Thetownend.com

Wray no longer chairman - being replaced by some ex diplomat called William Patey.

What the actual fuck?

Jeremy Wray has been the best chairman I can remember.

Very difficult to know how to react until we know why (if we are told).

The reasons could be personal and Wrays choice (hope not), or they could be linked to new investment or anything.

As a fan I'm gutted.

Hope Sir William Pate can form a similar relationship with PDC.

Can't believe this but as Batch says we just have to wait and see why.

Wray>Paolo

Indeed.

Morseheads limited tweeting interesting:



Takeover or significant investment is my guess. Then again could easily be the other way. This is STFC.
Adver have liveblog, so must be significant .

Never dull.

Crikey it's true.
http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/9984600.Former_diplomat_to_be_new_Town_chairman/ (http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/9984600.Former_diplomat_to_be_new_Town_chairman/)

Where did that come from? I knew they were looking for new investors but a new chairman?? At least negotiating with the taliban will be good preparation for dealing with di Canio.

Sir William Patey

http://www.linkedin.com/in/sirwilliampatey


Anyway, from the radio it sounds like radio isn't being over forthcoming with information. Both BBC RS and Moresehead have played the "what does this mean for PDC..." line. Hopefully  just normal jurno 1+1=3 speculation.

Now the pro Wray comments for Paolo after the Coventry game make more sense along with the loyalty card he played.

Didn't see that coming.

Let's not forget Wray was rushed to hospital a few weeks back.

IIRC, the Chair was being left available for more flexibility in terms of new investment etc.

Think that this is a massive blow.

But now we can see why PDC has been having a bit of a spaz attack. His comments asking the board whether the plan has changed seem to make sense now.

I hope that Wray is not stepping down, or being forced to step down, due to friction on the board. I hope that behind the scenes the club is united in the same ambition that has been apparent since we found ourselves plunged into the bottom tier of English professional football.

Outside of football, Jeremy Wray suffered a mystery illness at the end of last season. I hope that him stepping down as Chairman isn't due to another period of ill health.

I think that the way that Wray has conducted himself in public has been inspirational. He has been the Yin to PDC's Yang. Together they seem to provide synergy to the club. I don't recall Swindon having previously having such a man in post.

I hope that Sir William Patey will have the same affect as Jeremy Wray. The sceptic in me thinks that this spells the end of the Championship dream and is a sign that the club's ambitions are potentially changing. Maybe its not going to be a case of 'promotion at all cost', but a more circumspect approach? Maybe its not that bad? Maybe Wray's talents are required elsewhere due to the downturn in the economy, so we are bringing in an ex-diplomat in order to help diffuse the problems that a volatile man like PDC creates? Maybe this will be seen as a good move in time? Who knows?

Strap yourselves in lads, we could be in for a bit of a roller coaster ride!

Hmmm.

Actually I did forget. Obviously like everyone I hope its not health related.

Wow, I was expecting the bog standard type of story, and get this. Pointless speculating though until all of the facts are known.

It seems to me as though this guy isn't the investor we were looking for, but perhaps an appointment insisted on by a new investor(s). And with his Middle East connections, I'm guessing we now have the backing of a Middle East property development company.

But then, I could be hugely wrong.

'Won't somebody please think of the children!'

My first thought was some Arab sheikh.

50m cash injection

Hopefully not Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The Adver understands that SWP is not investing in the club, which leads you to wonder why he's being brought in...  Suppose that doesn't exclude the possibility he is being named to represent another investor.

ADVER CHIEF SPORTS WRITER SAM MORSHEAD: "It's a Monday morning story that was very hard to foresee, the removal of a chairman who has been involved in such a rich period of success at Swindon Town.

Hmmmm ? I don't like the sound of '...the removal...' Or am I being a pedant?

I sincerely hope that the appointment of Sir Will.I.Am is being made for the right reasons (to allow major investment) and not because of any internal friction.

I also hope that Sir Will.I.Am's appointment does not mean there will be a change to Mr Wrays policy of honesty and openness as this has been the first time we have had a period of harmony for a long time.

I guess Paolo will be sad to see Jeremy step down as his chairman as there is an obvious click there but I guess Jeremy figures Paolo needs someone who cand find him financial backing for new players.

on the bright side for Paolo, at least now when he falls out with a player he can call on Sir Will.I.Am's contacts at MI6 to have them 'dry cleaned'....

The pessimist in me wonders whether the PDC "plan changing from 18 months ago" stuff wasn't just PDC being PDC but more informed than that.

That said, PDC may not be party to everything in the boardroom due to reasons of confidentiality.

....and the fact that he can't keep his gob shut! :-)

 It may be best to wait and hear the official line, but my guess would be that Wray has gone too far, from the previous position of not throwing money at the project, and so had to go....I'd imagine PdC will follow and Patey has been brought in to fight the fire....a kind of better connected Bob Holt.

 It follows that, that the owners may be looking to go entirely.....

From the liveblog

Q. Has J Wray stepped aside, or has he been removed?

A. It is our understanding that he is being replaced


Hold onto your hats and dust off your cynicism...

Don't forget Wray was intially an interim chairman.

Time for ill informed panic, witch hunts and ceremonial burnings.

And I include myself in that, I am already in full on tin foil hat territory.

Also, large Thank You Jeremy banner required at the next home game. Can't overestimate how impressive his short chairmanship has been.

Shit. That's extremely bad news. Hope this is of Wray's own choosing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19944989

Is it just me or does that not actually answer the question?

No it's not just you. The 'answer' is clear as mud.

Or any of the Portsmouthian mystery Sheikhs.

To say that I am left feeling slightly unsettled by this news would be an understatement.

In name only. The only reason he wasn't named out-and-out chairman was because he took over pre-agm.

Fucksticks.

Yep

I dont think we need to worry as much as some want us to.To me it is obvious that the board want someome who isnt going to be on at them constantly saying Paolo said he wants this Paolo said he wants that.They probably want someone who has the bollocks to say no straight away.I thhink Paolo will be off which would be a shame but be nice to be left in a good position for once.

Haven't we had an AGM since he took over then. I was under the impression A stood for annual.

Think you've got it there DRS, although I think you're being a bit harsh saying Wray didn't have the bollocks to say no, suspect it was more a case of genuinely wanting to give Di Canio the resources he requested, the rest of the board being a bit more cautious. The "embargo" thing presumably has brought it all to a head - going over the spending cap would be a clear red light for the more cautious on the board and a request to chuck in yet more funds (in whatever form disguised as revenue) would maybe become a red line issue for both sides.

