SO a truce has been called - good. However, I suspect if we got a tonking today that will have gone out of the window, but for now, at least, The Man will assume all is quiet on the Eastern Front.

SO a truce has been called - good. However, I suspect if we got a tonking today that will have gone out of the window, but for now, at least, The Man will assume all is quiet on the Eastern Front.

The Worthy Outers have seemingly agreed to lie dormant - like anti-establishment sleeper cells in the Carrow Road midst.

Judge Nigel on what he does next season the board have told us.

But The Man thinks there is an even more precise assessment looming.

Last week Worthy fielded a team away from home without £3 million man Robert Earnshaw.

I'm sure Ian Blackwell's eyes lit up when he saw one of the best finishers in the country (don't laugh, I believe that. . . ish) was only on the bench.

But, we played well, so the ends justified the means.

The point is - yes, there is one - it will be intriguing to see if Worthy can set this team up to accommodate Little Earn.

At this level the guy is goals on legs: fact.

As long as he is fit he should be the first name on the team sheet, home or away.

But what that requires of Worthington is some tactical nous (herein lies the problem). It means a team which is built to provide that incisive pass through the back four - not the hoof over it.

Before today there has been absolutely no evidence this team has learnt how to play to Earnshaw's strengths.

This of course, takes time, and the board have given Worthy another hefty chunk of that.

Of course the players have got to play their part.

The Man thinks that often, despite what NW might have told them, the players look for the easy five-iron launch into attack.

Well for RE, that just isn't going to work.

The truth is it didn't really work for Deano either, and he soon got cheesed off with it.

So in The Man's opinion, look no further than how Earnie gets on over the next 10 to 15 games to see whether Worthy is still the man for us.

His critics will say he does not have the tactical ability to adapt the team accordingly.

Whereas those in favour of keeping nutty Nigel will say he can.

You decide, it will be interesting to find out.

And who knows, the by-product of it could even be we get back to playing half decent football again.

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t AT LAST I MAKE THE FRENCH CONNECTION

AFTER his intense bout of player-spotting last week, The Man ticked another City footballer off the Civvy Street sightings list this week.

Having bumped into Greeno at the barbers last week, while also secretly mingling with Robinson and Little Earn in Dixons; I've managed to locate perhaps the club's most elusive squad member.

It was like snaffling that elusive Panini football sticker.

This week The Man was idly trawling Marks and Spencer's food section for noodles when he spotted injury-prone French full-back Louis-Jean.

“Mon Dieu!” I exclaimed. “It's him, that bloke who played for us in August.”

Some of our supporters may think it's rather apt that I saw Monsieur Matthieu in a food outlet.

But I have to say, in the flesh, he didn't look too overweight.

And his fitness levels were up to being able to push a pram too.

Of all the elite signings December's manager of the month has made this season, LJ is the one I know least about.

I understand Worthy perused the freshly-relegated Notts Forrest squad and cherry-picked him in exchange for Gary Holt.

I must confess I don't know whether he's still injured, now playing for the reserves, or any good.

Maybe it's taking him time to settle in. . . whatever, you would hope his position will be reassessed by our debt-ridden club this summer.

He's obviously been unlucky with injuries, but how long can a club approaching a £20 million debt carry wages for someone like LJ?

If he's not going to threaten the first-team we'd be better off having a youth player staffing that position in the reserves.

Good luck to the fella, but I can't help thinking he's another one of Worthy's signings that has turned into a bit of a rum old do.

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t TOWN NOT SO WELL RUN AS ANDY THINKS

SINCE his outrageous act of betrayal, The Man has never had much time for our former flapper Andy Marshall.

By all accounts he's a decent bloke: but he still ranks very low in my estimations.

Well, it seems as well as having a penchant for bad career moves, it's also apparent he's not too hot on the maths front either.

Ahead of Millwall's game at Poorman Road last week, he told the local paper: “Ipswich has always been an exceptionally well-run club, and still is.”

Quite how not owning your ground, going into administration, and still owing Norwich Union millions of pounds fits into that assessment I don't know.

Oh, and in case you hadn't noticed, he's with his third permanent club - and is currently facing his third separate relegation.

It's probably about time I put that voodoo doll away now…OTBC.

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t RECORD ON SIGNINGS IS NOT SO HOT

JOLLY Roger was back in blistering form this week.

He said: “Experts in football have said if a manager in the Championship gets four out of 10 of his signings right he is doing well.

“I think Nigel's record is well above that.

“We have every confidence in Nigel's capabilities on that front, and in the capabilities of our scouting system.”

You take your pick out of: Louis-Jean, Thorne, Jarrett, Etuhu, Colin, Robinson, Hooz and Earnshaw as to which ones have been the successes.

I'm struggling to see a success rate of over 40 per cent Mr Munby, this season or last. That's without even taking into account some of the loony loan signings. Ho, hum.

By all accounts we are effectively about to swap Jarrett for Etuhu, but without us getting the £450,000 fee big Dick carried! There really has been some barmy goings on at the Rud this season.

Mr Chase would have been tearing his hair out. (Chase Out!)