What a day we have had. The fixture list failed to throw up any big fixtures on key dates and since then there has been more news, not all of it positive.
The whole Swindon thing is threatening to sour after Scott Marshall was brought in to replace Jason Euell (who was shown the door) and we have announced the signing of their goalkeeper, Jojo Woolacott, which means one of our keepers, probably McGillivray, will be making way.
That's not all. Strong rumours that the new COO, Brian Jokat, has been fired after barely three months in the post and word that we are behind with lease payments to Roland Duchatelet. We don't seem to retain anyone in the senior team for too long, do we?
I am sure most will be sorry to see Jason Euell go, in similar vein to Johnnie Jackson as a long term former player and coach. Though you could see a clear case for Jackson given performances and results, Euell looks to be making way purely to accommodate Ben Garner's mate from Swindon, Scott Marshall. That probably wouldn't feel so awkward if they hadn't announced Jojo Wollacott from Swindon on the same day or had managed a keeper out before recruiting his replacement. I am prepared to wait and see before I judge but I hope this ends the Swindon Town moves because I have never envied them.
On a personal note, I think McGillivray has all the makings of a top keeper. He has made more than his share of point-winning saves this season and though he needs to work on commanding his area, I wouldn't have been looking for a replacement. The club website tells us that Wollacott was named in the League Two Team of the season, but McGillivray played all year in League One with a hesitant and often struggling defence in front of him and still managed 16 clean sheets as he reminded us today in a Tweet.
The club is going to need to explain Jokat's sacking very convincingly because something has obviously gone wrong. The rumour on the Duchatelet lease is that we may be three months behind - no great drama on it's own and there may be a perfectly plausible explanation if that proves to be true, but could be the tip of an iceberg too.
The lease issue could be leverage with Duchatelet but the immediate conclusion many will draw from it, is that there may be wider financial worries. Sandgaard is expected to fund a much stronger squad this season but so far, every new face (Garner, Marshall, O'Connell, Egbo and Wollacott) has cost us nothing up front and it's reasonable to assume they will be cheaper than those they have replaced. Plenty more to do but with at least £2m likely to come in from Nick Pope's departure from Burnley, Sandgaard might not have plans on putting his hand too far into his pocket, if at all. If the quality is there, none will care, but if we are left short again, there will be a far bigger price to pay.
No doubt the club will sally forth tomorrow with explanations, at least about Jokat, but I am guessing we won't get a funny video clip to accompany it.
Football like any other business is a very tough and uncertain environment and changes have to be made for a business to progress. TS from the start proclaimed the need for stability, consistency and to provide staff opportunities to progress and develop within the club. He Indeed made tremendous acheivements in these areas However the abrupt turnover of staff indicates that this approach has been modified. I am hoping that the decisions being made lead to a team being built that can achieve promotion. Paul S
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