But he was made full chairman with Russell Backhouse, Nick Watkins and Andrew Black (partner of Edward Wray in Betfair) as the other directors. Fitton stated in 2008 that he was the major shareholder and that Sir Martyn Arbib and Jeremy Wray were other shareholders. Backhouse was brought in as he is a 'financial guru' but I'm not sure about Watkins investment.

Yeah, and he got ratified as manager in that.

At least, that's what I thought

This is kind of my thoughts. I'd be pretty gutted if Paolo left, although as much as I love what he's done, I think know an element of me will breath a sigh of relief.

Watkins is, I think, an exec director rather than an investor i.e. he's on the board because he's chief exec and it would be daft to make the kind of decisions they need to make without him.

You thought Wray was manager? Wow.

I'll be gutted if Paolo goes. No decent managers out there at the moment. We will end up with another Wilson.

I've never seen him and PDC in the same room...

That's a good shout. Maybe Wray is actually just PDC in one of those joke shop baldy head wigs.

I'd rather go negative. Can we start chants of "Who the fuck is William Patey?" :)

Well that was an interesting first 5 minutes at my desk.  Happy Monday, everyone!

Jeremy Wray - thank you, Sir.  You are very well thought of, and will be very well remembered.

No point in making any further comment until the details emerge.  This could be very bad, or it could be very good.  Little point in speculating.

This could be replaced by the existing backers, angered by overspending and failure to anticipate the tribunal costs. It could be replaced by an entirely new group of backers wanting their own man at the helm.

Something doesn't add up. We know very little about the new chairman, except that he doesn't appear to have a sporting background or any obvious link to the existing board.  

If it was a new investor group, why announce this first, rather than a more positive story of investment?

Today could be interesting. If it's new money, great. If it's not and we are belt tightening, it is a shame and spells the end of pdc, but I’ll take conservative spending over boom and bust any day.

His Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Patey

Cut past all the detail about his diplomatic career and the Knighthood, and you get to...

Personal Life

He married Vanessa Morrell in 1978. They have two sons. Patey is an avid cinema goer. He is also a football fan and supports Queens Park Rangers in England together with Hibernian in Scotland.

Citation Needed.

CITATION NEEDED!!!!!

I still reckon it's a Middle East link. A tonne of money coming in from Dubai.

Clearly we'd all rather not have STFC go bust. What is dissapointing, if as hinted on radio Wray has been removed, is its another boardroom/investor disagreement in essence and probably a complete change in drection. Really thought we were on our way to a shot at the Championship this time.

Suppose we'd better wait and see before commenting further.

Has he got a favourite Premiership team and a team he supports in Europe as well? Sounds like my kids' mates.

Watkins is a former CEO of QPR right? They may well know eachother if Patey was a regular in Loftus Road hospitality.

But if it is just a case of the boardroom saying "we agreed a generous budget so stick to it" it isn't really a change of direction.

As you say, all idle speculation until we get more info later.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/9175743/UK-ambassador-makes-appearance-in-Afghan-TV-comedy.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/9175743/UK-ambassador-makes-appearance-in-Afghan-TV-comedy.html)

Well atleast it looks like he has a sense of humour

I can't believe that no one has wildly speculated about Bill Power yet.

This could be the best thing to happen to us in years with further financial backing making the club even stronger.

It could be a absolute disaster. Paolo storms out, the Ritchie & Ferry's of the world slap in transfer requests and our season collapses.

It could be business as usual just with a change of figurehead as the public face of the board

I love wild speculation

He's no Malcolm Tucker.

IF that was the case, do you think Wray was acting on his own in spending money? I just can't see that. Thre would have been a plan and a budget, and a system for spending approvals.  Hence I think a change in direction and ambition would be the result of his removal. I suppose if it comes out he was Risdaling (tm) then there was little choice in change....

Last word from me until the statement, honest.

Can't see there being a 'change of direction'. You don't plough in 14m into a project and change your mind halfway through.

I think we are all doomed, doomed i tell thee.

I don't really and think that when one looks back to the days when I used to refresh on here every 5 mins to see if we had been taken over or gone bust this is a storm in a teacup... for now.

Strange appointment though, a little left field. I hope hes bringing the Ferraro Roche with him!

The welcome return of Willie Carson ...

ah fuck...............

Why does this not sound/feel good. Don't want to be pessimistic but for the first time in years, possibly ever, we had someone at the helm who I thought could steer the good ship STFC through the roller coaster reign of PDC and beyond.  As already stated Wray > PDC.

Made a note in my diary on the way here. Simply says: "Bugger."

Kingys coming back! 8)

Patey will take the club to the next level

Has anyone heard that Bolton have made an approach for PDC and we've given them permission to talk to him? Just been sent a text from someone claiming inside knowledge. 

What time will the club release a statement today? Lots of questions at the moment.

Why is Wray leaving?
What connection if any does Sir Patey have to the current board?
Does this signal a change in ownership?
Whats the implication on PDC? (who in my view needs to be reined in!)
What impact does this have on CG redevelopment? (Number 1 priority for this clubs future)

You're not Samuel Pepys, are you?

I suppose we'll have to wait until Fridays for further statements. Getting in Patey is just like buying a house.

Very good call.

I've heard this too. The whole situation to me is very similar to the Duffen bloke at Hull, overspent for success and ousted by the board soon after

That was doing the rounds last week. Out of date wind-ups, how crap is that? (Not you jan, whoever txted you)

I'd kind of hoped that PDC if he went anywhere would go to Blackburn, the combination of him, the board and their fans would have fantastic comic potential!

Trying to find a positive reason for this, so my next bit of speculation is that perhaps Patey is seen as the best man for negotiating with the Council over ground redevlopment.

Otherwise, I struggle to see why it wouldn't have passed on to another existing director in the way it went from Fitton to Wray.

In the car on the way home Saturday listening to the radio someone called Charlie sent in a txt saying " time for Wray to move on" was the most pathetic thing I've heard but Charlie either gets his wish or he knew something we didn't ! If Paolo is off we will still be here long after the dust settles as always.

Got to say I was gutted when I turned the radio on at 6-30 to hear the news.  He was - in my opinion - pushed, Chris Wise more or less alluded to it when saying he didn't actually know whether he was pushed or resigned, "but he knew how much JW enjoyed doing the job of chairman!"  Obviously explains what PDC alluded to in his post-match interview, sad days but I think at the back of a lot of our minds was a feeling "how much longer can these good times go on for"?  And if someone posts that Hart is being lined up as caretaker manager, if PDC goes, then may their past catch up with them very quickly.  Be prepared Tans!!!

Patey is former ambassador to Dubai and must know a shit load of minted Sheikhs, yet that's the best you can come up with?  ;)

Fuck knows what's going on but wray has been just what we've needed with di canio as manager. Calm and collected when the boss goes off on one

More Sheikhs than than he can shake a stick at?

