Ready Brek Glows All Round

Now that the dust is settling at the County Ground and the ink is dry on the dotted line, what can be said of the consortium that has taken control at Swindon Town? As can be seen on the SwindonWeb website (Meet the New Board), a press conference was held on Monday 25th February where the four front men were introduced to the public, with Jed McCrory the new Chairman. The session only lasted about half an hour and not much was said other than to introduce the four and explain very briefly their past experience, and their expected roles at the club. However, two things that were said that have significance for the club's future were very telling.

First, it was confirmed that the money behind the bid comes from two silent partners who wish to remain anonymous. Second, it was stated that the door is still left open for Paolo Di Canio to walk back into the club and pick up the reins as manager. The former statement is welcome as it confirms that the financial security is there. The latter piece of information shows that Di Canio may not have burnt all his bridges having resigned his position three days before this consortium bought the major shareholding in the club. Personally, I would like to see the headstrong Italian finish the job he started and get Swindon Town into the Championship with back-to-back promotions. There would have to be a lot of soul-searching on his part as to why he did what he did, leaving the team leaderless at such a crucial stage in the season, and he would have to be prepared to toe the line with the new board of directors and chairman, but, you never know, he may be back in the dugout soon.

Later, Jed McCrory gave interviews to various aspects of the media (see the Swindon Web website and the Points West interview (BBC Jed McCrory Interview)) and the nature of the takeover, and his own involvement in it was explained. He comes across as a very genuine person and foremost, a football fan. He mentioned that everyone at Swindon Town seemed to have a "Ready Brek" glow about them and that the "family" nature of the club was overwhelming. Whether teary-eyed through the emotion of the day, or red-rimmed due to the necessary long hours put in over the past few weeks  to get the deal done, Mr. McCrory looked truly pleased to be part of the Swindon Town story. Indeed, he looked like the child whose Christmases and birthdays had all come at once. Having listened to him and the other members of the new board, I feel that exciting times are ahead for Swindon Town, both on and off the field.      

Done Deal at Swindon Town

The Sale Goes Through at Last!

The sale of the club has gone through and the new owners are settling into the boardroom at Swindon Town Football Club. However, there has still been no direct word from Jed McCrory and the other members of the new consortium regarding their plans for the club. The statement released on the Swindon town website (Swindon Town Statement) was from Sir William Patey, the outgoing chairman, and allowed him to indirectly vent his spleen over the departure of Paolo Di Canio and his team of backroom staff. The words are very telling and serve to illustrate the breakdown in relations between the manager and the club's board, and the chairman in particular. Reading posts on various forums, the fickleness of the average football fan seems to be coming to the fore with many people, who probably wholeheartedly supported Paolo Di Canio prior to the events of Monday 18th February, are now condemning him without recourse to the full facts. For his part, Di Canio has released a statement via the Swindon Advertiser (Paolo Di Canio's Statement in the Adver) where, apart from describing his frustrations, he states that the board have not responded to his resignation letter of 12th February. If this piece of information is coupled to the fact that the new owners have kept silent for the time being, perhaps there is a way back for Paolo and his management team? After all, if the club hasn't accepted his resignation and those of the backroom staff who left two days later, they are technically still employees of the club. I would be in support of this scenario, the one where Paolo Di Canio and his team take up where thay left off, but, as stated in a previous post (Implosion at SN1, but Still Top of the League!), the volatile Italian would probably have to eat a large piece of humble pie before he's allowed through the doors of the County Ground again. 

The Daily Mail

A ridiculously puerile and condescending article was written in the Daily Mail on the 20th February regarding Martin Samuel's opinion of Paolo Di Canio. He's entitled to his opinion, but what I take exception to is the tone of the article in relation to Swindon Town Football Club and the lower leagues of the English game. Read the article here (Daily Mail Article) and you decide. The other thing that has annoyed me is the fact that, despite trying three times, the Daily Mail has failed to print my comment. In view of that, below is my retort:

A typical, condescending, Premier League biased piece of reporting. It doesn't matter, it's only Swindon Town! They only have an average gate of 8,000. Well those 8,000 support their home team and do not hold to the franchise aspect of supporting a team from another part of the country with which they have no cultural heritage and no allegiance. The story from SN1 is significant as it highlights the lack of communication between the two factions (outgoing board and those wanting to buy the club) and the despicable way that the manager, the man charged with bringing success on the pitch, has been left out of the loop. Paolo Di Canio has been a breath of fresh air in his honesty and the way his heart is firmly emblazoned on his sleeve. The manner in which you dismiss a lower league story as not having any significance in the great scheme of things illustrates the blinkered view in this country that the only thing that matters in modern day football is the Premier League and the "Big Four".

