable, they could play Nik Tsanev as a sweeper against Grimsby and lose 5-0, it'd all be good. 

It is my heartfelt belief that our manager is much better at his job today than he was eighteen months ago. No surprise there, it would be odd if a first time manager doesn't learn stuff as he goes along. It may end up being the case that even WITH his improvement, along with the obvious Craig Cope driven improvement in the recruitment, we still end up falling just short of the playoffs.

I'll be gutted if that is so obviously, but I am excited already about next season, even if we are still in L2. Results and performances like Saturday have a habit of instilling a new confidence and belief in management teams. Confident, bold and brave management teams who aren't afraid to try stuff tend to win lots of football matches. Johnnie Jackson is is a better manager this season than last, next season I think he'll be better again. We were right to sign him and the other lads up. COYD