Now that my own season is complete I think this is as good a time as any for a bit of reflection over the past few months with the blog.

Firstly I would like to thank each and every person who has taken the time to have a look at what I have had to offer. Whether you have agreed with what I have said or disagreed, the feedback has been superb. I am grateful to all of the social media followers who have joined in the discussion and taken part in the polls. Without your support of the blog I would probably have given up after a couple of posts. I would also like to thank the guys out there who continually retweet me so that I can get maximum exposure to the amateur family. You all know who you are! The site has now breached well into the five figures for visitor numbers and the reach of the blog has surpassed way beyond what I had expected it ever would when I first started this up and this is all down to the power of social media.

There have been a couple of occasions over this season that have really put a smile on my face. One of which was sitting in the stand at one of the recent National semi finals where I overheard a group of men sitting behind me discussing how much they can relate to the pieces I have written and speculating as to who I really am. Social media can sometimes be a bit misleading as people can follow or befriend you at the hit of a button but to actually hear for yourself that people you don’t even know are enjoying your work is something that I was really proud of.

I have also had the bizarre situation in my own clubs changing room where my players were discussing one of the blogs. Without giving too much away about what was said it was jokingly suggested that I get sacked and they bring in the guy who does the Gaffers View as he is clearly more clued up than I will ever be. I did have a chuckle into myself and thought “if only you knew.”

That said, I have probably now gotten to the stage that outing myself would cause significant upset for various individuals due to some of the content of what I have written. In particular The Elephant in the Room, The Perfect Substitute and Dealing With a Clique. As I have said before I do not intend to cause any grief or embarrassment for anyone but the nature of what I write means that I have to call it as I see it. If by telling the truth I cause offense then perhaps those being offended should look in the mirror and have a think about the consequences of their actions.

On that note, I would like to think that the blog gives the guys who play an alternative view to amateur football and that they can see what the guys who make the clubs tick have to go through each week. If I have managed at all to change the attitude or opinions of a handful of players so far then I have at least done some good with this and achieved a small part of what I had intended to do. Being an amateur Manager is a thankless and at times very dark role so think about that please the next time you have a go at your boss or criticise his decisions.

Looking forward to next season I have plenty more material which I haven’t managed to get to yet and I am sure that the footballing year will naturally throw up something for me to talk about. So keep an eye out for future posts and feel free to spread the word about the website.

Lastly, I would like to wish all the amateur Managers out there a relaxing and stress free break and hope that you get all of the players in that you need for the season ahead. As for me I am off for a well deserved holiday and a few beers at the pool.

Thanks again

The Gaffer