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Radio made reference to rumours regarding changes in the boardroom- anyone know what these are?

NO, not yet :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Yes, the whole boardroom are resigning after todays debacle. Andy King is coming in with a consortium led by Roy Evans and Neil Ruddock.

Wise is off to Leeds, Poyet back to Uruguay and Steve Bleasdale is being brought in as manager.




















 :soapy tit wank:

It was a fair question , the presenters on radio Swindon all made reference to it

You're Oxf*rd apparently son...

We don't know yet but I imagine it has something to do with Carson's position, if it was a genuine question.

Apparantly the radio also said that there was a split in the boardroom: Devlin and Power against SSW and his lot. Unhealthy and needs sorting ASAP

Power needs to get the cash out then and buy them out.

With respect to STFC_Bart - they yapped on about it on the radio.

Its something to do with Mr Someone who is the club's administrator - apparently they are leaving the club soon - announcement shortly.

Anyone know what this means?

Also the radio said that the board are split into 2 camps: Devlin and Power and SSW and his chronies.

Worst case sceanrio- Power is forced out and we are stuck with those idiots that got us back into division 4, can see a lot of unrest if that happens

hopefully it i a storm in a teacup

Nope Devlin and SSW get on alright - Devlin was brought in pre-Power, so he's wanted by the old powers as well as the new.
I can understand SSW and Power not seeing eye-to-eye, but its not an issue.

Well something is kicking off

Lets hope Power aint on his way- SSW cannot do it own his own and i fear we will be back to last seasons shambles quickly

Sorry, didn't mean to put the  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: in my post above.

Just as all seemed well off the field we do what we do best. grrr.,

hmmm just when everything was going so well  :cry:

does sound very fishy.

And what noise does a fish make with no eyes Johno?

fshhhhhhhhhhh   :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

I'm the next Les Dennis I tell you

Thats put alot of pressure on you now. im expecting big things.

not good! tbh i hope Carson fucks off! i really do!

Wasn't there talk about Bill Power bringing some more investors, into the club? Or something like that anyway, when he came here.

i hope so! we need more investment! before Power came we only had the Wills family (not to say that they didn't do much because they did) but we need to move on. if we are to progress we need more investment into players and management staff. we have seen that from Power

God i just hope Power and Devlin aint on their way.

We will be left with dopey Sandy Gray as CE, Carson still chairman and no investment in other words back to square one again.

Its obvious SSW has not got the money to do it on his own- whoever comes in with money is going to want a big say

yes but the whole point in having Bill Power here in the first place was to support SSW. Power probably has big ambitions for this club and getting new investors may not have gone down well with SSW and co. but for me it's the only way forward

Totally agree Rich. But i just hope that it aint gonna be Power and Devlin we lose- that would be disaster because the others have proved they did not have a clue how to go out and get investors- they had long enough to do so and failed

the club must realise that in letting devlin and power leaving the club will be p.r suicide.

just can't see it happening

Yeah Power and Devlin are on their way. They told me this yesterday.

Sorry to bring doom and gloom to the club but it's true...

They will not care- they are incompetents of the highest order, they needed help- they have got it- now they willnot let go. They have no idea how to run a football club either,quite frankly with Sandy Gray as CEO it was a total embarassment

Look what they done to us last season- i for one am not prepared to stand by and let them do that again. They have not got the investment to manage on their own anyway, if they can get othe rinvestors to match Powers offer then so be it, but i doubt they will. They did a pretty shit job about gettig investors pre Devlin coming back. What happened to those with more money than you can shake a stick at?

If Power and Devlin do go we can wave goodbye to Dennis Wise/Poyet and probably to any chance of promotion.

Go Bart. Please tell us how you plan to stop all of this and we will help you.

We don't want to stand idley by either...

Simon Pieman are you serious

Yes our club has been thorugh enough shit we don't need any more. If you're plannign petitions/protests let me know and I'll be there...

Simon did Devlin/Power actually tell you that they were off then

 :fishing:

They said they were seriously considering it. Well they said that yesterday. I think we need to take drastic action. It's clear the stadium won't get re-developed either, unless these two stick around for the long haul.

Basically withouth them we are fucked and the no hopers get their own way again

Cannot see the fan base buying into this- think we should force them to hand the club over

This is apparently what is going on behind the scenes, have heard this from several people today, just wanted to tell people that this is possibly the explanation:-

The club is in turmoil, i have heard several things today that i think might be true.

Apparently Bill Power wants full control of the club and obviously Devlin is siding with Power, however the Wills family and a couple of others are against this hence the falling out and split between the board, it looks like it could end up with Power and Devlin leaving the club and our club will be in turmoil as we will have no investment and we will be back to square one with Willie Carson and Sandy Gray running the show.

I have also heard something else today that worries me greatly, the players are unhappy because of Paul Ince, they are unhappy because he has come in on a £4,000-£5,000 a week wage and he basically walks straight into the team even though he is clearly very unfit.

Alot of people feel that someone who is almost 39 and has missed pre-season training will not be able to reach the required fitness level.

