Darren Sarll (Page 9)

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News

The expectation being placed on Yeovil Town’s young squad is “far too high“, according to Glovers’ boss Darren Sarll.

He said it was “rubbish” to suggest that his side should be under pressure after a run of three draws and a defeat during a run of back-to-back matches at Huish Park.

Speaking ahead of the trip to table-topping Grimsby Town on Saturday, the manager said that the pressure of the media and social media was impacting his side (Editor – who’s he talking about?).

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll talks to BBC Radio Somerset

He said: “The expectation on this group is far too high and this is why we get to 88 and 89 minutes and they are under pressure.

“It’s because because social media and the media is all around us and (the players) know it because articles fly out.

“This team is exactly where they should be and the only team comparable to use is Aldershot (which have the youngest squad in the National League), so we are doing okay.

“It is not a ready-made winning team, that group of players minus (the injured) Mark Little, Reuben Reid, Luke Wilkinson and Mitchell Rose, they have not ready to be doing it week in, week out and be top of the league. They are learning their trade.

“So I don’t really buy in to this ‘recent game/’ rubbish, because the expectation on this team is far too high and the pressure on these young men is too high.”

Yeovil’s 23-man squad has an average age of 24.5 years which accounts for the likes of injured defender Mark Little and striker Reuben Reid, both 33, and 31-year-old defender Luke Wilkinson, who is presently missing through injury.

Only second-from-bottom Aldershot have a younger squad age, 23.9 years,  with the average age of a National League squad being 26.1 years.

However, Sarll went on to say he thought his side were capable to challenging for the play-offs following the return of experienced heads such as Little and Reid.

Both are expected to return from long-term lay-offs in December having picked up injuries in pre-season.

He said: “If we can get them (Little and Reid) in our team (we can make the play-offs), we just have to make sure we keep ourselves in a competitive state.

“We need to be in a position when they return over the Christmas period that we can have a run and a jump at it.

“Once you get momentum with a team that is good enough, and it is unbelievable what can happen when you hit your stride with a team that is good enough.”

Speaking alongside the manager at the start of the season, chairman Scott Priestnall confirmed that the club’s ambition was to be challenging for promotion.

He said that his focus during the summer months had been ensuring the club could “be competitive” in the National League.

Priestnall added: “Our goal is to be fighting for those play-off positions, just as it has been for the past two seasons.

“Our goal remains the same, but the way we go about it is different.”

You can watch that interview HERE – and fast-forward to 10 minutes and 12 seconds in to hear the chairman’s set the club’s target.

Sarll tells podcast ‘I still want to be in the play-off picture’ – read more here.

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News

Dion Pereira will not be returning to Yeovil Town having returned to his parent club  Luton Town, according to Glovers’ boss Darren Sarll.

The winger played in the 2-0 defeat against Notts County earlier this month and was described as being “massively fatigued” to the extent he returned to Kenilworth Road for treatment.

Asked by Gloverscast roving reporter Ben Barrett ahead of the trip to Grimsby this weekend, Sarll said: “I’m not sure we’ll see Dion again, I think he will stay at Luton.”

Dion Pereira in action against Notts County.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Following the 22-year-old’s return, Luton manager and Yeovil old boy, Nathan Jones, said Pereira picked up “a slight injury” – whichever it was, that seems to be the last we’ll see of him.

The manager also updated on loan agreements for defender Dan Moss, who he sounded confident would be staying on when his current youth loan expires next month.

However, he said the deals for striker Ben Seymour and defender Jordan Dyer would depend on the needs of their parent club, Exeter City. The pair joined on a one-month loan at the end of September.

Sarll said: “I phoned Millwall for Dan Moss after one week of him starting with us, so there will be a strong possibility of him staying with us.

“That is a discussion we are having, but I would like to think he will stay with us. He can’t go in to the League before the window, so I would like to think he’ll be with us until January.

“Because of the nature of (Ben) Seymour and Jordan (Dyer)’s loan that will go right to the wire, and I think Matt Taylor (the Exeter City boss) will have that discussion about whether he needs them back.”

Going in to the match at top-of-the-table Grimsby on Saturday, the manager said he expected to be without defenders Luke Wilkinson, Morgan Williams and Alex Bradley.

He said Wilkinson and Bradley “could be okay” for next Tuesday’s home game with Woking, but said they were taking extra precautions with Williams.

The boss added: “Morgan is a weird one because his knee rocked when he landed so we are having to be careful with him.”

Former Grimsby midfielder Mitchell Rose is “still struggling with a hamstring” injury sustained in the 2-0 defeat against Notts County on September 9 .

