Gary Johnson – An Inevitable Parting

Manny Duku’s 86th minute equaliser brought about the first league goal and point of the season, after three consecutive 1-0 defeats, but it was not enough to save the former Bristol City and Yeovil Town boss from losing his job on a ground where his fortunes were in complete contrast back in 2015.

Departing Cheltenham Town after nearly three and a half years in charge, Johnson was one of the longest serving bosses in the Football League, and despite the all too familiar situation the club have been left in, he leaves with the Robins in a better position than when he started.

The decision to sack Johnson may come as a surprise to many not connected with CTFC, especially considering there have only been four matches played in 2018/19, but it has been brewing for quite some time.

After rightly gaining heroic status for guiding Cheltenham back to the EFL instantly as National League champions, the 62-year-old embarked on a season of consolidation despite not losing any major players from the title winning campaign – they deserved their shot in League Two, after all.

However, after their 21st place finish, many of the champions waved a fond goodbye as Johnson began another summer of re-building, with the play-offs his target. Despite unearthing Mo Eisa, a non-league gem that had an unbelievable season by scoring 22 times in the fourth tier to break a club-record, a similar story was unfolding.

This time finishing 17th, it was a marginal improvement on the previous campaign but for the first time in his tenure Johnson was losing the support of some die-hard fans. Losing arguably all of their key outfielders, including Eisa, made it difficult for those supporters to trust him to re-build for a third time.

Unfortunately, despite a busy transfer window this summer, the problem that hampered the team in 2017/18 had been reversed as instead of scoring enough goals but conceding too many, the Robins were now not scoring enough goals despite tightening up at the back.

Simply signing another striker or two wouldn’t have solved the overarching issues at Cheltenham. Some of the tactical decisions like playing a defensive midfielder up front and dwindling crowds due to more and more losing patience alongside a severe lacking of positive performances to not just excite, but even deliver a win at Whaddon Road made Johnson’s departure inevitable.

26 wins in 103 League Two matches speaks for itself, but what the club does next is vital. We cannot afford to slip into a repeat of 2014/15, where Mark Yates was dismissed, Paul Buckle was appointed, he was sacked, Russell Milton took over, before Johnson arrived and couldn’t save us.

Milton is in temporary charge, but a new manager needs appointing swiftly. Fortunately, there is still plenty of time with nearly a whole season remaining, but the new boss won’t be able to make any permanent amendments until January – meaning they will have to work with a team that has potential but appears to be a long way off as things stand.

At the crossroads we will either make an experienced appointment like Gary Bowyer for example, who has the knowhow and tactical nous to help us improve and steady the ship or go for a young and hungry manager like Grimsby did with Michael Jolley. I would personally like to see an upcoming boss such as Jerry Gill, who is at Bath City, come in as they can get the fans back on side.

It’s going to be a huge few weeks for Cheltenham Town as the club cannot afford to find themselves in yet another relegation scrap. A new gaffer will take time in becoming accustomed to a squad only recently assembled by the outgoing boss, but everyone must back him now as if the worst comes to the worst and we go down – I doubt anyone could achieve what Johnson did in that remarkable 2015/16 campaign.

He brought the football club back to its rightful place in the Football League, fought back from illness to put the club first and discovered the best player many CTFC fans have seen in their lifetimes, including myself, making the club £1.5million in the process.

It may have turned sour in the end, but everyone at Cheltenham Town will wish Gary Johnson all the very best for the future. What happens next is huge for the Robins.

words Luke Saunders, D3D4 Cheltenham Town correspondent