WHAT a peculiar little affair Tuesday's game with Brighton was. Before the match Worthy urged fans to make some noise. The response to NW's plea was the most subdued Carrow Road crowd I can remember.

WHAT a peculiar little affair Tuesday's game with Brighton was.

Before the match Worthy urged fans to make some noise.

The response to NW's plea was the most subdued Carrow Road crowd I can remember.

I'm talking Portman Road library levels…you couldn't help but feel it was a two fingers up job.

The Man half expected to see tumbleweed appear on the pitch.

The Brighton game was like a birthday party for an annoying relative.

You really don't want to be there, but out of obligation you show your face for a couple of hours, keep a low profile, and then disappear home.

The Man is not embarrassed to admit he spent the vast majority of the first half staring into the Valentine's Night sky.

I'd just managed to doze off when the referee's half-time whistle woke me from my slumber.

The Man got the feeling that a lot of people had turned up hoping for a dire performance so they could go after Worthy again.

Well, they got the dire performance, but it just so happened it coincided with the season's biggest win.

As I said, a peculiar little affair.

When your season is over in February it affords you the opportunity to take a sideways look at football.

As we surged into a 1-0 lead, and the Snakepit started up the Great Escape chant, The Man couldn't help but chortle.

Maybe I had just come over a little queer, but I couldn't help laughing.

Scanning the faces of supporters in the pugnacious corner I couldn't help but spot a few others laughing too.

Sometimes things just get so bad you stop being angry and you find it funny.

Normally, when Hux scores and celebrates in front of the crowd The Man is the first one to be perched on his seat giving it the Nielsen fist.

But when Hux scored against Brighton, and implored the crowd to get involved, I actually felt my blood boil.

"Jeez!" I thought, how we could have done with a bit of that spirit in August…

So I nearly got angry, but then I appreciated the absurdity of it, and just laughed.

Hux is a top man, but come on, you can't blame us for not getting excited.

Too many false dawns my jet-heeled friend.

Similarly, Greeno. He went over to the crowd after we scored as if to say: "Are you going to make some noise now?"

Well, no we are not. We've been waiting months for you to get back in form so you can learn to wait a little while for our support to return too.

For the record, I think Greeno has been excellent in recent weeks, ever since his shirt-throwing tantrum in fact.

Back to the Brighton game. Three-nil up, the new signing has just scored two, but the well-oiled mob close to The Man persist with: "We still want Worthy out."

It's right that opinions should not be swayed by one result, but it was strange.

The trouble Worthy and the Stowmarket Two have got is that a lot of people seem to have made their minds up now.

Nutty Nigel will only ever be one bad run away from getting renewed calls for his head. It's going to take a rise of Pardew proportions to get him out of this one.

And even then, I'm not convinced that those who have fallen out of love with him will have their romance rekindled.

Outside the ground protesters were getting stick from Worthy loyalists. The Man walked past one pro-Worthyite who was spluttering with rage. "You are an absolute disgrace," he raged at the those in favour of regime change.

The Man envisaged the players sat in the changing room scratching their heads at the "Worthy out" chants.

You could tell from the goal celebrations that the players were delighted to get the win. They know the boss's neck is on the line and they want to get him out of it.

It just might be too little too late though.