Mark Cooper's Swindon Town

Mark Cooper
Swindon Town's Manager

After the semi-final play-off defeat to Brentford, despite Aden Flint's superb equaliser (Aden Flint's Superb Equaliser), and with Kevin MacDonald deciding to quit his job as Swindon Town Manager for personal reasons, the whole sorry mess that unravelled at SN1 after Paolo Di Canio's tenure seemed to be coming to its inevitable conclusion. With the hysteria that surrounded the Italian and the refusal on most Swindon Town fans' part to see anything wrong with the management of the club so long as the team were winning on the pitch, and I include myself as one of those swept along by the Di Canio Circus (hindsight - a wonderful commodity with which to analyse past events), there was a sense of incredulity that Swindon Town could find itself in the position of having new owners and a caretaker manager at the helm at the start of the new season. In these rural parts of the country, the West Country instinct (we're Moonrakers after all) to be wary of the strange-sounding outsiders from down the M4 (Londoners) came to the fore when Jed McCrory, armed with the accent and vernacular of a barrow boy, headed up the consortium that saved the foremost team in Wiltshire from sliding into the administration mire that could have had fatal repercussions for professional football in Swindon.

Jed McCrory
Swindon Town Chairman

For his part Jed McCrory has proved his mettle and the improvements around the club, from the bricks and mortar projects in and around the stadium, to the improvements in purchasing online tickets, the matchday hospitality, etc. has shown that the Chairman is holding up his end in the bargain of his ambition for Swindon Town Football Club to be a truly sustainable business and community leader.


When, at the start of the current season, the club was left managerless, the quiet spoken and unassuming Mark Cooper took over the reins. The team that had almost achieved another Wembley visit had been dismantled and a team of youngsters, some homegrown, some borrowed from other clubs, and some signed at short notice were assembled to take on the rest of League 1. For a number of Swindon Town fans, their distrust of Mr. McCrory and the rest of the new board still to the fore, believed that relegation was on the cards and that the only way to avert such a disastrous end to the season was to appoint a "name", someone who had had extensive experience in football management and who could steer the Swindon ship on a course away from the rocks onto which it seemed to be heading. However, after a handful of games under his belt, Mark Cooper was awarded the role of Swindon Town Manager on a permanent basis. I would like to put on record that I supported his appointment. He had worked with Kevin MacDonald for the few months leading up to the end of last season and he knew the players that were left to him for the start of the new season. From these foundations, in my mind, the club was better off with Cooper in charge, as he could gently build on the work that had already been put into moulding a team for the assault on League 1 promotion. One question on the lips of all Swindon Town fans was what sort of football would be played by such young players, many of whom are short in stature?

Bert Head

"Bert's Babes"

Having experienced first hand the football played by the Ossie Ardiles and Glenn Hoddle Swindon Town teams of the early 1990's, the passing game that Mark Cooper has instilled into his charges bears comparison to those eras and is a breath of fresh air in a division of the football league that can suffer from the long ball game. However, being a child of the 1960's I missed one of the Swindon Town teams that is legend in this part of the West Country. "Bert's Babes" was a young Swindon Town team managed by Bert Head and included the likes of Rod Thomas, Ernie Hunt, Mike Summerbee, John Trollope and Don Rogers. Bert Head assembled a team of youngsters and drilled them in an almost military style, ensuring that his team was amongst the fittest in the league. (Link to "Six Days to Saturday" - Bert Head & Swindon Town) He achieved the first promotion in Swindon Town's history when the club was promoted to the then Division 2 at the end of the 1962/63 season. The foundations he put in place saw these youngsters go on to win the only domestic trophy Swindon Town has won when the club beat Arsenal 3 - 1 to lift the League Cup in 1969 under the stewardship of Danny Williams.

Yesterday's win versus Notts County (2 - 0) sees Swindon Town in a play-off position after a quarter of the season has passed. Plaudits are starting to come in from around the country regarding the team's style of play and, now that the players have gelled together, promotion this season can now be thought of as a very real possibility. Some of this can be attributed to the steadying hand of Jed McCrory who has put the club back on a stable footing. However, when the dust on this season has settled in May 2014, Mark Cooper can fly away to his summer holiday retreat, satisfied in the knowledge that his first season in the manager's hot seat has been a success, whatever position Swindon Town finish in League 1.  

