In his column in the Express and Star, Merson has again blamed the players’ individual mistakes for the team’s current plight, saying that they aren’t putting into practice what he says on the training ground, but he also goes one step further.

He says that he’s asking that, “when we play Doncaster on Saturday the supporters wait until the final whistle before they judge the game. There have been several examples recently where fans have begun to criticise during the game and it has not helped the team”

The siege mentality may be appearing here, which may have a positive effect, but can also work the other way. Time will tell.