Chesterfield: The highs, the (numerous) lows and a new hope
On April 24th 2018 Chesterfield Football Club were relegated to the National League for the first time in their modern history, ending their 97 year stay in the English football league. Chesterfield have always been a traditionally solid football league club and this one hurt. To many football fans around the country, the Spireites looked a pretty decent club to be a a part of. A great stadium. A solid fan base. All in all a pretty solid infastructure for a club at League One/Two level. Not many neutrals could really have forseen the multiple wrong doings that were going on behind the scenes in Derbyshire, many Chesterfield fans themselves wouldn't have believed it as recent as a few years ago. Some however did see the downfall coming following the departure of manager Paul Cook in 2015 - though a downfall this steep? Probably not. This column will analyse the dramatic rise and fall of Chesterfield Football Club and explore whether the Spireite faithful can finally see a light at the end of this long, treacherous dark tunnel.
The Beginning
28/08/2012 - Chesterfield place John Sheridan on gardening leave.
25/10/2012 - Chesterfield appoint Paul Cook as new manager
From the minute Chesterfield appointed Paul Cook as their new manager, the man was a breathe of fresh air amongst the club and its supporters.
Prior to becoming the Spireite boss, Cook was at the helm at league two rivals Accrington Stanley and was in charge for the meeting between the two sides only a few weeks earlier. Chesterfield owner Dave Allen actually went on record and stated that he enjoyed the way that Accrington had played football, interviewed Cook following the game, was highly impressed with his attitude and his decision was already made. The rest as they say (under Paul Cook at least) is history.
After just missing out on the league two play offs in 2013, Paul Cook led the Spireites to the League Two title in his first full season at the helm. Many fans believed that the squad assembled by the Scouse manager was one of, if not the greatest to ever pull on a blue shirt and it seemed that for everyone involved that the only way was up. And it was. For a short while, at least.
The alarm bells for some had already begun in the summer of 2014. Recruitment was at the minimum and almost mirrored the summer post League Two title win under John Sheridan. Cook brought in left back Daniel Jones from Port Vale and creative midfielder Romuald Boco who he knew from his days at both Sligo and Accrington. Captain Liam Cooper went the other way with Leeds United coming in to pinch his signature late in August. Fans became disgruntled parallel to what seemed a very disgruntled Paul Cook due to lack of signings. As much as the Spireite faithful didn't want to admit it, there were a few nerves around.
These nerves however were all but distinguished come christmas time. Chesterfield were not just clear of the relegation places like many feared, but were sitting pretty in the League One play off places. There was however a long way to go and not even the most optimistic of supporters were dreaming that big yet. What many thought impossible though, became possible. Despite a 2-0 home defeat to champions Bristol City, a Rochdale loss confirmed the Spireites spot in the League One play off places.
CHESTERFIELD ARE IN THE PLAY-OFFS!!!!
— Chesterfield FC (@ChesterfieldFC) April 25, 2015
Unless you were playing devil's advocate, there isn't many people that would have thought getting into the League One play offs was the worst thing that could have possibly happened to Chesterfield - but it was.
23/04/2015 - Portsmouth approach Paul Cook
The news that no fan wanted to hear. The way the Spireites had exceeded expectations in League One and the fast flowing football Cook had brought to the Proact was bound to gain attention from bigger clubs. It's the sad truth for clubs like Chesterfield that there are bigger clubs out there, there are richer clubs out there - and it's near impossible to compete sometimes.
Although inevitable, the timing of Portsmouth's approach was deemed extremely unprofessional by some. Chesterfield initially turned down the approach but it was always going to create a stir among both fan bases and I think it's fair to say that many at that point knew it was a matter of time. Not what any club needs on the verge of potentially their biggest 2/3 games in their history.
Sadly for the Spireites, they lost their play off semi-final to an extremely talented Preston side. Had Portsmouth waited until after to approach the Derbyshire club then maybe things could have been different although that's a debate for another day. News broke within minutes of the second leg defeat to Preston that Cook had agreed terms to become the new Pompey manager and within days there were rumours about which prized asset of Chesterfield's squad would be the first to leave. What followed for the Spireites, even the most pessimistic of supporter couldn't have predicted.
The beginning of the end
13/05/2015 - Chesterfield appoint Dean Saunders as new manager
If Chesterfield fans weren't feeling deflated enough after their play off defeat, the introduction of relegation specialist Dean Saunders to replace one of their most cherised ever managers really added salt to the wound.