  

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When Swindon Town Ruled Europe...Well, Italy Anyway.

Swindon Town has come up against the snobbery and unjust powers that be of the footballing world more than once in its history. After winning the 1990 Division 2 Play Off Final against Sunderland to achieve promotion to the then top flight Division 1, the demotion that followed for "financial irregularities" was harsh, especially when compared with the punishments dished out to Chelsea F.C. in 1991 and Tottenham Hotspur in 1994 (see Football Hypocrisy). A strange thing to note is that it is difficult to find anything about the Chelsea financial irregularities on the internet!?.

Before that episode, though, Swindon Town was denied the right to represent the English Football League in the 1969 - 70 Fairs Cup (later UEFA Cup). After thrashing Arsenal F.C. 3 - 1 at Wembley in the 1969 League Cup Final, being the winners should have given Swindon Town the right to compete in one of the then 3 European cup competitions, but, because they were not a First Division club, the Wiltshire team were deemed ineligible. It would seem that there was little or no support from the Football League in defence of the club's qualification to play in Europe, but a two-legged match was arranged between them and the winners of the Italian League Cup (the Coppa Italia) AS Roma. On 27th August 1969, Swindon Town lost the first leg in Rome 2 - 1, but won the second leg, and the cup, with a 4 - 0 victory.

The Anglo-Italian League Cup Winners' Cup

Anglo-Italian Cup

Buoyed by the success of the two matches, the two football associations organised an end of season competition, the Ango-Italian Cup, with six teams from each national league entering for the right to play for the trophy. In three groups, two English teams were paired with two from Italy in the group stages with each team playing a home and away leg with the teams from the other country in their group. At the end of the group stage, the team with the most points from both countries went through to the final - at this point, it is pertinent to add that Swindon Town not only beat Juventus 1 - 0 in Italy, but also thrashed them 4 - 0 at the County Ground! (see 1970 Anglo-Italian Cup).


The final took place on 28th May 1970 at the home of Napoli in front of

55,000 fans. A rampant Swindon Town had scored 3 goals by the 62nd minute and the hostile home crowd was not pleased. Ripping up seating and concrete, projectiles were thrown on the pitch and at the players and officials. After two pitch invasions, the match was abandoned after 75 minutes played and Swindon declared the winners. The idea of placating the crowd by displaying the trophy was a wrong move and Swindon Town players were injured when more rocks were thrown at them.

The unfortunate thing is that there is no video footage of the game itself, but footage of the victorious Swindon Town team displaying the trophy and of the rioting Napoli supporters has surfaced on Youtube (Napoli v Swindon Town - Anglo-Italian Cup).

This was not the first episode of crowd disturbance during this competition as the group stage game between L.R. Vicenza and West Bromwich Albion was abandoned when the Italian home crowd rioted. When one considers that these fans are now in their 60's at the very least, it's sad to note that football violence is not a new phenomenon.

MacDonald Earns the Right to Manage

Everyone connected with Swindon Town, whether an employee, local sports reporter or fan, has probably used the metaphor "roller coaster" to describe the season just ended. With Paolo Di Canio at the helm, promotion to the Championship was a certainty; let's face it, he wouldn't have allowed any other outcome. However, the great proponent of "loyalty" showed his true mettle by upping and leaving the club, the team and the fans when Swindon Town was put up for sale and it was made plain that his days of running roughshod over those who disagreed with him were over. He's now at A.F.C. Sunderland and will find it a struggle to achieve any real success with them - in my opinion. The best place for Di Canio will be the English national team in around ten years time when he has earned the right to take on the rest of the world by leading his adopted country's top footballers in pursuit of the ultimate footballing Holy Grail, the World Cup.

Jed McCrory with Kevin MacDonald

The foremost team in Wiltshire were left in a healthy position in League One and the appointment of Kevin MacDonald, ex-Liverpool F.C. player and football coach at Aston Villa, was a curious nomination by the new Swindon Town board led by Jed McCrory. It took a while for the new First Team Manager to find his feet in his first football management job and, presumably, for the players to adapt to the new regime's modus operandi as compared to the almost military-style methods of the erstwhile Italian management team. The team struggled to achieve match day success under MacDonald's stewardship, but, eventually, things seemed to click and a play-off place was assured. The home match was a cagey affair, somewhat spoilt by the windy conditions and the dubious penalty awarded to Brentford F.C. in the dying seconds of the game. However, at 1 - 1, the match went to Griffin Park on the western outskirts of London finely poised at what was effectively half-time.

