THE reasons for Rovers continuing demise are down to one man - Brian Kidd.

I know that people will say that he inherited a bad side and, in a way that is true, but what Kidd has managed to do is make his own changes and produce a team with no flair, heart and most importantly, direction and this is most worrying.

I feel that in the transfer market he has got it all wrong. The decision to force the issue and sell Tim Sherwood was foolish in the extreme, especially when you remember how Kidd 'belly-ached' about being short of midfielders less than a month later. This was followed by the decision to sign Lee Carsley, a vastly inferior player.

The other incoming transfers were equally baffling. The policy of buying Nationwide League players and poor Premiership reserves at ridiculous prices led to our inevitable relegation and the loss of our one class act, Chris Sutton, and our best keeper.

Added to this, the signing of Craig Short instead of the younger and better David Wetherall - for more money - had me totally beaten.

If Kidd's decisions in the transfer market leave me perplexed, then what can I say about his tactics? His insistence on changing the system and personnel for different opposition is unbelievable. Why does he bother showing teams in this league respect when, realistically, it should be the other way round? He continues to try Wilcox in central midfield when plainly and simply he's not good enough (what has David Dunn ever done wrong)? He goes from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 from game to game and he changes his front two more or less every game.

The lack of 'fire in the bellies' that the players are displaying can also be put down to the manager. Since his stage-managed entrance against Charlton, how often have you seen Kidd showing any commitment and emotion from the technical area?

Following our terrible performances of last season, he waited until we were doomed before laying into his players. They promptly responded by turning in a very good performance against Manchester United. One can't help but wonder if he had done this after the Sheffield Wednesday game, we might have stayed up.

This season, although we have only played four teams in the top half of the table we still find ourselves in the lower reaches of the First Division. We are being outplayed by teams like Grimsby and Barnsley and are playing the worst football I can remember in a long time. The patience of the fans is being tested to the full.

I think that although we need stability, the only alternative is to get rid of him. I really fear that we could go down even further if a change is not made soon. We need a leader, someone who commands total respect and leaves the players in absolutely no doubt what is expected of them. Somebody like Graeme Souness or Martin O'Neill would instil the passion that is so sadly lacking from all our players.

JASON WHALLEY, Aintree Drive, Lower Darwen.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.