Can Swindon come back after unhappy season?

It’s the end of an unhappy campaign for Swindon Town and many fans will have been relieved to hear the final whistle blow on their relegation season. At the end of a long stretch, the table doesn’t lie and with the Robins five points adrift from safety, it’s hard to talk about the ‘might-have-beens’. The fall guy, not surprisingly is Tim Sherwood who must be used to getting more than his share of the blame after unhappy spells as manager of Spurs and Aston Villa. As Chairman Lee Power has indicated, the England midfielder is likely to depart as soon as a new manager can be appointed. Bouncing Back Despite their relegation, Swindon are widely expected by many pundits to bounce back into League One but clearly it’s crucial that Power makes the right appointment this time. "Luke (Williams) asked for help and that's the help we gave him,” the Chairman told BBC Wiltshire. "Tim needed to come in and evaluate what we needed at the football club, what we needed for the transfer window. That was always going to be his role and that's what he did. "Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way and we are where we are and when the new manager comes in I believe Tim will move on.'' So who steps in? That’s the obvious step before anyone can take a look at this squad and decide who stays and who needs to follow Williams and Sherwood out of the exit door. The favourite to take over is current Mansfield boss Steve Evans who took Crawley Town out of the Conference before enjoying a successful stint with Rotherham. It’s believed that Swindon have already made an approach which was turned down by Mansfield, but that may not be the end of the story. Also in the Frame Other names to have been linked with a switch to the County Ground include Alan Archibald, Steve Cotterill and Gary Bowyer. All three have enjoyed some success in the lower leagues while not exactly making a huge impression when they made the step up so, with that in mind, the quest to make Steve Evans the number one target is an obvious one. It could be a busy summer in Wiltshire with many stories suggesting that Lawrence Vigoroux will be leaving the club in the close season. The 23 year old keeper joined on a permanent basis from Liverpool in 2016 and may feel that he is still young enough to make his way back up the divisions. Elsewhere, reports claim that skipper Nathan Thompson has been offered a new deal and his experience – Thompson has been at the club since 2008 – could be vital for an early return to League One. As for new arrivals, there is little speculation in the press and it’s likely to remain quiet until the new manager is appointed. Isolated reports suggest that Brentford back up keeper Jack Bonham could be brought in as a replacement for Vigoroux but with just two appearances for the Bees since 2013, he lacks the experience to be considered as first choice. The 2016/17 season is best forgotten in many ways but the speculation is inevitable, even at this early stage. The next appointment has to be the right one for Swindon Town and, three months ahead of the new campaign, this is the most vital period if the Robins are to make an instant return to League One.