SWINDON Town director of football Paul Jewell says the club’s aim next season is to get people talking about a successful team again rather than events off the pitch.

A dreadful past 12 months for the County Ground club has been filled with court cases, protests, and a relegation not long after the League Two title was lifted following the majority of a relatively serene campaign.

While a good amount of unrest still exists surrounding the club’s ownership status, a new manager has given optimists like Jewell reason to believe good times might not be too far away again.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wiltshire’s Talk of the Town programme, Swindon’s director of football admitted he is fully aware about what is being said by fans and is keen to turn that around as soon as possible.

Jewell said: “I don’t get involved in politics, but I understand the club has had enough bad press and there’s not a feel-good factor among the fans.

“But we’re trying to turn that around and give them something that they can come to on a Saturday, look forward to, and put a smile back on their faces again.

“It’s a big club, Swindon, and the fans have been terrific – at least since I’ve been here.

“The potential of the club is exciting for a lot of people, so we want to give them that feel-good factor back.

“We want them to come to the matches, and we want them to talk about the team rather than the stuff off the pitch.”

Further to that point, Jewell briefly discussed the club’s transfer plans and how a better use of the loan market may lead to improved results on the pitch.

The club’s director of football was critical of Town’s approach last season and said learning lessons from bad experiences is key for the club this summer.

Jewell said: “John (McGreal) has got his ideas about which players he wants to bring in, he’s got good knowledge of the level.

“So we’ve got to explore all avenues, use our contacts in the loan market.

“The year before last, we were very good in the loan market – last year, it didn’t work out for us.

“I felt we were taking in players last year without really doing our homework on them because we found ourselves in a situation where we seemed to be behind the eight ball from day one.

“We’ve got to be smarter and a bit more varied in our approach this summer, I feel.”