Gloversblog (Page 37)

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As injuries mount at Huish Park and the end of this dreaded season is in sight, conspicuous by his absence from any matchday squad since 1st of December against Eastleigh is Gabby Rogers.

The midfielder went from scoring a 120th minute winner in the FA Cup (one of the highlights of our season) to persona non grata at Yeovil Town.

In the aftermath of our match against Aldershot in December, Darren Sarll spoke to the press and said the following about Rogers:

“Gabby Rogers has pretty much requested to be on the transfer list, because of his own reasons, which is fine. I only ever utilise players who are desperate to play, and if Gabby’s desperate to play for Yeovil then he’ll always be in contention. Unless you really commit; heart, soul, every emotion, you never get the best out of these people.”

Rogers retorted on Instagram: “Don’t believe everything you hear…”

Why would an academy product, who had his moment at Bromley and showed promising sparks of genuine ability, would suddenly decide he doesn’t want to play for Yeovil? Rumours have swirled on social media regarding a training ground incident that sparked Rogers’ omission from the squad.

Now, with five games left to go and Aldershot to play tonight we find ourselves in the position where we are scraping together a first eleven, with no idea who will fill the bench.

As discussed on the latest episode of the Gloverscast, we might have as few as ten fit, outfield players, with as many as 12 players unavailable for selection.

If ever there was an opportunity to put a situation to bed, for the sake of the football club, this is it. For the sake of a young player who has come through our academy and, more heartlessly, a potentially valuable asset for the club who could provide more money for the club’s coffers over the years.  That is, of course, if Rogers wants to don green and white again.

Whatever the situation, it’s one that many supporters would want to see resolved as our season fizzles into nothing.

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Over the last few days, there have been several hints about the future of Reuben Reid. Last week during the press conference ahead of the trip to Wealdstone, Darren Sarll said: “Reuben is a fantastic player for us now, for next season and for plenty of time to come.”  BBC Radio Somerset  alluded to the striker signing a new contract during commentary of the win last weekend. The noise is all very positive coming out of Huish Park regarding Reid, and the indications are that we are extending Reid’s stay at Huish Park.

Reid’s signing on the 5th of January caught many off guard. The experienced forward returned for his second spell ahead of our fixture against W*ymouth and was cited as ‘our top target this season’ by Scott Priestnall as we announced the departure of Courtney Duffus.

Since arriving, Reid has made 21 appearances for Yeovil, scoring three times, twice from the penalty spot. His influence, on the pitch, has been mixed. With Reid’s experience at higher levels, many expected more goals. While Reid was prolific at Plymouth Argyle and Exeter, those spells were a peak in his return in front of goal. On the Gloverscast, Ben regularly makes the point that he “won’t judge Reuben Reid on the number of goals he scores”, and this is fair. Reid’s strength is in bringing other forward players into the game. Rhys Murphy’s hottest period this season came when he was paired up with Reid. Those two seemed to strike up a good relationship together, but he seems to have gelled less well with other strikers.

Reid’s post-match interviews have also drawn attention. Some supporters are appreciative of his honesty. Following defeat at $tockport, he bemoaned the quality of the performance and described some of the play as “nearly football.”

He was also critical of his teammates after Yeovil let a 2-0 lead slip against Notts County. Although his performance on that evening was hardly a four out of seven. This mentality, and character, is a key part of a Darren Sarll dressing room.

Reid is, undoubtedly, a big influence in this dressing room. If he can bring young players along with him and help them grow develop – as Sarll has suggested he has with Quigley lately – then that’s ideal. However, I don’t think it’s unfair to to expect more from him on the pitch, if he’s going to publicly call out his teammates.

We received official confirmation of Joe Quigley’s new contract after his hat-trick against Solihull a week ago. We know Darren Sarll likes having a few strikers and based on Monday’s performance in the 3-0 home defeat to FC Halifax Town, Reid and Quigley have a long way to go to be an effective partnership.

The biggest question come out of the latest updates from Huish Park is, what of the future of Rhys Murphy?

Despite two unsettled seasons which have seen him spend long spells on the sidelines, Murphy’s been the striker we were crying out for during our descent down the Football League, and our most natural finisher since Paddy Madden.

His return of 30 goals in 60 appearances in green and white has been superb and will be very difficult to replace, should he leave. At 30-years-old, and with a couple of disrupted seasons, it would be hard to begrudge Murphy a move to a League club. If he gets a payday from another club in the National League, though, that would be a big disappointment.

It’s promising that we’re hearing noises about contract renewals, you can read the current status of the squad here. As you’ll see, we’ve got a long way to go yet.