League One News: Can Gary Johnson keep Yeovil up?

English Football League / Hannah Duncan / 11 January 2012 / 2

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Gary Johnson celebrating promotion during his first spell back in 2003

"Since Johnson departed the Glovers in 2005 after a hugely successful spell at the West Country club which saw them win the FA Trophy, gain Football League status and narrowly miss out on promotion to the Championship, Yeovil have flirted with relegation from League One."

The returns of Thierry Henry and Paul Scholes have made all the headlines over the past few days but down in League One Gary Johnson has returned to Yeovil after a six year absence to try and keep the West Country club up. Can he do it, asks Hannah Duncan.

You just have to love January. We're all back to work feeling like we've never been away, well-meaning New Years' resolutions are forgotten after a matter of days and the back pages of the papers are over-spilling with ridiculous transfer rumours. Thierry Henry returning to Arsenal? Paul Scholes coming out of retirement to solve Fergie's midfield woes? Don't be ridiculous...

Ok, so the papers can get it right on occasion, but other muted returns look far less likely. Fernando Torres is at [3.5] to leave Chelsea in January (which makes perfect sense with the Blues also losing Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou to the African Cup of Nations), the press linking the Spaniard with a return to Anfield.

And if The Sun and co. are to be believed, Andy Carroll could be sho
wn the exit door at Anfield and return to Newcastle for £10m, just 12 months after his big-money move from St James' Park and just three games into Luis Suarez's eight match ban. Make of that what you will.

Another player allegedly being ousted by Andre Villas-Boas is Frank Lampard. Chelsea's joint top scorer this season has not only been linked with the seemingly unlikeliest of moves to Old Trafford, but since Scholes dusted his boots off last weekend, the midfielder is now being touted with the definite unlikeliest of moves - a return to boyhood club West Ham. I'm sure having 'Fat Frank' back in their ranks would go down well with the Upton Park faithful...

But perhaps the most surprising old-boy return so far this month has come from outside the Premier League, with former Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson taking the reins for his second stint at Huish Park.

Since Johnson departed the Glovers in 2005 after a hugely successful spell at the West Country club which saw them win the FA Trophy, gain Football League status and narrowly miss out on promotion to the Championship, Yeovil have flirted with relegation from League One. They currently sit in the drop zone, two points from safety. Johnson's side are [1.71] for relegation, behind only Chesterfield (1.3) and Wycombe (1.5) as favourites for League Two football next season.

And Johnson didn't quite enjoy a Henry-esque fairy-tale return, as his side succumbed 4-0 on Tuesday night at promotion hopefuls Sheffield United. The former Latvia boss will, however, get an early chance to make amends in front of his home fans on Saturday, as Yeovil host lower mid-table side Tranmere Rovers. Nine points currently separate the two teams, but the Glovers are [2.58] favourites to come away with all three points.

On average over the past five seasons, 50 points have been required for League One survival and on Yeovil's form to date this campaign, they're on course to rack up just 39 of those. The Glovers will certainly be hoping an old face can inspire new faith in the home dressing room at Huish Park, not just on Saturday but for the remainder of the season.

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factualman | 11 January 2012

please note that the year the club almost got to the Championship was after he had left
Hannah | 12 January 2012

Quite right, sorry. I was at that play-off final as well...doh!