GO BACK TO BEING DULL!

FOR nigh-on two decades, Forest Green Rovers were just about the dullest club in the National League. No promotions. No relegations. Plod, plod, plod.

- Chris DUNLAVY

Dale Vince arrived in 2010, bringing an organic pitch and vegan burgers and patronising tabloid headlines.

The Ecotricity founder boosted Forest Green’s playing budget like a shot of nandrolone, yet progress on the pitch remained steadfastly incremental.

Top-half finishes. Play-off defeats. Plod, plod, plod. By the time Mark Cooper finally managed to win the play-offs in 2017, the club had been in Non-League’s top flight for 19 years. They would spend the next five in League Two, making similarly stately progress.

So what happened? How has an ostensibly wealthy, stable club that won a historic promotion to League One in 2022 found itself back in the National League by 2024?

Analysing Forest Green’s dramatic collapse is difficult, for the simple reason that they don’t fit the usual template.

Vince is still there. He’s still got plenty of money, as evidenced by heavy outlays in each of the last three transfer windows. This is not the familiar story of a disillusioned owner pulling the plug after years of covering losses. A glance at the 62-year-old’s Twitter feed is enough to confirm that Vince remains invested, financially and emotionally.

There were no administrations or points deductions. No supporter protests. No tales of late wages, unpaid utility bills or visits from the bailiffs.