Am I the only one who thinks this is the end for PDC?

Don't think this has anything to do with new investment, I just think the board wanted a new chairman to over see the day to day running of the club.

Whether it's the right thing to do, time will tell.

The wording from the Adver report says 'Wray was removed' from his position as chairman.

The natural reaction is:

Wray supports PdC to the hilt

The Board either cant or wont keep up the financial support on the pitch

Wray tries to fight his and PdC's corner

Board gets its way and PdC will resign in support of Wray.

He also said on Saturday he needed to know if the plan for the club had changed - well it looks like it has

Bye-bye PdC

If the new Chairman beckons in some new financial input into the club all the above is bollocks

Have to say that I think Chris Wise is a bit of a cock - he likes to dangle the red flag in front of PDC

Patey has had a house locally for years I think - I am sure I ran across him a number of times while working at the old Kennet Council. So I am assuming he is well connected locally. You have to remember that a shit load of really rich people live round here. One of the directors of Ove Arup is in Mildenhall, and I would guess that Fitton and co mix with all of them socially and through business. They could be simply expanding their network of local rich chaps.

I think so to but he wont leave before the Villa game. 

On the upside the club will be in a more inviting position to attract a better quality of managerial candidate.

The thought has crossed my mind, but it's hard to say without knowing reasons for Wray's departure.

Come off it. We have no idea what is happening so some of these conclusions being reached on here are daft.

:-) Idle speculation is fun though.

Perhaps.

But it does make sense of the repeated mentions of "my chairman Jeremy Wray" in PDC's post-match interview on Saturday make sense now.

STFC are being a bit tardy on releasing a statement aren't they? Caught on the hop or waiting for something?

That's all guesswork...nothing more.  PDC's future may or may not be in question.  No one on here knows.  That's the truth.  Let's wait for the facts.

I do love a good meltdown.

You would have to hope that Jeremy will be kept on board in some capacity. He seems to be such a positive influence

I can't be the only one who thought that huddle after the game was PDC saying goodbye?

 :popcorn:

This thread needs more sonicyouth gifs.

Anyone got Paul Hart's phone number?

[url width=500 height=300]http://d2tq98mqfjyz2l.cloudfront.net/image_cache/1334628518273142_animate.gif[/url]

No, it makes perfect sense to say goodbye via a quick huddle in the middle of the pitch...

Not really something I expected to hear this morning, and I am both worried and intregued by this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSh1Bovk-IQ

It appears our new chairman is on twitter ....

@sirwilliampatey

Thats Danny Devito

Definitely busy negotiating a settlement package with PDC, there can be no other reason.

If there's a reason for this regarding further investment or development it may turn out to be a good decision. If however it's all about boardroom power plays and ousting Wray because of his inability to curb PdC's public demands, then we could end up with a return to the bad old days.

A statement would be appreciated.

The new boy's slacking already. Patey out.

Positive reasons for change:

1. The guy is clearly well-connected in the middle-east, which is full of rich sheikhs stuck in empty deserts desperate to find anything to do with their spare oil cash. If he's been brought in to levy significant new investment (but not a takeover) then this could potentially be good news.

Negative reasons for change:

2. WORST CASE SCENARIO: He's been brought in to negotiate a sale to a middle-east investor and our current board want out. Turmoil ensues.

3. He's been brought in to tighten the financial ship and reign in our spending. To be fair, could also be seen as a positive except for the inevitable short term consequence: PDC will leave and we'll become just another middle league 1 team (though a financially stable one at least), and the great ride we've all been on will be over.

I think it could potentially be a combination of 1 and 3. He seems to have come so out of left field in every other way i can't believe his connections to the middle east aren't in some way relevant. Can't see PDC lasting much longer without Jeremy Wray in any scenario, whose patience was astonishing (i think most of us would have lost it with him after foderinghamgate. Some of us at caddisgate). Even years of diplomacy in the middle-east can't have prepared this guy for dealing with PDC (if Paolo was in charge of an isreal or iran the world would have been blown long ago diplomats or no diplomats). At least the guy seems to have a bit of a sense of humour in that telegraph clip, since he looked like a prohibition era enforcer in his photos on the advertiser who was going to march into club folklore as another pantomime villain in our long illustrious history of shady ne'er do wells.

Fair enough, I didn't think it'd be anything new but just wanted to check.

It may turn out to be true of course .... but I doubt it. Although I'd imagine if Bolton asked permission to speak to him the response would be "You're welcome to try. Set aside a couple of days and don't count on understanding much of it"

That's what Pompey fans thought. When it comes to foreign investors in English football, be very very careful what you wish for.

Racist  :D

I (Roman) salute you :)

Statement Monday - the link on the Swindon homepage links to ... the Swindon homepage. Classy.

http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/article/newchairmanofswindontownfc-426486.aspx

http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/article/newchairmanofswindontownfc-426486.aspx

Some more.

STATEMENT FROM JEREMY WRAY:

At the specific request of the club's majority shareholder, Andrew Black, I have been replaced as Chairman of STFC by Sir William Patey at a meeting of the Board on Friday 12th October.

Having met Sir William, I am confident he will bring great value to the Board of STFC, but, after much reflection, I have concluded that it would be inappropriate to accept the offer to remain on the Board and as such intend to terminate my engagement with the Club.

When I agreed to take over as Chairman it was on the understanding that the Board would confirm the appointment of Paolo Di Canio as manager and would commit to a three-year plan to support him, his management staff and players in the attempt to achieve promotion back to the Championship. I am proud to have overseen significant progress towards this goal and privileged to have stewarded the Club through one of the most exciting periods in its history. Given my commitment over the last 18 months, I am obviously sorry not to see the project through to completion, but am confident that the Club is in excellent shape to achieve back-to-back promotions.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my association with STFC and wish the club and its magnificent fans every success in the future.”

Jeremy Wray


Very, very definitely pushed

Mark O'Donnell's posted a link to Patey's Debrett's profile:

http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/p/22822/William%20Charters+PATEY.aspx

Seems very distinguished, no mention whatever of football in there. Career highlights include Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan - obviously a troublemaker :)

Does.Not.Smell.Right

Yep. Sacked by Andrew Black. Not good.

I'm a bit gutted personally, but its Black's money.

I just hope this isn't the start of boardroom termoil.

