A loss to Shrewsbury could become a tipping point in the decline of ITFC. A listless defeat would not trigger the departure of a manager who can barely go through the motions. It could however be the point at which ITFC begins a transition from being a mid-table team with faint playoff aspirations to being a bottom-third team that can only feed on relegation strugglers. ITFC could rather easily finish the season below the likes of Shrewsbury, Plymouth, Blackpool, Gillingham and Fleetwood. During the past year I have come to accept that ITFC will decline for as long as Paul Lambert is the manager and Marcus Evans is the owner. Nowadays, when I watch games on iFollow, it is with the sense of detachment that comes from being satisfied when the team that plays the better football wins. Sad days indeed. | |