Thetownend.com

 :crash:

I will be renewing this season. Not because the football is great or that I particularly like going, I have had the same seat for years with my Dad and I fear this may be his last season. So one last hurrah.

Me and Mrs Aud will probably renew. Going is what we do.

Not renewing- until ownership changes

Same as most seasons, pick and choose when Bob senior and I make the time to go. Only been 3 times this season which is the lowest since I lived in Scotland due to filling my Saturday's with other stuff. I still enjoy my trips when I get to the CG, but I just can't really be arsed much these days.

Fully aware this makes me a terrible fan, but I can live with that.

Of course I will renew.

I can't envisage a season without walking away from the Don Rogers Stand after an afternoon/ evening of probable dissapointment/rage interspersed (rareley) with joy/incredulity.

Not decided yet, if we move before August then I probably will, if not then not sure I will bother, will go back to picking & choosing the odd home game & go to the local away games

Will renew - have got my son into football and a ST the last few years so don't want to break that bond (despite the crap on the pitch)

Are you moving closer to SN1?

Have we announced matchday prices?

renewing because to be honest its bringing me and the youngest closer together. Looking forward to it - no.

Will renew as don't think i've missed a league game at home out of choice since about 9 years old and a long tradition of going with family and friends. Doesn't mean that I don't despise what's going on out there at the moment though.

There is nothing quite like abject failure and depression to bring people together.

Hopefully, back to the Devizes area if we can sell ours

Nice one, your trip to the CG will be infinitely easier!

Not renewing until the current bunch of crooks are gone, I work to hard to fund their lifestyle, Clem fooled me once not again. Will just do some away games.

Had the same seat since the DRS opened so a season ticket for almost 30 years, in fact next season would have been the 30th. But enough is enough, I won’t be renewing or putting in another single penny until this ownership is gone, it’s pretty clear the money won’t go for the betterment of the club and I’m not funding the lifestyle and extracurricular activities of convicted criminals.

Obviously means I won’t renew the other half’s either so that another down.

I go with my kid, this season is his last under-11 so would've been a 'Family 1' renewal next year, but as it stands I won't be renewing. Midweek games are a pain in the arse as I work early shifts, but have put up with mostly losing those as 'free' games... it's been a fight to get my lad to come the last few games, he's missed probably 5 or 6 games this season now. He's the only kid in his year with Swindon as his 'first' team, the club is gonna lose that core youth support. Sad to see.

My neighbour took his youngin on Saturday as the Kids club got freebie tickets..

Then we dish up that dross....same every time. He wasnt impressed!

Looking forward to getting a first Season Ticket with my son alongside friends in the Arkell's, but not until the summer of 2025 - hopefully a few big changes before then!

Hopefully the rebuild has legitimately started at that point and no more false dawns under Chris and Hollies babysitter, Michael Standings lawyer, Zav Austins mate down the pub or Adam Harts dogwalker.

I don't want to be confrontational, but genuinely want to discuss this.

The current regime is enough for you to stop buying a ST but Lee Power wasn't at any point? Personally i think Lee was far more of a crook and danger to this club than the current lot, despite the current lots faults.

Not renewing had enough of the stagnation and cost cutting under Morphony... Season Ticket since 2002 stopped at the end of Power era and within 3 years now in the same place again. I would strongly support any peaceful protest like in the Diamandis days, but fear the general apathy of fanbase will prevent this. Hope the new Trust board can change tact and call the current ownership to account and stop doing their bidding with the fanbase.

I know I am not the one being asked, but I would say that this lot are no worse or better than Power.  He seemed to have more mal intent, that is for sure, but he balanced it a bit with good football knowledge and contacts.  I am really not 100% sure of the intent of the current regime, but they bring incompetence at running a football club as a minimum.  The net/net seems about the same to me.  A risk you are spunking your money on someone's less than ethical venture but a sure fire banker that they will produce shit for you to watch.

Power = dodgy as fuck + knew football
Morfuni = dodgy as fuck + doesn't know football

Power = manipulator
Morfuni = being manipulated

This.

What you are saying, and what i think most believe, is ultimately on the pitch performance is all that matters.

We knew Power was a crook but it wasn't until he pulled the rug from under Wellens, and appointed Sheridan, that the fans got angry enough.

The lack of footballing success under Morfuni is really what spurs people to action, despite anger to how the club is being run.

The more shit we are on the pitch, the more everyone looks behind the scenes at anything and everything going on. Such as this seasons discourse over the font tiles used on the next opposition board, or the cleanliness of the Rolex clock.

Personally the chances are i will renew my season ticket. If i was convinced there were enough people that would take a stand with non-renewal that it would push Morfuni to sell, then i would likely join them. I doubt that its the case though. ST will be down, but it will not be enough to make a difference, and will be chalked up to the performance on the pitch, not a protest at ownership.

