New beginnings - 25% Truth, 80% Bollocks

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Fuck knows.

After a Q&A session we still really are none the wiser

[Mooneyraker]

Who do the British Government (!) think they are dealing with at the club...!?

[Quagmire]

He’s a compulsive liar, unfortunately.

[horlock07]

I'm not sure either, but surely if it's a positive thing - and on the face of it, it very well might be - then Clem/the club should be announcing it (he may have said on his interview but I don't think he did?) rather than people finding out in this way?

Clem has already had his wings clipped about doing things secretly, he probably wants to be careful to make sure stuff like this is announced first, with proper explanations, otherwise he's never going to be able to ride along Trust avenue again with fans.

Personally I think it could have been very positive PR for the club, had it been handled properly.

What do you actually get through an 'award' anyway, is it just a 'sponsor' and some work experience to make you eligible for a visa or does the sponsor actually pay for the course/accommodation or whatever? Looking on the website for awards from Pakistan nothing seems to show up like this anyway (admittedly it was a very cursory look and I know feck all about Visas etc).

Likewise the thing quoted suggests STFC are offering 'one award'? Is that just for one person?

I imagine their website bods are scratching their heads why there is suddenly so much interest in these scholarships from the Swindon area?

[Bob's Orange]

I hope these questions are rhetoric Horlock!!

[Leggett]

Forgive if a duplicate post, but just confirmation of what's been talked about - https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/23791190.companies-house-issued-strike-off-deadline-swindon-town-company/?ref=socialflow

oversight wheeled out as the excuse again. Maybe employ more than two people to do important jobs, and put football people in key positions, to stop this dumb shit biting us at every turn. Clem can say we're on his back and always moaning about stuff but when they fuck up the simple stuff repeatedly, how can it be a surprise?

[Bennett]

Would seebeck stuff be handled by STFC bods or by Clem's personal crew?
I'd guess it'd be the latter but would happily be corrected by those with knowledge as opposed to wild guessing

[Batch]

There are recent examples of clubs receiving punishment for this, which tends to include a suspended points deduction. 

Actually I couldn't find one that matched.

Peterborough for e.g. was a more serious charge, so based on that we should be fine rather than fined!

[horlock07]

Would seebeck stuff be handled by STFC bods or by Clem's personal crew?
I'd guess it'd be the latter but would happily be corrected by those with knowledge as opposed to wild guessing

As noted earlier I would expect it to be handled by Seebecks accountants whoever they are, now whether they have fucked up of the instructing party have fucked up is an unknown at this stage AFAIK.

The Adver are around 2 months behind the game here!

[RobertT]

What do you actually get through an 'award' anyway, is it just a 'sponsor' and some work experience to make you eligible for a visa or does the sponsor actually pay for the course/accommodation or whatever? Looking on the website for awards from Pakistan nothing seems to show up like this anyway (admittedly it was a very cursory look and I know feck all about Visas etc).

Likewise the thing quoted suggests STFC are offering 'one award'? Is that just for one person?

I imagine their website bods are scratching their heads why there is suddenly so much interest in these scholarships from the Swindon area?

Don't quote me on the funding element, for the actual "course", but as I understand it, that is likely a Govt deal with the scholarship company, so the individual doesn't pay for the course.  Whether or not STFC has to give anything towards it I do not know, my original understanding (which was for the football scholarships, which this may have morphed into) was that we had to Sponsor the course, like a company would need to sponsor an employee.  We may be on the hook for any admin/legal fees on this side of the world if that was so.

Now, in Pakistan, all bets are off - this is where Zav can make some dosh using the good name of STFC.  By using STFC as a Sponsor, and then getting the official seal of approval on the course being run by a Uni and backed by the Govt, he can tout Visa's in Pakistan.  He can use whatever qualifications he chooses to filter potential candidates - such as footballing talent or, much more likely, money.  If it's like other Visa's, there may be the benefit of this being a trojan horse style Visa, where you can bring trailing family.  Of course, every family member will need legal representation and consultancy fees and application fees in Pakistan etc.  (this is entirely legal and pretty common - it cost my company more than $30k in fees to get my family and me to the USA for example, under a very strict immigration process).  As I am now a Permanent Resident, I have pathways to getting more family here if I wished to pursue them, like going for Citizenship.  There are plenty of people in the industry willing to help me, for a fee.

This was a fairly obvious reason for creating a new club in Karachi, rather than using an actual one.

And again, everything listed above is entirely legal.  It's ethically dodgy, but hundreds of thousands of people are involved in such activity every day around the globe as people have a great desire to travel.

[ChalkyWhiteIsGod]

I do find some of the people that post comments on that Facebook page quite 'interesting'. (being extremely diplomatic with my language here)

After Clem's interview, which included the bit about the court cases and the fact we might face a fine - "Wow, Clem is fantastic, so honest and you really have to give him credit for coming out and explaining the situation - in Clem we trust etc etc"

The Adver then run with a story explaining we might face a fine as an outcome of the court cases and the share ownership etc - "fucking Adver, they are such shit-stirrers reporting this (the facts)"

They've been saying this is all dirty lies from "so called fans" for ages. You get thicker just reading their asinine comments.

[Batch]

I gave up on FB group

All I said was "I'll wait and see if what Clem says matches what happens in the future"...

Man they don't like people not believing everything up front directly after being found to have been somewhat secretive with the truth.

[tans]

I gave up on FB group

All I said was "I'll wait and see if what Clem says matches what happens in the future"...

Man they don't like people not believing everything up front directly after being found to have been somewhat secretive with the truth.

You got blocked Simon 🤣

[Jimmy HaveHave]

Only time will tell if Clem is the real deal but he let himself down by being secretive with the sale of shares and came across very unprofessional letting out odd swear word during his Q&A with Vic.

[Hyabb17]

We do love a statement

https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2023/september/a-message-from-clem-morfuni