To be fair to Dean Saunders, if you compare him to his successors he didn't do that bad. For anyone to come in and replicate the success that Paul Cook had given the club was asking for miracles and Saunders was hardly given a chance before a ball was kicked. Fans were not happy with the appointment of Saunders and they made that clear from the get go. Frustration was understandable due to the Welshman's horrific managerial record and he really didn't help himself when signing injury prone has-beens like Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Chris Herd. Not just the fact that he signed these players but the fact that he then backed the signings up with comments such as "If I was a betting man, I'd be putting £50 on Ebanks-Blake to be top scorer in League One. The easiest money you will ever make." Ebanks-Blake finished the League One campaign with 10 goals. Saunders was eventually sacked after 6-months in charge following a heavy defeat to Swindon Town and replaced by the experienced Danny Wilson to try and help the blues survive.
Another one bites the dust
Danny Wilson did manage to keep Chesterfield in League One during the 2015/16 campaign but after the controversial signing of Ched Evans the following season and a less than flattering start which left the Spireites in the relegation zone entering 2017 - Dave Allen felt there was little option but to pay off yet another manager.
And the manager merry-go-round started again.
Keeping Chesterfield in League One was always going to be a tough ask - but not an impossible one. Danny Wilson was sacked with the Spireites only in the drop zone on goal difference. If the new man could come in and give the club a boost as often happens with a new face, then Chesterfield could always comfortably survive. It's hard to believe just how bad the downfall was next. Step forward Gary Caldwell.
There wasn't much negativity towards the new manager in north Derbyshire - a complete contrast to the appointment of Dean Saunders. He was young, he seemed motivated and he had won the League One title only a season prior with Wigan Athletic (albeit with a huge wage bill).
However, by the end of January - that optimism had soon faded. 49 teenage loan signings later (slight exaggeration) Chesterfield looked doomed. When you're in a relegation dog fight, the last thing you need is young inexperienced footballers. Gary Caldwell did manage to escape a lot of the blame despite his bizarre tactics and the fan frustration turned to the ownership. Despite only winning two games during the rest of the League One season, the Spireite faithful were willing to give Caldwell a fresh start with a complete rebuild in League Two. A complete rebuild is exactly what Caldwell did. Numerous signings were made in the summer of 2017 - a lot of which did look ok on paper and Allen couldn't be criticised for not backing his man. No more excuses for the Scotsman. The former Celtic captain had decided to implement a 3-5-2 (or 5-3-2) formation at the Proact stadium and even requested the pitch to be widened in the summer so the Spireites could quite literally 'widen the play' and play expansive attacking football. Whether that was his plan or not, it certainly didn't work. Caldwell went on to win only one game in League Two before he was sacked - taking his total tally of wins at Chesterfield Football Club to a mighty 3. Three wins out of twenty nine.
Return of the king
This appointment just had to be right. Whether it was an appointment to appease the fanbase or whether it was truly believed by the powers that be that Jack Lester would be the man to finally get Chesterfield back on track - it was an appointment that many believed the club needed. The more wary among the support may have questioned the inexperience of the former forward however it was such a welcome relief to everyone to have someone at the helm that cared about the club and is so highly loved and respected by them as fans.
Things started OK. The performances seemed to pick up, the 2-2 draw away at local rivals and promotion hopefuls Mansfield a pick of the bunch. Despite the club still struggling towards the foot of the table, many believed things were going in the right direction and with a decent January window behind him - Lester would steer the club well clear of relegation. But it wasn't to be. A January transfer window which seemed to have far too many similarities to the one the previous year under Gary Caldwell. Loan after loan. It was bad enough for fans before but to see youngsters being brought in now - staring the dreaded National League in the face. It certainly is not the place for the inexperienced, weak minded player. Lester did however bring in the experienced Louis Dodds who looked a very good signing and on the surface of it, the loan signings actually looked to have good pedigree in comparison to the previous year. There was no way things could go any worse. But they did. It simply wasn't to be. An horrific run of form post January transfer window all but doomed the Spireites to their second successive relegation. After 37 games in charge, Lester left the club after a 4-1 defeat away at Forest Green. Three games to play, nine points adrift and an impossible goal difference to overturn - Chesterfield were doomed. Only pride was left to play for, though many would argue the pride had long been drained from this great club. Nearly 600 Chesterfield fans still travelled to the final game of the season against fellow relegated side Barnet - many finding it hard to believe this was their final game as a club in the football league. 90 minutes of protest followed as the vocal travelling faithful let their feelings be known towards the ownership of the club. Chesterfield lost the game 3-0, going down without a fight and finishing rock bottom of the entire football league. A sorry sight.