I think that signing Ince was a bad mistake, Lambert would have been a better signing Ince is a waste of money, he's too old and past his best now, and their seems to be problems within the squar because of him as well.

Things do not look good at all, the club could fall apart and to make things worse maybe Wise will go as well, all this would damage our club severely and we will probably fall further down the league.

All of our optimism for this season could soon disappear, we could end up back in the bad times with no money and a crap board and crap manager.

I hope the board can sort things out and settle their differences otherwise i fear the worst, with Power and Devlin gone, Wise would probably go and all the fans would disappear and we would end up in the conference in a year or two, i fear the worst but hopefully things will get sorted.

Also dont want the club we love run by those clowns again- i supposed Sandy baby will be CEO as well again to add insult to injury!!!!

Coupled with the fact of no busines nouse and lack of footie knowledge and finance to take us forward

Jesus christ rockincockinrobin I hope you are on a windon up and/or wrong.

my god are you fucking for real?

i missed the interview on the radio, but i have heard that linda birrell - the club secretary - has been made redundant.

don't mean to sound insensitive, but wont ssw "move on" soon. wouldn't that leave the way clearfor power and co. or would his ownership be given directly to his next of kin.

I am in no way winding anyone up, i am a hardcore supporter of this football club and i really hope that things are not as bad as this and i hope the board can settle their differences and put everything behind them so we can concentrate on getting promoted this season.

You are right sonic youth Linda Birrell has left the club but it seems this is just one of many things that is going on, that is minor compared to other things.

I hope things are not as bad as they seem, sort it out board otherwise you will destroy this football club.

Swindon town dave, i think that if Sir Seton "passed on" then his son James wills would take over, the best thing Sir Seton could do is hand over control to Bill Power, then the club would be moving forward and not backwards, if Power leaves and Devlin goes as well this club will be moving rapidly backwards as Wise could end up leaving as well and taking Poyet with him and the fans would not bother coming anymore we would be stuck with 2,000-3,000 attendances every home game and we would lose even more money and probably go bust.

I am not a scaremonger, i am just passing on information that i have heard from a few people today, i am not saying in anyway that this is 100% true, there is obviously a big problem with the board no doubt about it and i really hope that get things sorted, as for the ince thing it could be true then again it might not be, i have never said that is is definitley true i am just passing on what i have heard.

I have been very optimistic this season and have been to most games including all the away games and i really hope that this club does not return to the dark old days.

So is your source someone who may know, or someone who knows someone who....well you know..

Apparently one of their friends knows someone who works for the club, it could be aload of crap but with this football club i wouldnt rule anything out, bad things always seem to happen to us, things are looking quite good this season let's just hope nothing major goes wrong, we could get into the championship within 3-4 years providing we have the backing and Wise stays.

If Devlin and Power go we will be heading to conference south

It is time the Wills family handed their majority shareholding over

that's precisely the sort of utter bullshit i'd expect you to spout, you stupid cunt.

WE'RE SECOND IN THE LEAGUE.

Devlin and Power are not going anywhere. That's not a fact, but i can't see it happening. Plus they are still recovering from their injuries and would not be in any fit state to return to the club and start a riot with other board members.
Even if they were to go, it wouldnt mean we would be relegated!? They wouldn't be taking the players with them too!

yes but it would mean no more money, probably the end of Wise and Poyet and 3500 gates

That is not what i cal progress. It appears it is high time the Wills family handed the club over for good it isnot before time

I had a wank this morning, and it probably had more substance than this debate.

Have a word with yourselves.

Probably less wankers involved as well.

It makes me laugh how 'everyone' has knowledge of STFC and businesses/boards. Basically I could make up a rumour and pass it on to a few mates and it would have as much worth as this rumour.

Perhaps if people had a clue about the structure of the board I would take them seriously; the simple fact is they sput shite like 'Power will leave the board' when they clearly do not know the structure of the board or the goings on in the club.

totally agree Si. how can we possibly believe any of this just yet anyway. "my mate who knows someone who works for the club" yeah good source there  :-))(

Mikey the greek out!

U can bet your bottom dollar Diamandis is behind all this. The sooner we getdetached from Newbury the better

agreed, although linda birrell has definitely left the club.

people are just making a mountain out of a molehill.

Exactly my point Sonic.

Club secretary leaves = split between Devlin/Power and SSW/Newbuy = Devlin/Power leaving = Wise and Poyet leaving = STFC tumbling down the leagues etc, etc....

New bury need to get out of the club, what have they ever done?

Wise/Devlin and Power come as a package, ifthe latter 2 go so will Wise.

Still never mind Andy King is out of work- some on here would call that progress

the russians are comming 500 billion takeover

there gunna leave wille carson as figerhead

but i heard they might be drafting in a new tea lady

but its only a rumor

 :wanker:

We're  floghorse with STFC_Bart around - 100 posts of total negativity. Someone send him a fucking sharp knife and instructions on what to do with it so the rest of us can just get on with it.

Have a great day  :wink:

The club secretary, this Linda lady, has left - due to a cost cutting exercise.  And that, my friends, is a FACT.  Shame as she wasn't on that much anyway!

