THERE are few more inconsistent things than football fans - bar the weather and trains.

We can drift from one pub conversation to an online debate, picking one preferred eleven and dropping five of them for the next line-up. For us, the return of Nicky Ajose and Louis Thompson promised only a future of glittering of prizes, then days later, it seems that doom itself has moved in next door – and started cutting his lawn every day before 7am.

It’s because our fantasy plans are never tested; our dream 4-4-2 never has to play a game; one part of our sketched line-up never mis-controls a benign pass into its own face or tries to push over the man it is meant to be marking.

And it certainly never falls apart because our goalkeeper decides to pay his fine in coppers. But perhaps Lawrence Vigouroux’s ‘brilliant bit of banter’ was fitting because this season so far has been all about change.

Using 28 players in just 10 games isn’t just an indicator of disruption as much as a flashing brake light. The defence has changed,due to injury; the midfield has shifted through players being bought and sold; the attack is unrecognisable due to injury, as well as players being bought and sold. And, the one position which had been constant, also has had to change, although probably for just two games.

Vigouroux's departure and rapid return wasn’t the only headline this week about a player whose ‘banter’ got in the way of his career. No, this isn’t about the brilliant former Ballon d’or-winner Ronaldinho, who has found himself without a club, but one Nile Ranger.

This week, Ranger issued yet another apology for all of his previous behaviour, to all of his previous clubs, including to current clown car of a club, Blackpool, for going AWOL for seven months.

Would I take him back at Swindon? No, even I’m not that inconsistent. Anyway, seven months of fines in 1p pieces would be more change than Town fans are used to.