Di Canio calls for transfer backing (From Swindon Advertiser)

LeGod wrote:
There is no doubt Patey has been brought in to bring in more investment and Wray even mentioned a few times the club were looking to do that and the best time to do it is when the club is on the up as we are at the moment.

On the pitch i still dont think there is any team better than us in this league when we get the ball down and get our wide men involved from the start. The movement of our strikers is terriffic as they make the opposing back four work hard but where we are poor is as we did in the first half yesterday and played the opposition game and kept feeding balls to the two biggest players on the pitch which was there two centre backs. Paolo's team talk and changes were crying out to be made as Hollands and Miller are too similar and Ferry is by far our most creative player in the middle and he changed the game when he came on. Good to see Roberts as well look more confident and i feel he is going to kick on now this year.
Back to the chairman and i dont see him as the same sort of friendly character as JW he is in at the club on a mission to sell or get investors.

louiscassius wrote:
Oh My God!!!

I just blummin knew this was to good to be true.........

Well, i dont think i wanna read anymore, looks like 2013's going to be a horrible year now.....

Board clears off, Administration looms.......Paolo goes...... new manager like Buckle or someone.....relegate

d from League 1 in season 2013/14.....brillian

t!!!

Thats not like Swindon is it....much!!

Why oh Why cant something stay right for us.........

My heart sank this morning reading this post.....felt amazing yesterday, now i just wanna close the PC down and go cry somewhere and scream at the blummin board........

Sometimes, just sometimes i really hate football :-((((((

COYR'ssssssssssssss

Whereever we'll be or end up......

Louis :-((((((((((((((((((

(((

louiscassius wrote:
Oh My God!!!

I just blummin knew this was to good to be true.........

Well, i dont think i wanna read anymore, looks like 2013's going to be a horrible year now.....

Board clears off, Administration looms.......Paolo goes...... new manager like Buckle or someone.....relegate

d from League 1 in season 2013/14.....brillian

t!!!

Thats not like Swindon is it....much!!

Why oh Why cant something stay right for us.........

My heart sank this morning reading this post.....felt amazing yesterday, now i just wanna close the PC down and go cry somewhere and scream at the blummin board........

Sometimes, just sometimes i really hate football :-((((((

COYR'ssssssssssssss

Whereever we'll be or end up......

Louis :-((((((((((((((((((

(((

Robinonfire wrote:
Red Or Black....that is the question.

SAPFanSTFC wrote:

louiscassius wrote:
Oh My God!!!

I just blummin knew this was to good to be true.........

Well, i dont think i wanna read anymore, looks like 2013's going to be a horrible year now.....

Board clears off, Administration looms.......Paolo goes...... new manager like Buckle or someone.....relegate


d from League 1 in season 2013/14.....brillian


t!!!

Thats not like Swindon is it....much!!

Why oh Why cant something stay right for us.........

My heart sank this morning reading this post.....felt amazing yesterday, now i just wanna close the PC down and go cry somewhere and scream at the blummin board........

Sometimes, just sometimes i really hate football :-((((((

COYR'ssssssssssssss

Whereever we'll be or end up......

Louis :-((((((((((((((((((


(((

Hi there Louis,...Happy New Year to you.
---.
Going back to when he came in I put up a few posts proffering the 'Real' reasons why Patey was here and explaining how his background sits with where this club is....as per the norm at the time it was mocked by some and doubted by many.
---.
This certainly isn't an - 'I told you so' post but more of a sit up, take note and understand the real undertones to the club....and how difficult it is day to day for Paolo now.
.
This is why I was convinced that Paolo would walk (they can't afford to get rid of him), fortunately for us Paolo is a proud man and VERY loyal to his players and to the fans...week on week I expected to hear the fateful news but fortunately he won't be going anywhere now and will prove the doubters wrong.
.
I was lucky enough to talk to J-Wray for quite some time when he was behind us at the Villa match and he still feels sad for Paolo and confirmed all suspicions of what Paolo is going to have to deal with day-to-day.
.
Patey is here to sell the club and no more...he isn't the football guru that everyone hoped, he is a redundant ambassador who specialises in middle to far East contacts...why!?
...
Black's money is largely tied up in stocks and shares etc. since mid 2010 he has, like many business men, lost over 60% of his paper value hence his worth of £350 million is nowhere near these days and it is all getting closer to being too expensive to run a football club.
...
Let's take a leaf out of Pompey's book and give him and the players our 100% support and lets make it more vocal and make Patey's job that bit harder from a 'Wind up Paolo' point of view...as I'm sure that's what he's also charged with.
---.
GET THOSE SCARFS OUT & lets show OUR commitment to PDC and the team.
===.
Final note....if Black can afford to keep paying Patey and his daily fees on top of the undoubted fee for the sale of the club then he can afford to see us through to the summer.
.
...we're in a good state to be bought out though...rising high, big name manager, good book value of the players we have - 4th highest average attendance in League 1 and an excellent squad mentality who could do well in the Championship.
.
Swindon til I die!!

Blazing Riff wrote:

louiscassius wrote: Oh My God!!! I just blummin knew this was to good to be true......... Well, i dont think i wanna read anymore, looks like 2013's going to be a horrible year now..... Board clears off, Administration looms.......Paolo goes...... new manager like Buckle or someone.....relegate d from League 1 in season 2013/14.....brillian t!!! Thats not like Swindon is it....much!! Why oh Why cant something stay right for us......... My heart sank this morning reading this post.....felt amazing yesterday, now i just wanna close the PC down and go cry somewhere and scream at the blummin board........ Sometimes, just sometimes i really hate football :-(((((( COYR'ssssssssssssss Whereever we'll be or end up...... Louis :-(((((((((((((((((( (((

Don't panic Mr. louiscassius! If it helps, read my post towards the end of yesterdays live thread. It's only my interpretation and opinion of course but I doubt it's too far off. Paolo's only doing what comes naturally and Sir WP's only doing what's been asked of him. We're not in a bad place, have a great manager, great squad, fantastic supportors (but everyone try to recruit more as this will help the finances) and, despite the occasional hiccup, are going places!

SAPFanSTFC wrote:

louiscassius wrote:
Oh My God!!!

I just blummin knew this was to good to be true.........

Well, i dont think i wanna read anymore, looks like 2013's going to be a horrible year now.....

