Times 26260 – a puzzle for after the championship, maybe?

Solving time : 10:57 on the club timer for a puzzle which seems to have a mini-theme of failure, which makes it all the more remarkable that I managed to get a correct entry. There’s a lot of failure and derogatory terms running around the outside, and one proper name poking up from the bottom, maybe the setter is poking fun at somebody.

We also appear to be a W and an X away from a pangram, so maybe the setter was bemoaning the inability to get those two letters into the grid. We may never know, but hopefully if you’ve come here for elucidation, I can help you out.

Away we go!

Across
1	COLLAPSE: COLLEGE with EG becoming A,PS. FOUNDER here meaning to fail
5	DOOFUS: or the DO OF US – I’m quite fond of this term and clue
9	UNSTUFFY: anagram of FUSTY+FUN
10	MIRROR: double definition, one being a newspaper
12	STOCKING. MA. S(idekic)K: clever wordplay
15	AZERI: the ZER(o) cipher in A1
16	ATTRACTED: hidden reversed in painteD ETC ART TAking
18	JOBSEEKER: B, SEE in JOKER
19	THRU,(loo)M: got this from wordplay, it is the end of a weaver’s thread
20	INCIDENT ROOM: (RECONDITION)* then M
24	TROJAN: the definition is “ENEMY WITHIN” – JAN with OR,T(wo) reversed at the front
25	FLOUNDER: double definition, fish and flub
26	DITHER: anagram of RIGHTED missing (fla)G
27	ASK FOR IT: or ASK FOR I.T.
Down
1	CO(conscientious objector),UP
2	LOSS: GLOSS without G
3	AQUITAINE: AA surrounding QUIT, then IN,E
4	SAFE(not threatened),CRACKING(fine)
6	O,KING
7	FAR EASTERN: or FARE ASTERN
8	STRIKE DUMB: Hey bro, you strike dumb man
11	VICTORY ROLLS: VICTOR(V) comes after before (d’oh) WHISKY(W) in the NATO alphabet, then Y(variable), ROLLS
13	LAP-JOINTED: LAP JOINT then ED
14	SERBO-CROAT: (BOOR,REACTS)*
17	ASTROTURF: SURF(waves) containing TROT(left-winger) after A
21	DUANE: DANE containing U
22	ODER: sounds like ODOR
23	DRAT: DRAFT missing F