The Man In The Stands AND so another loan player drifted into Carrow Road this week, and so The Man felt his current enthusiasm levels wither a little more. Before Jonathan Grounds went back to his lofty parent club Middlesbrough, Leroy Lita's arrival briefly took our number of loan signings to nine - nearly enough for a whole team.

The Man In The Stands

AND so another loan player drifted into Carrow Road this week, and so The Man felt his current enthusiasm levels wither a little more.

Before Jonathan Grounds went back to his lofty parent club Middlesbrough, Leroy Lita's arrival briefly took our number of loan signings to nine - nearly enough for a whole team.

I have moaned about this loan situation before; and I acknowledge the arguments about us not being able to afford these sorts of players permanently, and that somehow we are pioneering a new way of existence that will become the future template for cash-strapped Championship clubs.

The Man is also grateful to superfan Carl Moore for again putting his hand in his pocket to help fund the signing.

But my overwhelming reaction to this latest signing - and I really hope he scored today - was one of resignation.

Let's be clear: we've signed a Reading reserve, their fifth choice striker.

If he's any good he will go back to Reading soon, a club who, all things being equal, should be borrowing players of us, but that's three they've lent us in the past few months now.

This is the fickle hand the football's finances deals us now.

Maybe I'm alone, but my heart sank when I heard a Radio Berkshire reporter say: “The plan is for Lita to go to Norwich and try and rediscover some form, then he can come back and do the business for Reading.”

Yippee do da.

As may have become apparent over the past few weeks, The Man is suffering the first real crisis of his supporting career. I am in the midst of sulkathon, although I'm not quite sure when it started.

I thought the day would never come when I'd wake up on a Saturday and not fancy going to the game.

But I'm finding it harder and harder to drag myself to matches these days, even with the primary motivation of meeting up with friends.

In some ways this is not because I don't care enough about the club, it is because I care too much - like thousands of us do.

Watching a team full of loan signings scrabble to stay in the division is just too painful to watch sometimes.

When compared to the game we once knew, it stinks. It is joyless and seemingly futile.

What fun is there in being a cross between a finishing school and Barnardo's?

Let's be clear again, I don't blame Roeder for choosing this loan route, but it's damn difficult to get excited about it.

I don't even want to get attached to any of the loan players because they'll all be going back.

I feel jealous seeing Ched playing for Man City, but the fact is he was never one of our players anyway. I'm once bitten twice shy now.

And you can't even console yourself that this is a year of transition - of team building - because come the end of the season Roeder is going to have to completely rebuild again. Only this time without any money.

Maybe I could loan myself to another club for the remainder of the season, to earn the club a bit of money, and to take my misery guts elsewhere.

Certainly our footballing overlords Wigan and Reading are in need of some more bums on seats, not that it means anything.

Millionaire Ryan Giggs said in an interview this week that he “couldn't think of any minuses” to come out of football's boom.

From his rarefied vantage point I am sure that is true, but it sure as hell doesn't feel like that from where I'm sitting.

t DON'T EXPECT DELIA TO ALLOW 'OUTSIDERS' IN

JOLLY Roger recently opened the door to the apparent possibility of a foreign investor being allowed to buy Norwich City.

The premise was that they engaged with the local community, and understood the current local ethos of the club.

It was a significant departure from the script of the past ten years.

For example, before our game against Chelsea in the FA Cup last year, Delia told the Guardian: “We are not going to sell to a foreign investor, ever.”

It is something she has reiterated on many occasions.

The Man wonders whether this change of line is just a desperate attempt to try and find a sparring partner for Cullum, or whether D&M have finally acknowledged the painful reality that they have to cast their net far and wide to try and find new money.

Of course, it may just have been that PR guru Munby, who according to the accounts was still picking up £25,000-a-year in reimbursement for his role, was speaking out of turn for a moment.

But that's unlikely.

Personally, I still think Delia would rather sell her best rosary beads to the devil before she lets Norwich fall into the hands of a foreign owner.

When push comes to shove, and no matter how much trouble we are in, I just can't see the old gal handing over the keys to Carrow Road to an 'outsider'.

And from what I can tell, most fans would agree with her.

t GOSSY GOSSIP ADDS TO HIS LEGEND STATUS

SOME terrific banter from Gossy this week as he revealed that Old Father Time had not been overly generous towards him.

The JG said: “I used to look like Craig McLachlan [Australian heartthrob - Henry from Neighbours], but now I look like Frasier.”

He also compared Mike Walker to Naked Gun actor Leslie Neilson, which is a great shout.

Just listening to Gossy on the radio for a couple of minutes, you can tell he is a real character; a top bloke.

It must have been wonderful to have someone like that around the dressing room.

The Man once heard a great story about Gossy from one of the staff at Colney, relating to our never-to-be-forgotten European tour.

I can't recall whether it made it into Gunny's book or not, but one night Walker and Deehan went to try and find JG, only to discover he was not in his room.

The pair eventually found him outside the foreign hotel constructing a den saying he was going to stay there the night!

Legend.