The first half hour of the return leg at Brentford saw Swindon Town overwhelmed by an adversary intent on winning at breakneck speed. With only one chance at goal by a soft header from Aden Flint, the early part of the game became one-way traffic with "The Bees" laying siege to Swindon's goal. It was with a sense of relief then, that I, along with every other Swindon Town fan took a sip of our half-time beverage and thanked our lucky stars that the Town were still in the game with the score on the day 2 - 1 to Brentford at the half-way mark. The second half could only get better for the Wiltshire outfit, couldn't it? Well, at the start of phase two of the match, things got worse when Gary Roberts gifted the ball to Brentford's Donaldson with a sloppy cross ball and the Bees' player made it 3 - 1 to the home side. I walked away from the match for five minutes only to return to the coverage like a junkie returning to an opium den, hoping beyond hope that the Town would get something out of the game.

Cue The Great Escape theme tune and some of the most exciting football seen for a long time. Not pretty at times, but totally enthralling and when Joe Devera smashed home Swindon's second, the comeback was on. With virtually the last play of full time, Aden Flint's bullet header wiped the smiles off every Brentford fan's face as the score was levelled and extra time beckoned. A harsh sending off for Swindon's left back, Byrne, saw the advantage swing back to Brentford and, when the whistle went for the end of extra time, most Swindon fans knew that the game was going to be lost on penalties. Like Steve McQueen caught up in the barbed wire after his failed attempt at jumping into Switzerland from war torn Germany, Swindon couldn't overcome their last hurdle and League One awaits next season (at least it's six easy points from Bristol City, though!).

The one positive from all this is that, in my opinion, Kevin MacDonald has proved himself as worthy Manager of Swindon Town. To be able to pick his team up from what must have been the depths of despair in the Town dressing room at half time at Griffin Park, the first 30 minutes of the game being all Brentford, to inspiring the team to put on a gritty, determined display to fight back to 3 - 3 at full time, shows the mark of the new regime now in control at the County Ground. I for one am optimistic for next season.


 

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.

Strategies for Football Club Ownership

The Haves & Have Nots 

English football is one of the most marketable products in the world of sport today. Although having had a disastrous, detrimental effect on the English national team, preventing many home-grown talents from experiencing superior domestic football and the concomitant improved chances of developing to be part of a world-beating national team, Sky's patronage of the English Premier League has turned the top flight of the English football pyramid into the product to which all national top divisions aspire. The world of Association Football, is awash with cash and, like any free market economy, the haves have, and the have nots, don't. Only a handful of Premier League clubs operate at a profit, whilst the rest exist on the television money and goodwill of their rich owners. This beggars the question, if this is how the likes of Liverpool F.C. exist, how are the lower league teams meant to survive in this cut-throat environment, where the dream of reaching the Premier League can only now ever be more than a pipe dream for most of the Football League clubs?

The answer has of course already been given above; bag yourself a rich owner who is willing to plough millions into a venture that is never likely to see any return on their investment. Or, God forbid, you cut your cloth accordingly, live within your means and fester in the lower divisions of the national setup. The former choice is what all football fans want, ideally a Jack Walker

or John Madejski, someone who understands English football and the culture of the fans. In this way, the chance of being allowed to dine at the rich man's table and compete for 38 games to retain the right to stay at that table may be attainable. In Andrew Black and the rest of the consortium who saved the club from oblivion, Swindon Town fans

Swindon Town Fans - None Better!

thought that they had found that person who was willing to sacrifice some of his riches in the pursuit of developing a lower league team into one that could hold its own in the Championship and perhaps even the Premier League. However, Mr. Black is really a horse racing fan and has tired of his involvement with the foremost team in Wiltshire, so is looking to offload his shareholding in Swindon Town. So where does that leave the club?