Well well well...I am shocked, Wray definately pushed! I didn't realise Black was our majority shareholder either!

statement being read out on radio Wilts now:

Basic bits here

Wray Been replaced by board by Andrew Black, Wray declined to take another place on the board untenable. Wray has resigned from Board with immediate effect

New chairman non executive chairman Subject to fa approval

delighted to become chairman exciting times ahead looking forward to working with PDC looking to secure new investment wanting to get Town back to championship and long term project for new stadium  said thanks to JW

<neville>If it is, I hope they at least spell it correctly</neville>

pedent (sic)

This whole thing must be causing some friendly problems among the Swindon investors too - with Jeremy Wray being the brother of the guy Andrew Black set Betfair up with.

So we're assuming Andrew Black has asked him to resign because of what?

Over expenditure?
PDC?
Not attracting alternate investment?
Not managing ground redevelopment?

I get the impression Jezza/Paolo were writing cheques that the collective arse couldn't cash.

and assuming they had been warned about it more than once you can see why Black would have been a tad miffed.

Maybe its because he has a different use for him elsewhere and we are all pointlessly speculating.

Probably a combination of issues but I would guess that Mr Black may also have got a bit fed up with an employee publicly questioning the Board's ambition. Maybe JW was asked to reign PdC in a bit but hasn't been able to do it?

Its one explanation. There could be others. Who knows. Doubt the truth will out quickly. Sad day.

Quite obvious whats happened here, Wray has backed Paolo to the hilt with the cash, Andrew Black has said, thats your lot, Wray has backed Paolo again by saying sort the embargo, Black once again said, thats your lot tell Paolo no, Wray didn't want to do this, so Black has said, your out then and has brought in someone which will force PDC to re-sign. Black wants someone else to share the burden of funding the club. Budgets remain as is, players need to go, to come in before embargo is removed. In good position now if PDC left, someone else may be able to continue with current budgets in place and still get promotion. Lets move on! :D

Pure guesswork, but I would imagine he has tried to back PdC to get extra investment to lift embargo and the rest of the board have said no.

Hope they get the new guy on the radio ASAP to outline his/Andrew Black's vision for going forward.

Will the club have to repay loans to Wray? (Again just assuming Wray has invested in the club in the form of loans)

I dont think Wray owns a lot of the holding company. Its mainly Black and Sir Martin Arbib i believe.

If he does have loans outstanding, I bet they are earning a higher rate of interest than if the cash was sitting at the bank. He may be happy for the club to keep paying that interest.

Playing footsie under the boardroom table. Final straw came when he touched Black's thigh while "reaching for that pen I just dropped".

Am I right in believing the new chairman is a sweatie?

Has anyone ventured onto Thisis or the Facebook page? I daren't look on days like this.

ADVERTISER CHIEF SPORTS WRITER SAM MORSHEAD: "So, Jeremy Wray confirms what many may already have thought - that he was replaced as chairman at the request of majority shareholder Andrew Black.
 
"That he viewed it as 'inappropriate' to then remain on the board makes plenty of sense. Here is a man who has dedicated himself to a voluntary role for 18 months only to be moved on at the drop of a hat.
 
"His contriution to the cause was infallible and his commitment unflinching.

"What Sir William Patey says in his statement, which is hugely encouraging, is his blueprint to bring in outside investment to support the redevelopment of the County Ground.
 
"It's a busy old day at SN1."

Hmmm. Wasn't expecting to see this.

Wray has been brilliant for the club over the last 18 months, sad to see him pushed out but there must reasons behind it.

Continuing the wild speculation, am I the only one who wouldn't be delighted with crazy amounts of middle eastern/foreign investment?

Why do we need new investment so badly? One can only assume Black has had enough of funding the club. This to me is a little bit worrying.

I think everyone's overlooking that this "statement" from the new guy begs more questions than it answers. All the platitudes about "seeking investment", "keeping up the good work", "working with the manager" blah blah are all very well but it's just words. Has no-one thought to ask the one very obvious thing that's not yet been mentioned? Just what exactly is Sir William Patey's favourite cheese? The omission is ominous and possibly points in the direction of a secret "Laughing Cow" shame

Me neither, said this a few pages back. Be extremely careful what you wish for would be my view.

Haven't we been looking for investment for a while? I assumed that was the reason for the share changes agreed at the AGM

I have it on good authority that it's not quite that bad, although that's entirely up for debate. It's Primula. The prawn flavoured one.

Certainly not.

http://thetownend.com/index.php?topic=41995.msg903203#msg903203

http://thetownend.com/index.php?topic=37102.msg772167#msg772167

But I doubt very much that investors from the Middle East would be falling over themselves to invest in a club like ours anyway.

Haven't seen you post so many replies since PDC was appointed. Not a criticism but I get the impression that you are more interested in the politics of football rather than what actually goes on the pitch

Even on Twitter Patey remains quiet on the cheese issue, perhaps if we trawl back through his evidence to the Iraq inquiry we may get the answer.

Don't think this has anything to do with new investment. More like to reign in the current way of spending at the club. Considering where we are in the league,they loose purse stings upto now, and the fact they are minted does make me wonder what's changed though?

His silence on this is suspicious isn't it? Can only raise questions, I think he needs to come clean, even if there are Kraft triangle "incidents" in his past. It's best to get it out in the open

I wouldn't like it either. Sure, there is Man City, but then there's Blackburn. Or Portsmouth. It's a huge risk for a club of our size. We can't grow too fast, because otherwise we risk losing everything.

I am really worried about Wray getting the boot. I'm incredibly cautious about someone coming in with no experience of football, as impressive as his pedigree is. I really want the board to make me look like a tit for being slightly worried, but with Wray leaving and no real answers or plans coming forth it leads to outrageous speculation and unrest. Surely if Sir Matey is so experienced as a diplomat he has some grasp of the importance of giving people information during a time of upheaval to stop idle speculation.

In a couple of months I want to look like a tit for being worried, I really do.

Enough is enough maybe? Or maybe they were just sick of the tail wagging the dog?

We don't know what has been going on behind the scenes do we, thats why it irritated me that the advertiser stated that he had been dismissed 'at the drop of the hat'.

Our owners are not stupid and we have all seen the manner in which our manager has been slowly going round the bend over the last month or so, each time apparently without rebuke or being reined in. I wonder whether Mr Wray had possibly been given an ultimatum to stop this and possibly Paolo's continuing ramblings by itself made the position untenable.

In terms of foreogn ownership it all depends on who the person is and what wealth they have, until we know that its probably not worth speculating.

Whatever it is - there is still a game Saturday.

PdC is quiet - that's something to tell the grandchildren

So we now only have 2 members of the board that own the club Arbib & Black, Fitton resigned and now so has Wray.

So we now really need to know what Black's plans for the club are they the same as previous or is new investment needed to continue the plan

I'm sure Paolo will tell us though

Concered that the new guy has no experience in football though we suffered with Fitton at the start as he got to grips with everything and being naive

I imagine he's having a chat with the new boss.

