Stevenage boss saw his side relegated today after a 3-1 home defeat to Bristol City saw them fail to produce a miracle
Graham Westley said he ‘couldn’t turn water into wine’ as he assessed why it was that Stevenage were relegated this season.
Yet nobody was asking for a miracle on that level; in fact, something less Biblical such as Vimto would have sufficed.
Boro are down after an appalling run of games that has seen them go 10 without a win – even in the gloomy final days of Gary Smith’s reign at the club Stevenage never went that long without putting a win on the board.
Another rebuild of the playing squad now seems on the cards this summer and it is one that the club’s fans will welcome.
The club’s management too, with Westley looking to clear the decks as he plans for a stronger campaign in League 2 next season.
“Everyone knows how difficult it is to be Stevenage in League 1…when I walked back in last April I didn’t come back into a dressing room that felt like the one I’d left – there was a lot of losing going on.
“If you’re trying to turn it round in a league where you’ve got the resources then that’s one thing. If you’re trying to turn it around in a league where you haven’t got the resources, then that’s another.
“We’ve struggled this season and that speaks for itself. We are where we are for a reason, we haven’t been good enough. I haven’t managed to turn water into wine quickly enough, and that’s why we’re going down.
“The decks are clear, there’s no excuses going forward. It’s about going and getting together a group now and rebuilding a group into a winning football team. That’s the job the club’s got to undertake.
“Our job in the past has been to find [players like Michael Bostwick], to develop the Bozzies and three-and-a-half years later to sell the Bozzies.
“We’re developing the players and selling the players to clubs like [Bristol City].
“You’ve got to remember where you’ve come from, you’ve got to be humble about your situation and nobody is going to enjoy today but probably in some respects it’ll be good in terms of putting everyone’s feet on the ground – realising you’ve got a big, hard rebuilding job to undertake.
“I think this year there have been some solid foundations put in place, but obviously not enough to survive.”
* For photos from today’s match, click on the link on the right
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