Would you agree with me?

Related articles

• Implosion at SN1, but Still Top of the League!
• The Fat Lady is Singing at the County Ground Tonight!
• Facts, Opinion and Swindon Town

Implosion at SN1, but Still Top of the League!

No manager, no backroom staff and, it would seem, no board, but Swindon Town are top of League 1! Paolo Di Canio departed on Monday and was followed by his loyal lieutenants this morning, the day after the Robins humbled Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park, beating them 3 - 1 making the aggregate score for the two league games this season 8 - 1 to the Town and propelling Swindon town to the top of League 1. There follows an eerie atmosphere at the County Ground as tumble weed blows across the pitch and the stadium echoes to the sound of silence. It does not seem possible that the dulcet tones of an hysterical Italian will no longer be heard on a Saturday afternoon or a cold Tuesday night at the home of the foremost team in Wiltshire. I can't think of any jobless football manager who could possibly fill his shoes and that's where I have a theory about the whole comedy of errors surrounding the departure of the most successful Swindon Town manager in recent times.

Having threatened to resign if the takeover of the club didn't go through by 17:00 on Monday 18th February, in order to save face, Paolo Di Canio had no option other than to walk. However, there does not seem to have been any official statement from the football club accepting the manager's resignation, nor those of his backroom staff - an employer doesn't have to accept the resignation of an employee. It would seem that the management team have walked away, but there still remains the opportunity of an olive branch being offered to Paolo and his team to return when the takeover is ratified. In his statement released on Monday, Di Canio stated: 

"Following discussions, my representatives put forward a proposal that would secure my future at the club until at least the end of the season and quite possibly beyond as well. This proposal actually reduced the Clubs contractual liabilities to me in the interest of saving Swindon Town FC. At a meeting last Friday the proposed new owners accepted and said they were very happy with the new terms."

Perhaps these new terms are still valid and, after a big plate of humble pie, Di Canio will be welcomed into the new era at SN1? However, with pride coming before a fall, Paolo Di Canio may feel that his next venture lies away from the County Ground and he will only be seen back in the dugout in the away team area. This will be a great shame, as, if this is the case, whoever the new manager is, they will get the credit for Swindon town being promoted as champions of League 1 and not the man and his backroom team who started the ball rolling nearly two years ago.     

Related articles

• Swindon backroom staff announce mass departure after beating Tranmere
• Gary Roberts scores a 70-yard golazo for Swindon at Tranmere

The Fat Lady is Singing at the County Ground Tonight!

The breaking news in the Swindon Advertiser is that Paolo Di Canio has resigned and walked away from Swindon Town Football Club. In some ways, history is repeating itself in that Lou Macari, then the manager and architect of a resurgent team, was sacked after less than one year in the role. That was 1985 and a protest by the fans saw the board overturn their own decision and reinstate the former Manchester United player as manager. Paolo Di Canio has been in the role for a bit longer than Macari had been, but he has now sadly departed. Once again, those that run the club have managed to shoot themselves in the foot and the new owners will find a hostile reception waiting for them when they take over the reins for allowing the charismatic Italian to go.

Unfortunately, I think in this case, a fans protest will be to no avail. The new owners have probably a manager in mind who they would like to have in charge of the team, but, not since the days of Macari has Swindon Town Football Club had in Di Canio a manager who had such a rapport with the fans along with a sense of direction on the pitch. The team is still riding high, but the "team" includes the manager and his backroom staff. The behind the scenes team will no doubt follow Paolo Di Canio and how long will it be before the discipline and hard work that they helped instil in the players erodes and, along with it, the performances?

Footnote:

As of the morning of 19th February, the club hasn't stated whether it has accepted Paolo Di Canio's resignation...could there be a further twist in the tale?

Related articles

• Has the Fat Lady Sung at SN1?

Writer for Hire!

I've posted quite a few blogs now and am very interested to see who is looking at the articles and where in the world my writing is being read. There have been hits from people all around the globe and on every continent! This has got me thinking that, although not in the millions, there are people in the world who have found value in what I have to say...probably. So, the question springs to mind, if there is someone out there who needs to have their important message put down in black and white (other font colours are available) and put onto the World Wide Web, would they be willing to pay for someone skilled in the art of writing to do this for them; or at least write the article?


