Time to reflect and consider

After last night's disappointing, but not totally surprising, play-off defeat, it is inevitable that supporters will be calling for changes.

However in circumstances like these the first reaction of many is often not the most considered.

For Hereford United to have reached the play-offs was an acheivement in itself after being in ninth place at the end of March, just six weeks or so ago.

To finish second in the Conference seldom looked possible at any stage this season. After the loss of several key players after last years campaign, few predicted that the team would have done so well.

However with the final positions being so close, there was little between the top six or seven clubs.

And, once again, last night Hereford looked to lack that physical presence on the field against a strong Stevenage side. Once they scored their goal, it never really looked as though Hereford would equalise. And with several of the squad carrying injuries, Graham Turner didn't have the players on the bench to help out.

There are rumours that several players are set to leave Edgar Street. Whether more than one or two will move to a higher level of football is thought unlikely. Last season, Parry, Guinan, Baker, Rose and Smith all left and went into the football league. This time around Hereford haven't got the quality in the squad with perhaps the exception of Tamika Mkandawire.

Turner is thought to have offered new contracts to various players. Many will now consider their feature and news will filter through over the next few weeks who is staying and who is going. There will be the usual release list which will probably be out in a few days.

Whatever happens to the existing players, Turner must add some strength to the squad. He told supporters he had a new scout working for the club although his name has never been released. However, there will be plenty of players out there looking for clubs.

Supporters are often told that Hereford can not play their players the sort of wages several other Conference clubs manage. A recent comparison between wages at Stevenage and Hereford (Bulls News article last week) showed that directors at Broadhall Way were "sudsidising" the club income by over £500,000 per year. Hereford United will have made another reasonable profit this season, so should be able to afford some slight increase in wage costs but nowhere near what Stevenage have been able to afford.

Off the pitch, doubt remains over the structure of the club. Graham Turner has been at Edgar Street for ten years. For eight or so of those he has been chairman and manager of the club, a dual-role which has meant that he has often been unable to devote enough time to the football side of the job. With the fairly urgent task of securing fresh leases for the club and his promise to upgrade parts of the stadium, his workload will continue to be heavy, unless he decides the time has come to either appoint a new chairman of a new manager.

He would probably prefer to appoint a chairman with enough business knowledge to deal with the council and the developers. Whether that person is already a director, or needs to be brought in, remains to be seen.

Should he, and the board, decide to bring in a chairman, then he may feel that having a coach, a physiotherapist, and a part-time scout, is one person too many for a club of the size of Hereford. On the other hand Turner may think that to ensure another season with the aim of getting into League Two, he needs to keep all the help he can reasonably afford.

One area Turner should look is the PR at the club. For example recently there have been comments from supporters who don't live close to Hereford about the difficulties in obtaining tickets for the play-offs. The club needs to move forward in this area.

There is always the possibility that Turner will feel he has done all he can at Hereford with the resources he has. The directors have not, as far as is known, felt able to put money into the club at any time over the past few years and there is no "sugar-daddy" backing the club. Although the club is trading profitably there is still the debt to the developers to be sorted.

It is time to reflect, consider and then take decisions.

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