Take care - a new beginning
And here we are - the 2018/19 season. Chesterfield Football Club's first ever season in the National League. There seemed to be a consensus amongst fans around the upcoming season. A dread of the National League. A despondency at how far Chesterfield had fallen. An embarrassment about travelling to places many couldn't point to on a map. A sadness that the North Stand or the 'away end' wouldn't even need to be opened due to travelling support simply not demanding it. However on the flip side there was the fun of all the above. Travelling to away grounds and outnumbering the home fans. Discovering all these new places and having new pubs and grounds to visit. Being the big fish in the small pond. Having wins to actually look forward to again because it seems that long since the club have consistenly won games! So where do the club turn next?
Mad Dog Martin Allen.
An appointment that delighted most. Allen left National League rivals and fellow relegation buddies Barnet to take up the helm at the Proact stadium, and with him brought an attitude that the club hadn't really seen since Paul Cook. The man was experienced. He's been around the block. He's won promotions. He knows the lower leagues like the back of his hand. The type of man that Chesterfield were crying out for to keep them in League Two the previous season.
Allen came in and essentially started from the bottom and worked his way up. A new XI keeping only one or two players from the relegation struggles. Signing experienced players left right and centre. Oh and Sam Muggleton simply because he can lob a ball the length of the pitch but we can ignore that one. Allen started communicating with the fans that had lost touch so much with the football club over the last few seasons and he even wrote his own press releases ending them all with an extremely polite 'Take Care, Martin' (tm). The Spireites entered this season favourites for promotion behind money bags Salford City and looked good value for that after winning their opening three games without conceeding a goal. The feel good factor was back.
Yes, it was too good to be true.
Allen only recorded one more win in the league during his tenure as Chesterfield manager and was sacked on the 27th December 2018 with the north Derbyshire side sat third bottom of the National League staring at an unimaginable third consecutive relegation. A record to give Caldwell a good run for his money.
If seeing Chesterfield in the National League wasn't bad enough, the thought of them playing in the sixth tier really was unthinkable. Protests had begun and pitch invasions had started to interrupt games. The club was in ruins with fans simply asking "when will it all end?" Step forward John Sheridan.
The Shezzurection - a new hope
On 9th January 2019, this manager merry-go-round came full circle. John Sheridan was reappointed Chesterfield manager, leaving League Two high flyers Carlisle United and reportedly becoming the highest paid National League manager ever. The former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder is an extremely experienced manager in this day and age and was considered a major coup for the Spireites to lure him back to the Proact, especially after his dismissal back in 2012. The big downside being that despite his vast experience, Sheridan has never managed as low as the National League and it's a whole new array of talent this low down the footballing pyramid. With that said it was still a major coup for the Derbyshire side.
Sheridan got to work straight away, bringing in the vastly experienced former Sunderland assistant manager Glynn Snoddin as his assistant and immediately got to work on strenghtening the team bringing in former Spireite and proven goalscorer Scott Boden. It's safe to say neither decision has disappointed to date.
The date is now 28th March 2019 and Chesterfield look to have steered well clear of relegation and have put in genuinely decent performances. Performances that the fans haven't seen for years. Sheridan hasn't brought in many of his own players so to turn around a club on such a downward spiral in such a short amount of time can not be over looked. Sheridan has only been in charge for 14 games and yet he has managed to rake up 8 wins with only 4 defeats. A win percentage of 57%. No club in the National League has gained more points than the Spireites since Sheridan took the helm. A remarkable feat for a club that looked to be heading for a third consecutive relegation. Owner Dave Allen has gone on record in saying that he will back Sheridan and give him whatever funds he needs to strengthen the side and after going in to hiding for years, has even vowed to start attending games again now his beloved Sheridan is at the wheel once more.
Chesterfield fans everywhere, myself included will be giving a huge sigh of relief now there finally seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel for a club that has been in turmoil since the departure of Paul Cook. This has been the first prolonged up-turn in form since 2015 which is remarkable. No club deserves to go through such a torrid time. For four years Chesterfield fans have been following the club home and away to only come away dejected. Four years we have been watching players that not only aren't good enough to wear the shirt but players that simply don't want to. Yes, things could be worse and yes some clubs have had it worse but there aren't many clubs in England that can match the torrid four years that Chesterfield fans have suffered. John Sheridan finally seems to have got things on the right path and has gone on record only today and said that Chesterfield will get out of the National League next season and he wants his players to believe that themselves.
There are many Chesterfield fans that believe Paul Cook is one of, if not the greatest manager that has ever stepped foot in north Derbyshire, however if John Sheridan can do as he says and get this club back into the football league next season - I would go as far as saying that John Sheridan will be undoubtedly the greatest Chesterfield manager of all time.