Bollocks to all this, I dont feel well and Im lounging on the sofa in my pyjamas with a duvet over me.  Whos going to bring me some boiled eggs whilst I watch fingerbobs.

On a scale from "Bewildered" to "What the actual fuck?" quite how baffled do we think the new guy will be right about now?

Did Jezabel have any experience in football prior to here?

You would like to think that dealing with the political strife in Afghanistan, Sudan and Iraq would be a good grounding to dealing with Paolo...

Actually on second thoughts the guy hasnt got a chance!

If he's been out in Afghan he may like Kishmish Panir a sort of mozzarella with raisins

Aint many clubs where a change of chairman brings on a meltdown.

I have got the impression lately, that many on here wouldn't be slashing their wrists quite so much if PdC was to leave.

He's going to go some time - as all managers do - I always had the feeling he'd be gone before I got to move back!!

Well, yeah, but they're all an absolute mess so he's not done a great job there has he?

The Wolf of Kabul

Meltdown?

Not many clubs where the chairman is sacked mid way through a season.

We've gone from a chairman who thought he could manage the team, to one who let the manager do as he wanted. Reckon the board are looking for one who sits in the middle of the two?

He'd been on the board so would have gained experience there was the point I was making - Patey has had no dealing in the football arena, hopefully hit the ground running though happy to spend Mr Black's money

Why did I just go to the facebook page? Why did I do that to myself.

Can you milk a camel?

Looks like it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxtqkCDpWEE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxtqkCDpWEE)

I think our Yellow friends did something similar only a few weeka ago

It's called a stadium in soccerball :)

I think you mean "Association Football"

Suppose all will become much clearer once Paolo and Patey have their first meeting if they haven't already done so. Paolo has come across as very demanding so a lot will depend on give and take from both sides. This meeting alone I think will determine whether Paolo stays or goes.

so some rich bloke has left and been replaced by another rich bloke. sorry but give a shit.

Some rich bloke was sacked and replaced by some other rich bloke, for reasons unvarified, to the background noise of the manager talking about changing plans. Bound to be a bit of comment and lots of speculation.

If PDC does leave before the end of the season it will be interesting to see what happens with Caddis.

So how will the relationship be between a career diplomat and the world's most undiplomatic manager?

Lets be honest, the alarm bells should have rung when Paolo gave the squad a day or two off!

Only came into the news late and here we go again, the old Swindon Town roller coaster off and running at full tilt. I thought we had some sort of stability behind the scenes (if not on the managerial side) and Jeremy Wray was doing a great job juggling the various situations and am disappointed he feels it necessary to resign. Time will only tell which way we go as everything else is assumptions at present.

Got to agree with other comments, none too happy with what has happened, but as usual the Town will still be playing football and I will still be supporting no matter what.

 :(

The Directors of STFC are delighted to announce the appointment of Sir William Patey as non-executive Chairman*.

'Sir William is a lifelong football fan and, having served as British Ambassador to, amongst others, Afghanistan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia brings a wealth of experience to the Swindon board.

'Sir William commented: 'I am delighted to become Chairman of Swindon Town at such an exciting time. I look forward to working with Paolo, the Board and the whole Club so that success on the pitch can continue and take the Club back to the npower Championship.

"'In addition, my task will be to secure new investment to support the programme of ground redevelopment and to co-ordinate the execution of the Club`s longer term strategic plans.

''I look forward to working with those who share the same ambitions for the Club both on and off the field and relish the opportunity to take on this challenge.

''The Club has achieved much under the Chairmanship of Jeremy Wray and on behalf of the Board and investor base would like to thank him for his efforts over the course of the last 18 months."

Jeremy Wray, after careful consideration, has taken the decision to resign from the STFC Board with immediate effect.

Regretting this decision, the Board would like to place on record its thanks for Jeremy`s invaluable contribution to the club since his initial involvement in January 2008 and justly proud of his achievements since assuming the role of Chairman in May 2011.

*Appointment subject to Football League Approval

I think we need to remember something here,wray is liked because he has backed pdc to the hilt and had to constantly defend him.If i was dicanio i would feel a bit guilty right now.

Hence his platitudes during Saturday's interview I would assume DRS. As he sets a big value on loyalty, he could walk at any moment. (hope not)  Not quite sure what the gesturing to the executive area was all about in the first half either, unless it was 'see, I need better strikers'

This doesn't sit right with me! Something doesn't seem right and its not cheese! Think there's more to this that meets the eye.

PDC asked for stuff, Wray got it, I assumed this was all part of the plan. Its hard to know what else to say without knowing whether this backing was within or outside of Wray's remit.

Or whether things have changed mid plan - though if it was that simple the actions seem a little strong.

oh fiddle Sticks!!! This is most definitely not good, those that are thinking it is are the sames ones that said dont worry about the caddis situation it could be that he is just not yet fit enough. Wray makes specific reference to the plan that was agreed not long after PDC making refernce to the plan maybe changing, and if his departure had nothing to do with it why make reference to it in his statement. Also This guys role is to seek new investors as we obvously then need it as the current sources have dried up or Black wants to share the risk. Also being appointed to find it and actaully finding it are completely two different things. If new investment, exciting investment, was imenantly forth comming the future would have been very bright so why not stay along for the ride in the knowledge that your desicsion to step down and take another role played a very important part. Its more like you said you would back me and my plans which supported PDC and now your not i am not going to be the one to go back on my word and agreed obligation therefore here is my resignation. Thanks but no thanks for the other role. Also the other part of the clubs statement it that he is also responsible for the developement of the CG which also suggests to me that it is much more of a case of us being me more self sustainable too, again a hint of less investment from black. I wondered if the huddle out on the pitch after the coventry game was linked to it, maybe PDC wanted to say something to the players away from the CG staff and certainly the two days off for the players was suprising. Im of the opinion that PDC is very loyal providing the other party are also so i cant imagine he would be here much longer. We know he was going to go eventually but it might just happen sooner than i imagined unless a miracle occurs.

Could be a number of things I guess! Maybe Andrew Black wasn't impressed that Wray got us a Transfer Embargo? Or maybe he went to Black asking him for more money for PDC? Maybe they want rid of PDC but Wray didn't go along with it?

Could be a number of things, can only speculate.

And breathe...

Is he Kate Adey in disguise  :hmmm:

Sir William Patey will be giving exclusive interviews to STFC player, wilts radio and advertiser later today.
Edit: on radio in two minutes apparently .
Edit: now been told Its Wray on radio  :doh:

Please update with what was said. I doubt Wray will put the boot in so I guess not much...

"Sir William is a lifelong football fan".  of???

Old Etonians perchance?

