HAPPY New Year! Don't know about everyone else but I managed to enjoy my festive celebrations despite, rather than because of, Rovers efforts.

Five games but only one win to report since my last column.

In chronological order my views on events over the holiday period were as follows:

Charlton: An uninspiring game between two ordinary sides on the day punctuated by two flashes of skill from Dunn and Duff and two excellent assists from Gillespie. Nevertheless we were very solid and workmanlike which made what was to come all the more disappointing.

Sunderland: A completely unacceptable first half performance in front of a sell-out crowd. Where did the official attendance of less than 30,000 come from?

Completely outplayed by a team with three League goals away from home all season prior to that who were beaten 5-0 at Ipswich a few days later.

The players seemingly bemused by the formation.

Derby: A much better overall performance but still beaten by a side who hadn't recorded a victory away from home all season.

Lack of firepower again critical with centre half Martin Taylor again pressed into emergency service up front. That old chestnut "We wouldn't have scored if we'd played until next Saturday" being trotted out.

Tottenham: Another very poor first half display. Only Friedel keeping the score down to acceptable proportions.

A much improved second half without ever looking totally convincing. A promising debut from Cole in all the circumstances.

Barnsley: Dire stuff. "What's the opposite of enjoyable?" said one fan to his pal on the way out of the ground. Yet again not at the races first half.

Our tactic a very sophisticated "hoof the ball up in the air" if Andy Cole was watching he might be in danger of missing tonight's semi-final with a crick in his neck as a result of looking for the ball dropping out of the sky.

A number of different and bewildering tactical formations, including Gillespie being brought on at centre forward for all of five minutes before being pushed out to the wing.

Not much encouragement there. The statistics are even worse. Six League defeats out of seven. Five points from nine games.

However, I go into the New Year far more optimistic than before Christmas. For one reason -- Andrew Cole.

While we have badly under-performed recently, I feel that the long-standing lack of punch up front has finally caused the rest of the team to lose confidence.

Cole is a class act and if he (or anyone else for that matter) can bang in a couple of goals, the rest should hopefully follow.

Soon we will also have seen the two all-time leading Premiership goalscorers in the famous blue and white halves. Can't be bad.

The Cole signing is a major step forward. In signing him, the rigid wage structure has presumably been relaxed slightly.

Assuming a respectable finishing position, that and the acquisition of Cole should act as a magnet for the other players.

In this respect well done to the Board for pushing the boat out.

Let's try and fill the ground and order those replica shirts now!

And so to tonight's semi-final. Come on lads, let's get back to what we are capable of.

A major Cup Final beckons!