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News
Sarll and Skiverton
Terry Skiverton, right, alongside Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Yeovil Town Manager, Darren Sarll made a guest appearance on the Early Doors Football Podcast this week and was asked a pretty bold question about the ambitions the Glovers still have for this season.

Sarll admitted that whilst he’s not looking that far ahead, he did admit that he still wanted to be involved in the promotion picture by the end of the season.

“It is a little bit more complex for us now because of the size of the squad and the age of the squad, we have to be a little bit more short term – week to week, game to game”

“The first year I was there, we had a team ready to get promoted, we finished fourth and lost in the play-offs.

The team the following year underperformed and we were struck by tragedy with the passing of our captain, so it was a horrible, horrible season.

“This year is completely… it’s like new ground for everyone, if we can turn the calender year in the top half and can welcome the injured and experienced players back in, like Mark Little, like Reuben Reid and Luke Wilkinson – the three most experienced players in our squad, then we’d have a really good shot at making that Play-Off group and that’s what this group are aiming for”

Bold words from the Gaffer, but he could have told us here on the Gloverscast first!!!

You can listen to rest of the podcast by clicking HERE.… oh and if you want a podcast to come on, Gaffer, you should have said!!

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News
Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Yeovil Town Manager, Darren Sarll made a guest appearance on the ‘Early Doors Football Podcast’ this week and spoke about the current sesaon and his career to date.

He and the hosts chatted through his playing and managerial career before the Glovers’ boss was asked what it was like trying to pit wits against some of the league’s biggest spenders and how he and his coaching team were leaving no stone unturned in their quest for success.

“When we hear the rumours of wages, we’re all quite envious, when you look at someone like (Wrexham manager) Phil Parkinson, he deserves all he gets because he’s had a wonderful career…

“I liken the National League to League One, in League One you’ve got Sunderland and Accrington, so the disparity between the very top spenders and the very bottom spenders – i’m not sure if Accrington are the lowest spenders – that type of model, that means that the gap is huge.

The gap is massive in the National League, we all know Wrexham, Stockport are a club of affluance, but because of COVID, how badly we were hit by COVID, we’re now in the bottom third of that division in terms of financial resource.”

That will probably not come as any surprise to Glovers fans, the signing of many loan players and younger talents has made that clear, something which Sarll says was partly down to circumstance, but also a concious decision.

“It’s a brilliant division, anyone who thinks the National League is an amateur division is very much mistaken, it’s a professional division, we’ve spoken about Phil Parkinson, Simon Rusk went in at Stockport from Brighton, my job before Yeovil was in the Premier League with Watford, we’re looking at a certain calibre now in that division.”

“I haven’t had an easy game in two-and-a-half years… what we’ve done this year through choice and a little bit of financial circumstance, we’ve gone very, very young. We’ve got the 2nd youngest squad in the division for a couple of reasons.

This is my 21st season coaching professionally, 15 years of that has been in development. We’ve gone down that route to try and develop”

“We’re going on sheer potential, ambition and desire… we’ve tried to go down that way, I would say my ambition, enthusiasm and thirst to help young people is going to try and help bridge that gap, we rely on the energy, the bravery of the young – and sometimes they’re foolish and naive”

Sarll went on to make the point that it’s not always the biggest clubs that are going up, and that you need a lot to go your way to get promoted but he and Assistant Terry Skiverton have had to beg, steal and borrow their way to getting the best young talents either on loan or on a permanant deal.

“We’ve got a young man called Charlie Wakefield, he played in the Champions League Under 19s final for Chelsea. He now needs a platform, he has to play week in week out and get a senior CV under his belt”

“We heavily reply on my contacts over this many years, we’ve got loans from Middlesbrough, loans from Cambridge, loans from Exeter, players on loan from Luton. Because Yeovil is such a remote spot geographically, you have to call upon every contact possible to get every player possible.”

“If I was a young player, Yeovil is a real good springboard to start to your career, my Assistant Terry Skiverton had Andros Townsend, Luke Ayling, Steven Caulker, Ryan Mason who ended up being really top end players”

You can listen to rest of the podcast by clicking HERE.... oh and if you want a podcast to come on, Gaffer, you should have said!!

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News
Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Yeovil Town Manager Darren Sarll has been speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins following a quite frankly bonkers night in the FA Cup.

The Glovers progressed through to the first round proper after beating W*ymouth 2-1 on penalties.

You can read the round up of the carnage here. 

Following the game, Sarll said that he would have loved to have had the game finished off sooner, (our fingernails, would agree, Darren!)

“We didn’t take some of the chances we created in normal time and Joe (Quigley)’s penalty [in the 120th minute] was a disappointment, we could have just settled it.