One thing this does do is put Di Canio's strange (even for him) post match comments and behaviour in the last couple of games into perspective:

-The post-match huddle on the pitch - communicating something he wanted to keep between only himself and his players? Wray is going but we can still win this league if we stick together? Trying to create an us vs them attitude between himself and the board so they're all loyal to him now this new guy has come in who might be a threat to his previously undisputed power?

-The repetition of his point that the club and players had no value before he came after relegation. At the time the way he emphasised this really annoyed me but i realise now that the message was not directed at moaning fans wanting him to reign in his spending but at the board, trying to justify and elicit their continued investment on the basis that he's shown it can give them a return (going on about Ritchie being worth nothing that summer but now being worth £800,000).

-The ranting about wanting to know if there was a change of plan with the transfer embargo coupled with the adulation for Jeremy Wray - well we all now what his beatification of wray was about now - the question of whether there is a change of plan remains unanswered but with JW's comments about the 3 year plan and considering JW couldn't have been executing our previous plan much better the answer is almost certainly going to be 'yes'.

With Black seemingly staying quiet on that issue, everything points to player investment (which has been large in fairness) being put on hold as they focus on the infrastructure being put in place to put the club on it's own secure financial footing. Whether this costs us in the short term will remain to be seen, but if they're refocusing now on prioritising our long term future this may not be looked back on one day in such a negative light. Whatever happens we still have a squad capable of getting promotion this season, with or without PDC, unless we have a big asset sale in january which i can't see considering they've invested this much. It seems unlikely they would want to burn all their bridges this season having already put in a fair bit.

Whatever happens, i hope Di Canio realises he still has a good thing going at Swindon and stays, although i dread the next major incident as i don't know if he'll be given as much slack from now.

 :suicide:Just caught Wray on the radio saying he wishes the club well and regrets not being part of the future and he hope the club continue to be open and honest with the fans who he really praised. Think I missed the 1st bit when he said it was a " specific request " from majority shareholder Andrew Black that he was replaced as chairman, I've just read that quote on wilts radio web site.

Hibs and QPR.


I doubt it.

So when he's in his gentleman's drinking club, do you think he is discussing whether Adel Tarabt should be a regular starter at QPR, whilst sipping his G&T.

These nobs always say they support so and so

Smokescreen

So on the basis that he's got a knighthood, you've decided that he doesn't know anything about football and that he's just trying to curry favour with salt of the earth types like yourself?  Get a grip.

Will be an interevew with the new bloke on STFC Player "This afternoon.

Also in the photo the official facebook page has uploaded I think he looks a bit like a sontaran from Doctor Who.

Would be useful if Black could explain why this decision has been taken

Nothing to do with a knighthood

He's a fucking diplomat - he may well have a passing interest in QPR - but does that warrant a 'knowledge' about football.

Does it fuck

Think we should be asking what is his favourite pate...Brussels, Ardennes, Fois Gras or Pate de Compagne (also known as PdC)

...and why this Patey chap has been chosen as Jeremy Wray's successor.  What are his qualifications for this?  From his Wiki page, he's just short of his 60th birthday and recently took on a few other non-exec roles in the summer.  My concern is that this could be a retirement hobby for an old friend.

Indeed.

It is on a part time basis.

Didnt Explain why but did say that he learned of blacks intentions ten days ago and that the linking of the embargo to his resignation was nonsense.

Also he mentiioned a plan of a new stadium, i thought we are just going to develop our existing one? Whatever the case maybe wray was quality as a chairman.

I also have concerns about his qualifications (see other post just above this one), and we'll have to wait and see.  My quibble with your earlier post had more to do with the fact that you seemed to assume straight away that his diplomatic background and middle class appearances (admittedly appearances are pretty much all we have to go on right now) meant he couldn't possibly know anything about football...which is horseshit.  And very prejudiced.

You cant be suggesting that a diplomat isnt capable of having a serious knowledge of football are you?

It was solely on the basis that there is absolutely nothing in his previous working life that seems to in any way give him any experience in football matters - other than, like most of us, having a liking for a specific club.

Of course not. Football is littered with members of the diplomatic community!!

No but it's littered with successful Chairmen, owners, etc who came into the job off the back of other careers/business interests and little knowledge of the game.

In fairness to the new man, I don't think Fitton, Wray or Watkins had much football club experience. But they all turned out OK!

Eton played at Bradfield College on Saturday. I had to sit there while they tried to get their coach up the drive to the Bradfield ground.

Ha, only on the TEF could you have 15 pages crammed full of ill-informed, blind, speculative bollocks.  ;)

I love threads like this.

So what's the truth then?!

Dunno.

But it's out there........

To be fair to kerry, I know fuck all about international diplomacy, so he may be on to something.

I dunno, there must be one mad conspiracy theory thats not yet been aired still in existence, I'll have a think and I'll let you know what I come up with.  :D

did you run into pericarp?

80% of it in fact...

The new guy's interview is up.

It is very reassuring. One of his first priorities is getting the embargo lifted, which dispels a lot of the stuff that has been said.

I'm not saying he cannot be a successful chairman - my original post was that whenever someone who appears to have no discernible football knowledge or interest, they always come out with stuff trying to con supporters into thinking he's been a passionate football supporter all his life.

Much the same as the 'scarf' photo with a newly signed player.

A statement from Paolo now up on the Adver site

Paving the way to the exit??

I hate to say it, but it certainly read like that!

Just listened to the Sir William Patey interview on STFC Player (I know I started a separate thread slagging STFC player off!).

At the moment, you can only take him on the first impression, pointless comparing him to Wray because they're clearly different people. He comes across like you'd expect a diplomat too. Quite dry, touch on the dour side like all good Scots!

He makes some good points in the Interview such as a Chairman's job is to deliver a stratagy - sadly, in heaping (deserved) praise on Wray, many many people have overlooked the good work that Nick Watkins and everyone else involved puts in at STFC.

Hopefully, now that we're hearing from Patey and Wray about the change, the over-reaction can cease and people can realise that only one man has changed, albeit, a very influential likable one.

Like every proper football fan though, I'm still nervous about Di Canio's reaction and potential whereabouts this week! haha

Even more worrying is that Backhouse might follow Wray out of the door. Sounds like big rumblings in the board room.

The beginning of the end. Of the Paolo revolution?

Russell Backhouse possibly going too. WTF is going on.

Sounds like PDC is at least being sensible and wanting to talk to the club before deciding to bale or not.

My OPINION: clusterfuck.

PDC doesn't sound happy.

Yeah.

Really sounds as though he's off.  ::)

The usual stuff.