Simple question, but you have to ask why an essential member like a club secretary who'll be on no more than £35-40k leaves to pay 8 weeks of Ince's wages...

I tend to push the panic buttons as soon as STFC and Board Room are put together in a sentance. So maybe it is a mountain out of a molehill.

But it is still valid to wonder/speculate why somebody who may not be on that much has been axed as part of cost cutting. I don't think we are anything like financially sound, but I did think we were OK for this season.

"cost cutting exercise?" Surely we have a wealthy investor, the club had the money to bring in Ince and the gates are significantly ahead of budget.

A club secretary plays a vital admin role, so all in all I don't buy it.

100%, that is what has been communicated internally, that is was a costcutting exercise.

I thought exactly what you said there, I thought we had enough money to get by now?

Moonie, try halving that salary and you'll be close.

...but then saying all that, its clearly not a cost-cutting excercise but down to the apparent split.

My understanding of the board dynamics is this:

Wills SW & J/Holt/------advised by Diamandis because he's in the country more than 20 days of the year unlike SSW - Diamandis runs Dunwoody which = Gray, Devlin/James Spencer (?)------Devlin brought in power (old QPR contact) who previously had no other contact with those already at the club.

That has 'apparently' shifted into a Devlin/Power vs. The Rest, who sadly hold the shares and the power (no pun intended)

For what its worth, if you're reading Mark, you've got my backing. Wills has done a fantastic job but every tenure comes to a natural end

please hang on in there with us.

Just read this in the WDP:

Asked if he was concerned about his own position, Devlin said: "Nobody from the club has spoken directly to me about that, but things in football are always changing and nothing surprises me."

Doesn't look good.

Agreed Moonraker - I believe the sentence preceeding that states something about asking Holt if Devlin's position was safe / under threat and he refused to answer it!!

All in all I'm a little concerned but until we know more there's not much we can do other than cheer on the lads at Notts next Saturday!!  :D

For what they've done so far, Mark and Bill deserve a crack of the whip. SSW has kept us afloat, and no Town fan will begrudge that, but that is all he has done. He's said he won't invest any further so its time to move aside. I for one will be seething if he manages to drive Mark and Bill away.

So what the heck has gone on? In the WDP Holt talks about 'overspend' on the budget yet James Wills bankrolled the Ince transfter. I'm confused?

To get rid of Devlin would be suicide. Lets hope this is BS and we aer not left with Sandy G running things again :roll:

http://www.westpress.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145787&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145780&contentPK=15453275&folderPk=69656&pNodeId=145803

We will ALL be seething if they drive Mark and Bill away.

And yes, we will likely be back with Sandy running the show with Mr D- absolute disaster. Can you see Wise hanging around in that case- i cant

I can't really comment on this one (as much as I would like to) as I used to work for Mike D, Mark D, Bob Holrt and co - but I am really, really concerned by what is happening. OK so STFC Bart may have over done it by saying we'd get relegated to "conference south", but if Mark D and Bill P left - I would be very, very concerned - and yes I do understand the "structure of the board/club" before you slaughter me as well sussex red and pieman!

As for Ince, I've interviewed three players since he joined us and I don't see the rumoured split in the camp. I'd be worried about his lack of fitness - but from what I can gather the players love him.

And Linda Birrell? Can't really see how she could be cut as part of a cost-cutting exercise (where is Bill Power's money?)  - I think there is more to it - but what I will say is she will be sorely missed. She was one of the most important people at STFC and she will be hard to replace.

All I hope is that whatever is happening, and I'm told we're supposed to expect an announcement this week of some sort, that it wasn't the reason for the shocking performance Saturday.

This week.

If they're so sure they'll be an announcement then we should at least be put in the picture now.

I thought was all behind us

Nigh on impossible I'd have thought (OK, that may be an exaggeration, but not much). I don't think some people understand quite how crucial the role of football secretary is, how complex it is these days, having to be aware of all the League regs etc and that there's no handbook for it - if Linda's gone, I'd be extremely concerned whether there's anyone else at the club who actually could do her job, simply because if she's gone without proper handover, a newbie just wouldn't know what it would entail. And if it isn't done properly, that's where we start falling foul of League regs, which is one whole minefield of fines, player embargoes, points deductions and all the rest.

there gunna have somone in india doing her job for 12p an hour with no bathroom breaks.

agree with the sentiments about linda, the title "club secretary" doesn't do her justice at all.

regarding the supposed split, has everyone forgotten that when wise came in he said to the press that he was bought here by "a nice man called mike"? perhaps he's not the devil everyone thinks he is.

for all the priase power gets, what do we know he's done yet? he promised to put money into the club, but has he? unless my memory fails me - which is quite likely - i can't recall anything about him making this injection of money.

one thing is definite though, this is all serious cloak & dagger shit and none of us really have a fucking clue what's going on.

which is very worrying  :?

there is all sorts of conspiracy shit going on thisis.

