Three more Cs can be added to cautious optimism I’ve felt since Prabhu Srinivasan and family took over at Huish Park. Competitive. Calmness. Community.
On a sweltering evening in the Alec Stock lounge, Glovers fans showed up in their numbers to hear from Prabhu, Bhavna, Stuart Robins, Nicholas Brayne and Mark Cooper.
There was no bombastic statement of intent. The messaging around “no one hit wonder” season continued. Everything feels measured, rational and realistic. No over-promising and under-delivering. No granular detail was given, but clearly the priority is to return the stadium and land back into club ownership. Owning our home is important and that was clearly understood. The difference this time round, I felt, is that there’s a plan, even if the cards are being held close to the chest. There’s a dialogue with the council and meetings today. If I can throw another C in, collaboration is the only way this gets done smoothly and cleanly.
Calmness will, hopefully, transfer to the pitch. Mark Cooper, who quipped “it’s usually the owners who see off the manager”, had the handcuffs taken off yesterday and was able to start talking to players. He alluded to small squad of quality, supplemented by loans was the only way for the club and that he’d love to have a squad of 25 contracted players who all lived in Yeovil – but that it just wasn’t realistic at this time. He also addressed the training ground move citing injuries to Jake Wannell, Morgan Williams, Alex Whittle and Aaron Jarvis and that the players trained on grass once over a period of eight weeks because of waterlogged pitches. He didn’t describe the budget as the best, but said it would allow the club to be competitive.
Nicholas Brayne, whose role at the club is as Chief Strategy Advisor, spoke well and in a way that I’ve not heard anyone at Yeovil Town talk in my time as a supporter. He declared that the club was open for business, urging local businesses and sponsors to come in and have a conversation. This was after a previous sponsor had said they had been priced out last season, because of an increase in pricing of a box and advertising hoardings costing nearly £20,000.
Prabhu, enjoying a Guinness, spoke of the energy he felt in the Thatcher’s Stand during the Sutton United fixture and how he wanted to stand in their rather than be confined to a box. He spoke fondly of the area and his visits to the Digby Tap in Sherborne. He mentioned how his son, Sahil (who was unable to attend due to visa issues) is a huge football fan and has been critical of how American ownership has impacted English football. What came through to me, was that this is a long-term project that could leave a lasting impact on the community of Yeovil and the surrounding areas.
After the trauma of the last five years, you cannot blame any Yeovil supporter for feeling trepidation, suspicion and unease. We have been through the wringer, gas lit by successive ownerships with a chaotic stewardship in the middle of it. But, for the first time in a long time, it feels like we have professionalism, a vision and a strategy for the football club. Right now it’s mostly words, but we are starting to the see actions. Key to it all though, getting it right on the pitch. Now, let’s sign some players.
After the last two owners, I think it is perfectly sensible for Yeovil fans to wait until they have something more concrete to judge on. All I will say is that, this time, it does ‘feel’ different, and it is very clear that the new owners are more realistic about what it takes to own and run a football club such as this. They haven’t made grand promises or said that we’ll walk the league or anything of the sort. The budget will be modest, but enough to work with. Essentially, we’re operating as the Yeovil town of old did, hopefully with owners who understand the importance of stability. I’m cautiously optimistic, but also very wary of being burned.