Money men ignoring how success on the pitch has been achieved in favour of boardroom shenanigans

I find i quite ironic that lots of us have been getting concerned about Paolos washing his dirty linen in public, wishing that all of these conversations would be taking place behind closed doors, then we get this from the club, its almost as if things have been going too well for the club, we're in the playoffs position, plum league cup tie, excellent gates, promising (but barking mad) manager, all the things the board would want,

Then there's the shit about the embargo,and then they sack the Chair, do it in a messy way without getting some kind of non disclosure agreement to allow him to say that the owner wanted him gone....   Why could this not have waited, I accept PDC didn't help with the embargo, but it appears as though the new Chair is saying similar things, why not wait until the close season, bill it as a fresh start or whatever its blown over in 15 minutes it all adds to the uncertainty at present though while we're preparing for games....

Its just piss poor management by the board

Glad I'm not the only one who read that.

Sounds like PDC is basically saying "What The Fuck" too.

Stupid football.

I am sure the board will be delighted that Paolo has decided to announce the blackhouse news before the club do.

I may be totally wroung here but this just seems like amassive fucking chess game now where one side is trying to force the others hand

If this leads the PDC leaving, I for one will not be happy.

I know they must have their reasons for removing Wray, but would it not have paid to wait until the end of the season and see where we are then? We are doing quite well at the moment, and this has the potential to derail our season.

The more I think about it the more this decision, and the timing of it, baffles me.

Is it time yet, Ardiles?

[url width=347 height=346]http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/panic-button.jpeg[/url]

Yeah, but he's hardly towing the company line in his statement though!

Can we dust off the orange hats?

Well, I presume Patey the Matey was tapped up a while ago to replace Wray so it cant have been a knee-jerk reaction to something recent.

Summat must have been brewing for a while.

Should have got their shit together then. Good or bad for the club, who knows. But the way this has broken and the amount of information out the club has been slow coming and fairly scant. I note Wray's comments about being open with the fans, well lets hear it then.

The worrying thing is if it comes to board v fans if PDC leaves. Black could just walk.

BR:

Yeah, cheers. The version I read didn't include that.

Good to hear the new chairman reference the "3 year plan to get to the Championship" and "not a great change in direction" on the player interview.

But for balance also "we've spent a lot of money on players" and the the embargo may take "weeks" to resolve.

 "It is important for me to have a team around me that I can trust. Jeremy Wray and Russell Backhouse, Phil Spencer and myself have worked tirelessly as a team to bring success to this club but now with Jeremy going and Russell potentially soon to depart, half of that team may soon be taken away, and, as much as I have loyalty to Swindon and its fans, I also have loyalty to Jeremy and Russell and these events have certainly changed the dynamics.

Surely it's the 'money men' that enabled us to have success on the pitch? Or is di Canio, his backroom and all the players working for free?

Soapy tit wank?

You stole my button!

Paolo never does, it could go either way for sure but I didn't read that statement as black and white one way or the other. Maybe it's gone over my head.

PDC said he'll be meeting up with the new guy, for all we know he could go in and be told he can get the investment to lift the embargo and he can carry on as he was, at which point I'm sure Paolo will forgive and forget.

Initial reaction to the PdC statement was "he's walking" but having read a couple of comments here about Patey's first pronouncements it may well be that he can pursuade Paolo that the ambition and support for the 3 year plan is still alive.  even if that happens there will still be a risk for a while that he will have a strop and just go.
It's never dull at Swindon Town anyway.

Paolo has already met the new chairman, on Friday.

I was just polishing it...

Such a shame that this is all happening during such a successful time on the pitch. I hope Paolo stays, I really do.

I threw mine away yesterday.  True story!

Firstly, I'm as gutted as the rest of you to see Wray go, but, having spent the last hour reading the adver blog, checking out Patey's background & watching his interview, I'm convinced that this is part of a major investment (fingers firmly crossed).

Haven't we already had that though?

I may be clutching at straws a bit, but the way he talks about the stadium & clubs future I'm thinking (hoping) that there may be something big on the horizon.

If I'm right, hopefully Paolo will stay

I'm not, Chairman don't get the shove and directors don't consider their options if its (changed for reasons of) good news. Can't see past Wray somehow having pissed Black off.

Totally agree, if Patey brings in new investment from somewhere I'm sure Paolo will be as happy as larry, especially if he can get in another ten strikers on the back of it. (and pay off seven etc)

Got to say by the amount of people i have spoken to today the PDC support is waining a tad.


For me personally i would love him to stay,best we have had for many a year but cannot help feeling slightly miffed at his antics especially the rant regarding the embargo.

Seeing as the club have stuck by him when incidents such as Clarke and more notably(in my opinion) the Tehoue affair along with the Foderingham incident(which was ridiculous to say the least) then having a pop at all around regarding this stupid embargo is off the mark in my view.
He has a squad to die for in this division along with great support..........sometimes i feel the club have kept stam when he has made mistakes.....maybe him doing the same on this issue would have been beneficial to all including himself because make no mistake PDC wont just walk into any job......most clubs wont touch him with a bargepole regardless of his onfield brilliance playing and to date managing.

Thats not to say most FANS around the country would have him like a shot,alas it is not the fans who run clubs.

It all makes for a great spectacle though.

The board have said since day one they are on the lookout for more investment.

Group editor of the Adver just tweeted this, is it normal for it to be a part time position? Not clued up in the world of chairmanship  :D

Gary Lawrence ‏@gazzaloz
It's rumoured new #stfc chairman Sir William Patey, who will be paid in the role (Wray gave time for free), will work three days a month.
Expand   Reply  Retweet  Favorite

And not lets forget the keeping of Ritchie.....that shows a board who means business.

Most clubs would have snapped up the silly money(pushing a million) Bournemouth was offering.......then the embargo wouldn't have been an issue surely.

These things are not lost on me,i have seen to many past boards give our players away.

That was then this is now. Nothing may change, everything may change. No way of knowing.

Just listened to the interview on the stfc player.

Sir Patey sounds very sensible to me and i'm not worried at all. He made some sound points.

1. The Chairman does not run the club on a day to day basis. The CEO (Watkins) and Manager do. To some extent today i think we perhaps have said Wray does more than maybe he does. Watkins deserves a lot of credit.

2. Resolving Embargo is priority though it may take weeks (will not please PDC) Seems as others have said the only way to resolve this is to send someone back or hope we get through the Villa game.

3. Ground redevelopment/New ground construction. Now last year Wray said he'd hoped we'd start construction on a new town end at the end of this season. Reading between the lines it seems thats not going to be the case. I think this is the number one reason for the change in leadership.