If you believe half of what is written on there then there are direct conversations between Mark D, whatshisface Dunwoody, Mike diamandis, the Pope and Osama bin Laden :wink:  :D

"And Linda Birrell? Can't really see how she could be cut as part of a cost-cutting exercise (where is Bill Power's money?) - I think there is more to it - but what I will say is she will be sorely missed. She was one of the most important people at STFC and she will be hard to replace. "

Can I just point out that the cost cutting "excuse" was the official line given to other employees of the club, in relation to her departure.

If Power and Devlin were to go .. Id be asking for a refund on my season ticket ... they have turned it around here with the input of cash .. good PR and organistaional skills .. and also got Wise and Poyet in .. although I appreciate what the Wills have done to keep the club afloat in the past we must look forward now .. if they cant do that then they shouldnt moan about the club making no money and going down and them ending up with nothing .. Wills needs to cut his losses and take what is offered for his shares.  Bascially I think its the end of STFC if Devlin and Power are cut off.

So regarding Linda's depature....... is it not possible she had a falling out with Mr Wise?

Fuck it, I'm starting my own rumour here

obviously shes had a run in with someone ..

So why would you want to return your season ticket if 2 board members left fatbury? I wouldnt be best pleased about it, but that seems miles over the top to me.

In fact , that reminds me of your imfamous "Fallon has left, the end of the world is nigh" posting that SY rightfully banned you for

You didnt pay £300 to watch 2 overweight middle aged men play 23 times a year did you?

i thought he put £1m, which while small fry compared to the Wills, had an impact.

On Mike D and the Newburygate conspiracy - 1. Mike D was instramental in bringing in Wise.  2. If there is a boardroom split I doubt it has anything to do with underhand dealings.

None the less something odd and worrying is going on.

I think it's no coincidence that the news registered user is D-Smith, from America! Read into that what you will.. eh

Mike D was not instrumental in bringing in Wise. If it wasnt for Power Wise would not be here. End of story. Mike D was promoted in the media just for spin purposes

I was thinking the same thing sussex.  :|

The plot thickens...................... :mrgreen:



Were you there in the negotiation meetings then?

Why would Dennis Wise lie to make diamandis popular? Wise has nothing to gain from it.

Talking of spin, is there anything that could happen that YOU wouldnt spin into Dunwoody / Diamandis critisism?

I'm willing to be wrong. Please tell me how you know this Bart...

why would wise say it then?

drug money

Think he paid off Kings contract for a start and cleard the money owed to inland revenue.

Dunno whats going on behind the scenes, and to be honest only heard something mentioned in the pub last night. But I would be extremely concerned if whatever is going on leads to either Devlin and/or Power leaving. The Board would really be shooting themselves in the foot.

I reckon something bad is going on but i really hope that i am wrong, i wouldn't be surprised to see Devlin and Power leave the club, nothing surprises me with this board, something always goes wrong for this football club, the board would definitley be making a very bad mistake if Power and Devlin left, alot of fans would probably stop going to games and i'm not sure if Wise would stay.

I heard they're getting a new table and chairs.

 8)

In all fairness, who ever believes anything that Ed Hadwin says anyway?

Well..He knows a hell of a lot more than any of us do.

Nope I know more than him.

I hope nothing bad is going to happen, however i think something major is going in behind the scenes and i would not be surprised if Devlin and Power end up leaving the club, the board need to do the sensible thing.

I would rather Holt/Carson/Gray/Diamandis/Wills Family walk away, it would be much better if Power bought them out and kept Devlin at the club and brought in some of his own people.

The club are going to go backwards very quickly if Devlin and Power leave because having them idiots run the club again is not going to do us any favours at all and we will be back to square one again.

What is it with this board? why can't they just walk away and sell up?

If anyone should be sacked it should be that useless Sandy Gray and Carson and Holt should join her.

Mark Devlin is a good man and the supporters love him and he is very open, he is the best man on the board and no-one would want him to leave, Power paid off king and has pumped some money into the club, fair play to the man.

All this rubbish in the paper today regarding cost cutting exercises is aload of crap to be honest, the attendances are well up on last season and we got the money from the O'Hanlon transfer plus Power has put money into the club.

I think Bob Holt is lying totally and what he said today is a load of rubbish, it is obvious that Mark Devlin's position is under threat otherwise he wouldnt have said "I cannot comment on his position" he would have said straight out that he is going nowhere, there is a lot more going on than what he is saying i think to be honest.

I hope that if Devlin and Power are forced out of the club that the supporters organise a major protest against the board and give them alot of grief because they will be responsible for ruining this club if them two leave, the supporters should not stand for it.

Attendances would go down to around 3,000 i'm sure, no one is going to pay money to watch this team when we are being run by a bunch of idiots again.

It wouldn't surprise me to see Wise leave either if them two went but i just hope none of this happens.

They could afford to sign Ince on high wages so they cannot be that poor otherwise he would not have signed, the truth of the matter is something bigger is going on and Holt is not letting on.

We should demand an explanation now, no good coming out with an announcement at the end of the week, us fans deserve to know what is going on and it could affect the team if the announcement comes out thursday or friday.

