QUESTION TIME: 1pm-2.30pm (From Swindon Advertiser)

2:30pm

Right then, ladies and gents, thanks for your company this afternoon.

Same time next week for the next Question Time. In the meantime, there's a game at Stevenage on Saturday to focus on.

See you later all.

2:24pm

I was told last night that Benson did not have an injury, but others have suggested he had a dead leg.

I will try to clear this up in the next couple of days.

I think Di Canio was always aware of the quality of League One.

2:15pm

2:14pm

2:09pm

Evidently it was not something the club was expecting, although I'm sure there must be precedent.

2:09pm

As mentioned before, I would be surprised if he was fit but we can always keep our fingers crossed.

2:08pm

2:06pm

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2:01pm

I can only go by what he has said to us, which is that both options are being kept open by the board.

As a fan, I personally would prefer redevelopment but I could understand it if they chose to push for a new site.

1:58pm

It would count as wages.

1:57pm

EMAIL

The fact that the embargo was only imposed because the board alerted the authorities to its over expenditure, suggest that the auditting is not overly rigourous, and other clubs may be getting away with it. Fair assumption ?

PHIL

I can't be sure but perhaps. Although I imagine projections have to be submitted by the clubs month on month anyway so doubt anyone would get away with it. If they did, what would the point have been in introducing financial fair play in the first place.

1:56pm

EMAIL

Whats your favourite Cheese?

THE FLASH

Answered earlier, Flash. Comte.

1:55pm

EMAIL

Don't you think it's about time Pdc stopped moaning about the Embargo and worked with whaat he has???
All we read is he works 60 hours a day and has had so many injury problems.Not a mention of some of the duff players he signed and money wasted.
No it is time for him to become a real Manager and get the best out of his squad god know's it is big enough

STUART RANDALL

I think it does not portray him in a good light when he rants but you can understand his desire to support his squad in the wake of a spate of injuries.

On the flipside, he did sign the players he does not think are good enough at present so he shouldn't be complaining.

There are aspects of his management which will evolve and adapt, I think man management has to be one of them.

1:52pm

1:50pm

1:49pm

Very big if. No need for me to stir that up right now.

1:49pm

Perhaps, but there have been an awful lot of games in a short space of time. Burn-out is excessive but there could well be an element of fatigue when you consider how much physical work they get through in a week.

1:45pm

1:45pm

I don't know the exact size of Stevenage's budget but agree it may well be significantly smaller than Town's.

I don't think he has mismanaged the budget, I think he needs to give the players he has brought in a chance to prove why he brought them in in the first place. 

In this situation I think anyone would want to bring in loan players to cover positions affected by injury.

1:43pm

I think that is a possibility, although the embargo is doing that for them.

In terms of any player, I'm sure if an offer comes in that is too good to be turned down it will not be turned down. That's business.

1:42pm

I can't say whether they have read the forums. None have mentioned them in the past, not to me at least.

1:41pm

I can only go by what the manager has said on it. I would like to see more of him, he is a very talented player and exciting to watch. He also provides a different option but, for whatever reason, Di Canio does not want to use him. It is a real shame having pursued him so intently over the summer.

1:40pm

1:39pm

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1:37pm

1:36pm

We did a piece on this a few weeks ago. Click here to see Di Canio's reasoning on the topic.

1:35pm

I think how he is it what makes Di Canio who he is. In my opinion he does need to contain his passion and anger on occasion but again, it's hard to fault a man who has been pretty successful since he arrived.

Maybe he requires a variety of vibes around him to keep him ticking. Pure speculation mind.

1:34pm

I don't think so.

1:33pm

It's an interesting question. He has given chances to Nathan Thompson, Leigh Bedwell, Miles Storey, Louis Thompson, Aaron Oakley and Billy Bodin during his time in Wiltshire. On that basis he appears to support the system.

However, I do not think he gives the youth set-up the chances it perhaps warrants given the players who have come through the ranks over the course of the past decade.

On reflection, I wouldn't call him totally uninterested in youth - but in general he has relied on them as a last resort. That is not fair on a dedicated youth system.

1:31pm

No, but then I didn't think Town would beat Brighton or Stoke. At the key times they have pulled extraordinary performances out of the bag. However, injuries will have a serious influence.

1:30pm

I have not been able to contact those involved for comment.

1:30pm

Not that I can see.

1:29pm

I think the board and the manager have to work together to come to a satisfactory arrangement.

The board have to recognise the character of the man they have in charge, the manager has to evolve in his position to recognise that people change in any industry let alone football.

I don't think Di Canio is oblivious to this, in fact he said as much on Monday, and there should be no need to use a mediator between board and manager.

What kind of message does that send out?

1:28pm

He hadn't a number of weeks ago, I can't be sure whether he has now.

1:27pm

I think Di Canio's press conferences are hugely different pre-match and post.

The emotion of a match seems to take over and leaves him with a lot of passion burning by the time he comes out to face the media.

I think he is simply very frustrated at not being to do things as he would like. I don't think he is being actively forced out but I can understand why conspiracy theorists would come to that conclusion given the circumstances.

1:26pm

We asked this question to him on Monday and he wouldn't say where it was from but he did say it was English.