Then the penalties went our way, their way, our way, their way, our way, their way  – RETAKE – their way, our way, their way*… so… it’s a ridiculous night”

There was pandemonium at the end as fans and players celebrated after the full time whistle, something Sarll won’t forget in a hurry.

“It’s a wonderful experience for these young people to have, and the performance was good… we played very well tonight, the only fault I have is that we didn’t take more chances, I thought the attacking play was good.”

“It was a good one (moment with the fans at the end), I just wish it was done sooner, we could have been done and tucked up in bed, it was a really taxing evening”

Yeovil will travel to either Yate Town or Dover in the first round, and will play Grimsby away on Saturday in the league.

* that was NOT easy to transcribe

 

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News
Darren Sarll
Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz,.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll spoke to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins following the Glovers 1-1 draw with W*ymouth in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round on Saturday.

The home side took the lead early in the first half, but failed to make their visitors pay and ended up conceding a late equaliser forcing a Tuesday night replay by the seaside.

On the game, Sarll said it was a different performance after the break:

“It was a game of two halves. Excellent in the first half, useless in the second half. We were very passive in the second half, very aggressive and tenacious in the first half and probably had enough chances to go in two or three up.”

Sarll was later than usual giving his post-match chat to the media after a long and frank conversation with his side after the full-time whistle.

“We are very disappointed and that is why we have had such a long conversation, but unfortunately all the voices in there are in tracksuits, not in kit.”

“When I go in there, that is testament to the type of character you need, Lee Collins and Carl Dickinson would never have allowed that to happen.”

Late on, as the clock struck 90 minutes, the Glovers attempted to play keep back in the corner, but lost possession quickly which led to the attack from which W*ymouth scored, a tactic which Sarll says he doesn’t have an issue with, but not when executed so poorly

He said: “It was a key moment when we gave the ball away two seconds after holding it in the corner. I used to see it as a man on man dual, but how many times have you seen it work and drive the play back? It was a key moment because we held it in the corner like a 13 year old boy.”

“After the energy, aggression and tenacity of the first half with a mindset of a team talk of ‘let’s put these to bed now’, we were awful.”

The gaffer bemoaned the lack of experience and leaders available at his disposal saying that the key voices in the dressing were in “tracksuits, not in kit”, suggesting that the likes of Mark Little, Reuben Reid and Luke Wilkinson‘s presence continues to be missed on the pitch

“Unfortunately the group that is available struggles under duress, we would love the others there but they are not available.”

Attention turned to Tuesday night’s replay at the Bob Lucas Stadium, a game which Sarll admitted to being massive for him and his side.

“I think today was a massive game for everyone going forward. It is all ifs, buts and maybes with player availability, but these lads are going to have to grow a pair and dig deep, unfortunately, I won’t be with them for their career and they won’t be with me and they are going to have to make sure they have that inner strength to propel them.”

“We are still in the competition, but it is going to be a tough game (in the replay). Terry (Skiverton, assistant manager) was telling me that 20-odd years ago the first game finished (0-0) and we won the replay and we won the replay.”

“We have a lot of questions to answer in that next game. I have no idea (what changes I will make), we have to digest what has happened and who and why before we start looking at any future teams.”

Tickets are available for Tuesday’s replay, kick off is at 7:=.45pm, the draw for the First Round Proper is made on Sunday, so the Glovers (and the other lot) will know who potentially awaits them in the next round.

 

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News

On-loan midfielder Lewis Simper could be involved in the Yeovil Town squad for Saturday’s FA Cup derby against local rivals W*ymouth.

The 20-year-old, who joined on a season-long deal from Cambridge United in the summer, has not been seen since the pre-season friendly against Taunton Town.

Having suffered with COVID-19, Simper suffered a muscle strain during which time Yeovil recruited other midfielders and manager

New Glovers Lewis Simper in action for Concord Rangers

Darren Sarll said the loanee will now have to play his way in to the side.

He said: “Lewis’ attitude is magnificent, he’s going to be a good player and he’s got to fight his way in.

“He would be playing in a similar role to maybe Tom Knowles is now, so he needs to be better than Tom Knowles.

“I hope to have him involved Saturday if we can and see how he goes.”

The manager added that he expects the fourth qualifying round tie to come too soon for central defender Luke Wilkinson who he said is “getting closer” to fitness and is expected to be back later in the month.

Midfielder Mitchell Rose is also expected to miss the tie having picked up a hamstring injury in the 2-0 defeat to Notts County the previous weekend.

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News

Darren Sarll believes that his Yeovil Town side are “where they should be” in the National League table after nine games of the season.

