In the wake of yet another heart-sinking weekend, one more Monday avoiding the papers and another false dawn crushed, it is tempting to think that Leeds United stand on the brink. The vocal minority that will always attack the manager grows bigger week on week. The weary acceptance of defeat that hangs around the team and fans as each an early goal is conceded suggests a club on the slide, so it would be easy to think that matters could not be worse. This is not necessarily the case.

Long-term loiners will not be comforted to know that the situation could be much, much worse, but how bad are things? Is the Venables era over before it begins? The fact is, for all that the season is lurching along in grave danger of being over by the first weekend of January, there have been some good moments. Although it is soul destroying to see a side that was stomping around Europe two years ago lose at home to an awful Bolton side, there are mitigating circumstances and there is hope.

Although it cannot be denied that our defence is in disarray (and the absence of Matteo is not helping), our keeper is playing the best football of his young career. One of Venables' first successes on taking the job was the canny way he gave Paul Robinson his chance without - apparently - alienating Nigel Martyn. Martyn was not censured for missing the tour to Oz, but was left in no doubt that if Robinson performed he would keep his place. He did and he did. This successfully circumnavigated the always looming, potentially damaging changeover between the two keepers. Martyn knows that if Robbo loses his form, he is back in, and we have the next England goalie between the sticks.

All of which is positive. All of which makes the handling of David Batty seem stranger. Although nobody expects Batty to play every game, it always amazes me that football managers single out individuals and write them off. Had the manager not told Batty that he was unwanted, we would have heard nothing about it because he has not been fit for most of the season. He would, however, have played a couple of times recently when the squad was pared down to the bone. Although they are supposed to get on well, Venables has alienated a player who the fans adore. A player who came out of our worst period, was part of the team that won the league and then came home to boss our midfield in the Champion's League - giving up half a million quid in bonuses from Newcastle in the process.

Of course, much as every Leeds fan loves Batts, we wouldn't care if we were winning every game. In the afterglow of the week when we beat both Man Utd and Newcastle, no-one was singing Batty's name. The misjudgement is in giving fans who were already unsure about the sacking of a popular manager one more thing to be unhappy about. Results are only everything when you are winning. Venables out?

Of course, it would be a little harsh to sack Venables before he has had at least one transfer window. He has been uniquely unlucky in that had he come a year earlier, he could have enhanced his wheeler dealer status. When he arrived he bemoaned the lack of cover at left back whilst revelling in the six international strikers. One of them had to go, not least to balance the books. Would Venables have spent £11 million on Fowler? We don't know and he certainly won't say but given that he was never going to sell Smithy, Viduka and Kewell offer something different and we wouldn't have got anything for Bridges, one fat Robbie had to go. Thanks and goodbye Mr Keane.

His first signings have been limited successes. I am the first to criticise Nicky Barmby but he is a versatile trier and he is letting no-one down. For £2.75 million you can't really argue and it didn't hurt that he got well and truly stuck in at the Boro game. Lucic is the putative full-back cover who has ended up as number one centre half. He looks solid and has many international caps. Good free transfer.

You have to ask though, who is Paul Okon? And why have we bought him? I know he played for Fiorentina and he was the Australian captain but in a squad with so many central midfielders, many of whom are relative youngsters, why do we need him? I hope that he comes in and does a top job but in a climate of suspicion about the manager's motivation it looks like helping out an old mate at our expense.

We will, however, know more about the midfield situation after the transfer window. Dacourt is in and out of the team and looks to be on his way out of the club, whether he likes it or not. In this climate of change the youngsters should be able to shine. It is to Venables credit that he has resurrected Stephen MacPhail's Elland Road career. That such a talent was going to be allowed to go to waste was criminal. Venables is nothing if he is not a judge of a player and he has brought a more realistic balance to the reputations of players like Bakke and MacPhail.

He is also obviously not scared to throw the youngsters in, as the recent debuts of Milner and MacMaster show, and in this respect the continuing saga of Seth Johnson's inury hit career has further - ahem - hamstrung the start of the Venables era. If, in the new year, Johnson is fit, Dacourt has gone and one of the many talents we hear the manager is chasing has come in, things may look a little clearer. Which brings us to the Lee Bowyer situation.

It is looking increasingly likely that Bowyer is on his way out of the club. Whatever it was that the Chairman said that so upset him, it appears to have soured his relationship with the club beyond all repair. Try as he might, Lee seems unable to recapture his best form. He is giving his all to the team but it is not happening. He is also not signing his contract. Recent paper talk that he is on his way to Man City for £1 million. As much as we hate to hear it - and in his own way Bowyer has been one of the best players I've seen at the club - it may be the end of the road for Lee and Leeds. If that is to be the case, we must pick ourselves up carry on. What we need more then anything, is to know where we stand.

After the recent victory away in Europe, Alan Smith gave a fantastic interview. Clutching the match ball after his four goal performance Smith asserted that there are no rifts within the squad, and the players know that most of the fans are behind them. Aah Smithy. Without him this season would be an absolute write off (and I say that having travelled to Southampton to watch him get sent off in England colours). His passion and commitment has been matched this season by a new level of performance. For the first time his performance as a centre forward is putting genuine pressure on Viduka. He has started adding the goals to his all round play. It is telling that when our previous captain decided to slope off across the hills the fans voted overwhelmingly to make Smithy the new skipper. Not, however, the gaffer.

If Alan can keep his form and temperament going, the manager can make the changes to the squad that he wants and everyone can pull together, we may rescue the season with a good run and a dart at a couple of cups. Of course, that relies on the Chairman and board who managed to turn 40,000 fans a week into a debt ridden selling club making money available to the boss. In fact, whilst we are all busy questioning Venables judgement, it may be Ridsdale who faces the biggest test. Over to you Chairman.