Ian Perkins (Page 86)

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The first ever Gloverscast End of Season Survey has closed and a huge thank you to the 499 (argh!) of you who took part.

Someone with much better numeracy skills has kindly offered to trawl through the data and make it digestible for our readers. The majority of the questions were statements on a scale of 1-7, giving participants the opportunity to score a 1 for ‘strongly disagree’ and 7 a score for ‘strongly agree’.

Here are Five Conclusions we’ve drawn from an early look at your answers.

Supporters don’t think there is a clear plan for the future of the club. With a score of 2.25 out of 7 and with 43.9% of respondents scoring 1 and 21.2% scoring 2, it is abundantly clear that supporters of the club don’t know what the plan for the club is. Granted, since the survey we’ve heard the goal is to get out of the National League, but what we’re putting in place to enable that, what the future of the land looks like, what the future of the facilities looks like is all a bit vague at the moment.

Supporters don’t believe YTFC will benefit from the SSDC deal. The SSDC deal to purchase Huish Park and the surrounding land remains controversial, and probably will do for some time yet. In response to the statement: Yeovil Town FC will benefit from the SSDC deal to purchase Huish Park, the average score was 2.59. To the statement: Scott Priestnall will benefit from the SSDC deal to purchase Huish Park, the average score was 6.0, with 52.9% strongly agreeing. In response to: SSDC will benefit from the SSDC deal to purchase Huish Park, the average score was 5.35 out of 7. There remains a demand for clarity and transparency about the shape of the deal and what the future holds, because as it stands, supporters thing the club is on course to lose out.

There has been quite the drop in season ticket holders over the last five seasons. Of the 499 responses, 59% have had season tickets in the past five years. 38% of respondents are currently season ticket holders. The trend is obvious, we’ve seen attendances dropping season on season since Darren Way was in charge. Personally, I think that final Way season was probably one of the most damaging in terms of getting people through the turnstiles. Last season’s challenge has been talked about ad nauseum, but something we’ve probably not spoken about much ahead of the forthcoming season is the cost of living crisis. People will be making decisions about their spending, especially come the winter and another energy price increase.

Communication should be a priority area. With a score of 2.01 on the statement: The Club has communicated with supporters well this season, there is work to be done to improve. This can be looked at in a couple of ways, a largely absent owner until April this year, with sporadic statements in between has left a feeling of disenchantment. But there are quick wins for the club to implement. To the statement: I know who to contact when I want to make my views heard the average score was 2.93. Give supporters an email address they know they can reach out to where they’ll be heard, because the survey shows us that most don’t feel valued as supporters.

The Supporters Alliance Group needs revaluating. With a score of 3.31, people slightly disagree that the SAG is effective as a means of communicating with the club. And if the SAG is the platform for supporters to make their views heard, most don’t feel they’re listened to and acted upon. Of the 499 responses we received, over 71% are not part of any of the organisations on the SAG. 22% are members of the Glovers Trust, and 7.6% are members of the Green and White Supporters Club. There needs to be room for more voices or a refresh which welcomes new people into the fold so that the group can be truly representative of supporters of the club.

While a professional crunches the data for us to share it, I’d like to say a big thank you to the readers of the Gloverscast for being part of our first survey of this kind. We’ll conduct another one at the end of next season so that we can continue to provide you with a platform for feedback.

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It’s time for the weekly YeoGov poll. This week, we want to know ‘Are you happy or unhappy with the work Chris Hargreaves has done so far?’ Yes we want signings, yes we know there’s more to do, but with what we know, what do you think?

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

Last week we asked you Do you want Charlie Wakefield to stay?

88% of 309 voters (273) want him to say, 8% (25) don’t mind and 4% (11) of you don’t. Charlie, you know what to do!

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It’s time for the weekly YeoGov poll. As one man is left to accept a contract, this week we want to know (and let Charlie know): Do you want Charlie Wakefield to stay?