I am hoping that because this meeting is going on today that there is an announcement tomorrow, it's really not a good idea to announce it thursday or friday.

I would back Power and Devlin all the way rather than the other idiots and i hope they come out on top but somehow i doubt it.

I'm sure we would all love to see Power buy the club and oust all the other idiots but what are the chances of that happening?

Like i said before us fans need to do something if Power and Devlin are forced out we cannot allow them to get away with it.

We are on the verge of big things this season and those idiots on the board could ruin it for us.

I demand the idiots to let us fans know what is going on and fast!!!

Leave it Son...just leave it!

We'd all love to know whats going on behind the scenes, but we don't do we? Speculation of this nature surely helps no one. It all smells a bit fishy I admit, but until we know more, we're just going to have to sit tight and hope that those involved see sense and reach an amicable solution, end of.

Most sensible post of the day len.

Thanks Bushey. Some fans seem to want the worst to happen. Really rather annoying.

I dont want the worst thing to happen, i love this club 110% and i have been to every away game this season, i want Power and Devlin to stay end of story, i'm not worried about the other idiots on the board.

I want this club settled and back in league one next season, i'm just saying things don't look good and the fans will go mad if Power and Devlin leave, no doubt about it.

You shouldnt judge and doubt people who you dont know, i have been to most Swindon games since i was 5 years old and have follwed them throught thick and thin, I would do anything for STFC, i want the best for the club and the fans, i don't want all this crap going on in the boardroom and neither does anyone else, we all want Power and Devlin to stay, we want to get our ground redeveloped and be in the championship within a few years, STFC means the world to me so you should not think that i want the worst to happen because you are very very wrong.

At the end of the day if the worst were to happen and devlin and power did end up leaving then the fans need to get together and oust the idiots and take control of this club and run it properly, we wont allow idiots like carson and sandy gray destroy this club, no way!!

My Nan witters on less than you

I'm just getting my side of the story across, people seem to think that i want bad things to happen but that is in no way true i'm a loyal swindon supporter and i'm just fearing bad things are going to happen, why does that make me full of crap and wanting bad things to happen to the club?

Article on the Beeb, sorry if it's been posted can't be bothered to sift through the silt and all...


 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2006/09/18/stfc_180906_feature.shtml

Sounds like Power needs to get the cheque book out

Very speculative without much meat on the bone but it does look that the problem appears to be a rift between Mark and Bill and the rest of the board possibly stemming from the Ince deal.

It seems the statement in the adver and story in the WDP must have come about from the possibility of Bill taking over from Sir Seton Wills.

Good news is that it sounds like the bridges aren’t burnt beyond repair and we’ll hopefully have nothing but the storm in a tea cup but it really doesn’t sound too healthy at the moment reading between the lines.

From where we stand at the moment does anyone actually know what’s behind Bill’s investment and was he given a shareholding in return for the money he’s invested so far?  

The fact that nothing has gone public so far is good news in some respects and optimistically that things haven’t gone past the state of repair.  If we do head for a takeover then with any luck it will be on goods terms and without any hostility

Power must surely have got some shares for his million quid.

If not I'd think he was a bit mental. but the good kind of mental :)

Bill Power IN, Mark Devlin IN

Bob Holt OUT, Sandy Gray OUT, Wills Family OUT, Willie Carson OUT, Mike Diamandis OUT.

I'm sure everyone would agree.

Bill Power to take over the club (i hope)  :D

I dont know enough about this, but would like to say two words:

Terry Brady

NMH

I for one would not like to see the Wills family gone.  Fair enough maybe take more of a back seat but after all they have done for this club, especially in these recent dark days, to say you would like to see them gone is a little out of order, in my opinion.

Without that family we would have gone under a long time ago.  Having said that I would love to see Bill P as chairman and guide us up the league where we would all love to see us compete.

I think all of us are a tad worried about the situation and can see groundhog day materialising again.  In my opinion the Wills family have been legendary in keeping us alive as a club and I for one as a supporter will be forever grateful to them and Mike D for the job he has done under heavy criticism behind the scenes but I do feel now is the time for them to pass the reigns to Bill Power, the Wills family have taken us as far as they can and with Bills finance and passion for football and Mark Devlins financial knowhow we have 2 guys who can take us to the next level.  Best agreement for all would be that the Wills family get a good pay off still keeping some shares and Bill & Mark take over, everyone happy  8)

But that should not mean that the Wills family should be forced out of the club they obviously care so much about.  Yes hand the reigns to Power, but they can still be a part of the club.

No one disputes what the Wills family have done for the club, however their ability to allow their club to be run by people (dunwoody) with another agenda has to be held in question.

I for one will not be giving the cllub any more money ift he worst does materialise-

well glad we've got that sorted then

Perhaps I've got completely the wrong end of the stick, but...

If that article is to believed then I'd have to say good on the Wills family. It seems entirely sensible to me that decisions on outgoings should be agreed on by a majority of the board. Surely that is what they're there for.

Also, given what has happened over the past few years (particularly the era of the previous much heralded big name manager + overweight has-been combo) it might be sensible to err on the side of caution as far as Swindon Town are concerned.

