The Ex Swindon Town Player Where Are They Now Thread

[Flashheart]

I doubt this platform can do much. It's ancient.

[Kinky Tom]

I'm sure you're right FH.

[Red Frog]

A simple "Like" button shouldn't be beyond the scope of this site though, and would be an advantage. I sometimes think it would be nice to acknowledge a post, but don't particularly feel the need to make a comment about it.

[Peter Venkman]

A simple "Like" button shouldn't be beyond the scope of this site though, and would be an advantage. I sometimes think it would be nice to acknowledge a post, but don't particularly feel the need to make a comment about it.

Yes I agree, I often think the same.

[RobertT]

On the Doyle subject, I think his season with us is almost the perfect synopsis of Wellens as a Manager.  I'm not suggesting he will be the next Fergie or even that he'll continue to be a success, but very few Managers create an imprint on a team that is visible.  Macari & Ardiles did with us, Wise even managed it.

Wellens has created a style of play, we look like a team put together on purpose.  Most teams, even good ones, just look very identikit at times, relying on confidence or player ability.  We are created to make that front man a goal scoring fulcrum and we seem to have two very different ways of getting there.  We can dominate possession and work them into the box, or we can switch to a very aggressive counter attacking unit.  Either way, in most matches, we seem to create more chances than the opposition, specifically close range in the box.  A little bit of well designed different tends to fox teams for a while - Ardiles had us play a way teams struggled to figure out, but his lack of flexibility meant he was undone at Spurs after looking a bit sexy for a while - better teams and Managers figure it out eventually.

Back to Doyle, I doubt he cares too much when he looks at this wage slip.

[Chunkyhair]

I think we all agree Doyle did the right thing for himself taking a 3 year (no doubt lucrative) deal at Bolton, but if (and it is a big if) their season continues to be as shit as it has started and they go out of the league, surely they wont be able to afford him. Given his age etc (and a possibly a crap season) they'll struggle to off load him. I hope it pans out for him personally for everything he did for us, but it could get messy

[Peter Venkman]

Wellens has created a style of play, we look like a team put together on purpose.  Most teams, even good ones, just look very identikit at times, relying on confidence or player ability.  We are created to make that front man a goal scoring fulcrum and we seem to have two very different ways of getting there.  We can dominate possession and work them into the box, or we can switch to a very aggressive counter attacking unit.  Either way, in most matches, we seem to create more chances than the opposition, specifically close range in the box.  A little bit of well designed different tends to fox teams for a while - Ardiles had us play a way teams struggled to figure out, but his lack of flexibility meant he was undone at Spurs after looking a bit sexy for a while - better teams and Managers figure it out eventually.

Absolutely this, as the Burton manager said at the weekend, Swindon sign players to fit into Wellens formations and style of play not to shoehorn them to fit or change a style to accomodate players, he knows what and who he wants and knows they will fit in the style.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

You’d think that that would be a prerequisite of any manager - signing players for a specific style. More difficult when a manager hasn’t got a ‘window’ to work with.

That’s why it was so important Wellens having the arse end of the season after Brown got binned - he knew then exactly who/what was required.

He does seem convinced about our ‘potential’ as a club - I think that Exeter game surprised him, though. Over 13,000 in the CG and a rocking atmosphere. And he’s right. We do have potential - loads of it. Realising that potential has eluded most of the previous incumbents in both the manager’s role and the owners.

[Legends-Lounge]

You’d think that that would be a prerequisite of any manager - signing players for a specific style. More difficult when a manager hasn’t got a ‘window’ to work with.

That’s why it was so important Wellens having the arse end of the season after Brown got binned - he knew then exactly who/what was required.

He does seem convinced about our ‘potential’ as a club - I think that Exeter game surprised him, though. Over 13,000 in the CG and a rocking atmosphere. And he’s right. We do have potential - loads of it. Realising that potential has eluded most of the previous incumbents in both the manager’s role and the owners.

Simple formula. Win games with decent football and the fans will come back.

