Thetownend.com

It’s now 5 years to the day since Powers had full control of the club.

League position 03/12/13- 7th league One

League position- 03/12/18- 12th league Two

Really doesn’t make good reading does it

Do we really need another thread for this?

To be fair, I do need to see the chart again.

out of interest, what percentage of teams fans in the championship > League 2 do you think are happy with their current owner?

I'd take a guess at around 40% of teams.

locally you have Bristol city fans seemingly unhappy with their manager and owner, Bristol rovers with the fake sheiks and I'm sure there is unrest at Oxford as well I imagine with their league positions.

fans demand success. but success can only come to a handful of teams each season.

we should be doing a a hell of a lot better. but would a new owner transform us? (based on previous owners I'm not so sure) and then who would want us.

Probably better to revisit this at the end of the season. We all know we finished 13/14 season 8th in L1. We could well end up in the play-offs and finish this season with a promotion back to L1. In that sense you could say we've stabilised under LP.

I think we can confirm we have not moved forward as a club - nothing, yet, has substantially changed off the field.  the finances seem under control, but are only one season away from careless plunder, nothing structurally has happened to prevent that.  The Training Ground Asset maybe, and if something happens on the Ground then yes.  So on that basis, you can only judge on the on field position, and that's clearly much worse.  Even accounting for the stricter control on finance, you'd have to say we are below where we would expect to be in comparison with other clubs and budgets.

He was the one asking to be judged.  He has mentioned he found things to be worse than he had anticipated, but even if we were to give another year before making judgement, it seems unlikely much will have changed to show improvement overall - possible I guess.

Out of interest why are City fans unhappy with Lansdown?

They probably aren't, but I suppose some might think as he's English football's 14th most minted club owner, that's whereabouts they should be.  Tyey probably think the £118 mill he's invested to get them into the Championship is insufficient.

it would go unnoticed from the outside, they resent him not backing them in january twice when promotion to the premier league was a possibility. like last season.

then they sold £18m of players and recruitment hasnt replaced them sufficiently.

also what they call "jobs for the boys" and that johnson junior is unsackable despite going on 18 match winless runs every season.

ideas above their station then

from the outside yes but to them obviously not. which was point that very few teams seem to have fans that are really happy with the ownership and direction of their club.

Im sure a lot of teams below us would think the same of us etc.

The only way fans can really be happy with their club is by fan ownership and even then the purse strings are tied without a big benefactor.

I don't necessarily like Power but I imagine he thought he could achieve more in that time (ie, the loan player model taking us up, completing the training ground). He didn't, and to his credit he admitted on the phone in the other week he made mistakes (Williams). This is just the newest stick to beat the guy with though, fans were slagging him off after 1 year when we were fighting promotion in League One so he was never going to win really was he.

Better get used to it I guess. He's not going anywhere for a while even if his end game strategy is pretty clear. Hopefully Wellens can prove to be a master stroke and at least take us back to L1.

i'm not sure you can even be sure of that, i would imagine it wouldn't take long for some of ours, those not running things, to moan at the direction taken if we didn't get to auto promotions in a row following a fan takeover.

And as for Bristol City, there is a group of Oldies who seem to be unhappy with the whole Bristol Sport Corporate Marketing thing, they feel the Rugby is starting to get priority over the footy and aren't happy with the ground share. It's becoming too corporate for the hard core and they'd like Lansdown to sell up and take his Son and the Manager with him.

The moan that Lansdown doesn't know how to pick a manager, is not spending enough when it counts and should stop making the club sustainable and go for broke. Also, they say the football is too sideways and backwards and the team is set up not to lose.

 

Have they got song sheets yet?  :sherlock:

Maybe now the 5 years up there will be news on a new focal point/investor for our club :-)

Poundland sponsorship?

I can understand plugging a leaky ship but we've been sailing for 5 years now, what's the plan/goal?

This is all fairly worthless surmising

Without knowing the exact financial position of the club it is impossible to decide whether being 12th in L2 is a good trade off for being sustainable (or not).

People either believe Power when he spouts figures or they don’t. The only time we may know how he has actually run the club is when he leaves. Even them there may be some sort of confidentiality clause stopping any disclosures.

On this basis people can only judge the product on the pitch - anything else to do with the club is all supposition.

Physical evidence of the training ground and a finalising of the CG ownership would be a good start.

In more simple terms....

03/12/13- Jed McCrory and a bunch without a pot to piss in....
03/12/18- No Jed McCrory and some money available for players when required.

But we've been doing this on the TEF and for some it's forerunners like MyOnlySwindon and thisis, for years now. Where's the fun in stopping.