If new parties want to increase the spending, then it does not seem unreasonable to expect them to cover them themselves, or to have some sort of viable business plan to cover these outgoings.

I don't know the details of the situation, but given the limited information available, that would seem to be a fair summary of the situation.

From what I've seen of what Mark Devlin posts on this site, he seems a decent, level-headed chap. Certainly not the sort to agree to silly amounts of money being spent that are going to get the club into trouble in the short or long term.

One just hopes that this is all the result of a misunderstanding, and that it can be sorted out with a bit of sensible discussion.

So Bart, what is the dunwoody agenda?

Adver update.....


There’s no infighting’
By Craig Lyus
 
Bob Holt
OVER-BUDGET Town have been forced to make redundancies but Bob Holt insists there is no boardroom power struggle at the County Ground.

Long-serving secretary Linda Birrell has been told there is no longer a job for her as the club look to make cutbacks off the field rather than on.

While Bill Power and Mark Devlin continue their recovery from last month's plane crash, the remaining board members held a management meeting' yesterday to address several issues including spiralling wages.

No contact has been made with Power since the accident on the opening day of the season but Holt maintains there is no infighting' between himself, the Wills family and the two recuperating former QPR men.

continued...
He said: "In business people rub each other up the wrong way sometimes - that's just human nature, it's the same in any marriage.

"But there is nothing to suggest there is any power struggle because we haven't spoken since the accident and I can't contact them.

"The only meeting we've had with Bill was before his accident. How can there be a rift if we haven't had the chance to speak to him?

"Since then all we've had is an email from a family member saying he is too ill to return to work - which is fair enough because it's no small thing to fall out of the sky.

"The problem we have now is that we are over-budgeting in all areas.

"I'm writing to Mark Devlin to ask him when he expects to be back at work to address the situation.

"If Bill comes back and says I'm going to fund the club' we'll step back and say fine. But at the moment he's not there."

A bone of contention that has fuelled rumours of disharmony is the signing of Paul Ince.

Holt is concerned that the deal has stretched finances to the limit.

"I was slightly alarmed at Paul Ince signing," he said.

"That put us well over the 60 per cent wage cap and we've had to negotiate with the Football League about that and we needed a big donation from James Wills.

"Again if Bill Power is willing to cover those costs then fine.

"But we have had to make a redundancy to a person at the club.

"She has been a stalwart for six or seven years now and it's sad because Linda is a friend.

"But we're not a Championship club. We're a League Two club with aspirations to go higher and we need to cut our cloth accordingly.

"We must focus on the playing budget and that means we have to make cutbacks elsewhere. It's the same as any other business."

Holt also reaffirmed that no approach has been made to invest in the club by an outside party but any serious offer would be considered.

"We have not been approached officially or unofficially by anyone looking to invest in the club," he said.

"If someone came along with an offer that can be substantiated, then the board would be duty bound to put that offer to the shareholders with the appropriate recommendations. But that hasn't happened."

Holt also denied speculation that Dennis Wise is set to take over as manager at Leeds United - to the best of his knowledge anyway.

"There has been no approach for Dennis as far as I'm concerned. At least I hope not."

Completely agree with el duque....this is only blowing up out of proportion, but the reality is that for the good of the club we are erring on the side of caution.

Financial matters in business are never straight forward, but the summary above wraps it up pretty nicely, the events of the last few months will not have bankrupt us, but with the focus being shifted to more on the team (spending i mean) then we have to compensate unless we get further investment......so for the good of the club, its more money from those spending it, or paycuts and redundancies in areas we can cover.

Its not as bad as people make out......in fact i'm encouraged by the way that we are getting some (if only) details of whats going on and I am sure we will get more shortly.

Similar noises from the WDP with MD's side...

http://www.westpress.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=150309&command=displayContent&sourceNode=150308&contentPK=15462546

:nod:  What Jan said.

really sorry but i haven't read the rest of the posts to see if this topic has come up.

but reading the adver today it shows again poor management that the club has over budgeted again! has the club not learn't anything from the past.

Im all for bringing in players like ince to try and boost fan morale and fan base. but does the club need to make further cuts across the club to do it, after all before ince the team was on a great unbeaten run and the playing squad looked good enough to challenge for the league.

the club cant afford many more mistakes surely? and this looks like another blunder to me.

So, to summarise,

Devlin says he consulted Wills Jr and Power over Ince and all was well.
Holt says he didn't do it by the book and now we are over budget and some board members are pissed off.

i

or Devlin started negotiations and checked if it was ok in principle.  Devlin goes off sick and Holt being the useless waste of space he is concludes the negotiations despite note thinking it stacks up, then blames Devlin for the deal despite the fact he could have pulled out if need be.

To be fair Rob, I don't think Holt has been involved in any of this other than having been dragged out in the past couple of days to act as spokesman and "front-end" a mess that others have created. Although I am starting to regard Bob Holt as kind of a cross between Kate Adie and the fifth horseman of the Apocalypse - when Bob turns up, you really know we're in the s**t

I read what bob holt said as "Please come back mark, nobody knows what they're doing". Maybe mixed in a bit of caution from the wills family; they can see spending going up and wouldn't want to be left picking up the pieces again if the power thing went brady-esque.

