Thetownend.com

The results of the Adver poll are in: over 4500 votes (ie probably slightly larger than the rock-bottom hard core home gate) with 92% backing the consortium, 5% against, and 3% unsure. However you want to look at it, that's a massive endorsement from the fans for the Fans' Consortium and a huge blow for the board. Time to face facts, chaps, you've lost the fanbase completely. Time to pack up and go.

[edit]linkage: http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/sportlatest/display.var.1167790.0.poll_backs_fans_consortium.php

Unless some certain trust board members bought some endangered Proboscis Monkeys on the black market, before training them in cruel ways involving whips to constantly vote on the Adver poll with nothing more to sustain them than cigarette butts and cold coffee.

You Bastards!!!!!

Free those Monkeys.

Tee-hee  :D

Sorry Paul ... I agree it is an endorsement ... but firstly 4,500 of our fans are just not bothered enough to vote on internet forums ... secondly most of us know how to vote multiple times of the adver forum ... thirdly I know that far less than 9 out of 10 actual fans who attend games would vote that way .... so whilst I agree it is a vote against the Board ... it is a long way short of the levels you imply in my opinion.

IF support is that strong ... why so few bits of orange yesterday .. once the freebies stopped being handed out?

However ... I have no doubt that change is needed .. and I am sure in time it will happen .. and then perhaps we can all turn the page and move forwards.  

I will also be glad when we can not only enjoy the current period of silence (no statements and counterstatements) becoming a permanent feature ... but also an end to the propaganda war to win over the hearts and minds of the fans which both sides have been waging ... and to date is clearly being won by the fans Consortium.

not going to matter to this board tho is it .. they dont care about the fans .. just how much money they can make out of relocating to Chippenham ..nothing else is important to them

I was waiting for someone to say that...

Of course the poll isn't entirely representative of every fan. Not every fan has the internet, let alone bother to vote on a poll on the Adver website which hasn't been mentioned in the media until yesterday(?).

Even if the Trust orangised for an independent polling company to question every single Swindon fan at the next home game, it could still be argued that it's not entirely representative and as such no real conclusions can be drawn from it.

Personally, I think that it's a ringing endorsement of the Fan's Consortium - whichever way you look at it, if 4,500 individuals voted or half a dozen people voted repeatedly it shows that there is a very significant amount of support for the consortium.

To deny such obvious facts is foolish, short-sighted and ignorant.

As for people not wearing orange - also irrelevent. The orange protest was well publicised for the game(s) before Christmas and it's entirely feasible that people simply think that the protest is over. I've been to the County Ground once since the Rovers game and I saw plenty of orange, not as much as previous games but I can't see why people who wore orange before would suddenly decide "oh, hang on, I love the board now".

Whether you wear orange or not does not categorically define which side you support, this isn't Nazi Germany and they're not the equivalent of the Star of David.

Even from afar I can see that support for the board is dwindling.

Was that intentional?  :D

As far as the Orange went yesterday, a decision was made to not promote it as talks are being held.  We are not trying to piss people off for the sake of it, there was a reason why the orange rev started and that was to get the board talking to the representatives of the Fans Consortium.

Having said that I was pleased to see the amount of orange in the ground yesterday.

I think a special mention should go to Dave Blackurrants nan. He's now the proud owner of a bright orange scarf she knitted for him especially for the Orange Revolution  :D

In my opinion ... the moment is passing ... if the talks come to nothing ... what then?  Fans are fickle .... some will stay away again by way of protest ... but most will continue to go, especially as for once we are having a better season ... I know of a few people who have started coming back again just because we are up for promotion.

Protests on match days? That will alienate many from the cause and leaves the door open for blame to be laid for any dip in form.

Probably not the best place to say this, but what is so wrong with relocating ? I've been lucky enough to live abroad for a few years and attend sporting occasions in the US. The stadia and facilities are so far in advance of any of the old decrepid stadia in the UK. Its lovely to go for a slash and not have to wade through piss, or queue for ages to go into a corrugated iron shed. Its nice to be covered and protected from rain, sleet and snow etc. Its just a nice experience as when the facilities get 'tired' then what happens ? A new stadium is built !

At the end of the day, as long as the relocation isn't major and the team name doesn't change then who cares !

NMH

You're taking the piss, surely.

