THE price of the pandemic and its cost to football, and in particular to the U’s.

Ultimately Steve Ball has paid the price by accepting a massive job in the summer, with so much more than the game to think about, and therefore perhaps he found it harder than he ever imagined. And so it must be very tough for him given his close feelings for the town and the football club.

Not even in normal times can a playing squad be overhauled to stop a team dropping like a stone through the league table.

The buck stops at the manager most of the time, and so the manager is always the first and cheapest head on the block.

Personally I never like to see anyone lose their job, especially not in the present climate, but being a football manager is not like any normal job. It’s unique.

Everyone thinks they know better than you, employers can be very demanding and at times, 20 plus players can be a handful to control.

Let’s face it; the U’s have gone from play-off contenders to relegation scrappers in the space of a year and that is dreadful, whichever way you look at it. A year that has seen one of the greatest challenges to football at our level for decades.

I still do not see where a great influx of cash will come from to change the fortunes of the U’s over the next year or so. The stadium has been closed to more people than just us, the fans, so that large source of income has been lost, and I suspect it played a major part in balancing proceedings.

We saw four first-team players disappear last summer because a sensible contract offer, which don’t forget is a commitment to pay over a period of time, was not possible. And I suspect that unfortunately there will be more situations like this once the present season ends.

Linked to this is the fans' call for a new manager from outside of the U’s infrastructure, and I get that and would welcome that, if it was the right person.

My memory is not that bad to recall that we have had some “outsiders” who have not worked, so finding the right person from the present bunch of unemployed managers, who doesn’t want to burn through cash, would be a huge undertaking.

Maybe that person, although not experienced at our level and from within the U’s, is Wayne Brown?

I really hope so because if his temporary appointment works out and the U’s can drag themselves away from what would be a disastrous relegation then it would a massive win for us.

It’s all about survival for the U’s, both financially and in terms of our league future this season.

It is therefore a huge challenge for Wayne and I wish him the very best of luck. I hope that he can stamp his own direction on the players in the short time he has been given, that they embrace it, and make it work.

Happy, positive and engaged players are a must. Without them, any manager is doomed.

Just look back to the last couple of games against Crawley and Exeter. The players looked like shadows of how we know they can be on the football pitch. Dispirited and flat.

You could see it their passing and movement. That is why a change needed to come and that price was paid by Steve.

Winning at Forest Green tomorrow, and don’t forget that it’s a 5.30pm kick-off, would be remarkable given the week the U’s have had, but it would also be amazing.

New management faces can have that effect even with the same players. Fingers crossed U’s fans!