AT the start of this season, during the first Championship game at Wantage Road, I overheard a Northants player saying: "Lancashire - they're a millionaire club.

"They've bought a team to win the Championship and if they don't win it, each and every player will have to look at himself very carefully."

I had to smile. The only millions Lancashire have in the bank are the one smarked in bright red.

And, as for doing a Chelsea, the Old Trafford club have, in fact, imported players out of sheer necessity following the break-up of the side which dominated the 1990s.

Of course, there was a hint of envy in that player's words, because Lancashire are a big club and manager Mike Watkinson, while not cosseting his squad, has certainly made sure they get the best of everything.

A hint of truth, too. With relegation a more relevant talking point than the title, Watkinson has asked his men to look in the mirror and ask themselves some searching questions.

Favourites

After last year's record- breaking batting feats, and the strengthening of the side with the signing of Dominic Cork, no wonder they were tagged as favourites for all three major competitions - the Championship, totesport Nationnal League, and the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy.

And it all seemed so simple as they cruised along in the first divisions of the Championship and League, and earned a quarter final in the C and G against Yorkshire.

But, in the last three weeks, it has crumbled beneath them like a Portuguese penalty spot.

It's not just the fact they have lost so many matches in such a short space of time. It's the way they have lost them which cuts so deeply. What happened to this great team spirit that Lancashire, from top to bottom of the club, have boasted about in the last two years?

Injuries have disrupted the side, certainly. And England call-ups. But the lack of fight displayed in some games, particularly the Old Trafford horror show against Northants last Friday, is alarming.

At least Watkinson was frank in his post-match Press conference. He was also obviously upset, explaining: "I feel crap. I'm hurt and I'm also embarrassed for our supporters."

Unfortunately, he can't expect the fans to settle for apologies, no matter how genuine. Now Lancashire have got serious business in front of them - where it really counts, out in the middle.

There is time to pull things around. The Championship is out of sight, but the League and even the 20/Twenty Cup offer some hope, which is why the next month - when so many one-dayers are played - is absolutely crucial.

At Northants, and most other counties, the sniggering has already started.

Fall from grace

Everyone loves to see a `millionaire' club go from riches to rags. The aristocrats of Surrey have already had their comeuppance. Now Lancashire's 10,000 members don't know whether they are coming or going, with the team as well as with the ground.

Up or down, stay or move - what's it to be?

As far as the team are concerned, I'm sure they would settle for mid-table respectability until they learn how to win again. But in the first division, with three clubs out of nine relegated, you are bidding for prize-money or battling to beat the drop.

My dictionary describes `crisis' as a time of great difficulty. This is a crisis and it's up to the players to get Lancashire out of it.

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