1:25pm

I'm afraid I don't, although I imagine a percentage of both players' wages would be paid by the club who has them on loan.

1:24pm

Yes. He scored goals for the youth and reserve teams, why not the first team? If he is given a chance and a run of games I have no doubt he has the ability to become a very decent player.

1:24pm

Perhaps one day, when the mood is right.

1:23pm

I'm afraid I don't know. But going on his Yorkshire roots I'll guess at Wensleydale.

1:22pm

Wonder whether I'm going to get this question every week!

Comte, although I'm partial to Emmenthal and other nutty cheeses.

1:22pm

Having played with him out in Italy I can tell you he's certainly still got it. Maybe he will do a Jimmy Quinn and pull the boots back on again!

I doubt it.

1:21pm

There are a number of scouts used by the club.

1:20pm

I can assure you that Di Canio is quoted ad verbatim. Of course we cannot include everything he has to say as a standard press conference lasts between 10 and 45 minutes and we do not have the space to print a transcript.

I think it would be an awful move to put someone up to represent the manager at a post-match press conference. Think of the negative messages it sends out.

As a manager, I am sure Di Canio will adapt over time.

1:18pm

Personally, I am not keen on the post-match dressing-down of individuals. I think as a team it is fine but when it gets personal it is a little unnecessary.

Having said that, as long as the manager continues to have success it is hard to question his methods or logic. Time will tell in that respect.

I don't know the ins and outs of John Bostock's loan deal but I would presume both parties would have to agree to him going back to Tottenham. Even so, he is the only option to fill in for Ferry or Miller in the middle of midfiled (with the exception of Louis Thompson).

My understanding is that Oliver Risser will be at Stevenage until January whatever. Luke Rooney is due back at the club soon.

Andrew Black no longer has connections to Betfair after selling his stake in it some years ago. I'm not sure how the club would take a chunk of a bookmaker's revenue.

Boots now are very light and designed to help players move quickly over the turf. Pitches are also watered to make a game quicker. Yes, they fall over sometimes. I'm not sure it's a major issue though.

1:13pm

It is my understanding that the budget Sir William Patey referred to is to be used solely if the club is in a position to seriously challenge for promotion in January.

Financial sense says don't through that money all at once in case it all goes horribly wrong.

1:12pm

Good point, and yes I believe there is a sell-on clause in place although I'm not certain of the exact size.

1:11pm

It is wages and fees regarding the football side of the business.

An equity investment would lift the club out of embargo but that would require investors being happy to pump it in.

Gate receipts would be included in the projections to a certain point but a big cup draw (presuming Villa are beaten, which is a massive task) would help significantly as it would be unbudgeted revenue.

I believe the expenditure to be the budgeted salary/transfer payments etc that have been planned by the powers-that-be in their projections month by month.

Remember it was the Town board that alerted the authorities to the fact they were due to go over the 65 per cent limit after they saw where their projections were headed.

1:08pm

If money comes into the club in equity that could send Town out of embargo.

Central midfield is key for me. Only Tommy Miller and Simon Ferry are available. With eight games in four weeks, with the amount of work those two get through, they desperately need a deputy.

I don't think he has had a falling-out with Matt Ritchie - he's openly said in recent weeks that he feels Ritchie is burnt-out. He gave him a rest and it worked, when Ritchie came on he made a huge difference.

1:05pm

The club went over the 65 per cent limit because they were told to pay the full fees for James Collins and Troy Archibald-Henville up front by a tribunal panel.

The budget, to the best of my knowledge, had taken in an initial payment and instalments over a period of time. Being told to pay the full whack sent the projections over the 65 per cent threshold.

1:04pm

I think there is plenty around the club to be a comfortable midtable League One side.

But the injuries will affect things, and with so many games coming up in such a short space of time fatigue is likely to kick in.

If the club are targeting promotion this year then it would be convenient for the option to be there to be able to strengthen the squad.

However, having brought in so many players during the summer it is arguable that the manager should be able to work with the tools he has got.

1:04pm

I think there is plenty around the club to be a comfortable midtable League One side.

But the injuries will affect things, and with so many games coming up in such a short space of time fatigue is likely to kick in.

If the club are targeting promotion this year then it would be convenient for the option to be there to be able to strengthen the squad.

However, having brought in so many players during the summer it is arguable that the manager should be able to work with the tools he has got.

1:02pm

Realistically the club needs either a boost in revenue - a win in the League Cup and a big boy in the quarter-final, an injection of equity - which is unlikely to take place until debt has been written off or a sale of players - which cannot happen until January.

As mentioned, revenue could occur through progression in the League Cup and the board are actively looking for new investment.

Effectively the embargo could have been prevented but I don't think it's fair to single out anyone for blame. The tribunal panel's decision to ask for the fees for James Collins and Troy Archibald-Henville in full up front pushed projections over the edge.

1:00pm

Afternoon all. Thanks for all your questions, I have a proper mound to try to get through over the next 90 minutes.

Remember, we're always keen to hear your views on our coverage of Swindon Town. So while I'm getting through your questions please feel free to send your opinions on what we do and what we could do better.

I look forward to hearing from you all.

In the meantime, let's get on with this.

11:12am

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