It’s Friday, so it must be time for the latest blog by BBC Devon’s Vic Morgan.

When it finally happened, it turned out we’d known all along. The appointment of Mark Cooper as Swindon Town’s new manager surprised no one. After all he’d been here since last season, been caretaker since July and was here when all the players that were signed were signed. So anybody who’d had a bet on Glenn Hoddle, Paul Tisdale, Les Ferdinand or even Peter Schmeichel, were to be disappointed.

Certainly those fans that’d made the trip to Shropshire on Saturday were convinced Cooper would get the job.

So what do we make of it?

My view is simple. The decision has been made and now we get on and support the team. If you don’t like the appointment enough not to go to the County Ground anymore, that’s your call. Football is a game of passion and we get passionate about our club. Now though, until any viable alternative may or may not come forward, is the time to put up or shut up.

I read the forums like most Town fans. Some views I agree with some I don’t. I couldn’t though in all honesty go along with some of the abuse that seems to be creeping in. Let’s put it this way, I can’t afford to buy Swindon Town but I will support it. I may not agree with every decision but I won’t resort to abuse. Its football, we care about our club, we’ll do what we can to back it. Isn’t it time to support the team while keeping a watchful eye on things?

I’m not a happy clapper. Anyone who knows me will tell you that. I try to be realistic about the club I’ve spent more hours than I care to calculate following. Most of the hours have been travelling to towns and cities that host lower league teams. That, believe it or not, is where we’ve been for most of our history. I am convinced we could happily survive in the Championship but it’ll take a lot of hard work to get us there.

We’ve just been through the boom years. My God we’ve had enough of the bust years. Let’s see how we cope with the living within our means years. Despite all the money at our disposal over the past few seasons, we’re back where we were two years ago. However we have a team to support. Surely THAT is the main thing.

Now back to that game we call football. Saturday was, in a word, dismal. We had our pocket picked twice for the two goals and it was a struggle to come up with a player who deserved the Man of the Match award.  Still, the Percy Thrower garden centre and the Cheese and Potato pies lived up to the pre match billing. It wasn’t a happy supporter’s bus on the way back though, and much of the discussion centred on a lack of Plan B.

Will we see a Plan B used against our old friends the Gills on Saturday?  There’s no doubt that “Mad Dog” will bring his side to Wiltshire fired up for the occasion. We’ll have to match the physical as well as the football side of the game. The old scars from the 70’s ridiculously still fester between some of the supporters. It was a long time ago; I was there, time to move on.

What a week? It always is when supporting STFC. Be nice to just get on with it.

Keep it loud keep it proud keep it SWINDON.

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