 

Is Chippenham major relocation. Too fucking right it is. If I want to support a team in Chippenam I will go and watch the real Chippenham Town. Some people will go but fuck that. Might as well go and watch Reading or Cheltenham or anyone really. Cause they are also not Swindon Town.

Sorry NMH ... totally disagree with that one ..... Swindon is Swindon ..... Chippenham is Chippenham ..... end of!

Traditionally football in this country has always been territorial ..... America does not have anything like the same sense of tradition or heritage.

i agree with you Maverick. you only have to look at what an American "local derby" is to realise that. Chippenham is not Swindon and it's as simple as that

Bit like the Rams, they stayed just around the corner from their old patch - St Louis or LA, does it really matter?

To even contemplate it really goes against the whole ethos of football as it has developed in this country.  How can you set limits before the move is too far?  30 miles?  Well, you be contemplating moving Liverpool to Manchester with a few more strides, or how about Sunderland shifting on to Newcastle?  Portsmouth could try out Southampton for a bit.

Aside from that, what about the other clubs any move would impact?  Just because we are a bigger team than Chippenham, should we be allowed to effectively plant ourselves in amongst their town and supporter base?  Why couldn't Man Utd move down to Swindon and build a new super stadium for themselves (if we had the land to build on) so they could be closer to the major transport links?

On another thread NMH discusses getting back to what football was all about in the golden days, but then you talk about US stadiums (where we are headed BTW) and franchising being the way forward.

That is why I so hate the premiership and all it stands for Rob ... money, power and branding ..... the hell with the ordinary fan ..... oh and of course not forgetting Franchise .... I hated our season in the Premiership .... and it is so much worse now .... but I do envy Colchester ...  I would love to be back in the Championship .... at least until that completely sells out as well.

are u Mike Bawden?? a good majority of current fans would NOT go if Swindon relocated to Chippenham ... its a simple as that .. id rather start AFC Swindon if that happened

Chippenham is not right for STFC

-Our fanbase would become divided
-The name of the club would be a farse
-We would be intruding on Chippenham Town's patch

Ignoring the financial side, there is not a single positive - keeping the County Ground would be favourable to all

As it stands we DO need the money, and this board has quite clearly shown that it is not capable of sorting that out within the Borough. That is why they need to move on.

Maverick - recent history has shown us that the moment doesn't pass, it simply delays from time to time.  These boards are quiet at the moment, and rightly so.  We are waiting on the outcome of the meetings that we have been hoping for for months.  While these sensitive discussions take place, we as fans need to bide our time - and that is what is happening.

I think it helps to think back to the occasion when Paul Sturrock went on record to voice his support for the current board late last year.  For a couple of days, the takeover movement suffered something of a body blow.  We weren’t expecting that and I, for one, was depressed as hell.  But it didn’t kill the movement, because the dissatisfaction with the board (and the desire to work for a better future than they can offer the club) is deeply rooted.  The movement suffered a temporary winding, and then came back as strong as ever.

Similarly, if this is still going on in May and if (hopefully when) we get promoted, it will inevitably distract us temporarily from the politics.  (I hope it does, anyway.  We deserve something to cheer about.)  But the lull will be temporary.  After the euphoria dies, we will be one division higher and still facing the same long term issues.

More immediately, I am quite sure there will be another, probably bigger, show of dissent if the board try to block progress in the talks.  (There is little to suggest this is happening at the moment, so I remain hopeful.)  Diamandis is receiving less criticism at the moment because it seems he is now talking.  If that perception changes, so will the respite.

And if Chippenham begins to move up the agenda, there will be all out war!  The moment certainly has not passed.

Ardiles, I like what I have just read, good post sir.

I note with his customary even handedness Maverick fails to analyse the 3% in favour of Board vote.....which is clearly a rigged multi-voter.....there's no way 135 fans support the Board.

 I guess Maverick just couldn't find time to get any more in.

Oh come on Reg, I'm sure as most board supporters are honest, upstanding pillars of the community they wouldn't have voted more than once.  Only the dregs of society who support the consortium would resort to such dirty tactics.

:-))(

I can't believe people have got so little to do (on either side) than sit there and try and rig an Adver poll.  It's pretty clear that the consortuim have the majority so hopefully that will translate into action

I think NMH wants them to relocate to the other side of the pond.

'Soccer' is so highly regarded in the States and steeped with history and tradition that he may have a point though.

I voted about 10 times, then realised it was a bit silly so voted 9 times for no and unsure. Messes up the percentages a bit though.