Board clears off, Administration looms.......Paolo goes...... new manager like Buckle or someone.....relegate


d from League 1 in season 2013/14.....brillian


t!!!

Thats not like Swindon is it....much!!

Why oh Why cant something stay right for us.........

My heart sank this morning reading this post.....felt amazing yesterday, now i just wanna close the PC down and go cry somewhere and scream at the blummin board........

Sometimes, just sometimes i really hate football :-((((((

COYR'ssssssssssssss

Whereever we'll be or end up......

Louis :-((((((((((((((((((


(((

Hi there Louis,...Happy New Year to you.
---.
Going back to when he came in I put up a few posts proffering the 'Real' reasons why Patey was here and explaining how his background sits with where this club is....as per the norm at the time it was mocked by some and doubted by many.
---.
This certainly isn't an - 'I told you so' post but more of a sit up, take note and understand the real undertones to the club....and how difficult it is day to day for Paolo now.
.
This is why I was convinced that Paolo would walk (they can't afford to get rid of him), fortunately for us Paolo is a proud man and VERY loyal to his players and to the fans...week on week I expected to hear the fateful news but fortunately he won't be going anywhere now and will prove the doubters wrong.
.
I was lucky enough to talk to J-Wray for quite some time when he was behind us at the Villa match and he still feels sad for Paolo and confirmed all suspicions of what Paolo is going to have to deal with day-to-day.
.
Patey is here to sell the club and no more...he isn't the football guru that everyone hoped, he is a redundant ambassador who specialises in middle to far East contacts...why!?
...
Black's money is largely tied up in stocks and shares etc. since mid 2010 he has, like many business men, lost over 60% of his paper value hence his worth of £350 million is nowhere near these days and it is all getting closer to being too expensive to run a football club.
...
Let's take a leaf out of Pompey's book and give him and the players our 100% support and lets make it more vocal and make Patey's job that bit harder from a 'Wind up Paolo' point of view...as I'm sure that's what he's also charged with.
---.
GET THOSE SCARFS OUT & lets show OUR commitment to PDC and the team.
===.
Final note....if Black can afford to keep paying Patey and his daily fees on top of the undoubted fee for the sale of the club then he can afford to see us through to the summer.
.
...we're in a good state to be bought out though...rising high, big name manager, good book value of the players we have - 4th highest average attendance in League 1 and an excellent squad mentality who could do well in the Championship.
.
Swindon til I die!!

Oxon-Red wrote:
I haven't heard the interview so cannot comment on it. However I would like to suggest that we should thank Mr Black for his involvement in the club. Last season was special and this season is also heading that way, two seasons running doesn't happen very often at the CG.

I wonder, and it is only a thought, if Mr Black having realised that he cannot complete the dream and take it further is trying to keep the dream alive with a new investor. Better to do it now and keep the continuity than wait and see it go pear shaped.

When he came on board it was a partnership and the expense was shared. Now he is the sole backer and, regardless of his wealth, he quite rightly needs to protect himself. The appointment of Patey seems to be to find either a new partner or another backer that is able to take the club to the next stage using his contacts in the richest regions of the world.

If this is the case I applaud him and hope Mr Patey can find the right fit, as long as they are not called Venky (spelling ?) or Kassam, and I hope that he is long admired by Town fans in the future.

I hope that the funds are available to keep or sign the loanees for the future and would see Ward, Hollands, Martin and Bostock (in that order) as very important in the clubs promotion bid.

By keeping up the good work on the field a new investor is more likely to be found. More gates like yesterday would also improve our chances.

COYMR

MITTED wrote:
I have listened to the radio interviews, and as others have already said, I think Paolo was of the mindset, "If you don't ask, you don't get" but equally he also said that he would get on with the job if the answer was "no more money". There was no tantrum, no threat, it was just Paolo being his usual honest self. What did concern me was the chairman's interview, which I felt was unimpressive to say the least. Too much was left to be read between the lines, which was either foolhardy or deliberate. I have not been impressed with our new chairman - his performance so far, is reminiscent of previous newbury-based regimes.

MITTED wrote:
I have listened to the radio interviews, and as others have already said, I think Paolo was of the mindset, "If you don't ask, you don't get" but equally he also said that he would get on with the job if the answer was "no more money". There was no tantrum, no threat, it was just Paolo being his usual honest self.

What did concern me was the chairman's interview, which I felt was unimpressive to say the least. Too much was left to be read between the lines, which was either foolhardy or deliberate. I have not been impressed with our new chairman - his performance so far, is reminiscent of previous newbury-based regimes.

LeGod wrote:
i hear rumours are flying around about Bournemouth making an approach for Ritchie again. I hope what i'm hearing is wrong as he is key to us being successful this season but with their ridiculous offer last time they would need to up it considerably if they did make an offer.
Ritchie would be foolish to go to Bournemouth yes they have the russian money but it is only a loan and i can see that going pear shaped soon as well down there. At the moment they are doing well but they are a smaller club than us and if they went up to the championship i couldnt see them coping and with a ground that only hold around 9,500 i couldnt see them sustaining the wages in the championship.
Last time they bid for Ritchie Paolo said it would need to be 2-2.5 million especially when you consider they paid 800k for Tubbs who spent mosr of his career at Salisbury.
Ritchie likes playing for Paolo but if he did go and an offer comes in it would be Patey and Black i believe would make a decision over Paolo and then i could see him walking.
i hope i am totally wrong in my comments but i'm sure some bids will come in for some of our players.
A message to Patey if you want the best price fro this club the championship is where you will get it so Paolo needs to keep this squad together otherwise our value and stock will decline along with your valuation of the club.
I;m not liking what i hear from the chairman with his comments at all.
We all need to support the players 100% and especially Paolo.
I saw at half time yesterday some idiot booed at Ritchie turned round to him and told him to shut up and its idiot fans like that we dont want. How can anyone boo at half time when there is another 45 minutes to go. Thats the way football is you can have two extreme's of halves in football and some idiot fan who did that yesterday needs to get real as were not going to dominate and play good football for 90 minutes every game. Portsmouth packed the midfield to spoil the game and for 50 minutes it worked. So for the idiot fan who booed understand football a bit before you open your big mouth again.

killerontheloose wrote:
Mate, you've just won the last 2 games 5-0 , why do you need to invest any more..........might be the response!

