The Ex Swindon Town Player Where Are They Now Thread

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

Oh come on that’s blatantly not true!

.....that though is the joy of football.
Differing opinions, all valid.

[Batch]

I thought both had a poor touch, but Josh’s worked more often

fair enough. I'm struggling to remember Simpsons, only that he couldn't win headers either!

[BambooToTheFuture]

fair enough. I'm struggling to remember Simpsons, only that he couldn't win headers either!

Yep, my memory is a little cloudy on Simpson's defined technical attributes but I seem to remember that when he did win a header or head to attack...he had somewhat of a 50p head 

Could be totally wrong though!

[Legends-Lounge]

fair enough. I'm struggling to remember Simpsons, only that he couldn't win headers either!

I think you will find the new crop of players will (I’d like to say completely different) be more rounded with our new moneyball recruitment strategy. The ones offered a contract new or otherwise will have had their seasons stats and technical ability analysed to the ninth degree to fit into what the club are looking for this season.

Let me be clear, this season the new HC/Manager or whatever their title, will be expected to get promotion. No ifs or buts, 100% promotion, preferably automatic. With the plans going forward I cannot see much room for manoeuvre nor glorious failure. It does not matter wether that is written in their contract or not. The expectation will be promotion. The HC/Manager will have a level of expectation that the club back him & his back room team with the right personnel to achieve this target, as we do.

WRT recruitment. We may end up with what could be perceived as Poundland players, however, I would argue that even a product bought from Poundland has a usefulness. Expendable and throw away, certainly, but cost effective none the less. Until we get into then Championship our turnover of players is still going to be significant. We have to expect that. It takes time to bring on youth the be up to speed with even L2 let alone L1 & above. And as we know the attrition rate of academy players is worse than a WW1 soldier in the trenches. Going to be interesting.

Lastly, it’s been mentioned and I agree that last season was a free hit and that the clubs expectation was merely survival. So what was achieved IMHO was immense. Which just goes to show what the club is capable of under the right stewardship. Very interesting and exciting times ahead, very interesting.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Promotion wasn’t even mentioned by Sandra in that chat with Shawn.

Success, apparently, is developing players and playing attacking football - which is bollocks.

[Jimmy HaveHave]

As we all know at any level there are no guarantees of success just hope and expectations!

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Well, yes. But it would be nice, and expected, to at least mention that promotion might just be a byproduct.

Seems to me we’re looking to be a slightly upgraded Crewe - get a good crop, get promoted, then sell them off, get relegated and then wait a few years to start the cycle again.

Fuck that.

[Jimmy HaveHave]

I would rather be a Fulham or Norwich fluctuate between the championship & Premiership!

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Of course. But how do you expect to get established in the Championship if, every year, you sell off your best talent as part of the club’s ‘philosophy’.

For sustained success you need to retain talent and build on it. We’ll have a great chance next season if we keep McKirdy, Reed, Payne, Williams etc. If we let them go and have to start again what message does that send.

[Honkytonk]

Everything Clem has ever said points at wanting a sustainable future for the club. To me, in modern football, that means being smart with your loan players and out-of-contract signings, and finding a way up to the championship, and if we're really lucky Prem, to get some good wonga in off the back of TV and parachute payments.

You can be sustainable in the lower leagues, but your sustainability is less secure than if we get up to the championship. Every tier we climb increases the attractiveness of the club to the target demographic of players for a sustainable future, and the likelihood of us getting the ones we want on loan.

I don't think Clem has come in expecting to immediately make his return, or extract money out of the club like previous, fatter owners have, at least not until it's running in a sustainable fashion.

Is it more sustainable for us to generate our own players (like Iandolo or Twine or Henry or any number of others who have come through the first team in recent years) - yes. Do I think we're heading the way Crewe did where we develop them only to pop them in the shop window. No. If someone offers a mill for an 18 year old no doubt we'll take it, because we are a league 1 side on average over our history and that's what we have to do, but do I think we'll deliberately be looking to sell the whole team every year? No, because that's not sustainable.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

But it’s not just whether we want to sell our talented players - it’s also about them wanting to stay. Every player wants to play as high up the pyramid as they can. If our main aim isn’t actually getting promoted but developing players and playing attractive football they won’t stay.

