I will concur the removal of the JI’s could have been communicated better, but it was inevitable eventually. There is a great atmosphere in there now and kids are wearing Lincoln shirts in the city, but three years ago they were not, so the special bond has only come about because we are a good team right now. If we want to remain ‘good’, we have to progress. Besides, I notice in many instances it is the parents reacting badly to the news? I know the kids won’t be on social media, but if they’re getting a different area where there’s additional facilities for them (face painting etc), will nine-year old Billy or seven-year old Katie really mind? The Bridge McFarland will mean all kids will be closer to the front and nearer their heroes, will they really mind that?

Look, none of us should ever forget where we’ve come from. The presentation dinner next week is priced incredibly high and normal fans have been priced out, there’s no doubt about that. I wouldn’t pay £80+ VAT and I’ve been to every Sportman’s Dinner and event since before Danny and Nicky arrived. I’ve always put my money into the club but I draw a line at that figure, but I won’t kick off abut it because I don’t see it as me being priced out, I see it as the club exploiting the fact businesses want to go and see it. Let them eat prawn sandwiches, network and buy hundred pound bottles of champagne, whatever. Don’t forget though, us fans want to see an event too, one where we can afford to go, eat a basket meal and sup a lot of ale.

Football clubs never get everything right and often the problem is around communication and not the actual changes

I think the main problem there was the marketing of the event. If they’d just kept it as a corporate event and not promoted it to fans, nobody would have cared, especially not if the fans had an event one later. Similarly, if they are still hoping to do presentations on the pitch then that should be made clear. I imagine the club wanted a degree of transparency and didn’t consider how some might react.

The thing is football clubs never get everything right and often the problem is around communication and not the actual changes. If the club had contacted JI members and told them in advance what was happening with their seats, it might have deflected much of the moaning. Not all of it would have gone, some people would still have a view to air, but 99% of fans understand that some changes happen every season and ultimately, some will end up being displaced.

I liken it to my time as Poacher, every year something changed, whether it was where I got changed, where I sat or who I could take in with me. Once upon a time we had an Executive Box to use, myself and other match day staff. That got sold when we were hard up so I ended up in the tea room, then under a stand, then in the St Johns Room, then in that odd jar shaped booth that was kicking around for ages. I sat in the Stacey West, then the Family Stand, then I got a stand named after me (sort of, Poacher’s corner), then I couldn’t take anyone in with me to help. Every year something changed and often I failed to understand it was just progress. One day, upon arriving at the ground to be told my partner couldn’t come in with me, I left her in the car, did Poacher and went home in anger, but two matches later I spoke to the club and cleared up the misunderstanding.

The key is communication, remembering those who truly were there during the hard times and making sure we all understand that progress is inevitable. A few more suits around the ground is a bit more cash pure and simple. You may not like it, in some aspects I don’t, but they have money and we want some of it. It is supply and demand, economics, pure and simple. The cub has always been a business, all through time we’ve fought money problems and although we like to think in 2018 it is different, it is not. Bills still need playing, players still need signing and one good FA Cup run only puts foundations in place. There’s no magic money tree I’m afraid.

I often see a man at the football club who gave me a really hard time when I had my first mental health issues in 2011, a businessman who hated the club and all it stood for. He demanded I choose the business over being Poacher and he went out of his way to ensure the two clashed so I had to choose. I often had to listen to his angry ranting about how the club wasn’t a part of the city and how he’d never help then in their endeavours. He berated the club, he destroyed me as a person and eventually, he sacked me and left me in the gutter. Two months later, Lincoln were relegated too.

At some point in the distant future we’ll go full circle and find ourselves experiencing tough times and only then will we truly know if there is a special bond

Now, I see him in his nice suit playing ‘billy big bollocks’ every week at the club, swanning around the VIP area as if he’s always been a fan. I imagine he poses with Danny and Nicky in a shot for his office wall and will politely applaud at the Hilton as Neal Eardley carries home a huge bag of personal awards. Yes, it upsets me because he didn’t care when we were on our arses and it infuriates me that a man who pushed me over the edge is now highly valued by the club that I’ve dedicated my life to, but I also think his money is better in our bank account than his. That, my friends, is progress and as much as we loathe it, it needs to happen.

So if you are affected by the changes, by all means express your thoughts on how it was communicated, but please do accept that in some way progress is inevitable, especially if the journey we’re on is going to continue. Also, don’t mistake the on-field heroics for some sort of hidden bond we all buy into, because at some point in the distant future we’ll go full circle and find ourselves experiencing tough times and only then will we truly know if there is a special bond that is so different to every other club up and down the country.

Take solace that as that business man sips his expensive champagne and hob nobs with the club, his money is paying for Michael Bostwick’s new deal, or the people sitting in your seat next season might be funding a move for Lyle Taylor. As long as there’s room at the table for you, just be pleased we’re still on the up.

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