The more i think about the Morfuni era the more i believe its incompetence rather than intentional and i fear only goes one way without the fans support. I don't think going to non league and rebuilding is the way (as many stuck in non league prove). 

I sort of agree - I think there are plenty of people on here saying they will still renew despite their thoughts on the ownership.  I imagine we are already seeing the drift - those not turning up right now will probably struggle to renew.  Most of that will be performance, but what the ownership issue has done is made it easier to drift away.  Clem's arrival brought with it some great marketing/PR off the bat, helped by the Trust it must be said.  That in turn boosted season ticket numbers, the realisation it was a charade has essentially returned the club back to where it was under Power, with less football to convince you.  That combined impact could be an issue.

Nobody has manipulated Clem into all his dealings in Oz that were reported at the weekend.
Nobody manipulated him into not telling the FA about the transfer of shares.

Clem manipulated 1000s of fans into giving up their season ticket money a few years ago.

Saying he’s being manipulated lets him off the hook, he’s a wrongen the same as Power.

Yeah and its likely an issue for the next owner as well. The fans have been suckered before now. It will take quite something for the next owner to get that good will back again.

Agree.

Basically what others have said. Power was a crook but we at least acted like a football club and were competitive on the pitch and he had people who knew football working in the club and at no point did non league football feel likely. There was the possibility of some enjoyment on match days.

Under Morfuni we’ve got convicted criminals in plain sight, numerous EFL charges and in general the club is being ran like a part time outfit. There seems to be zero interest in actually being a football clubs. He’s also manipulated individuals and organisations to do his bidding and the sheer volume of lies has done it for me. There’s literally nothing to enjoy about the club. Shit off the pitch and shit on it. The fact we are tracking the Beamish line says everything.

Both Power and Morfuni could brothers by different mothers.
Peas in a pod I'm afraid 😨

It's definitely not boring off the field, I'm up for next season, can't be worse, can it?

Yes.

Not looking good for next season if the albeit small TEF sample set was extrapolated based on current numbers of ST holders & estimated pay on the day punters.

Matchday prices are out for those wishing to compare and contrast..

https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2024/march/202425-match-ticket-prices-confirmed-details/

You've probably got a bit of sample bias, does the forum represent the average fans? Probably not, certainly when you compare to what you hear in the stands where quite a few people are still blissful in believing in the bucket hat Messiah saving us and can't understand why people are critical of the ownership to here where we only have one or two pro-clem voices

Interesting that Proof of ID will be required for Student & disabled tickets and also for under 11, but not Over 65's

For those interested in how many free games you'll get

I just don't really get why they don't do this on a formula so that each age group gets broadly the same number of 'free' games, I know there's a bit of rounding needed, but between 3.62 - 10.86 is a wild range.

8.5 freebies for me, just under 7 for Mrs Audrey

I use Nationwide discounted tickets at £14. Will be interesting to see if that’s an option next season. I won’t be paying £24 for league 2 football.

Fucking freeloading scum.

I hadn't realised the kids get more free games - no wonder 99% of adults are doing a Jimmy Crankie on macthday's.

😁

Especially as 10 year olds are about a thousand times less likely to carry ID than a 66 year old

Surely you'd just need to register once at the start of the season to prove your age and then good to book your concession?

Knowing this mob, itll be aggresive spot checks on kids ID at the turnstiles  :doh:

Presume they’ll check matchday tickets not STs. It pissed me off no end when some goon asked to see my ticket pre turnstiles. I just flashed it and hurried on.

I'm very anti Clem and the current regime, but I can completely understand why they are clamping down on people taking advantage of reduced tickets (student, U21 etc)*.

Simply in my opinion, if you don't agree with the prices, or can't afford to pay the price for your age category, then don't go. Swindon Town Football Club isn't the only company who you'd expect to have to provide proof of age or proof of student status, so this one is fair in my book, again read below RE U11s. 

*U11s is stupid, what are you meant to do take a copy of your passport?

I don't think anyone thinks they shouldn't care about this stuff, by all means check at the point of selling ST,  but when they did spot checks their own Advisory Board notes suggested they found *20* people on the wrong kind of ticket. Its just... not a major issue.

It probably is a major issue for them though when every single penny is desperately needed.

Let's say worse case scenario, and calculate on adults in the side stands (£27) buying an under 18 ticket (£11), so a £16 loss per person doing that.

It takes 625 people to do that - or 27 per home match over the season - to even reach £10k, the amount the club was just fined for Clem not telling the FA he sold some shares.

In order to close the ~£1m funding gap the club seems to have you'd need there to be 2,700 people per match doing this!

There's no major harm in doing a bit (although I suspect you'd have to hire more stewards - increasing our costs) but these are such smaller numbers in the scale of the club's problems.

