THE saddest ending to any recent football season has left me in a state of despair. As hard as I tried to hide my disappointment on Sunday, I was not a pleasant person to be around after suffering the failure of my favourite team, Wolves, to reach the play-offs, and the bitter prospect of second division football next season for Oxford United.

What a contrast the games provided. The Sky Sport coverage was tremendous, with live action from Molineux interspersed with goal updates from all the other relevant promotion and relegation grounds. It's that sort of coverage that picks out Sky from most of the rest of the TV channels as far as football is concerned.

In truth, Wolves didn't deserve to go up. They had put together an impressive run since Christmas, losing only twice this year, both to the two sides going up to the Premiership, Sunderland and Bradford City. But the reality is that they had drawn too many games.

In a way I was glad Wolves lost because victories by Bolton and Watford made Sunday's result irrelevant.

But my faith in football was restored when, within minutes of the match ending and despite what must have been a time of great disappointment, Wolves' chairman Sir Jack Hayward offered new contracts to the management team of Colin Lee and John Ward.

OH for some of that loyalty at the Manor ground where poor Malcolm Shotton has been treated so uncaringly.

The U's hit the heights on Sunday - thrashing Stockport 5-0 - before learning that results elsewhere had sealed their drop into Division Two.

In contrast to Sir Jack's honourable gesture to bond his management and players as Wolves make a fresh bid for the Premiership next season, big Mal was left out in the cold.

He complained of being "in the dark" about the future of the club, and is certainly not on the inside of the decisions over his own destiny or what will happen to several out-of-contract players.

United's owner Firoz Kassam may well be hedging his bets as he awaits decisions on the Minchery Farm stadium site and its plans for a multiplex cinema, but he and the board owe Shotton some sort of assurance.

Against all the odds, Shotton kept United alive in the First Division until the last kick of the season - despite the club's financial plight, the backroom upheavals and the fact he had to offload some of his best players in order to survive.

He now deserves at least the common courtesy of a discussion with the Mr Kassam and the board, which should include all the club's plans for the coming year. He also deserves enormous praise for the admirable effort he put in against the most daunting odds any manager could ever be up against.

United's fans recognise his contribution to the cause - and they showed how they felt with a rousing send-off for Shotton and the team on Sunday. Now it's time for the board to show they appreciate their manager just as much.

SIR Alf Ramsey's contribution to England's football history should never be forgotten. His death last week prompted recognition for him as one of the greatest English managers.

A fitting tribute to the man who won the World Cup would be a statue inside the new national stadium at Wembley.

Story date: Wednesday 12 May

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