Hayward back on board

Norman Hayward, officially co-owner and majority shareholder in the Huish Park Partnership, the company that owns the good ship YTFC and all who sail in her is set to take a more active role in the running of the football club. The official site announced yesterday that Hayward is to return to the board as a director and will be directly involved in the board's decision-making processes. There's no point in me trying to re-invent the wheel on here, check out the official site's statement and the Ciderspace news page for the full details.

So, Norman's out of the closet, so to speak, at last! Not before time either. It's been an open secret that he's been the man calling the shots in the background for some time now and has been the driving force behind all the major decisions taken at the club over the last few years. At the same time he must also be held accountable for the drift the club has suffered off the field during the same period. His appointment is the precursor to some as yet unspecified changes at the club in the near future. I await further developments with interest and fingers crossed, and the fervent hope that whatever is going to happen that the club communicates it's intentions to supporters in an open and timely fashion. We're all supposed to be on the same side after all.

Back to the footie, and two players have gone out on loan. Striker Andre McCollin and new signing Louis Laver will be plying their trade at Dorchester in the Conference South for the next month. Good luck to them.

As for the first team, it's the small matter of Leeds United, away, that concerns them this weekend. Everyone's favourites for promotion this season are also runaway favourites to win tomorrow's Elland Road clash at 2/5 on, the draw is a tempting 10/3, and a Glovers win priced at a frankly insulting 15/2. I mean, what the hell are the bookies playing at? Haven't they noticed we've just gone six games unbeaten? Yes, Leeds are top of the league and beat us 4-0 at their place last time out but surely current form should come into the equation? Okay, sensible hat on. The home win's not worth betting on, an away win may be a bridge too far even for the most optimistic Glover; my fiver's going on the draw (again). Running total: +£4.50p.

Just read: Henry: Virtuous Prince by David Starkey. Having read a lot of praise for this latest biography of Henry VIII (though it concerns itself only with his early life and has just as much to say about his father, Henry Tudor, as it does about Henry himself) I was looking forward to browsing through it. Unfortunately it doesn't live up to it's advance billing. It's dull and repetitive and gives no real insight into the characters of the major players of the time. I enjoyed and admired Starkey's recent tv series of the same name, but this book (there's another to follow) doesn't live up to it. Disappointing.