Saturday 13 September 2008

Yeovil start the process

It is common knowledge that the transition from the conference to league 2 is very little. Teams that get promoted from the conference can usually be well equipped to go for a double promotion the next season. Hereford United for example did this same feat after there second season in League 2. For a team that had been in the conference for some year and that endured so many close shaves it was quiet an achievement to take just one year to get there team in shape for promotion.

Yeovil Town had a similar transition. After two close shaves in the tricky conference playoffs, Yeovil were promoted to what is now League 2 in 2003. With 95 points and 100 goals the feat looked very impressive.

It took just two years for Yeovil to make there way into League 1, topping the table with the help of Phil Jevons to continue their promotion quest.

As they did in League 2 after there conference promotion they consolidated for a season before having another promotion push. Now without being to synical is this where the mess that they are in now all starts.

After finished fifth in the 2006/07 season Yeovil reached the play-off final facing Blackpool. After bringing a huge suppose Yeovil were beaten 2-0 at Wembley Stadium.

It's always said that playoff final loosing teams always struggle in the next season. Leeds United can profess to that, after loosing against Watford in the Championship play-off final Leeds were relegated to League 1 the following season.

Yeovil, at the back end of last season were heading for a similar fate. They won just four of there last 23 league matches as they plummeted towards the bottom four.

That sort of form isn't just relegation form its would send worry into fans for next season as well. Fortunately the points deduction of Bournemouth saved Yeovil from a proper relegation scrap.

This season however is different there are no points deductions to save them this time, and for once they are really staring down the barrel.

Where do you look for the answers to this collapse in Yeovil's fortunes? Well simply loosing there better players is a factor.

Phil Jevons followed Gary Johnson to Britol City before finding a home at Huddersfield Town, this was as big a loss as any.

Yeovil also underwent a takeover in 2006, and yes the club made the play-off final that season but could fans say its had positive affect on their teams fortunes?

Some look at the performance of the manager Russel Slade. Now it is difficult for me to say he's done a bad job completely, the play-off final defeat for me is still the turning point but he has hardly covered himself in glory since.

In all honesty how he is still in a job and taking the team forward I'm not quiet sure, it's a question Yeovil fans have been asking themselves for to long now.

So what now for Yeovil? Well can you really see them surviving relegation this season as well? i certainly can't. They have the wrong manager for the job at first, and they don't have a squad capable of challenging to stay up either, to be honest even if Slade did go the new man would find it hard to turn it around.

They club missed there chance to get rid of Slade in the summer, and now he is still at the helm it may take this season to re-build for a push at League 2 next season.

They do say for every success there is a failure around the corner, well it seems that there success reaching a play-off final at Wembley is as far as they will go for now, but don't right off a comeback at some point

2 comments:

Shaun said...

The lack of ambition at Yeovil at the moment is scary. No attempt to keep hold of Mildenhall and Stewart in the summer, and the uninspiring tactics from Slade are hardly appeasing fans. I think they'll go, personally.

Good read matey.

Lisa Warman said...

A good read nick, totally agree with you. Slade should go, no question. Survival this year? I think we'll be in and around the bottom 6 this season and maybe drop into that last relegation place unless changes are made and i cnt see that happening.:( Need fresh man at the helm and sum new faces, squad too small with little options. We're staring League Two in the face in my opinion! :(