Just got a call to cover the Cheltenham game against Crewe tomorrow afternoon and I’m looking forward to seeing the side Mark Yates has put together in the summer.
It’s tough being the manager of Cheltenham. The team doesn’t have a lot of money and the town itself is hardly noted as a hotbed of football. Rural Gloucestershire is rugby and horse racing country and – despite being one of the most affluent areas in the country – the football club is definitely the poor cousin in sporting terms.
Having said that, the Robins have done well to flit between League One and League Two in recent seasons. Sometimes expectations from some fans are too great given the limited resources. I remember former boss John Ward once telling me that while half the fans at Whaddon Road remembered the non-league days and were just happy to be punching above their weight in League One at that time, the other half were younger and expected the club to be pushing for the Championship and beyond!!
In the brief period of time that I have got to know Mark Yates, I suspect that he will deliver for those more demanding fans, although I suspect it will take a couple of seasons before they return to League One.
Crewe boss Dario Gradi has more experience than just about any other manager in the English game and is in his third stint in the role having twice tried to retire to the relative sanity of the boardroom as the club’s Technical Director. If anyone can revive Alex it is Gradi and I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes them to a top seven finish this season.
Having said that, I predict a win for Cheltenham on their home turf tomorrow by 2-0.
I've set up this blog (Monday-Friday) to give extra coverage to teams I cover for the national press. Any views and opinions are all my own. Best wishes, Jeff. Follow me on Twitter and I'll update you each time I blog. http://twitter.com/JeffTaplin P.S. During the summer break I reserve the right to ramble on about anything and everything!
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