The Man In The Stands So that's 2009 done with. It feels like the longest year on record. Here's what The Man learnt.

The Man In The Stands

So that's 2009 done with. It feels like the longest year on record. Here's what The Man learnt:

t Gunny is a City legend, could keep the ball out of the net, successfully sold mobile phone adverts and proved a dab hand at finding rented accommodation for our new signings. Sadly he ain't a football manager - not a good one anyway.

t It can always get worse. Relegation was supposed to be the low point, with a silver lining that at least we'd get a proper manager in. The board's decision to keep Gunny on backfired spectacularly at Ewe-gate. You can't blame BG for staying on; if it'd been The Man, he'd have wanted to have a go at putting things right, whether he could manage it or not. Thankfully, someone else is making the decisions now.

t The signing of 2009? Not Antoine Sibierski or World Cup-bound Chris Killen. It's so far, so good from David McGnarly. Keep this up and there won't be a team in the land we haven't peed off. And we'll win more games than we lose.

t The only silver lining of slipping out of the Championship was missing out on a Boxing Day trip to Selhurst Park. The fixture computer bestowed that honour on I******, who had the pleasure of losing 3-1 instead of us. Good good.

t Roy Keane isn't the messiah; he's just a very naughty boy.

t We… really… love Grant Holt.

t Little Wes is fast becoming the new hero Roedent promised, so that's the one positive from his second season. His reign ended less than a year ago, but it feels like a lifetime since his 'I'll be the last one standing' speech. No one's heard from him since.

t League One is actually more fun than The Man thought - but you still wouldn't want it to last longer than May. Pretty, pretty please Lambo.

t The Ewes love sharing a league with us and the idea of having a proper rivalry - especially with Mad Cowling “in charge”. Whether the fact his right-hand man, chief executive Steve Bradshaw, quit after being caught drink driving before Christmas will bring Cowling out of his shell remains to be seen.

t The Man almost choked on his Bovril that some really felt it necessary to get on Lambo's back after a bit of frost ended the match at Walsall before it began - and after my trip had ended.

As fun as it was getting to sit in an empty Bescot Stadium and watch a covered pitch, it wasn't worth the hours of driving on a Bank Holiday.

But it's hardly Lambo's fault the referee made a decision with the home side he felt he couldn't stick to when the opposition arrived.

That said, it seems Colchester fans masquerading as the pride of Anglia were to blame for the criticism of Lambo on the BBC's semi-respectable highlights show.

You'd think the Beeb would have some quality control by now.