Premiership Giants 4 Plucky No-Hopers 0

Too optimistic for my own good again this weekend. After 6 games unbeaten I hoped that the Glovers might come away with a point from Elland Road this weekend and after 42 minutes it was all going to plan. Unfortunately the mighty Leeds sneaked a somewhat lucky goal just before the break and that was that: Three more followed after half-time to make the final score Leeds 4 Yeovil 0, a repeat of last seasons thrashing.

Not that it matters a jot. Leeds are so far ahead of the Glovers in terms of stadium size, fanbase, budget, squad size - you name it, in every measure they dwarf us. One of their hospitality suites holds as many people as the entire Cowlin Stand for god's sake! They have more police and stewards on duty at every home game than our average crowd! Come to that they have more people arrested at every home game than our average crowd! They've probably got more burger vans than our average crowd! Their wage bill for a week is probably as large as ours for the whole year! They are a Premiership club in all but name and have under-achieved appallingly over the last 3 seasons, so to lose to them means nothing in the great scheme of things. Our season will be defined by how we do against the likes of Carlisle, Bristol Rovers, Brentford and Hartlepool; not against a team whose striker is worth more money than our entire club - land included - combined. I just hope that Leeds have their inevitable promotion back to the Championship confirmed before the return fixture at Huish Park on April 6th next year. Their fans are arrogance personified as it is, to have to watch them celebrating promotion at Huish Park would be more than flesh and blood could bear. And the thought of that tax-dodging prick of a chairman of theirs taking the plaudits for having 'guided' Leeds back to the Championship (when it was on his watch that they were relegated to L1 in the first place) on the back of ripping off countless creditors (including the St Johns Ambulance Service) is truly a nauseating one.

Er, where was I? Oh yes, so to lose against Leeds is no big deal. The result means we drop 2 places in the table to 14th, still on 18 points. Next Saturday we have a break from league action when we travel to the Kassam Stadium to meet Oxford United in the 1st round of the FA Cup. We really do need a good cup run this season to boost the finances if nothing else, it might be that a cup run is the difference between us being able to sign (or even re-sign) players in January or not. Let's hope that the gap between the Conference and League One is still as big as I remember it from a few years ago. More on this game later in the week.

Away from the Glovers and in other news former rivals Weymouth are continuing to limp along on the verge of liquidation. I know, you've heard it all before. How many times have innumerable other clubs seemed to be going under only to be rescued by a last-minute deal? Well, the Muff may just be the exception to that general rule. Even would-be administrators appear reluctant to take the club over and when those vultures are fighting shy then you know there are real problems. Never say never, but it really doesn't look good for this present incarnation of Weymouth FC.

And finally, former Glovers manager Russell Slade got the boot from Brighton yesterday. He did it in slightly more conventional style than when he left Huish Park, after a run of bad results rather than four wins in a row. I've no doubt there'll be more than a few Glovers fans pleased to see Slade's downfall, but I'm not one of them. Speak as you find, as they say, and the odd occasion I met Russell left me with a good impression of the man. I felt he did a decent job for us under trying circumstances and deserved far better support from the board than he received, particularly in his last season with us. That's not to say I wish he was still here, I'm very content with the job Skivo is doing and wouldn't want to change that at all. Nevertheless I hope Slade gets himself sorted with a new club soon. It didn't work out for him down at the Withdean, but he's too good a manager to be left permanently on the shelf.