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

Last week we asked you Do you think the Supporters Alliance Group serves its purpose?

86% of 104 voters (89) don’t think the Alliance serves it’s purpose, while 14% do. There’s a huge opportunity for the club to make the most of this platform. In this humble writers opinion, it needs a refresh and a review of what it’s meant to do and how it represents supporters as a whole.

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After a season that I couldn’t wait to end, I find myself willing the football season to return and counting down the days to to Taunton Town away (33 as of writing) in our first pre-season friendly.

We’ve not kicked a ball yet and we’ve not even got a squad. However, the early signs of Chris Hargreaves’ time at Huish Park have me cautiously optimistic.

A released list which few could argue with after last season’s midtable finish. The new contracts for Josh Staunton, Lawson D’Ath and Matty Worthington in addition to last seasons ‘remainers’ are a good show of unity from a group of players who you’d consider the best of the bunch from last season. If we can keep Charlie Wakefield, even better.

There’s recruitment to do, obviously. But equally important was the arrival of a coaching team. Previous incoming managers have inherited Terry Skiverton or Steve Thompson, but Hargreaves has arrived knowing he needs to bring in people with him. Yesterday we saw the arrival of Chris Todd from Torquay’s Under-18s as Assistant Manager and the return of Marcus Stewart as the Head of Player Development.

It’s Yeovil so there always has to be a familiar face, but Marcus Stewart feels a bit different. He left and went away, got his experience with Exeter, Bristol Rovers and Walsall. As Head of Player Development he’s here to make players better, regardless of their age and you’d be hard pushed to find a more experienced local ex-pro with Stewart’s credibility to do that. There are things that Marcus Stewart did that will be unteachable, such was his class, however there’ll be plenty for our players to soak in from an ex-striker who was once the second-top scorer in the 2000/01 Premier League season. 

Marcus Stewart, Photo courtesy of Mike Kunz

In his first interview with re-joining, he made it clear he’s at the club to help and he had a refreshing way of speaking, but maybe that’s the regional accent? He’s evidently here to help Chris Hargreaves, Chris Todd and ‘give it a good go’.

The appointment of Chris Todd as Assistant speaks volumes about the change in focus coming to the club with a real attention on youth development. We’ve been here before with our youth setup and the proof will be in pudding, but we’ve got the expertise to begin this journey. 

Yesterday, Todd spoke about homegrown talent and the community. He said: “You want a good base of youth development coming through and the fans would love to see some homegrown talent coming through and go on to a bigger scale, of course.

“It happens at Exeter, Plymouth do it and Torquay are starting to turn that around, but the backbone of a football club is the youth set-up and the community.

“I have experienced that, I know how it works and how to develop players at a young age and hopefully that can materialise on to the pitch with the first team.”

In a post-Darren Sarll world we’re building a backroom team which appears to represent a long-term strategy for the club with good people involved. Now, let’s get some players signed I’ll see you at Cygnet Healthcare Stadium in July.

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Marcus Stewart, Photo courtesy of Mike Kunz

Yeovil Town’s new Head of Player Development, Marcus Stewart has told YTFC.net that he’s back at Huish Park to help ‘make the players better.’

In an interview with the club’s YouTube channel, the former striker detailed what his role at the club will be, and why he made the decision to join Chris Hargreaves at Yeovil.

He said: “We had loads of conversations and then he got the job and called me and said ‘what do you think?’ and I said ‘yeah’.”

“I spoke to chairman as well and he came across as a good guy. I’m a pretty good judge of character from meeting loads of people in football over the years from the time I was 16, so I’m pretty experienced now in terms of sussing people out and he came across great as well.”

Stewart’s experience on the pitch as matched with his experience since retiring and thinks his experience will be a good help to relatively inexperienced (in first team football) new management team.

He said: “I know what Chris (Hargreaves) is about, he knows he can trust me. He knows that I haven’t got an ego about me and he knows I’m just here to help people, help him, help the players, help the other staff.