Here's the pitch then.

• Have you read my blog posts and found them interesting?
• Do you like my style of writing?
• Do you need to have an article written, but lack the skills, knowledge or confidence to put pen to paper?
• Are you from outside the UK, have a poor grasp of the English language, but really need an English-speaking audience to sit up and take notice?   

If the answer to any of the above questions is "Yes!", then perhaps you need to hire my services.

Leave a comment and contact details on the blog, or Google +, and perhaps we can do business?

Spion Kop

Last week, I had the need to travel northwards for a meeting in Worksop for my employer. There were four of us squeezed into a pokey little Ford Fiesta as we set off for the wilds of Nottinghamshire with one of Robin Hood's County's own sons at the wheel. Being from around the Worksop area, he took us on the "scenic" route, showing us the countryside near the town where he grew up, Sutton-in-Ashfield which is close to Mansfield. Driving up the A60, exiting Mansfield Woodhouse and heading towards Warsop, the weary traveller (well I was tired by then) enters a "blink and you'll miss it" village by the strange name of Spion Kop. The question came from the back seat to the driver, he of local knowledge, "How do you pronounce that name?" and "Why is it called that?" The driver was able to tell us what the village's name was, but was flummoxed as to the whys and wherefores of how the village came by its obviously non-English name. Fortunately for the other three occupants of the car, I am at heart a historian and was able to fill in the gaps for them.

Second Boer War: Boers at Spion Kop, 1900

Sketch map showing the situation of the Battle of Spion Kop,
23-24 January 1900

The Second Boer War took place between 1899 and 1902 and was fought between the Dutch settlers (Boers) of the independent Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State, and the British Government which was seeking to annexe the two territories into a larger South African state. With British forces poised on their borders, the leaders of the two Boer states delivered an ultimatum for the British forces to withdraw within a 48 hour period or face the consequences. The British ignored the ultimatum and war was declared by the two colonies on the 11th October 1899. Initially, the war went well for the Boers as they laid siege to many British settlements, chief amongst them Kimberley, Mafeking and Ladysmith. One of the advances by the British forces was towards Ladysmith in order to relieve the garrison there. In their way, across the Tugela River was a series of hills, the most prominent being Spion Kop, or Spy Hill, and it was here that the Boer forces had a defensive position. In order to get to Ladysmith, the British had to capture Spion Kop which they did following an attack on its heights on the night of 23rd January 1900. Although the Boers were driven off, the attack had taken place in dense mist and the British failed to see the Boer positions on the surrounding hills. The hilltop was rugged and totally unsuitable for entrenchment, so, when the mists had cleared the next day, the British forces atop the hill were totally exposed to the Boers' artillery and rifle fire. The confused nature of the battle saw some of the British forces retreat whilst others were sent up the hill as reinforcements. At the end of the 24th January 1900, the British had retreated in defeat leaving around 350 British dead and nearly 1,000 wounded.

British Soldiers Engaging the Enemy

I would encourage the reader to study this conflict in more depth as the above paragraph doesn't do justice to the story of those people who experienced it and suffered, whether indigenous black, Dutch white, British Empire white or people settled from other countries (Indian, Chinese, etc.). Some of the experiences were precursors to future conflicts whether it was the trench warfare of the First World War or the concentration camps of the Second World War.

Sheffield United Kop

Sheffield Wednesday Kop

The point of the above is to show that the Second Boer War had a profound effect on the British people and especially the Battle of Spion Kop. The village we travelled through took its name from it and, I would suggest, was built not long after the war had ended. Similarly, and probably most striking due to the working class nature of football and rugby league at the time, many of the large terraces at the football grounds and rugby league grounds adopted the name of "Spion Kop" as they reminded many people of the steep South African slopes up which many of their fathers, uncles, brothers and sons fought and died. The name stuck and many grounds around the country still have an end, normally all-seater in this day and age known as "The Kop".

Liverpool Kop

Facts, Opinion and Swindon Town

I am not a trained journalist and, having a real job, I don't have the time to chase or follow up stories. Therefore, the collective blogs I have written concerning Swindon Town are mainly my opinion and conjecture, with a smattering of facts gleaned from my own experience and the football club's history. However, I don't think anyone reading my musings would expect the contents to be anything but opinion. However, I like to check my facts first and stay away from anything that could be construed as libellous. It beggars belief then, that some of the British national Dailies resort to making things up in order to fill their back pages rather than write the truth.

