The curate's egg

It was another decent result for the Glovers this weekend. A 0-0 draw at an Oldham side that has previously won 3 games on the trot is not to be sniffed at. Coincidentally that's Yeovil's third game in a row without conceding a goal, another record not to be sniffed at. It's all very well espousing the art of playing attractive, attacking football but the reality is that if the opposition don't score then you can't lose, something that Skivo appears to be taking on board. All successful teams are built on having a solid defence and the introduction of the 4-2-3-1 formation with 2 defensive midfielders protecting the back 4 has certainly had the desired effect of making us hard to break down, and I'm not concerned by the fact that we've not managed to score in 2 away games against decent sides. We are scoring at home and as any Championship Manager knows, you win your home games and draw away and you'll soon be promoted! Okay, calm down, we're not going to be promoted, but mid-table mediocrity is attainable, with any luck.

So, 11 games gone, nearly a quarter of the season, and the Glovers lie 18th in the league table on 11 points. We've won 2, drawn 5 and lost 4; have scored 12 and conceded 13, a goal difference of -1. Keep that record up for the rest of the season and we will almost certainly be relegated with a grand total of around 44-46 points. Skivo out after all then, despite what I said a couple of weeks ago?

Of course not. Our last 3 games surely provide the blueprint for how we must play for the rest of the season and if we can keep to those standards then we will be relatively comfortable by May. There are two bloody great chickens waiting to come home to roost however, and one of those fowls happens also to be one of our greatest strengths - the loan players at the club. At best they are all here until December, it could be that all or at least some have gone by January, though equally it might be that all or some will stay for longer. We just don't know. The other fly in the ointment (to mix my metaphors) is January itself and the transfer window. While we can say with complete certainty that Yeovil will not be buying anyone during the window, we cannot make the same statement about selling. Skivo then may well be faced by a double whammy in the new year - the loss of key loan players, plus the transfer out of one or two key permanent signings. Added to that other key players - the likes of Terrell Forbes and JP Kalala for example - are only contracted until December at present. One hopes that talks to extend their contracts will begin soon if they haven't begun already, and remove at least that uncertainty from the equation.

Of course it all comes down to money in the end and the bare facts are that Yeovil doesn't have enough of it. The reliance on loan players this season and over the last couple of seasons suggests that we don't have the resources to sustain an adequately-sized first-team squad and the drop in crowds this season will do nothing to change that. We can and do castigate the board for failing to develop existing revenue streams at the club but at the same time applaud them for keeping us more-or-less in the black - there's a contradiction there that can drive you mad if you think about it long enough. The fact is that the board have failed. We have stayed in League One despite them, not because of them. Their failure to deliver off the pitch contrasts sharply with the achievements on it. Where is the new social club, the new stand that's been talked about for so long, the new investment? This board has had long enough to deliver the goods, if they can't then they should put the club up for sale and leave it to those who can. The board have relied on player sales to keep us solvent, but when that particular well runs dry what is the alternative? There is none, and that is the board's greatest failure. But it's Skivo that's left to pick up the pieces.

To sum up the first quarter of the season then, on the pitch it's an improving picture. Skivo's team is settling into a recognised pattern of play and have begun to show they have the potential to stay in this league. Off the pitch it's the same old story of inertia, missed opportunities and a lack of investment. A regular curate's egg.