Yep, don't think Bob has a day-to-day interest in the club. Maybe he has been more active since the crash in providing cover?

As Paul says, we only ever see him when something is going down. usually something bad.

Fear the reaper.
---------

FB: I read it as "please come back Mark and clear up your fucking mess".

I think I am way too cynical in things STFC. Everything will be alright *LALALALALA I can't hear you"

thankfully, I'm starting to think this is all a bit of a storm in a teacup

Wills has the hump becasue he had to foot the bill for the Ince transfer, due to Power being out of action seems to be the jist of it.

brief statement here from Ben whats-his-face

http://www.thisisstfc.co.uk/Forum_New/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=30545&whichpage=2

doesn't sound as bad as everyone thinks tbh. something isn't right though

Hmmm so no one speaks to Devlin or Power so Wills jnr puts some extra cash in so we can sign Ince.Takes a bit credit for the Wills family then decides a few weeks later he always wanted it back and so commences a bit toy of throwing.A loyal club servant loses her job.

Then Bob Holt/Kate Adie steps up to the spotlight and says "in buisness people sometimes wind each other up"Now im not a captain of industry but if I was running a buisness I wouldn't try and sort things out through the locals papers Id use one of those new fangled phones and if that didnt work id do it face to face(assuming they have an adress for power/Devlin)

If I was Power/Devlin id tell them to fuck off im afraid,he just nearly died who needs this sort of crap?I can also see Wise walking .

Normal trip to the shops or a lunchtime power walk?

I hope Wise doesnt walk- but it would not suprise me if this lot stay in charge and MD/BP do get ousted.

Then we will be back to square 1, still Kingy is out of work guys

Two things we can probably all agree on:

1) We don't know the full facts of this and until we do, ill-informed speculation and slagging people off based on ill-informed speculation is not going to help and may actively make things worse
2) So, Bart, stop it.

 :D

the second longest town end thread ever, theres more shit in these 9 pages than the 106 in the longest tef.

Here Here Paul,

I have stayed quiet on this up till now.  

We should stop pouring petrol on the flames that could possibly create a monster through our own misplaced speculation.

It's time for it to stop ............... it really is !

Would love to interview Paul Ince and say something like:

'Paul, you've had a glittering footballing career spanning over 15 years, which has taken you to the top of the Premiership and on to international honours. Football has given you a very good living. How does it feel to come to a small club like Swindon, knowing that a lowly secretary had to be made redundant in order for the club to finance your wages, which appear to be vastly in excess of anything given to any other player ?'

NMH

inces response, im really happy how it all turned out.

and heres a naughty rumor maybe the "un setteled" board members have something to do with the "bungs" saga, and the programme on bbc tonight.

 :shock:

Ince: "It's not my fault the club can't organise a piss up in a brewery. How was I to know the finances weren't there".

Yeah, as wrong as it is in principle, lets remember that we know we'll get something decent out of Ince, and when a player sits down and is offered terms by a club then they have a right to assume that club has the ability to pay.

There's a blurred line here between this and the Ruddock era, but the difference there was Ruddock wasn't playing, he was contributing very very little to a failing team and most importantly, Brady et al had buggered off - he had the opportunity to do the honourable thing.

No disrespect to anyone in particular, but it appears some on here can't read, or understand what is written. I'm with pauld and Mr Elliott, so I'll say it loud and clear so maybe the message is understood.

STOP IT NOW - PLEASE

That feels better, now children go play quietly in the corner.

You'll all be pleased to know that i've been down the club and spoke to people in the know and can now clear up a lot of the speculation surrounding the club.  I have spent the last hour or two talking with Bob Holt, James Wills, Dennis Wise and even little Willie Carson spent 10mins at the club.

Bob Holt has asked for just one message to be passed on to the fans speculating on the forums, in the town and soon on the terraces....








































PLEASE TELL STFCBART TO... SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!

:D

Didn't realise you were a moderator.

All i know is that whenever Devlin goes away .. Holt and Gray make a bloody big mess

I'm not, I'm bored  :wink:

Damn, my :fishing: has failed this time..

I do not think it was on the BBC programme but Dennis Wise did pay money to Peters agents to make them not tell him that other English teams wanted to sign him. Peter is sad about this.

Are you STILL here?

Pffffffffffff

Yes I am. I was a little worried I might be sacked to help pay Inces wages but Peter cant cope without me.

sorry if this has already been written...

my understanding is that linda was sacked for telling devlin what was going on at the club

wise will be severely pissed off as she organises the team off the field and by all accounts does a brilliant job at it

there's no point in having a go at bob holt because he is, and always has been diamandis' front man

This has Diamandis paw prints all over it

How the fuck would you know?

seriously, you dont have a clue and you're just making stupid things up....

for starters Diamandis doesnt have paws  :roll:

Ok then get sucked in by Newbury then

:Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: lets all ignore STFC Bart and let him talk to himself on this thread

stop talking crap...

