Fitton

[Tails]

Fitton is 110% spot on, that really needed to be said IMO.

[RobertT]

Sturrock isn't a name, he's a succes at managing lower league teams in England.  His record is patchy beyond that, and before his first Managerial job in England was a similar "name" as Malpas, in fact less so.

People seem to think we are a Championship team historically when we are not.  This is our home in football.  Every so often we've ventured beyond, and now and then ventured below, but this is Swindon Town.  Get used to it, just like Rochdale fans would have to accept any season spent above the bottom one is a bonus.  We have some potential, hence why people invest in us, but we rarely use it to it's fullness.

[ghanimah]

So what should our strategy be for recruiting our next manager (no manager lasts forever )

I'm not sure I subscribe to the "big name" v  "no name" malarkey. There are 5 basic options aren't there:

1. Experienced successful manager - like Sturrock. Pros - minimises the risk factor through proven success, gets the fans excited, Cons- rare as rocking horse pooh, expensive, likely to jump ship.

2. "Big name" retiring pro - pros - gets the fans excited, may have 'contacts' and favours to call in from playing days. Cons - expensive, massive gamble , for every Hoddle there is a McMahon.

3. "Big name charlie" - serial failure management, Bryan Robson, Graeme Souness, et al - Pros, erm, um, cons, they keep on failing and are expensive.

4. "who?" - Take an unknown with little management experience. Pros -cheap, likely to be more loyal to club (?), may work out to be best thing since sliced bread. Cons-little fan excitement, pressure for results brought about by lack of 'respect' (fans, players), may turn out to be the worst thing since I went commando and caught it in the zip.

5. "The internal appointment" - see 4. Could be an Iffy appointment (see what I did their)

Personally I'd go for 1 every time. But we are a division 3 side with 6500 average crowds, and as far as I know are still making a reasonable loss. The chances of attracting such a manager are slim, Sturrock was the exception not the normal appointment.

The other choices are much of a muchness aren't they (3 aside!). I think it comes down to a large slice of luck with these choices because whilst you can be as diligent as you want at interview there is no way of knowing.

I'll run with MM and hope that Fitton is ultimately right, and that if he isn't he'll do what is needed.

Good points Batch, and your last line sums it up, Fitton won't accept failure if MM isn't up to the job.

From my point of view I'm just frustrated and pissed off that the joy of a takeover and a financially stable club - for the 1st time in my long  supporting life - has been soured somewhat by the impatient pre-judging arguments over our manager. Roll on next season.

[Colin Todd]

Bring back Diamandis, Holt & Iffy!

[RobertT]

Bring back Diamandis, Holt & Iffy!

ah yes, the good times that Fitton and Malpas must be to blame for ruining.

[Simon Pieman]

Fitton is right to say some fans are expecting too much.

However:

* The quotes make him seem as if the Board are 'right' and the fans are 'wrong'. Maybe the quote has been especially picked out and separated in the Adver piece, but it certainly has the effect of alienation and contradicts what we've heard in the past.

* If we're expecting too much then why did Mr Fitton and the Board allow Malpas and the players to bang on about the play-off push in the media so much. Seems like you they were all too happy to allow them to hype themselves up just because of the 'feel good factor' Now that has gone of course it's not any of their fault the fans expected too much.

* Bloody hell, grandeur? Is that what you call a comfortable mid-table finish in the third division of the Football League? I'm all for a realistic outlook, but that is not grandeur. People were getting beyond themselves with the play off talk (but also see above point), but I think it's a reasonable expectation to expect comfortable survival given our earlier position. Now our form is some of the worst in the country. The performances haven't been that great. We're leaking sill y goals and not making many.

Frankly, although I think Malpas needs some time to get into the job but it's not looking too rosy at the moment, we can't deny that. I get the impression Fitton knows he may have made the wrong choice and is trying to fight his way out of the corner rather than admit defeat. I think that is fair enough to an extent, but he has done his level best to peeve a few more fans off. I notice how the situation has also been narrowed down to fans posting on forums. I don't know if that is down to the Adver or Fitton's thinking but the worry of relegation is far more widespread than that.

Like DMR, I found it a very condescending read. I'm tempted not to bother with the rest of the season now, this may have finally sucked out any interest I've got left until the next campaign.

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

Forest are in 4th place though, Id hardly call it a failure and a reason to lay into Calderwood as much as they have.

Forest fans are simply deluded. They think they should be winning the league by 20 points as they are big  :roll:

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

Fitton is 110% spot on, that really needed to be said IMO.

I totally agree Tails. I don't have a problem with anything he said in that article. But hey it wouldn't surpise me if Bart and Co begin to turn on Fitton as well....anything for a moan with some of our fans sadly  :roll:

[Simon Pieman]

So it's ok for Fitton to moan but not Bart?

[Luci]

Bart didn't invest a shed load of money into this club and save it from the jaws of death.  For that reason, Fittons allowed to moan. Barts just Bart.

[Don Rogers Shop]

I am getting pissed off with people saying we are moaning for no reason .

We were 3 points of the play offs and now we are  5 points off relegation we have players playing like a bunch of cunts and have won 1 game in 10

Im not going to blame anyone in general but if I want to fucking moan after paying £300 I fucking will its not for no reason at all its because of shit football shit results and shit atmosphere at games because of it.

[Jamiesfuturewife]

The buck has to stop somewhere!

[DiV]

the worst thing is we all know, the team is capable of much much more....

Its not like Malpas took over a shit team he couldnt do anything with.

Whilst Iffy was a naff manager and didnt get results. I didnt get on his back because he took over an unfit fucking awful team. He had no hope in hell of getting anything out of them. He had a bottom of the league side to start with

The current crop is better than a 16th place finish.

[Power to people]

I am getting pissed off with people saying we are moaning for no reason .

We were 3 points of the play offs and now we are  5 points off relegation we have players playing like a bunch of cunts and have won 1 game in 10

Im not going to blame anyone in general but if I want to fucking moan after paying £300 I fucking will its not for no reason at all its because of shit football shit results and shit atmosphere at games because of it.

Agreed, Fitton surely has to concede that Malpas's record so far is not great, I can understand him saying Malpas needs to get his own players in etc and he trusts him after he employed him and done the interview but they are saying everything is going to plan I think my question would be does that plan really include riding so close to relegation what about your talk of play-off's ?

I also think this is down to some ace writing by the esteemend journo's at the adver to get a story though and using certain parts of the interview.

I suspect a lot more was said but they haven't printed it, I'd prefer Ed or Shaun from RS putting the questions.

I really do hope that Fitton is right though, that Malpas is the man to get this right and I hope we're not saying the same thing come September when we are in the same position.

Also what players is he on about that got another year last season but are not good enough for this level, I can only really think of 2 Nico and Williams who are not playing that may be in that catergory, although I think Nico is fine for L1 but not above.

[Frasier3]

We were 3 points of the play offs and now we are  5 points off relegation we have players playing like a bunch of cunts and have won 1 game in 10

Its all going to plan apparently!

I confess I am one of those worst supporters in the country who had delusions of mid table grandeur ,as opposed to the promotion talk coming from the club management with no doubt the approval of FitTon.

And to think I will get an invite to renew my season ticket soon.