[horlock07]

I think we all agree Doyle did the right thing for himself taking a 3 year (no doubt lucrative) deal at Bolton, but if (and it is a big if) their season continues to be as shit as it has started and they go out of the league, surely they wont be able to afford him. Given his age etc (and a possibly a crap season) they'll struggle to off load him. I hope it pans out for him personally for everything he did for us, but it could get messy

I suspect that the lure for Doyle was the term rather than lucrative nature of the deal offered by Bolton, as for it getting messy, if the club are liquid he gets paid for three years, unless they pay him off in some manner.

[bathford]

Yes I agree, I often think the same.

Yes I quite agree.

[RobertT]

You’d think that that would be a prerequisite of any manager - signing players for a specific style. More difficult when a manager hasn’t got a ‘window’ to work with.

That’s why it was so important Wellens having the arse end of the season after Brown got binned - he knew then exactly who/what was required.

He does seem convinced about our ‘potential’ as a club - I think that Exeter game surprised him, though. Over 13,000 in the CG and a rocking atmosphere. And he’s right. We do have potential - loads of it. Realising that potential has eluded most of the previous incumbents in both the manager’s role and the owners.

You'd think most Managers would put in that effort, but evidence on the pitch suggests otherwise.  I may be well off the mark here, but as most Managers are ex-players, I imagine they are not (stereotyping a bit here) the smartest of cookies at times.  You are also dealing with players, who generally get very little by way of a tactical education.  Most Managers, it seems to me, opt for the easy option - keep it siimple, don't over complicate things.

Imagine the work Ardiles must have done on the training ground for his transformation - that was an insane change in such a short amount of time, with existing players.  Of course, it's not a guarantee of success, but I think if a Manager can nail something completely different, it adds a fair few points to a season.  Wimbledon in the 80's being a classic example, Wenger's first few years at Arsenal.

[Legends-Lounge]

You'd think most Managers would put in that effort, but evidence on the pitch suggests otherwise.  I may be well off the mark here, but as most Managers are ex-players, I imagine they are not (stereotyping a bit here) the smartest of cookies at times.  You are also dealing with players, who generally get very little by way of a tactical education.  Most Managers, it seems to me, opt for the easy option - keep it siimple, don't over complicate things.

Imagine the work Ardiles must have done on the training ground for his transformation - that was an insane change in such a short amount of time, with existing players.  Of course, it's not a guarantee of success, but I think if a Manager can nail something completely different, it adds a fair few points to a season.  Wimbledon in the 80's being a classic example, Wenger's first few years at Arsenal.

When you think back we’ve been at the dare I say vanguard of new managers and new ideas, sadly on the flip side we’ve also had our fair share of the the other side of the coin, hence being in league one in 2020.

[Oaksey Moonraker]

You'd think most Managers would put in that effort, but evidence on the pitch suggests otherwise.  I may be well off the mark here, but as most Managers are ex-players, I imagine they are not (stereotyping a bit here) the smartest of cookies at times.  You are also dealing with players, who generally get very little by way of a tactical education.  Most Managers, it seems to me, opt for the easy option - keep it siimple, don't over complicate things.

Imagine the work Ardiles must have done on the training ground for his transformation - that was an insane change in such a short amount of time, with existing players.  Of course, it's not a guarantee of success, but I think if a Manager can nail something completely different, it adds a fair few points to a season.  Wimbledon in the 80's being a classic example, Wenger's first few years at Arsenal.

Ardiles did inherit a very good Macari side that had just missed out to Palace in the play offs in 1989. IIRC Ardiles was appointed after pre season had started so Chic Bates had started a Macari style hard fitness work.

The transformation was remarkable and some of the LSP interviews suggest maybe the players had wanted to play more under Macari so the timing worked well. Fit, motivated players with most in their prime in their mid 20s maybe looking for a change of style.

Using the Arsenal comparison, Wenger inherited George Graham's famous One Nil to Arsenal back four but did extend their careers.

[RedRag]

Spot on Oaksey.  Ardiles, like Wenger, inherited sides with remarkable strengths, albeit with limitations that they creatively transformed.

Wellens is not, imo, yet comparable to either.  Unlike them though, he has not had a base on which to build and has had to formulate squads to fulfill his vision. This is to his enormous credit.  Jewell and even Power also it seems.