“Chris Todd has come in [in] his first role in senior football. So he might have to fall back on my experience sometimes, I’m there if he wants to have a chat. Its nice to have a bouncing board with someone who’s got experience of being an assistant manager, first team coach and reserve team manager.”

On his role, Stewart spoke about his love of development: “I love developing players, I’ve always enjoyed doing that. Whether you’re an 18-year-old, whether you’re a 28-year-old, I don’t care how old you are. As long as you’re enthusiastic and you want to learn, I want to help.

“Ultimately I’m here to make the players better.”

Stewart, of course, is no stranger to Yeovil Town, as you all well know. But he spoke fondly about his time at Huish Park and what an important part of his career it was after leaving Bristol City.

“This club kind of saved my career really, that’s what I would say. I left Bristol City under a bit of a cloud, I wasn’t really enjoying my football, I wasn’t enjoying myself on and off the pitch and coming down here kind of saved me, you know?”

Our new Head of Player Development concluded with this message for supporters: “I’m here to do my best,  I’ve done my best before at the club, I did alright, and I want to do my best now. Stick with us, it might not come straight away, but we’ll have a good go at doing it. I can’t make promises but I’m going to have a right go at making this club a lot better than it is now.”

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Marcus Stewart celebrates his goal in the League One play-off semi-final at Nott’m Forest in 2007. Pic: Len Copland – www.lencoplandphotography.blogspot.com.

Marcus Stewart has rejoined Yeovil Town as the Head of Player Development, adding a second new member of staff to Chris Hargreaves’ coaching team.

You might remember Marcus from a famous night in Nottingham that we enjoy reminiscing about now and again.

Speaking to YTFC.net on his appointment, Stewart said: “When Chris called me, this just felt like the right thing to do, I’ve been here before and I feel like I can help him.

“I’m here to do my best, like I did before. This is a club I’m fond of, it’s a club that’s local to me and where I have had a good relationship with the fans.”

Since retiring from playing in 2011, Stewart has coached at Exeter and assisted Darrell Clarke at Bristol Rovers and Walsall.

Marcus joined Yeovil on loan from Gary Johnson’s Bristol City in 2006 before making the move permanent.

Scoring 12 times in 67 league appearances for the Glovers.

Marcus Stewart celebrates goal in the League One play-off semi-final at Nott’m Forest in 2007. Pic: Len Copland – www.lencoplandphotography.blogspot.com.

His playing career spanned Huddersfield, Ipswich and Bristol Rovers with career transfer fees totalling well in excess of £5million.

During the 2000/01 season he was the Premier League’s highest scoring Englishman with 21 goals, just three behind Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the race for the golden Boot.

Welcome back Marcus, we’re sure you can still stick in the net if needed?

(…and courtesty of our friend Green and White Goals… just because we can…. why not watch it once more? Skip to 21:30 for the Marcus Stewart bit.)

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Lawson D’Ath. Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Midfielder Lawson D’Ath has signed a new contract with Yeovil Town, extending his stay at Huish Park for a fourth season in a row.

D’Ath returned from a devastating injury in January and making 17 appearances in the National League.

Speaking to YTFC.net after renewing his contract, D’Ath said: “I’m absolutely buzzing to be staying here! I’ve absolutely loved my time here so far and I really feel at home in Yeovil. It’s the start of a new chapter here and I can’t wait to get started!”

Manager Chris Hargreaves added: “I’m delighted that Lawson has agreed to stay at Yeovil and I’m excited to work with him. Last season, he showed terrific determination to get through his injury. He is a player of real quality and is another experienced head in the changing room.”

So far, the Glovers squad for next season includes, D’Ath, Josh Staunton, Tom Knowles, Max Hunt, Morgan Williams, Grant Smith, Toby Stephens and Ollie Haste.

Good luck for next season Lawson, we’re glad you’re staying!