Complex sentence: His first year at Ricmond was unsuccessful as they finished twelth at the end of the 2005 season despite spending most of the first half of the season in the top eight, mostly in the top four.
Split into simpler sentences: His first year at Ricmond was unsuccessful where they finished 12th at the end of the 2005 season. This, despite the fact they spent most of the first half of the season in the top eight, most of that in the top four.