[DiV]

Of course. But how do you expect to get established in the Championship if, every year, you sell off your best talent as part of the club’s ‘philosophy’.

For sustained success you need to retain talent and build on it. We’ll have a great chance next season if we keep McKirdy, Reed, Payne, Williams etc. If we let them go and have to start again what message does that send.

Well the plan I guess would be to to maybe sell off one player each season then reinvest that money and say buy 3 players - so despite losing our best player we’d improve the over all quality of the team.

Not as simplistic as this but…

Season 1.
1 good player. 10 average players. Sell 1 good player buy 3 good players
Season 2.
3 good players. 8 average players. Sell 1 good player buy 3 good players
Season 3.
5 good players. 6 average player. Sell 1 good player buy 3 good players
Season 4.
7 good players. 4 average players. So on….


Ok, it won’t be formulated as that but I guess the ultimate goal is you have a complete team/squad of good players, sell 1 or 2 a season and reinvest is 3 or 4 more and carry on.


There are teams who also lose their best players up the food chain but don’t stagnate or go backwards because of that - because they reinvest well.

Not *exactly* the same but Liverpool sold Countinho for 120m and it’s probably the best decision they’ve made in the last 30 years because they spent the money on multiple replacements who have all come good.

Villa sold Grealish and have invested across their entire team to improve the over all standard.

So, whilst I get that it is frustrating and we’ve seen it first hand (Selling Fjortoft ffs) selling your best player isn’t always a death sentence. If you can reinvest well, which is obviously where are technical director comes in.

[Bob's Orange]

Well the plan I guess would be to to maybe sell off one player each season then reinvest that money and say buy 3 players - so despite losing our best player we’d improve the over all quality of the team.

Not as simplistic as this but…

Season 1.
1 good player. 10 average players. Sell 1 good player buy 3 good players
Season 2.
3 good players. 8 average players. Sell 1 good player buy 3 good players
Season 3.
5 good players. 6 average player. Sell 1 good player buy 3 good players
Season 4.
7 good players. 4 average players. So on….


Ok, it won’t be formulated as that but I guess the ultimate goal is you have a complete team/squad of good players, sell 1 or 2 a season and reinvest is 3 or 4 more and carry on.


There are teams who also lose their best players up the food chain but don’t stagnate or go backwards because of that - because they reinvest well.

Not *exactly* the same but Liverpool sold Countinho for 120m and it’s probably the best decision they’ve made in the last 30 years because they spent the money on multiple replacements who have all come good.

Villa sold Grealish and have invested across their entire team to improve the over all standard.

So, whilst I get that it is frustrating and we’ve seen it first hand (Selling Fjortoft ffs) selling your best player isn’t always a death sentence. If you can reinvest well, which is obviously where are technical director comes in.

Peterborough are quite a good example of this done properly. They scout and invest in talented players from non-leagues and sell them for huge profits, it helps they play attacking football so the players they usually make the most money on are strikers. Yes they are very uncompetitive in the Championship but the fact they get there you could argue they are punching above their weight. No reason why we can't emulate them as a similar size/bigger club.

[DiV]

Peterborough are quite a good example of this done properly. They scout and invest in talented players from non-leagues and sell them for huge profits, it helps they play attacking football so the players they usually make the most money on are strikers. Yes they are very uncompetitive in the Championship but the fact they get there you could argue they are punching above their weight. No reason why we can't emulate them as a similar size/bigger club.

I can’t believe I typed all that out didn’t think to even mention Peterborough who are a good example of this.

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

But it’s not just whether we want to sell our talented players - it’s also about them wanting to stay. Every player wants to play as high up the pyramid as they can. If our main aim isn’t actually getting promoted but developing players and playing attractive football they won’t stay.

We simply must get out of this woeful shitty league.
It’s shite and depressing.