I'd like to see Power heading up the STFC equivalent of a Soviet style Politburo and outlining in detail the inevitable success of the next 5 year plan...

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/mEQAAOSwHoFXtxBp/s-l300.jpg)

Those crushed under it's weight however seem to be Town fans rather than bourgeois revisionist lapdogs. Further, the model for the hand looks to be a resident from near to the training ground.

Reg,  I have a feeling we need another Five Year Plan now.  At the end of which there is a danger I will be heading off in my Trabant to watch my more local team, whisper it, Woking.

Until Fitton came along, my first objective for STFC at the start of each season had been to avoid falling into administration.  Rightly or wrongly, after the Jed blip, I now discount that possibility each August.

My second objective for STFC each August used to be to secure those 52 points and avoid the drop.  Thanks to Power, I now also discount that possibility each August due to us being in the basement league and even then with only 2 down.

Power has given us, season on season, financial stability, if not, as Audrey says, balance street strength where who knows?  The training ground would be an improvement as would the acquisition of an equal share of the County Ground with the Trust.  This is not really part of any vision for STFC by Power, imo, but rather a (good) piece of opportunism regarding the former and a simple response to the Trust's initiative regarding the CG.  Who cares whether it was planned or not, if it does come about.

If we are not promoted this season then our FL status is now at risk of emulating the worst ever since the 50s or 60s before the old Division 3 was de-regionalised.

There is a danger of significant damage to STFC's income stream if stagnation (let alone worse) at this new low level persists.  Such an outcome would have to be factored into making any judgements on the financial success or otherwise of Power's restructuring project. You'd be no financial guru if you took over a troubled JD Sports and ended up with a self sustaining Don Rogers Sports in Swindon.

some good points.

But 5 year plans have proven useless over the years.

I'm sure publicly Powers would be
 - new training ground sorted
 - CG land purchased
 - promotion to L1 and challenging for championship
 - continues self sustainability

and then if it goes South, and let's be honest nobody can expect him to achieve all that based on past performance, then what. Another 5 year plan?

 Trabby  :)

 The cognoscenti's car none of that Lada or Zastava Yugo muck.

 I'd like to see a detailed outline of points and victory targets for each season, and the establishment of a gulag for failure

Don't be putting that commie nonsense on here, SRK will explode in a McCarthyist manner.

Whilst we haven't diced with bankruptcy death the last five years have seen us recruit and sack a shit load of managers. Blow a playoff final,get relegated to the basement and loose every FA cup campaign to non league teams. We've sold or let them leave for free,better players than we currently have in our team. Each season starts with a scramble to grab anyone on a free who can pull on a town strip and lace their boots. While I'm glad we still have a club, I start every season now wondering whether this is the year we lose our football league status. Since LP has been running the club I've lost a lot of hope that the club might go forward, LP has steadied the ship but is it now sailing to a semi-pro ocean? based on the last 5 years the evidence would be yes.

Fans buying in to 5-year plans is just as daft as owners mentioning them.

It was probably said as a lazy way to divert a tricky question.

I’ve enjoyed reading comments across social media suggesting that the comment is essentially contractual and the gentlemanly thing to do is to sell up.

Pinch of salt, every time.

Your absolutely correct Costanza we should take it all with apinch of salt. I'm going to continue watching the town for the rest of the season, LP can take that with a pinch of salt especially if the team plays shite.

Okay, cool.

Constanza I've never met you but you realy are a nice person.

With five years up,  what options have we got ??.

None. Or put your own money in.

No-Deal Brexit
Renegotiated Deal
Norway+
No Confidence Vote
Second Referendum

Sorry, wrong thread!

A lot are taking up the stop going option.

Tbf, Reg 4500 odd home fans for that Woking game ain’t too shabby. We must be down to the real diehards now, though - about 5800 of ‘em

3,654 of which about 900 were from where H.G. Wells had the Martians landing in War of the Worlds

I refer the gentleman to my kickoff picture v Stevenage

Thought somebody quoted 5300 on another thread

5200 odd v Stevenage
3500 v Woking

If you take off 200 Stevenage and 900 Woking that would leave about 5k v 2.5k Swindon.  Absent season ticket holders would have been counted for Stevenage but not Woking.  Still not enough to explain such a difference given the seats on show in your Arkells photo?

Some concern on gate revenues there...  

you've added a 0 to Stevenages numbers there.

I can only guess the drs was more full than the Arkells and TE.
Hard to judge while sitting in it.


I was shocked at how empty the Arkells looked. Hence taking a photo.