Paolo Di Canio shunned the national media post match at Colchester and only gave a brief statement to the two local media outlets he probably feels he can trust and with whom he has a rapport - the Swindon Advertiser and BBC Radio Wiltshire. The statement concerned his players and the Red Army of fans who follow the team up and down the country in all weathers (I wish I could be one of them, but family finances dictate that being a full time fan will probably have to wait until the kids have left home and I'm retired!). Rather than re-report what was said to these journalists, the Dailies made up some tripe about the imminent sacking of Swindon Town's manager once the club takeover had been ratified by the Football League. Thankfully, the head of the consortium, Jed McCrory, has issued a statement through "The Adver" refuting any such notion and states that all members of the consortium are looking forwards to working with Paolo and his team. ("Jed McCrory Rubbishes Sack Plan Report").

I don't know, but in my opinion, once the takeover is ratified and Paolo Di Canio and the new board have their "get to know you meeting", the events of the past fortnight will be forgotten and STFC will be top of the league.

Has the Fat Lady Sung at SN1?

With reference to my post of 14th December 2012, Paolo Di Canio has now laid his cards on the table ("Di Canio Ready To Walk Away"). With his star player gone for a mere fraction of his real worth in the transfer market, The manager of Swindon Town has had enough. It's not like we haven't seen the likes of this before. Duncan Shearer was sold to Blackburn Rovers at a snip, because the club needed money and Blackburn wanted to emasculate the attacking force of a promotion rival. We've also seen Lou Macari sacked and then reinstated due to pressure from fans' protests. Yes, we're all grateful for Andrew Black and his consortium for saving the club, but the way he has let go of his shares in the club has left a very nasty taste in the mouth of every fan of the premier team in Wiltshire. A promotion chasing team has had the skids pulled from under them and confusio renes at the County Ground. Has due diligence really been carried out by the Jed McCrory consortium or is this Terry Brady all over again? If PDC goes and, as I write this, he is allegedly in talks with Aston Villa, who is the best person to take on the managerial role? From a club where a month ago, the sky was the limit, to the uncertainty of now, no-one could write this. What is needed is action...NOW!

At Crawley tomorrow, in full view of the cameras, those lucky enough to be going should be vocal in their support for the man who has dragged the club kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Hold those scarves aloft, sing your hearts out and show Poalo Di Canio that if the club is bigger than one man, his leaving will leave a void that, as I see it at this present moment in time, no-one can fill.

Damp Squib!

"Transfer Deadline Day" is akin to Christmas Day for football fans. The anticipation of what present you're going to get allied to the fact that Father Christmas is as generous as the size of your parents' wallet ensures that the rich kids get their bikes and Scalextrics whilst the poor ones don't even get the Action Man that was on their list; instead they are given the crappy plastic doll from Hong Kong whose clothes don't fit, cannot hold a rifle and that falls apart before kick off on Boxing Day! So, watching the BBC coverage of "Transfer Deadline Day" via the web, it was disappointing to see that the Beeb was pandering to the dreams of the rich kids (Premier League) in speculating what Santa was going to bring them as a late Christmas present at the end of January. As a fan of a proper football club, i.e., someone who supports the team of the town of their birth rather than pretend to have some affiliation with a team in a city they've never been to and whose dialect they wouldn't understand, I had one eye on the webpage of the Swindon Advertiser to see what business Paolo Di Canio was conducting after the horrendous decision by both the off-going and oncoming boards to sell Matt Ritchie to AFC Bournemouth for a mere fraction of his worth. 

Matt Ritchie

I went to bed feeling that, although David Beckham would be kicking himself for choosing an obscure French team in which to play out the last few months of his footballing career rather than take pride in putting on the sacred shirt of STFC each Saturday, at least the three players that had been lined up would do a decent job for Swindon in the run-in towards the end of the season. As I snuggled into the duvet, I felt assured that all the various parties had to do was sign on the dotted line and the poor kid's Christmas morning wouldn't be the damp squib that it usually is each year. Imagine my horror to find that, when I woke up, not only had Santa not left the toys, but the owner had repossessed them before my parents had left the toyshop -"You don't look like you can afford them, so you can't have them!"

I dare say that Bradley Wright-Phillips, Marlon Pack and Danny Green will be Swindon Town players come the start of the "Loan Transfer Window" in a week's time, but, as a fan of Swindon Town, it has been deflating and I'm left to feel like the poor kid at Christmas, playing with the Hong Kong soldier doll whilst the rich kids cycle around the estate on their new bikes.