Davidsyrett wrote:
For Swindon to become a sustainable Championship club we need a new stadium and investment in the playing side, probably £30/40M at least, It's not therefore surprising that AB has decided to look for a buyer, as it has been said, he probably feels he has taken the club as far as he can especially if it's right that he has lost millions on the stock market in the last few years. I also have no doubt that AB will try to protect as much of his investment as he possible can, therefore if he sells it will be to someone who will give him a good price. Reading between the lines I feel that if we want to progress, the club will have to be sold to someone who will be able to invest the said millions, perhaps we should give credit to AB for realising that. Bare in mind also that SWP is his mouth piece and nothing more, what he say's is what AB wants. What it does mean though, is that in the short term there is unlikely to be any more investment in the playing side.

TelSTFC wrote:

SAPFanSTFC wrote:

louiscassius wrote:
Oh My God!!!

I just blummin knew this was to good to be true.........

Well, i dont think i wanna read anymore, looks like 2013's going to be a horrible year now.....

Board clears off, Administration looms.......Paolo goes...... new manager like Buckle or someone.....relegate



d from League 1 in season 2013/14.....brillian



t!!!

Thats not like Swindon is it....much!!

Why oh Why cant something stay right for us.........

My heart sank this morning reading this post.....felt amazing yesterday, now i just wanna close the PC down and go cry somewhere and scream at the blummin board........

Sometimes, just sometimes i really hate football :-((((((

COYR'ssssssssssssss

Whereever we'll be or end up......

Louis :-((((((((((((((((((



(((

Hi there Louis,...Happy New Year to you.
---.
Going back to when he came in I put up a few posts proffering the 'Real' reasons why Patey was here and explaining how his background sits with where this club is....as per the norm at the time it was mocked by some and doubted by many.
---.
This certainly isn't an - 'I told you so' post but more of a sit up, take note and understand the real undertones to the club....and how difficult it is day to day for Paolo now.
.
This is why I was convinced that Paolo would walk (they can't afford to get rid of him), fortunately for us Paolo is a proud man and VERY loyal to his players and to the fans...week on week I expected to hear the fateful news but fortunately he won't be going anywhere now and will prove the doubters wrong.
.
I was lucky enough to talk to J-Wray for quite some time when he was behind us at the Villa match and he still feels sad for Paolo and confirmed all suspicions of what Paolo is going to have to deal with day-to-day.
.
Patey is here to sell the club and no more...he isn't the football guru that everyone hoped, he is a redundant ambassador who specialises in middle to far East contacts...why!?
...
Black's money is largely tied up in stocks and shares etc. since mid 2010 he has, like many business men, lost over 60% of his paper value hence his worth of £350 million is nowhere near these days and it is all getting closer to being too expensive to run a football club.
...
Let's take a leaf out of Pompey's book and give him and the players our 100% support and lets make it more vocal and make Patey's job that bit harder from a 'Wind up Paolo' point of view...as I'm sure that's what he's also charged with.
---.
GET THOSE SCARFS OUT & lets show OUR commitment to PDC and the team.
===.
Final note....if Black can afford to keep paying Patey and his daily fees on top of the undoubted fee for the sale of the club then he can afford to see us through to the summer.
.
...we're in a good state to be bought out though...rising high, big name manager, good book value of the players we have - 4th highest average attendance in League 1 and an excellent squad mentality who could do well in the Championship.
.
Swindon til I die!!

I agree PDC has his heart in this club and is the best Manager we've had since Macari. Our fans were very silent for long periods of the game yesterday and its a shame as away games are totally different with great vocal support.

We need to take a leaf out of the Pompey supporters support which was superb. Lets get behind the club and Paolo as we are 5th with two 5 0 wins on the trot superb. After whats happened to our club in the past we are in a great place right now. COYR

ChrisWantageRed wrote:
It always worries me when clubs start bringing in politicians to high level positions within the club. Maybe I'm wrong about SWP, but my initial reaction is I smell a rat. He seems incredibly cold and lacking in passion for the club, and shows the supporters little respect by dodging questions and refusing to be open and honest.

The "January money" situation for me has been blown out of proportion. Consider the following:

Rooney L
Cox
Risser
Benson
Caddis

(Austin sell on?)

Regardless of what fee we may or may not get for any of these players, the fact that their wages could potentially be off the books will leave money available (PdC has already said once the Benno is one of the higher earners, and I'd imagine Caddis was on a fair wedge too). Ok we might not get all of that money, but if PdC is genuinely only looking for one or two players as he hinted during interview yesterday, surely there isn't THAT big of a problem here?

Fair play to Paolo for chancing his arm and asking the question of the board regarding extra funds, who wouldn't? But if we can keep some of the loanees (for me Ward and Hollands are the key ones), I'm sure Paolo could bring in some more than adequate replacements. A phone call or two to his old mentor 'Arry for some "wheeling and dealing" advice might be a decent shout? :)

Oi Den! wrote:
red white:

"Sure he has done that and also the Celtic connection,must have loads of players from the youth system there.

They would be dynamite down here under Paolo's rule"

Why would Celtic's youth players be any good at this level of English football?

LeGod wrote:
oldtownrobin - for a fan to criticise Ritchie is beyond belief if he was sat near me i'd tell him what i thought.
He obviously doesnt have a clue what he is on about as Ritchie delivers the ball in better than anyone i have seen in this league and how many players have two players on him as soon as he gets the ball in the league.
I find it astounding some comments some people make about players and Ritchie in particular is beyond belief as he is a very valuable assett to any team.
Maybe this idiot in the Arkells may wake up one day and realise what Ritchie brings to the team or on the other hand maybe he is just a total idiot who knows nothing.

Oi Den! wrote:
Agree on two of the cards - can't comment on the Thompson one as I didn't see what he did to get his. The booking for Williams was ridiculous. Two players going hell for leather for the ball and one got there a fraction before the other. It was a completely accidental collision and nothing reckless or malicious in it at all. Williams would quite rightly have received disapproval from the manager if he hadn't tried to win the ball. I thought the ref did OK overall though. Not sure why so many people were having a go at him when he was talking to PDC.

old town robin wrote:

Oi Den! wrote: Agree on two of the cards - can't comment on the Thompson one as I didn't see what he did to get his. The booking for Williams was ridiculous. Two players going hell for leather for the ball and one got there a fraction before the other. It was a completely accidental collision and nothing reckless or malicious in it at all. Williams would quite rightly have received disapproval from the manager if he hadn't tried to win the ball. I thought the ref did OK overall though. Not sure why so many people were having a go at him when he was talking to PDC.

