New investment - Bill Power

More...even better...

Looks deffo Iffy will stay. Like Bill Power's comments about buying and keeping players as well. Great stuff.

Western Daily Press

POWER RIDES TO ROBINS' RESCUE

09:30 - 27 April 2006

Bill Power did not ride into the County Ground on a big white horse yesterday, but his arrival at Swindon Town had all the hallmarks of a knight in shining armour. It would have been enough that the former QPR chairman, who will become a Swindon director on May 15, announced an initial £1million investment into the cash-strapped club with more to follow.

However, the 52-year-old multi-millionaire also said he had paid off former manager Andy King, who is threatening to take Swindon to court over unpaid wages.

Even by the Wiltshire club's recent standards, it was a dramatic day.

Londoner Power, who made his fortune through his satellite communications company Datasat, has been brought to Town by deputy chairman Mark Devlin.

The duo were at Loftus Road together - Devlin as chief executive and Power as a director and then chairman - before both were forced out in a power struggle last summer.

And Power has already starting making the kind of noises that will make a lot of people at Swindon happy.

His money will be used both to keep the club afloat (it is losing between £500,00 and £1million a year) and also to sign new players. He said Swindon would no longer be a club that had to sell players to stay afloat.

Power also gave his immediate backing to rookie manager Iffy Onuora, whose efforts to keep Town in League One look likely to fail.

He also stated his intention to work with supporters groups, who have often felt alienated.

Power said: "I am not Roman Abramovich but I can afford to put in the sort of money that will make a difference at Swindon and I am more than happy to do that.

"The initial investment is a million pounds but we want to push it on and improve everything for everybody.

"The more we can keep the fans happy, the more they will turn up every week, the better for everyone.

"I know this might sound cheesy, but I am football fan and I know what it's like when you love a club and you hear all these little rumours.

"I don't want rumours - I want us to explain as much as we can and involve as many people as we can.

"The Supporters' Trust is brilliant and has done some incredible things for the club, and I hope we can expand on that." Power is a die-hard QPR fan and he sees no reason why Swindon should not be seen as being on the same level as the west London club.

"I have not got rose-tinted glasses on and the reality is that the club will probably be relegated, but Swindon are a big club, " he said.

"Swindon are exactly the same as QPR. We've had the same success over the years - we have been in the Premiership but dropped back. We've won the League Cup as third division sides. As with QPR, if Swindon get any sort of success the crowds will come back." Asked about his relationship with Onuora, Power added: "I have spoken to Iffy several times and he had a very difficult task with the problems that he had to deal with when he came in.

"I think he has done a good job and I don't think there is anything to worry about there.

"I like the guy, he has lots of plans and I want to go along with those plans. I am looking forward to working with Iffy." Onuora's predecessor, King, was sacked last September but under the terms of his contract he was entitled to a year's salary from that point. The Daily Press understands King's salary was not far below six-figures.

King had not been paid since November but Power yesterday said:

"That problem has already been resolved. Andy has actually been paid off now so hopefully that is that and good luck to Andy. I have helped myself there because we wanted to clear it up quickly. These are the little things that worry the fans, and quite rightly. " The Daily Press contacted King but he said he did not wish to comment until Monday, by which time Swindon's fate for the season should be resolved.

Power said his main role at Town would be to help Onuora sign new players. "That was the part of the job at Rangers which I enjoyed, " he said.

"I was like a schoolboy in a sweetshop!

"We (Swindon) recently put an offer in for (Cheshunt striker) Jermaine Beckford but he wanted to go to a higher level and good luck to him.

"We are not suddenly going to spend a million pounds on a player. But if there are players that will improve the squad that we can afford, we can move for them.

"I think there is already a very good squad there - someone like Paul Smith is a real leader, the kind you need.

"Sean O'Hanlon is as good as any centre-back in the division and I sincerely hope we will be able to hold on to players like that.

"Players like O'Hanlon will not be going for the sake of saving money now and if I had been involved a little bit earlier - and if we could have persuaded Rory Fallon to stay - we would have been able to keep hold of him."