The harsh reality of the modern world is that football is now big business and, as such, each club should be run and managed along those lines. So, taking Swindon Town as the example, how does one take a middle of the road football club and turn it into one that can hope to compete with the "Big Four"? The first thing to do is find a benefactor with a big wallet. This should be in the shape of a wealthy individual as mentioned above or a large, cash-rich company. The former would probably have the passion to invest  in a sport they feel ardently about and not worry about gaining major returns on that investment, whilst the latter could offset any investment against their annual advertising/marketing budget; what better way to spread their brand around the world than have it married to a successful English Premier League club (e.g. The Emirates Stadium, The Etihad Stadium, etc). And that would be the first thing any serious bidder for Swindon Town should do - build a modern stadium.

New Stadium Required

A modern football stadium offers the opportunity for multiple income streams. It should be viewed as a venue, to be utilised 24/7, 365 days a year. With the proper build, the architecture could incorporate, conferencing facilities, a hotel, restaurants, fast food takeaway outlets, shops and offices to lease. As the British high streets have discovered, the majority of consumers like to have their shopping experience in one place in out of town retail parks rather than have the hassle of trudging through the town centre going from shop to shop. This is the way forward for football clubs, providing facilities and leisure activities all in one place. Further income streams could be sourced from on site gym/fitness clubs, perhaps a multiplex cinema and even have the stadium used by more than one team or sport. With a retractable roof, an all-weather venue would allow for concerts, car shows, etc - the possibilities are endless. If the new owners are foreign, linking back to their home country could provide valuable income in the form of replica shirt sales, etc.

As with any business, getting the correct people in the right roles is paramount. Fortunately for any potential investor, at Swindon Town, this has already been done. In Paolo Di Canio, the club has perhaps the most talented, ambitious and crazy manager in the entire Football League. His passion for his club, his team and the fans is overwhelming. He wants to succeed and no-one will stand in his way on his road to managerial greatness; ask Paul Caddis, the club captain who could seemingly do no wrong until he crossed Paolo. Probably the second best player at the club was cast aside and the team hasn't looked back. 

The next step is to have at least a five year plan. Swindon Town are currently running on a three year plan to get to the Championship, but, realistically, if the club is to be treated as a business (post new stadium and the facilities therein), the manager should be given reasonable resources to put a squad together and the time to meld that squad into a winning team. Success does not normally come overnight and in the fast paced world of football, some owners/chairmen have the patience of a man with a full bladder at the end of a long queue for the urinal.

The five year plan should, however, be flexible and provide for contingencies. If the success that is desired is planned for and a path to the goal is set, small tweaks of the plan should only be necessary to get to the target. Such contingencies should cover replacement of players through injury or where the manager feels an area of the team may need bolstering. A successful team will pull in the crowds which will in turn push interest in the direction of the other facilities in the new stadium providing additional income. Owning a football club is never going to provide huge financial rewards in itself, but, if the business model is sound, then success on the field will help fuel success off it. It just needs a visionary new owner to set the ball in motion.

For Sale - One (Recent) Careful Owner!

His background may be in diplomacy, but hearing Sir William Patey's pre-match interview before the Swindon Town v Portsmouth game last Tuesday, it didn't take much reading between the lines to understand that the moneyman behind Swindon Town, Andrew Black, is looking for a buyer. The club is unofficially up for sale and Sir William Patey is going to earn his corn by seeking viable purchasers by using his network of contacts built up during his time in Her Majesty's Diplomatic Corps...hopefully! The clear message was that the purse strings have been drawn tight and the only way the County Ground is going to be redeveloped and Paolo Di Canio is going to have a competitive budget for next season's Championship campaign is if wealthy foreigners like the look of the club, and want to invest in it. The one good thing about Swindon Town in the eyes of any potential Far Eastern investor is that the team already play in "lucky" red and we won't have to suffer the ignominy a la Cardiff City of having to change our traditional club colours to fit in with another country's cultural mythology. After all, conversely, can you imagine some South Korean club agreeing to wearing farmer's smocks, tied at the ankle corduroy trousers and a weather beaten straw hat just because some lad from Wiltshire wants to invest in their team? I'm proud to be a Moonraker, but I don't think it should be foisted on everybody!  

Is it Back Me or Sack Me at Swindon Town?