Yeah Den, Williams shirked out on a 50/50 with the goalie against Donnie that could have won us the match and he got stick for that, he didn't yesterday, he went for it and I thought Eastwood made it look worse than it was. Poor decision by the ref, but agree on the whole for his first game at this level he didn't do too bad over the 90 minutes

billbst wrote:

MITTED wrote: I have listened to the radio interviews, and as others have already said, I think Paolo was of the mindset, "If you don't ask, you don't get" but equally he also said that he would get on with the job if the answer was "no more money". There was no tantrum, no threat, it was just Paolo being his usual honest self. What did concern me was the chairman's interview, which I felt was unimpressive to say the least. Too much was left to be read between the lines, which was either foolhardy or deliberate. I have not been impressed with our new chairman - his performance so far, is reminiscent of previous newbury-based regimes.

I agree about Paolo. He has managed the last few weeks quite well I think. As regards Sir Will he has done what I expected. Curb Paolo's spending expectations and prepare for major boardroom changes. Second order issue was ground development and now seems to have slipped back further and clearly will not happen under the current board structure. On the positive side Sir Will obviously doesn't want to intefere on the footballing side beyond setting and sticking to the budget. Can't see any windfall income from sales of Austin. Doubt the Brums consider a purchase of a full back a priority given their finances and they already have a loan deal. Certainly not early doors. Therefore a juggling act with returning loanees and keeping ones here. Mr Spencer step foward and earn your corn please. With the possible exception of Benson our loanees are probably on their way back. If I were at Charlton I would say thanks very much and keep Hollands. Ward won't go back just hope he will agree a short term deal with us. Martin seems a good extension prospect. Bostock might have to go to balance the wages. Depite what has been said lately Adam Rooney's loan deal will have to be renegotiated if Paolo wants another striker. Again why would the Brums want to change. The good news must be that we have a very competitive squad and this time there will be no big changes to disturb the consistency. We will get to the championship on current resources. The summer will critical. Thank you Mr Black for all you have done but please don't throw us back to those dank dismal days.

old town robin wrote:
brown paper bags, double relagation, while Spurs, Chelski, Man U got away with worse...

Was speaking with a Sunderland fan today, don't know him it was business but we spoke about our relegation and their undeserved promotion, told him ossie was very unlucky tio inherit the aftermath of others, he asked about how good was Hoddle, well can't say he did a bad job as a player or manager, but hardly goes down in my book as a legend when he walked out on us.

madterrier wrote:

killerontheloose wrote: Mate, you've just won the last 2 games 5-0 , why do you need to invest any more..........might be the response!

Obviously the answer to that is that the loan deals for Ward, Bostock, Hollands and Martin end in a few days' time and Paolo wants to keep those players, for which funding for additional wages are needed. You could argue (as Black probably does) that the squad is already large enough, the biggest in League One, and Paolo should get more from the players he bought originally rather than ignore them and clamour for loan signings instead. From the off I always assumed that Patey's brief was to find new investors. It is possible to interpret this as meaning 'new' investors in the form of additional investors rather than replacement ones, to spread the load, or new investors for the holding company and the ground development. But I assume that Andrew Black wants out. He's a horse racing man, not a football man. The word 'investor' is daft anyway. Investment is usually made to secure a return, i.e. make profit. All that people do with football clubs is squander their money. I guess most people get tired of that, whatever their personal wealth. So you have to find 'investors' like Abramovic or Arab sheikhs who are happy to squander their money in return for the kudos and ego boost of having a top football club as a plaything. What I would agree with though is that the club would be more attractive to sell on if it is the Championship. And this season is a golden opportunity. The calibre of opposition is nothing compared to the likes of Leeds, Soton, Norwich, Charlton, Huddersfiled and Millwall who we had to battle it out with last time. So a little push across the line in the form of more wages for these players (who in the case of Ward and Hollands are better than our own) could just about be interpreted as 'investment' albeit very short term. But how would they get their additional investment back? That said, if we get to the Championship, the players we would need to stay there would be on high enough wages to make sure that we just leverage up financially and still make an operating loss. Most of the clubs in the Championship are in dire financial straits, even with much bigger attendances than we get. As any surfer will tell you, you just have to ride the wave until it peters out, and enjoy it while you do.

dreamofacleansheet2 wrote:
Old Town why would you eat in Paolo's deli? Truely shocking as it has been for years.

Personally I'd like Andrew Black to make a statement. He comes across as someone who doesn't suffer fools easily and is direct. Be good if Sam could scoop an interview?

Personally see Bostock as a massive signing for the future of this club and hope we get him a la Super Wes. I hope we sign Ward, Hollands and Martin but Bostock is the one for me.

Anyway we'll win the league, we've the best defence and joint equal best attack.

Wilesy wrote:

madterrier wrote:

killerontheloose wrote: Mate, you've just won the last 2 games 5-0 , why do you need to invest any more..........might be the response!

Obviously the answer to that is that the loan deals for Ward, Bostock, Hollands and Martin end in a few days' time and Paolo wants to keep those players, for which funding for additional wages are needed. You could argue (as Black probably does) that the squad is already large enough, the biggest in League One, and Paolo should get more from the players he bought originally rather than ignore them and clamour for loan signings instead. From the off I always assumed that Patey's brief was to find new investors. It is possible to interpret this as meaning 'new' investors in the form of additional investors rather than replacement ones, to spread the load, or new investors for the holding company and the ground development. But I assume that Andrew Black wants out. He's a horse racing man, not a football man. The word 'investor' is daft anyway. Investment is usually made to secure a return, i.e. make profit. All that people do with football clubs is squander their money. I guess most people get tired of that, whatever their personal wealth. So you have to find 'investors' like Abramovic or Arab sheikhs who are happy to squander their money in return for the kudos and ego boost of having a top football club as a plaything. What I would agree with though is that the club would be more attractive to sell on if it is the Championship. And this season is a golden opportunity. The calibre of opposition is nothing compared to the likes of Leeds, Soton, Norwich, Charlton, Huddersfiled and Millwall who we had to battle it out with last time. So a little push across the line in the form of more wages for these players (who in the case of Ward and Hollands are better than our own) could just about be interpreted as 'investment' albeit very short term. But how would they get their additional investment back? That said, if we get to the Championship, the players we would need to stay there would be on high enough wages to make sure that we just leverage up financially and still make an operating loss. Most of the clubs in the Championship are in dire financial straits, even with much bigger attendances than we get. As any surfer will tell you, you just have to ride the wave until it peters out, and enjoy it while you do.

