With Swindon Town pondering life in League Two, uncertainly over the club’s future and a large portion of the fanbase in revolt, Adver sports editor Owen Houlihan looks at six steps the club could take to start the long road to getting back on track.

Swindon Advertiser:
Players like James Brophy are high on talent but short on experience

REDEFINE THE SWINDON TOWN WAY

COMMITMENT to a possession-based, passing game delivered by young, talented players remains a laudable objective, but over the past two seasons it has proven wholly inadequate for the demands of League One let alone the stated aim of the Championship.

Instead of producing a vibrant, attacking style, the mantra from on high has proved a millstone, with players seemingly incapable or unable to show flexibility or react to changing circumstances game by game, leading to muddled ambitions and tedious football defined by a lack of clear purpose.

Town need a squad able to cope with the differing styles of the game and able to adapt and play what is in front of them.

Swindon Advertiser:
Chairman Lee Power took to the touchline for a brief spell with Luke Williams in October 2015 after sacking Mark Cooper

CHOOSE THE MANAGER BUT LET THEM MANAGE

THE Lee Power era has been defined by managers and head coaches picked specifically to deliver the gospel passed down from on high and decisions about recruitment and squad make-up largely taken above that individual’s head.

That structure has left those managers with a series of mismatched, unbalanced squads and trying to fit square pegs into round holes.

Whoever the manager is, they should be allowed to succeed or fail on their own terms and put their own imprint and philosophy on the squad.

The club may decide that individual is still Luke Williams. If so, he must be allowed freer rein, rather than being asked to deliver to a pre-arranged script.

Swindon Advertiser:
The likes of Conor Thomas have been signed to replace departed stars such as Louis Thompson

INVEST IN THE SQUAD

FEW would argue that the quality of Town’s squad has declined markedly from the talented unit that went so close to achieving Championship football in May 2015.

Players of the calibre of Massimo Luongo, Louis Thompson and Nathan Byrne have departed, with Town struggling to come up with replacements of similar quality.

This season, even the calibre and impact of many of the loan signings has diminished since the likes of Alex Pritchard and Jack Stephens graced the County Ground.

The recruitment remit has been almost wholly based around raw, young, technically-gifted players, with a perceived future value to the club should they move on.

Few would suggest a complete abandonment of that philosophy but there needs to be balance to ensure the needs of the squad are being met, be it with said young talent, or a more experienced heads, capable of adapting to changing styles.

Lee Power has often framed the argument surrounding his recruitment philosophy for the club by linking the size of the playing budget to the numbers coming to watch, thereby tying the quality of the squad to the clicks of the turnstile.

Yet both Scunthorpe United and Fleetwood Town have managed to fashion squads capable of gaining places in the League One promotion play-off shake-up on attendances which average half those of Town’s.

It’s not expensive recruitment that can make the difference, but good recruitment.

Swindon Advertiser:
Tim Sherwood's arrival as director of football last November failed to turn around the club's fortunes

STOP THE SHERWOOD SAGA

IF THE arrival of former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood was ever really meant to add a sprinkle of stardust to the County Ground mix, or was one of the “biggest in the club’s history’’, then it’s been a catastrophic failure.

If Sherwood’s role - as he himself has subsequently claimed – was only ever to assist with player recruitment, rather than get involved with the playing side as well - as initially insisted - why did both Power and Sherwood propagate the latter job outline at his November unveiling?

Whatever the reasoning, the impact had the exact reverse of the stated intent, adding more confusion, frustration and latterly anger to an already turbulent season, heaping unnecessary and unfair pressure and scrutiny on a young coaching team of Williams and Ross Embleton.

Should a committed Sherwood really be interested in some sort of managerial role at the club then, given his previous lofty status, he could surely be an asset at the County Ground.

In the light of recent comments, however, one suspects that is not the case, in which case, no matter what previous intent there was surrounding his ‘appointment’, it has become an albatross around the club’s neck.

As they fight to return to League One, Town do not need to be at the centre of some part-time ‘vanity project’ or the targets of national mirth surrounding someone not even in a ‘hands-on’ role.

Swindon Advertiser:
Lee Power has purchased Twelve Oaks Golf Course in Highworth to develop a new training base for the club

OPEN UP, CLARIFY, LISTEN AND LOSE THE PERSECUTION COMPLEX

FOR too long, legitimate questions about what is going on at the club have been brushed over via incoherent ‘club statements’, vague explanations or worse, total silence.

It’s easy to understand why to Town and Power some of said questions would be awkward, irritating or unwelcome, but that is part and parcel of owning a football club whose fortunes are followed by a passionate fanbase.

They also need to realise that far from shutting down suspicions and concerns, opaque or non-existent answers do the exact opposite.

Power has repeatedly claimed the club is now ‘debt-free’ with next to no clarity on what that actually means. Does the club still owe money to multiple parties, or just one, namely Lee Power?

The new Highworth training ground sounds a worthy scheme in principle, but how much the club will benefit from it is unclear. Will it be the club that owns it, or Power? What happens to that project if and when he departs the club?

Power has also repeatedly said that there would be no club if he suddenly upped sticks, yet paradoxically has refused to entertain the idea of any additional outside investment coming on board.

Of course, it would be foolish to simply demand his departure with no knowledge of anyone to fill the void, but if, as his attitude to the above suggests the very idea has not even been explored, how does he know Town would have no future without him?

In terms of listening, the odd meeting with supporters, rather than a sporadic radio phone-in or meandering ‘club statement’ wouldn’t go amiss either.

Swindon Advertiser:
Lee Power seems happy to talk to the national media but has largely ignored the local press

RE-ENGAGE AND SPREAD THE WORD

IN Town’s defence, particularly through the work of press officer Andrew Steele-Davis in recent months, much better strides have been made with regard to dealing with the media, but they are baby steps with a long road still to travel.

For too long the club has viewed the local media as a chore to have to get through, rather than an opportunity to spread their influence far and wide.

Beyond that, the interaction with supporters is, in general, below-par, notwithstanding the outstanding and far-reaching efforts of the Football in the Community set-up.

Town is the only Football League club in Wiltshire - a unique selling point - not that you’d know it.

Go out to the farther reaches of the county and you’ll find the odd pocket of support, but few places - if anywhere - where the fortunes of Swindon Town are high up the sporting agenda.

This is a wasted opportunity.

No one is saying that Town will suddenly uncover a phalanx of previously untapped support ready to boost attendances at the County Ground overnight, but such work is a slow burner, built up over time, and a preferred route to the apathy that engulfs the club at present.

Potential new support needs to be given a reason to open their wallets and get behind the club with, in these modern times, too many reasons not to go to the football vying for attention.

The rising fortunes of the likes of Chippenham Town and a new Salisbury are another reason for those further afield to stay closer to home.

Town need to start telling their ‘story’ to a wider audience. The Adver, other local media, TrustSTFC and others can all help that process.