As bleak as everything looked at the end of last week, I thought to myself, “At least things cannot get any worse.” I could not have been more wrong.

Discounting of course the brief excitement over P Diddy’s supposed interest, which turned out to be a slightly embarrassing chapter in what has already been a season to forget, this has been a miserable week.

It began with the news that Nathaniel Clyne could be ruled out for at least a couple of weeks and maybe the rest of the season after sustaining a groin injury against Leicester.

It only went downhill as we managed to throw a two-goal lead against Blackpool and slump to defeat against Nottingham Forest, leaving us in the relegation zone.

Then it got worse, as our already threadbare squad was further depleted when Danny Butterfield, who just two months ago scored a six minute hat-trick, limped off after only four minutes had been played at Forest.

That was just about bearable though with Johannes Ertl able to move to right back.

Then it got worse when Matt Lawrence took his love for American sports to the extreme playing basketball on the edge of the area.

He was duly given his marching orders and leaves us short of another experienced centre-back, a commodity we were already short of after Claude Davis’s David Haye impression landed him a three-match ban last week.

Cue Ertl’s move inside to centre-back whilst Neil Danns had to provide cover in the seemingly injury cursed right back slot.

You have to feel for the man as he’s had enough injury problems to last a lifetime without having to play there, fortunately though he survived the game unscathed.

Then it got worse, as Paddy McCarthy’s long road back to recovery from his recurrent shoulder injury hit yet another road block in his comeback game for the reserves last week.

The return of McCarthy would be like a new signing and invigorate the squad but sadly I can’t see him playing again this season.

At this point I could mention the fact that Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday have both hit form but I don’t think there’s enough Valium in the country for all of us.

All in all it will leave us woefully short of defensive cover and without a recognised right-back for Saturday’s clash with high-flying, high scoring, Cardiff City.

On the upside, Jay Bothroyd has been ruled out with an injury so he won’t be getting his customary goal at Selhurst and the players did put in a bright performance on Tuesday night.

So maybe things are looking up, after all things can’t get any worse, can they?