Good points madterrier Assuming Andrew Black wants out why now, is it solely down to his stock trading issue? I don't quite understand why he is on his own what has happened to the other board memebers, have they put money into the club and if so how much. If nothing what is their role? I don't think the horse racing v football preference is relevant - why get involved in the first place if that was the case, and especially why now. It was indeed a disappointing interview with SWP. Over the last few seasons there has been plenty of talk of our cash-rich, wealthy board with good council relationships, watch this space on the CG redevelopment, Town End to be revamped this summer etc etc and now SWP is implying we are back at square one, administration is just round the corner if we're not careful, and our board haven't got a pot to p*ss in so forget any new players. Maybe I am interpreting the comments a bit negatively and assuming no news is bad news, but your final comment of riding the wave til it peters out is very true and we should definitely enjoy the Paolo ride while it lasts.

old town robin wrote:
brown paper bags, double relagation, while Spurs, Chelski, Man U got away with worse...

Was speaking with a Sunderland fan today, don't know him it was business but we spoke about our relegation and their undeserved promotion, told him ossie was very unlucky tio inherit the aftermath of others, he asked about how good was Hoddle, well can't say he did a bad job as a player or manager, but hardly goes down in my book as a legend when he walked out on us.

candlestrobe wrote:
Seems to me that now ground 'redevelopment' is off the agenda, there's simply no money to be made from the club. Has been a common story over the years with all the different investors we've had has it not?

I would like the Adver to get on this and get a view from the council (and club) on what's stalling matters. Not holding my breath though.

old town robin wrote:

LeGod wrote:
i hear rumours are flying around about Bournemouth making an approach for Ritchie again. I hope what i'm hearing is wrong as he is key to us being successful this season but with their ridiculous offer last time they would need to up it considerably if they did make an offer.
Ritchie would be foolish to go to Bournemouth yes they have the russian money but it is only a loan and i can see that going pear shaped soon as well down there. At the moment they are doing well but they are a smaller club than us and if they went up to the championship i couldnt see them coping and with a ground that only hold around 9,500 i couldnt see them sustaining the wages in the championship.
Last time they bid for Ritchie Paolo said it would need to be 2-2.5 million especially when you consider they paid 800k for Tubbs who spent mosr of his career at Salisbury.
Ritchie likes playing for Paolo but if he did go and an offer comes in it would be Patey and Black i believe would make a decision over Paolo and then i could see him walking.
i hope i am totally wrong in my comments but i'm sure some bids will come in for some of our players.
A message to Patey if you want the best price fro this club the championship is where you will get it so Paolo needs to keep this squad together otherwise our value and stock will decline along with your valuation of the club.
I;m not liking what i hear from the chairman with his comments at all.
We all need to support the players 100% and especially Paolo.
I saw at half time yesterday some idiot booed at Ritchie turned round to him and told him to shut up and its idiot fans like that we dont want. How can anyone boo at half time when there is another 45 minutes to go. Thats the way football is you can have two extreme's of halves in football and some idiot fan who did that yesterday needs to get real as were not going to dominate and play good football for 90 minutes every game. Portsmouth packed the midfield to spoil the game and for 50 minutes it worked. So for the idiot fan who booed understand football a bit before you open your big mouth again.

The guy who sits next to me in the Arkells gives me constant earache with his negativity with regards matt, he heard from somewhere that Brighton were going to make a bid for him. As with you, I don't want to see Matt or any of the present squad sold off just to balance the books and if it did happen without the consent of Paolo, I agree I think he would go. Let's hope none of the rumours have any credibility.

Davidsyrett wrote:

old town robin wrote:
brown paper bags, double relagation, while Spurs, Chelski, Man U got away with worse...

Was speaking with a Sunderland fan today, don't know him it was business but we spoke about our relegation and their undeserved promotion, told him ossie was very unlucky tio inherit the aftermath of others, he asked about how good was Hoddle, well can't say he did a bad job as a player or manager, but hardly goes down in my book as a legend when he walked out on us.

Can't agree with that, During Hoddle's & Ossie's reign in charge, Swindon played some of the best football ever seen at the CG, and watching Hoddle was worth the admission price alone (OK alot less then!) . They're still the only manager's to lead us to the Premiership, and lets face it, every other successful manager has walked away from us, including Macari.

For me Danny Williams, Hoddle, Ossie and Macari are legends, PDC could soon join that list if we get promoted!

Davidsyrett wrote:

old town robin wrote:
brown paper bags, double relagation, while Spurs, Chelski, Man U got away with worse...

Was speaking with a Sunderland fan today, don't know him it was business but we spoke about our relegation and their undeserved promotion, told him ossie was very unlucky tio inherit the aftermath of others, he asked about how good was Hoddle, well can't say he did a bad job as a player or manager, but hardly goes down in my book as a legend when he walked out on us.

Can't agree with that, During Hoddle's & Ossie's reign in charge, Swindon played some of the best football ever seen at the CG, and watching Hoddle was worth the admission price alone (OK alot less then!) . They're still the only manager's to lead us to the Premiership, and lets face it, every other successful manager has walked away from us, including Macari.

For me Danny Williams, Hoddle, Ossie and Macari are legends, PDC could soon join that list if we get promoted!

smirg kcab wrote:

Davidsyrett wrote:

old town robin wrote:
brown paper bags, double relagation, while Spurs, Chelski, Man U got away with worse...

Was speaking with a Sunderland fan today, don't know him it was business but we spoke about our relegation and their undeserved promotion, told him ossie was very unlucky tio inherit the aftermath of others, he asked about how good was Hoddle, well can't say he did a bad job as a player or manager, but hardly goes down in my book as a legend when he walked out on us.

Can't agree with that, During Hoddle's & Ossie's reign in charge, Swindon played some of the best football ever seen at the CG, and watching Hoddle was worth the admission price alone (OK alot less then!) . They're still the only manager's to lead us to the Premiership, and lets face it, every other successful manager has walked away from us, including Macari.