A Saturday game should show some recovery on gate, but even so it's concerning. Not least as it may impact the edge bill cap - not sure how things are recalculated during the season.

That said, I thought our session average was 6k, so hopefully a just a bit of a Christmas blip...

That doesn't look like 200 Stevenage fans unless 180 came in fancy dress as red seats.

:D I actually counted them just before kick off and I think it was 60.

Saturday's visitors played at Whaddon Road last night in the big Boycott derby.... well sort of derby, neighbouring counties and Newport used to play in the Hellenic League, when based in Moreton-in-Marsh, and then Gloucester, while we were on our way to the Prem.  Ok they're above us now, but in a perilous position.

I'm hoping the derby atmosphere might have caused the Exiles a few injuries, or some retribution after Sat's FA Cup game, but suspect not, given the crowd of 739, with a decent 94 travelling.

Numb went through on pens and apparently trouser £20K as a result.

hopefully the emotionally crushing penalty defeat denying them the opportunity of playing Chelsea u23s will give them a hangover.

Do they get Chelsea U 23 next  :hmmm:  they already beat their u21's 3-0, in the group stage.

It certainly wasn't PV v Stoke u21's, which had near on 8000 and plenty of trouble.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46451780

I dunno, I was just trying to be funny (haha) but only succeeded in being funny (peculiar)

I know.  There are a lot of U 21's still kicking around, so a chance the FL might get a dream Man City U21's v Chelsea U21's final

Roll up! Roll up!

https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2018/december/town-announce-six-game-bundle-offer/

Power can't afford to pay the wages then. (Just thought I'd get in there quickly)

Just reading about Bolton’s owner. Unable to pay wages but took £250,000 consultancy fee plus his wife took another £150,000 consultancy fee.

There are some real charlatans about. Until proven otherwise, Power is no worse than any of them.

Wheres the money gone? ? ? ? #Outletred ©

I know you're only joking but this made me think. Yes, I know I shouldn't think but I did.

Even at £15 a ticket Towns gate receipts (GRs) brings in around £90k pw. Over a season, we would be looking at a GR income of roughly£2.34m pa.

Obviously we have other streams of income albeit (Profit on player sales, Sponsorship, TV revenue, Merchandise, Hospitality, Experience Packages etc) but our GR is the current, main one.

With the Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP), which applies to both L1 (60%) & L2 (55%), even using the low estimate from the GRs means we could spend £1.29m on wages in L2. There is a hidden proviso (or loophole), the figure can include donations from the owner to the club as well as injections of equity. LP could put money in, thus raising the spend on wages available. This option isn't available to Prem & Champ clubs (without punishment). Loans do not count though.

Taking that base £1.29m means theoretically, Town could have a squad of 20 players earning averagely £1240 pw (of course this can fluctuate - say a couple on £2.5k and 3 or 4 on £700-£800).

To me that seems a little low and with other revenue streams probably only pushing it up to c£1.5m (another £600k on the £2.34m) it would only bring the average wage up to £1450 pw. Unless of course Power/Clem is putting in some "donations" but not loans.

Do any of you think that's a bit low, about right or way off?  Actual accountants out there don't bite my head off, it's a basic look but any input would be good.

Sorry Flashheart  :)

I bet the tea lady is on a wage...

Haha, I don't think they actually count.

"Under SCMP, 'Wages' relates to player wages only (director remuneration and general club staff wages are not included in the SCMP calculation)."

or

They might.

"Within Turnover, clubs can include such things as Hospitality/Banqueting income...This would include food & beverage, direct staff and cleaning costs such as laundry etc."

you need to get out more :zzz: :zzz:

Cheapshot banter. What on a Wednesday night? I'm no alcoholic  ;)

Also, it's not hard to copy and paste.

Not sure it’s the right place to put this, but here goes

http://againstleague3.co.uk/2018/12/21/al3-ownership-survey-the-full-results/

pah, power not even in top 10 worst owners

If you look at league clubs only and disregard Macc and Morecambe, as they only had 2 and 1 respondents, so not representative, then we come in 9th... behind Cov, Blackpool, Charlton, Hull, Newcastle, who's struggles are well documented and often get fans protests, then Swansea, whose owners are now a couple Americans but te chairman is still Huw Jenkins who took them up to the Prem, and got a new ground etc.  In Div 4, Carlisle and Yeovil fans seem more discontent.... you'd have to wonder about the Cumbrians, they won 0-4 at the CG FFS.

We’re even shite in this table, too

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/every-league-two-club-ranked-2351520

we're third on twitter - that's an automatic spot, Reg - woops, Audrey

Merry Xmas all and, for better or worse, a happy new year