I am not getting sucked in by newbury....I'm just not commenting on something or someone I know nothing about.

I'm willing to bet, you've never met or spoken to Diamandis...yet you're quick enough to blame him for everything...

I think it is quite obviously the work of Bin Laden.  He is behind Diamandis.  Bin Laden, in turn, is working for Satan, who works (temping) for Joey Beauchamp.  Its true, some guy said some girl said some oak tree said so.

if its not diamandis, who is it?

I believe it to be an Arthur Hunt / Stuart Mac led consortium operating behind the scenes to cause unrest. They will then launch a takeover bid, funded by dirty money from warlords operating in the jungles of Bhutan...

so at least you agree bart's right?

Just like everyone else, I DONT KNOW who it is....

it could be Diamandis, it could quite easily not be

the fact is, no one knows...

there is no point pointing the finger because we all know fuck all

where else could the split be?

it seems fairly obvious

Banana Split

ummm just about ANYWHERE......

someone isnt going to get sacked over a squabble between bob holt and sandy gray, its going to have happened right at the top which is diamandis v devlin

prove it?

there's no proof that linda was sacked solely because of a power struggle. perhaps it was simply just a cost-cutting exercise - albeit a daft one - or maybe there is something more sinister behind it all.

the fact is that none of us actually know, so treating stuff as concrete fact is just a waste of time.

by all accounts no-one could do linda's job better than she did and it leaves a huge whole in the organisation of the club

i guarantee she'll be back if power gets his money together

i agree entirely with those sentiments, there's a threadbare staff at the club as it is without getting rid of the club secretary for no apparently logical reason.

If it isn't a really stupid question........WTF is this about a power struggle!

I had thought that the situation was pretty clear to EVERYONE! But maybe not so could we go over it again in bullet pointed form.

1 - THERE IS NO FUCKING MONEY TO BE MADE OUT OF STFC  (or not for a very long time on the basis of a high risk long term investment - it is a company with a high cost base, low margins and NO ASSETS!

2 - The effective control of the club rests with the Wills family due to their large shareholding and the support they can rely on from other shareholders and board members

3 - The Wills family have stated on a tediously regular basis that if someone wants to buy them out, has the best interests of the club at heart and the resources to take it forward, then they're happy to sell.

4 - The only person it has been even vaguely suggested might want to take on the club fell several thousand feet out of the sky onto a Berkshire golf course only a few weeks ago, and has yet to leave hospital. If he was thinking about putting together a take-over package it seems unlikely much progress has been over that period.

5 - Mark Devlin is not someone looking to take-over the club, he is the Club's CE, a paid employee of the Board. The only way the phrase power struggle could be used about him is if he was operating at the club outside the terms of reference the board set for him; making decisions and spending money without their approval. However, he too fell out of the sky onto the same bit of Berkshire at the beginning of the season and HASN'T BEEN TO WORK SINCE.

With all that in mind could somebody please explain who exactly is supposed to be struggling with who and over what.

Think about it......

......Is the Wills family, guided by the dread hand of Mike the Greek, desperately hanging onto the lucrative cash cow that is STFC by all means fair or foul, including sacking a club secretary that's been mysteriously "turned" by the opposition, (whilst oddly continuing to employ one of the supposedly primary conspirators of that opposition group in the most powerful job at the club)?

Or.....

.....has the plane accident and BP and MD's absence left a bit of a vacuum of leadership and management at the club; leading to the board (who've been left in the lurch by "potential big investors" in the past whilst wage and operating costs spiral upwards) panicking and to try to save money by making redundant the first person they can think of who the fans might not notice or care about?

I know the former makes the club sound big and important and valuable, and the latter makes it sound a bit amateurish and useless, but which do you think is most likely?

I think you'll find they landed in Buckinghamshire, not Berkshire !

And I think you'll find Mr Power is not still in hospital

You know as I was typing it I was thinking "or was it Bucks" but I couldn't be arsed to look it up and hoped that everyone would be too overwhelmed by the eloquence of my argument to pick up on the detail...


Ho hum....

:Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Apparently Power's people are meeting Newbury today.....which would seem to suggest there'll be some movement one way or the other soon.

I realise you are all sick to death about this, but apparently there will be an announcement today after a full and frank exchange of views yesterday. Some bloke dow the pub told me (OK it was on BBC RS).

So hopefully it'll be the end of it. I'm hoping for a "communication prolems due to the accident...Mr Power has agreed to address Mr Wills concerns....We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship..."

be interesting to see the outcome ..all the radio and papers are saying Wise is going to Leeds ... bloody hope not

Greeeeeat, 8 games of bliss then uber speclation about our boardroom and our manager. Nobody can say it is dull to be a town fan.

Surely Wise isn't going to do a T*dd. Surely he is too inexperienced for Leeds?

Kevin Blackwell was hardly blessed with experience though.  Alan Curbishley is early favourite for it.

That's what I mean, they tried inexperienced and it flopped. Time to go for a Curbs or Glenda

Things were worse see

 ???