For me Danny Williams, Hoddle, Ossie and Macari are legends, PDC could soon join that list if we get promoted!

Don't forget Wilson he was a legend, sorry I mean bellend
Onwards and upwards

smirg kcab wrote:

Davidsyrett wrote:

old town robin wrote:
brown paper bags, double relagation, while Spurs, Chelski, Man U got away with worse...

Was speaking with a Sunderland fan today, don't know him it was business but we spoke about our relegation and their undeserved promotion, told him ossie was very unlucky tio inherit the aftermath of others, he asked about how good was Hoddle, well can't say he did a bad job as a player or manager, but hardly goes down in my book as a legend when he walked out on us.

Can't agree with that, During Hoddle's & Ossie's reign in charge, Swindon played some of the best football ever seen at the CG, and watching Hoddle was worth the admission price alone (OK alot less then!) . They're still the only manager's to lead us to the Premiership, and lets face it, every other successful manager has walked away from us, including Macari.

For me Danny Williams, Hoddle, Ossie and Macari are legends, PDC could soon join that list if we get promoted!

Don't forget Wilson he was a legend, sorry I mean bellend
Onwards and upwards

Oi Den! wrote:
I left the ground yesterday on cloud nine and arrived home feeling pretty low, having heard a rerun of the Chairman's pre-match interview.
.
I have no quibble with Sir William telling us we have no money for new players. Fine - we've spent a fortune for our level and we've built a good squad. It is completely unrealistic to suggest that anyone, however wealthy, should keep plugging the financial gaps.
.
But, as others have commented, our Chairman leaves too much unsaid on many important issues affecting the club. He refused to acknowledge the obvious hostility between Di Canio and Bodin. He is utterly evasive on the subject of ground redevelopment. He talks of new investors and new owners but gives no indication of Andrew Black's intended involvement from now on. It's the kind of doublespeak many people will recognise from the corporate bullsh*itters they've met.
.
To be fair to Shaun Hodgetts, he tried hard to get straight answers from Patey but maybe the questions need to be more direct, such as:
.
Does the club no longer have any intention of redeveloping the County Ground or relocating? If that's the case, what has changed from all the bold statements of recent years? We were told 18 months ago that things were put back by a year because of relegation. Well, that one is well and truly put to bed now. We are told we need property expertise on the board. Why? What is wrong with employing the expertise of property consultants? I don't imagine anyone is going to provide services for nothing, even with a place on the board.
.
Does Sir William care about the club or its supporters? I'm afraid it doesn't sound like it.
.
Back to the football... Excellent second half, once we made the obvious change of putting a ball player in central midfield. Collins did superbly but to be fair to Williams and Martin, they received very poor service in the first half. Ferry transformed that.
.
There's a strong sense that something special is happening on the football side of our club. But Sir William's evasiveness makes me edgy and reluctant to get carried away. We are Town fans. We have enough experience of b*llsh*t to recognise its distinctive smell.

Robin of Andover wrote:
Groundhog day: Town doing good, manager asks for support from the board; board ask "why, you're doing ok". Manager and supporters frustrated at the board response, again. This is the best chance we have of getting promoted to the Championship, I plead to the board to support PDC now. If you wont back him now, what chance of backing from the board can PDC expect should we find ourselves in the Championship. Its no good after missing this fantastic opportunity to look back and say "We should have backed PDC's request when he asked for it". We have a good team, a brilliant manager, great supporters and we all want the same success for the Town . . . so come on Directors, lets see a fantastic Board . . . please

DarrenSTFCRomain wrote:

Robin of Andover wrote:
Groundhog day: Town doing good, manager asks for support from the board; board ask "why, you're doing ok". Manager and supporters frustrated at the board response, again. This is the best chance we have of getting promoted to the Championship, I plead to the board to support PDC now. If you wont back him now, what chance of backing from the board can PDC expect should we find ourselves in the Championship. Its no good after missing this fantastic opportunity to look back and say "We should have backed PDC's request when he asked for it". We have a good team, a brilliant manager, great supporters and we all want the same success for the Town . . . so come on Directors, lets see a fantastic Board . . . please

The board have backed Paolo from day 1.
Paolo has spent this seasons budget and more..
Sounds harsh but it true

the don69 wrote:
The problem is chaps,we don't know didley sh1t,what the very quiet and mysterious Andrew Black has in mind for our beloved club?from what Patey said on the radio,sounds like he wants out!with Fitton gone,J-Wray sacked,that leaves Black and what about Arbib?what we would love is an interview from Black,but the chances of that happening seem nil,all this talk of investment in football clubs is cr@p!you blow your dosh in football clubs!there rich mens toys,the current premier champions lost £100 million quid,until players wages are under control there is no way a successful football club can make a profit,because good players wages are sky high and if you don't pay the wages,the good players go to another club!the Swindon Town Roller-coaster continues,just when we're on the up,there's a down a round the corner,so all we can do is watch and wait to see what Black's intentions are?????????????????

aturner289 wrote:
Told buy a friend who is a cardiff supporter Wes Foderingham could be set for a move away from the County Ground in this January transfer window with Millwall, Cardiff and Brighton considering a bid for him hope this aint true.

jayden wrote:

DarrenSTFCRomain wrote:

Robin of Andover wrote: Groundhog day: Town doing good, manager asks for support from the board; board ask "why, you're doing ok". Manager and supporters frustrated at the board response, again. This is the best chance we have of getting promoted to the Championship, I plead to the board to support PDC now. If you wont back him now, what chance of backing from the board can PDC expect should we find ourselves in the Championship. Its no good after missing this fantastic opportunity to look back and say "We should have backed PDC's request when he asked for it". We have a good team, a brilliant manager, great supporters and we all want the same success for the Town . . . so come on Directors, lets see a fantastic Board . . . please

The board have backed Paolo from day 1. Paolo has spent this seasons budget and more.. Sounds harsh but it true

Hi Darren yep all true bit like her in doors as spent the holiday money on christmas thats life sill its better to waste it than stick it in the bank. Have a great new year and "stay lucky"

aturner289 wrote:
Told buy a friend who is a cardiff supporter Wes Foderingham could be set for a move away from the County Ground in this January transfer window with Millwall, Cardiff and Brighton considering a bid for him hope this aint true.