It's a PR stunt - anti PR.  Like politicians creating a them - someone to fear.  In this case, the club needs enemies to ensure the majority stay with them.  It's not us being shit at running a football club, or worse, crippling it for our ill gotten gains, no, it's THEM.  THEY are the ones holding us back.

The fans won't spend enough time to do the maths, and see it's a crock of shit.  It's this sort of claim that good local reporting would rip to shreds.

The same thing as the Merc and the Car Wash.  The latter of which should have had no material impact if we'd actually have let them use the bit of land to wash cars (assuming that was the true aim of the enterprise, I suspect it wasn't).  We decided to create a legal battle, because it creates another THEM.

I could go as far as to ask, why did the club decide to rip up the catering contract, only a few years before it was due to expire naturally?  They were clearly in breach of contract and were taking on a proper corporate entity, not some backwater crew.  Best case scenario we have to settle and pay on that one (which I think is still listed as taking up a winding-up order?).  It all reeks a bit of needing CASH now, rather than long term stability.  Yes, doing it in-house may be the long term option, so plan for it when the contract expires or begin exit discussions to see what termination fees may be possible.  Nope, we locked them out and sold some pies.  That is not a good business decision, not that I can see.

It all tastes and smells like a scam.  I'm not saying I think illegal stuff, just knowing what you have and how you can use it.  the Axis story unravelling seems to tilt me towards this - Clem is not stupid, or someone helping him out isn't.  The kind of actions taken are done on purpose, even if they seem stupid at times.  The bigger picture of the football club may well be meandering because of incompetent football stewardship, but the financial side seems like it's because of purposeful actions.

The longer this goes on the more convinced I am we should have cardboard cut outs in the seats. Nobody would notice the difference.
Ignorance is bliss......apparently.

I agree but honestly i have seen first hand how tight they are. If they even think for one moment someone is pulling a fast one they will want to make sure they don't. It may be 10k but i suppose that could fix the shop boarding or wash the clock

Sad thing is some believe it. A poster on here even said people watching at home need to stop taking the piss.

Drop in the fucking ocean compared to what is going on and i'll fucking say it. Crook shit.

Some good natured person washed the clock today I believe.

Edit - sorry just saw it on another thread. Clean as a whistle

These fellas

Why are their vans so dirty?…..

Because they are too busy volunteering washing clocks, and jet washing kittens from trees. That kind of thing.

Thanks for the clarification!

If only the CG had a car wash they could have used while onsite.

Its simple to fix the issue of people getting on under age tickets - design them so that it states (in big enough text) the category and ensure that either A) everyone knows that stewards will do random spot checks or B) have it flash on the turnstiles Child / U18 or adult.

I'd like to know the category's other club have, if it is that much of a problem other clubs must get the same issue.

i thought that it currently flashed a different colour light if using a concession. used to a few years ago anyway

Other clubs: checks at point of sale and monitor turnstile to politely question anyone suspicious. People will still try it and most will be successful, not much you can do to stop it.

STFC: make a big fuss out of a minor problem and blame the fans, do nothing to actually stop it other than tell Stewards to spot check aggressively.

I think you are correct, however only works when the turnstiles are actually working

Imagine if this lot were around back in the day when kids would be shoved over the turnstile.

You may have missed my post regarding the original installation of the ‘new’ turnstiles and software maintenance contracts that I bet the club don’t have.

I’m guessing photo ID is too complicated :D

Yes it does - Season Tickets flash up “Free loading bastard”

On this mini poll only 60% of season ticket holders will renew next season. 5k down to 3k if the poll is consistent.

Disappointing really, just shows to many fans are quite happy to give over their hard earned cash to Clem and Co whilst the club continues to be screwed over.

I'd say we are a more cynical/critical bunch on here too. So real world would be more renewals.

Heck, I'm renewing and I'm not apologising. But that should NEVER be seen as being happy to be screwed over.

Nor should you, people should be able to make their choices based on their own personal situation, and neither group should criticise the other.  I just hope the general bad feeling towards the ownership continues to grow and both groups are able to show a united front when the opportunity arises, if it ever does.

well said Berni

Have we had an update yet on season ticket purchases for next season?

Hahaha

Absodamnlutely

CEO has revealed that we had sold 5000 and someone will get a trip to Aus and visit Clem's house and then return and be appointed manager - I wonder if Gav has bought a ST

Saw a rumour that we've only sold 1,300 as of last week. No idea if that's true or just twitter talk though

It came from bathford on here!

That sounds a bit light to me!

I thought the advisory board meeting a few weeks ago said less than 1k? 1,300 to date sounds about right to me. Regardless I estimate season ticket sales will be half of last season.

Based on those numbers, you wonder if the JV will even be paid this month given how much clubs rely on season ticket sales in the off season and how the clubs struggled with cash flow already recently.