Like most Football League managers, Paolo Di Canio holds a pre-match press conference on the Thursday before Saturday's game. This usually allows him time to convey his thoughts in an English vernacular that he has obviously picked up during his time as a footballer, plying his trade both in England and Scotland, rather than as a student in a classroom learning how to conjugate verbs. The resulting transcript may sometimes have to be read two or three times before the gist of what was said comes through. Other times, the diatribe that the Roman produces as he fulminates on the latest issue that has got his goat needs no explanation; whether his statement needs translating or not, an annoyed Paolo Di Canio is a spectacle worth watching and listening to!

New Swindon Town Chairman,
Sir William Patey

"Oh, b******s!"

This was fine and dandy when all was right in the world of SN1 and Jeremy Wray was the Chairman of Swindon Town. Supporters of the club could listen to the Thursday rant and know that Mr. Wray was there to take Paolo to one side after his meeting with the hacks and calm him down with a soothing word or two in the fiery Italian's ear. Now in Sir William Patey there is a new Chairman at the foremost club in Wiltshire and a stricter regime in the boardroom. This is what makes this week's railing at the internal politics within the County Ground a little more disconcerting. Not since Glen Hoddle's tenure as manager has Swindon Town had someone whose own ambition has been the catalyst for success, dragging the team kicking and screaming along with him. League One consolidation may be the official aim of the club for this season, but for someone like Paolo Di Canio, a student of Bushido, continuing the momentum from the success of his first season as manager of Swindon Town and achieving back to back promotions is the one and only goal for this year.

So, the report in the Swindon Advertiser today makes for unnerving reading. (Adver Report - Di Canio's 20 Minute Rant). The team are in a healthy position in the league going into the Christmas fixtures and it is imperative that Paolo Di Canio is in place to steer them through what can be a difficult time in the season. However, reading the news item, it would seem that the Swindon Town manager could be having a crisis of conscience, his own ambitions seemingly at odds with the directions he is being given by the board. Hopefully, all will be resolved as soon as possible at SN1, but, unfortunately, there is no longer the sage advice of Jeremy Wray to counter the emotional outburst from the already managerial legend that is Paolo Di Canio.    

Jahmene

I don't really watch the X Factor; that time on a Saturday night is usually a signal for me to put my earphones in my phone and catch up on something on Youtube whilst my wife and daughter experience the warblings and strangulated tones of those folks who think they can sing. Car crash television is not something I would call entertainment. However, this year it's different for us yokels in deepest, darkest Wiltshire. One of Swindon's sons is in the final and he used to work in Asda just down the road. Jahmene Douglas has a very real chance of winning and setting himself up for a life-changing career. Good luck to him; I said he would win when they showed his audition, so I wish I'd put money on it! He was back in town yesterday and visited his old place of work. You could tell he was due to arrive, because, as my wife was trying to pay for her groceries at the self serve till, none of the Asda "Colleagues" was available to help her when the automated till refused to take her £20 note; they were all staring out of the window cooing over the imminent arrival of their ex-colleague. Apparently the crowds were 4 or 5 deep outside and there was quite a smattering of males amongst the throng. Somehow, I don't think they were there to see the petite warbling sensation from the home of the Great Western Railway. 

The presence of a certain Pussycat Doll in the guise of Nicole Scherzinger was most probably the draw for these members of the Jahmene Posse stood 

outside Asda, shivering  in the cold December afternoon.

Footnote: Is it just me and my teenage son who, when saying the name Jahmene, can't help saying it a la Michael Jackson in "Bo Selecta", with the obligatory epithet on the end...Google it and you'll see what I mean.

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Police and Crime Commissioners

The UK's downward spiral into becoming the 51st state of the USA (Puerto Rico notwithstanding) has taken  another turn by the vote for the local Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC's). Apathy reigned yesterday and the only reason the winning candidate for Wiltshire was declared first was because just a handful of people turned up to vote...most presumably because they took a wrong turn and found themselves in the wrong part of the village hall! I must confess, I exercised my right to vote, but the role of PCC does seem to be an anomaly for Blighty along with elected mayors. The local authorities have managed perfectly well up to now and surely this was definitely a case of "if it's not broke, don't fix it". This is also a case of the American "blame" culture seeping into the British psyche and will allow Big Brother the opportunity to point the finger at individuals when something is perceived to go wrong in society, rather than the government of the day taking an inward look at itself and evaluating the effects its policies have on the poor and downtrodden. There is also the other side of the coin where these PCC's may be given "special" powers in the future; how long before they're given the equivalent title of Reichskommissar?

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