The Glovers sit in 14th following a 1-1 home draw against Altrincham on Tuesday night, but have lost three and drawn two of their last five having picked up three wins in a row prior to that run.

The manager said that his side’s failure to score more than one goal despite mustering 28 shots at Altrincham, who had left-back Connor Hampson in goal for 74 minutes due to an injury to their keeper, was an indication why they are in mid-table.

But, he said that without greater resources at his disposal he is having to “re-invent” his side with injuries to key players including defender Luke Wilkinson and midfielder Mitchell Rose.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Sarll said: “We have to reinvent ourselves every time something changes, because if you take Luke Wilkinson out of the team, it doesn’t just take Luke out, it take Josh Staunton out of midfield.

“Who then goes in midfield? Are the ingredients the same? Mitch Rose would have been perfect (against Altrincham) but he’s injured, so we are trying to re-invent all the time.

“We are where we probably should be because our expected goals goals for that game was six which for 32 crosses that is not surprising.

“We want to build on that, we want another 30-odd crosses and get those chances for Adi and Joe (against W*ymouth at the weekend).”

There were murmurings of discontent from the Huish Park stands at the final whistle on Tuesday night and the uncertainty on the future of the club driven by the absence of Chairman Scott Priestnall, it seems likely a poor start in the weekend’s derby could spark more anger.

Ahead of the tie, Sarll called for “positivity” from supporters and re-iterated his call for patience with his squad which is the second youngest in the National League.

He added: “Everyone know the (team we had in the 2019-20 season) was built for immediate productivity – this is not that team and it is going to take time.

“We just have to make sure we keep moving forward, it is going to be very up and down, this is not a group which is going to take hours.

“If player availability and squad depth is not good enough, it is going to take time.”

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News

Darren Sarll has said he will need to ring the changes to try and spark his struggling Yeovil Town side in to life after two drab performances.

The Glovers face Altrincham at Huish Park on Tuesday night on the back of a goalless draw against Maidenhead United in midweek and a 2-0 defeat at home to Notts County on Saturday.

Speaking after the loss, the manager said: “We are going to have to open the door for other opportunities which come in the squad depth and we have to look at throwing them around and see if we can spark a bit of attacking pulse out of someone else.

“Sometimes we are crying out for coming out of the team and just watching, and we need to spark something because that was nowhere near good enough.”

Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, who was replaced by Ben Seymour after 56 minutes.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

The manager made three changes from the side which drew in the week with striker Ben Seymour, midfielder Mitchell Rose and winger Charlie Wakefield dropping to the bench in place of Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Matt Worthington and new signing Dion Pereira.

There was no place in the squad for loanee Lewis Simper who the manager said was continuing to struggle after coming down with COVID-19 and an injury, or defender Jordan Dyer, the two of Yeovil’s seven loanees to miss out.

Striker Adi Yussuf, who was available after a one-match suspension, and left-back Jordan Barnett who would both have been attacking outlets both remained on the bench against Notts whilst Alex Bradley did not even make the squad.

By:
On:
In: Latest Yeovil Town News

Darren Sarll said his Yeovil Town side have “nowhere to hide“ after capitulating to a 2-0 defeat against Notts County at Huish Park.

The Glovers’ boss described the performance as “dross” after his side failed to register a meaningful shot on target until the 85th minute.

Over the entire 90 minutes, the home side managed two shots on target and none off target leading to boos from the home supporters for the second successive match.

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the match, the manager said his players deserved the reaction from fans having called four patience just four days earlier after a frustrating goalless draw at home to Maidenhead United.

He said: “There’s nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, we have got to make sure we provide a solution.

“We have to make sure we provide the ball in to that final third a lot quicker because without the ball we are not going to score.

“And we need to address the amount of time we are spending in that final third which is next to nothing.

“Unless we have the balls in that territory we can’t create or register chances.”

Sarll dropped loan signing Ben Seymour and winger Charlie Wakefield from the start and went with top-scorer Joe Quigley just in front of Sonny Blu Lo-Everton in the forward line  supported by Tom Knowles and new signing Dion Pereira on the flanks.

Joe Quigley stretches for a ball.
Picture courtesy of Mike Kunz.

He pulled Knowles off at the interval introducing Wakefield, but said he could have substituted all four players after an abject first 45 minutes.

The manager said: “First half it was like having a mouth without teeth. We didn’t keep the ball in the final third, so we couldn’t draw a foul, get a set play or a long throw.

“Tom obviously drew the brunt of it with the substitution, but all four of them could have come off. I would probably have done it if I knew I had the wiggle room later.

“I thought Tuesday night I thought we were solid and a bit bland, but when we were weak like today that really hurts.”