Davidsyrett wrote:

old town robin wrote:
brown paper bags, double relagation, while Spurs, Chelski, Man U got away with worse...

Was speaking with a Sunderland fan today, don't know him it was business but we spoke about our relegation and their undeserved promotion, told him ossie was very unlucky tio inherit the aftermath of others, he asked about how good was Hoddle, well can't say he did a bad job as a player or manager, but hardly goes down in my book as a legend when he walked out on us.

Can't agree with that, During Hoddle's & Ossie's reign in charge, Swindon played some of the best football ever seen at the CG, and watching Hoddle was worth the admission price alone (OK alot less then!) . They're still the only manager's to lead us to the Premiership, and lets face it, every other successful manager has walked away from us, including Macari.

For me Danny Williams, Hoddle, Ossie and Macari are legends, PDC could soon join that list if we get promoted!

jedthered wrote:
The biggest problem Andrew Black has discovered IMO is that it is practicaly impossible to develope the CG.
The stratton bank being one of the main reasons, you will never be able to develope because of all the houses behind it. as soon as there is any mention of it being redeveloped the residents there are on the phone to the council saying no way, as it will be blocking out their natural light. then their was the plan to buy back the ground from the council and then sell the land to a developer, cant happen , there is a covenant on the land saying that it can only be used for sporting purposes. As far as i can see we need someone with a lot more money than Mr Black, whos prepared to fund a new stadium out of his own pocket, and write of the CG as a tax loss. Finding some one who is willing to gamble and make money from STFC are on a hiding to nothing.
But hey ho , as my good friend the Grim Reaper says ,"Onward and Upward"

MITTED wrote:

jedthered wrote:
The biggest problem Andrew Black has discovered IMO is that it is practicaly impossible to develope the CG.
The stratton bank being one of the main reasons, you will never be able to develope because of all the houses behind it. as soon as there is any mention of it being redeveloped the residents there are on the phone to the council saying no way, as it will be blocking out their natural light. then their was the plan to buy back the ground from the council and then sell the land to a developer, cant happen , there is a covenant on the land saying that it can only be used for sporting purposes. As far as i can see we need someone with a lot more money than Mr Black, whos prepared to fund a new stadium out of his own pocket, and write of the CG as a tax loss. Finding some one who is willing to gamble and make money from STFC are on a hiding to nothing.
But hey ho , as my good friend the Grim Reaper says ,"Onward and Upward"

You are mistaken. The covenant is for recreation purposes, not "sporting". The difference is very important because councils officially recognise shopping as recreation in this modern age, therefore, Tesco for example could build a superstore on the site. This is verbatim from a local councillor.

Right to light is arguable but the problem is simply resolved by building a new stadium rougly where the athletics track is currently and and then move the athletics track to where the current stadium is. The only reason that this hasn't gone forward is because the board want to refurbish and partly rebuild the existing rather than a completely new stadium because it is cheaper. That said, after the chairman's interview on saturday, it seems obvious that Andrew Black wants out and is unlikely to spend a penny on a new stadium.
COYR

Davidsyrett wrote:

MITTED wrote:

jedthered wrote:
The biggest problem Andrew Black has discovered IMO is that it is practicaly impossible to develope the CG.
The stratton bank being one of the main reasons, you will never be able to develope because of all the houses behind it. as soon as there is any mention of it being redeveloped the residents there are on the phone to the council saying no way, as it will be blocking out their natural light. then their was the plan to buy back the ground from the council and then sell the land to a developer, cant happen , there is a covenant on the land saying that it can only be used for sporting purposes. As far as i can see we need someone with a lot more money than Mr Black, whos prepared to fund a new stadium out of his own pocket, and write of the CG as a tax loss. Finding some one who is willing to gamble and make money from STFC are on a hiding to nothing.
But hey ho , as my good friend the Grim Reaper says ,"Onward and Upward"

You are mistaken. The covenant is for recreation purposes, not "sporting". The difference is very important because councils officially recognise shopping as recreation in this modern age, therefore, Tesco for example could build a superstore on the site. This is verbatim from a local councillor.

Right to light is arguable but the problem is simply resolved by building a new stadium rougly where the athletics track is currently and and then move the athletics track to where the current stadium is. The only reason that this hasn't gone forward is because the board want to refurbish and partly rebuild the existing rather than a completely new stadium because it is cheaper. That said, after the chairman's interview on saturday, it seems obvious that Andrew Black wants out and is unlikely to spend a penny on a new stadium.
COYR

What would be the point of building on the athletics track? The Council still own the land, we would still be in the same position as we are now. A new stadium will only be built on a new site.

MITTED wrote:

Davidsyrett wrote:

MITTED wrote:

jedthered wrote:
The biggest problem Andrew Black has discovered IMO is that it is practicaly impossible to develope the CG.
The stratton bank being one of the main reasons, you will never be able to develope because of all the houses behind it. as soon as there is any mention of it being redeveloped the residents there are on the phone to the council saying no way, as it will be blocking out their natural light. then their was the plan to buy back the ground from the council and then sell the land to a developer, cant happen , there is a covenant on the land saying that it can only be used for sporting purposes. As far as i can see we need someone with a lot more money than Mr Black, whos prepared to fund a new stadium out of his own pocket, and write of the CG as a tax loss. Finding some one who is willing to gamble and make money from STFC are on a hiding to nothing.
But hey ho , as my good friend the Grim Reaper says ,"Onward and Upward"

You are mistaken. The covenant is for recreation purposes, not "sporting". The difference is very important because councils officially recognise shopping as recreation in this modern age, therefore, Tesco for example could build a superstore on the site. This is verbatim from a local councillor.

Right to light is arguable but the problem is simply resolved by building a new stadium rougly where the athletics track is currently and and then move the athletics track to where the current stadium is. The only reason that this hasn't gone forward is because the board want to refurbish and partly rebuild the existing rather than a completely new stadium because it is cheaper. That said, after the chairman's interview on saturday, it seems obvious that Andrew Black wants out and is unlikely to spend a penny on a new stadium.
COYR

What would be the point of building on the athletics track? The Council still own the land, we would still be in the same position as we are now. A new stadium will only be built on a new site.

because it's much further away from the Shrivenham Road residences that immediately back onto the Stratton Bank, ergo, can't complain about "right to light" issues.

Regarding the land ownership, if memory serves me correct, the club signed a new long-term lease on the land about 2 years ago, so no issue there although owning the freehold would be arguably better, the club would have to pay the going rate which is probably tens of millions. Some would argue that the owning the leasehold is better to save those tens of millions but still have a stadium. Its a business decision at the end of the day.

Davidsyrett wrote:

MITTED wrote:

Davidsyrett wrote:

MITTED wrote:

jedthered wrote:
The biggest problem Andrew Black has discovered IMO is that it is practicaly impossible to develope the CG.
The stratton bank being one of the main reasons, you will never be able to develope because of all the houses behind it. as soon as there is any mention of it being redeveloped the residents there are on the phone to the council saying no way, as it will be blocking out their natural light. then their was the plan to buy back the ground from the council and then sell the land to a developer, cant happen , there is a covenant on the land saying that it can only be used for sporting purposes. As far as i can see we need someone with a lot more money than Mr Black, whos prepared to fund a new stadium out of his own pocket, and write of the CG as a tax loss. Finding some one who is willing to gamble and make money from STFC are on a hiding to nothing.
But hey ho , as my good friend the Grim Reaper says ,"Onward and Upward"

You are mistaken. The covenant is for recreation purposes, not "sporting". The difference is very important because councils officially recognise shopping as recreation in this modern age, therefore, Tesco for example could build a superstore on the site. This is verbatim from a local councillor.

Right to light is arguable but the problem is simply resolved by building a new stadium rougly where the athletics track is currently and and then move the athletics track to where the current stadium is. The only reason that this hasn't gone forward is because the board want to refurbish and partly rebuild the existing rather than a completely new stadium because it is cheaper. That said, after the chairman's interview on saturday, it seems obvious that Andrew Black wants out and is unlikely to spend a penny on a new stadium.
COYR

What would be the point of building on the athletics track? The Council still own the land, we would still be in the same position as we are now. A new stadium will only be built on a new site.

because it's much further away from the Shrivenham Road residences that immediately back onto the Stratton Bank, ergo, can't complain about "right to light" issues.

Regarding the land ownership, if memory serves me correct, the club signed a new long-term lease on the land about 2 years ago, so no issue there although owning the freehold would be arguably better, the club would have to pay the going rate which is probably tens of millions. Some would argue that the owning the leasehold is better to save those tens of millions but still have a stadium. Its a business decision at the end of the day.

Fair point, but comparing a new ground to say Leicester's,(the sort of size I assume we would be looking at)I think you would need more space, possibly moving it over the cricket ground may help, but I've never heard the club considering any of this, I would therefore feel there has to be many complications otherwise it sounds a more realistic idea than turning the ground around and taking up the car park.

DarrenSTFCRomain wrote:

jayden wrote:

DarrenSTFCRomain wrote:

Robin of Andover wrote: Groundhog day: Town doing good, manager asks for support from the board; board ask "why, you're doing ok". Manager and supporters frustrated at the board response, again. This is the best chance we have of getting promoted to the Championship, I plead to the board to support PDC now. If you wont back him now, what chance of backing from the board can PDC expect should we find ourselves in the Championship. Its no good after missing this fantastic opportunity to look back and say "We should have backed PDC's request when he asked for it". We have a good team, a brilliant manager, great supporters and we all want the same success for the Town . . . so come on Directors, lets see a fantastic Board . . . please

The board have backed Paolo from day 1. Paolo has spent this seasons budget and more.. Sounds harsh but it true

Hi Darren yep all true bit like her in doors as spent the holiday money on christmas thats life sill its better to waste it than stick it in the bank. Have a great new year and "stay lucky"

and you mate ..
When you see Brentford steve next give him a slap..lol

Steve. Brentford wrote:

DarrenSTFCRomain wrote:

jayden wrote:

DarrenSTFCRomain wrote:

Robin of Andover wrote: Groundhog day: Town doing good, manager asks for support from the board; board ask "why, you're doing ok". Manager and supporters frustrated at the board response, again. This is the best chance we have of getting promoted to the Championship, I plead to the board to support PDC now. If you wont back him now, what chance of backing from the board can PDC expect should we find ourselves in the Championship. Its no good after missing this fantastic opportunity to look back and say "We should have backed PDC's request when he asked for it". We have a good team, a brilliant manager, great supporters and we all want the same success for the Town . . . so come on Directors, lets see a fantastic Board . . . please

The board have backed Paolo from day 1. Paolo has spent this seasons budget and more.. Sounds harsh but it true

Hi Darren yep all true bit like her in doors as spent the holiday money on christmas thats life sill its better to waste it than stick it in the bank. Have a great new year and "stay lucky"

and you mate ..
When you see Brentford steve next give him a slap..lol

Dont even try it Romain,i will feast on your liver...happy new year to you all Daz, im busy trying to buy a little football club cheaply at the moment then im going to promise the fans the earth before selling it on the quiet, the fans of that club are going to worship me.

Dont worry
be happy.

Oi Den! wrote:
Sorry - didn't mean to ring twice!

Steve. Brentford wrote:

DarrenSTFCRomain wrote:

jayden wrote:

DarrenSTFCRomain wrote:

Robin of Andover wrote: Groundhog day: Town doing good, manager asks for support from the board; board ask "why, you're doing ok". Manager and supporters frustrated at the board response, again. This is the best chance we have of getting promoted to the Championship, I plead to the board to support PDC now. If you wont back him now, what chance of backing from the board can PDC expect should we find ourselves in the Championship. Its no good after missing this fantastic opportunity to look back and say "We should have backed PDC's request when he asked for it". We have a good team, a brilliant manager, great supporters and we all want the same success for the Town . . . so come on Directors, lets see a fantastic Board . . . please

The board have backed Paolo from day 1. Paolo has spent this seasons budget and more.. Sounds harsh but it true

Hi Darren yep all true bit like her in doors as spent the holiday money on christmas thats life sill its better to waste it than stick it in the bank. Have a great new year and "stay lucky"

and you mate .. When you see Brentford steve next give him a slap..lol

Dont even try it Romain,i will feast on your liver...happy new year to you all Daz, im busy trying to buy a little football club cheaply at the moment then im going to promise the fans the earth before selling it on the quiet, the fans of that club are going to worship me. Dont worry be happy.