This club is a top 6 league one club, thats where we deserve to be and thats where we are. The only way this changes is with greater income either from match day or non match day revenues. Redevelopment is the number one thing this club needs to deliver. Its talked about it for years and on the face of it not gotten very far. I also dont think redevelopment has the uplift affect a new ground does. If this chairman delivers a new ground with new revenue streams then i for one will be very happy even if we don't go up this year. Long term how do you expect to compete in the championship at the moment?

I get the impression Black doesn't want to run this club by endlessly throwing money in without the club moving forward. Sure league positions we are but that has had little impact on revenue. The only way this club improves is with better infrastructure and i think Black is aware of that.

As to PDC's future. I'm not overly worried. His approach is with the biggest budget he can deliver success. I'd suggest most managers would say the same. He is currently talking about not having a goalscorer, well he was the one who brought all the forwards at the club in, perhaps his judgement isn't that great? And there is something wrong with the involvement of his agent. We paid over 500k in agents fees last year, more than the bottom two leagues! If he walked i wouldn't be worried, other good managers would want a crack at this club with the squad and funds available.

They've been going on about getting new investment in the club which doesn't seem to have materialised. I reckon this is possibly the main reason Wray has been replaced, they wanted someone who had better contacts and was more likely to bring some major investment in. Been clear for a while the current owners feel they have put enough money in and it is someone else's turn.

I agree with this completely.  Patey brings a new set of skills to the job and he does not appear to be a man to be pushed around.  Time will tell, but just because we loved Jeremy Wray's contribution it does not mean that Patey will be any less effective.  We just don't know yet.

Regarding Paolo, every time he rants, moans and winges it makes it a little bit easier to accept that his eventual departure won't be the end of the world.  The club will still exist long after he departs, but you couldn't necessarily say the same if Bertie Black withdrew his investment.

To cheer everyone up a bit, i'm sure you will be pleased to hear that Port Vale are beating the scum.

I really don't get the stick Paolo gets, he's been a breath of fresh air at the CG and exactly what this club needed and still needs to progress. Yes his Italian temperament is a little over the top at times but who cares, I'm enjoying the experience.

The fear I have, if he does go, (when he goes - whenever that maybe) is what will the calibre of his replacement be? Back to the shit standard of manager we got used to for 10 plus years? God I hope not, as that'd be a footballing disaster.

100% this, exactly how I feel.

I'll be honest, his continual reference to needing more players, and his treatment of players at times (Caddis, subs after 20 mins) has annoyed me

BUT (as you say)

if we carried on running things as they have always have been run we will achieve what we have always achieved. Nothing. The pros have so far outright the cons by so much its not really worth a debate. PDC must stay at this club.

Its going to get ugly if he doesn't, fans tend not to think of the consequences of moaning at boards that they see responsible for removing popular and successful managers.

Everone in life gets stick.........it is what makes a person tick usually.

It sorts outs a persons calibre..........Sir Alex Ferguson is a case in point i would say.

So basically we're moving to a new ground where we can increase match day and non match day revenues and will need new investment parttners to deliver it. Thats the new priority rather than promotion.

Not quite sure how you concluded that?

He's been great for this club without a doubt...but.

He was only ever (not that he's gone yet) going to be short term in this club. The way he burns contracts and money is ridiculous given the size we are and like his predecessors he has to buy well and rely on all players when we get injuries and not bleat to the board when he feels he's short of players.

Very few managers would get away with spending c.£500k on 2 players and having them on the bench, especially if it's at a club the size of ours.

I'm a fan of his but he's been quite expensive in reality.

If anyone thinks Di Canio wrote that statement they need to re-read it. That's his agent positioning him for the negotiation with the new chairman/walking out to a "better" job, assuming he could find another club willing to put up with his "antics". It leaves him nicely positioned to either hold a gun to the board's head to stay or walk if he wants to and be able to claim he's not backtracked on his famous loyalty. Have to say though I laughed out loud (EDIT: Bugger, forgot about the word substitution, that read all kinds of wrong) at this bit:

Brilliant

could be right but why not just get Patey on board ( literally ) and keep Wray as Chairman and things ticking along nicely. Patey may well have decent contacts but the three year plan is on track without all this upheaval which could still get a lot worse.

You'll get your wish one day Paul. It might be soon it might not. Keep sharpening that knife though.

I bet you did.

Interesting that ground redevelopment is rising up the agenda now.  Every year that nothing happens on this front is another year that we fall further behind.  The redevelopment is now not just overdue - it's 20+ years overdue.  Most of our competitors/rivals have, on the whole, received a significant boost at some point in the last few decades from a ground move or redevelopment, but we still have that to come.

We're starting to stand out as one of an increasingly small number of clubs that is still living with the same facilities it had a generation ago...albeit with a lick of paint here and there.  The stand I sat (stood) in on Saturday is completely recognisable as the same stand the groundsman was shooting pigeons from in 'Six Days to Saturday' nearly 50 years ago.  Sentimentally nice, but also not right.  A redeveloped ground, done properly, will give this club its biggest lift in years.  Sooner or later, we're going to have to stop talking about doing something, and actually do it.

Same methods as anyone else - put 2 and 2 together and make 5. My thoughts are that we're putting the breaks on things - get the ground development sorted and then go for it a la Gay Boys. That way if we were promoted we could sustain it. If we went up this season it is doubtful we could sustain it. I think they've also sent a clear message to PdC that he is welcome to fuck off. That would clear the embargo. If they've got a new Chariman lined up whats to say tjhey haven't got a new manager lined up.  

OK, thought I'd missed some news.


That may be, and who knows - maybe its the realistic way. I find it all very odd that Wray talked about needing to make the jump to Championship before the door was locked, then seemed to back that up with spending, then all of a sudden he's gone.

Thought this was most telling:


slightly ambiguous, but I read that as a change of plan. He could of course mean something different.

Good post.

I love our ground and the memories I get from it and as you say it's basically the same since I started going (early '80's) but the only way forward is development and with doing it on the existing site offers a great compromise.

I get the impression the board have also got a gun to Paolos head.


It is a stand off i feel at the moment

True enough. He won't get the kind of latitude he's had here elsewhere. Thing is, does he realise that?

No need really. Give him enough rope ....

Let's hope so (on the same site). One thing that really worries me if there is a change of direction is if they go back to the out of/edge of town model and we end up with a soulless MadStad-alike. We can replace players, managers, even boards, but a new ground/ground redevelopment is a once in a generation (well more like two) thing. We only get one shot at it and if we fuck it up, it's gone.

I agree, I think a this is partly to show PdC he is running the team and not the club.

I think anyone employing him would should know what he brings with him.

The thing is though if he leaves he would take the entire back room staff with him so anyone coming in would have a full compliment to fill.

I've been on Mars all day and only heard the news of Wray's departure about 20 mins ago.

Pretty gutted to be honest, especially as it appears the decision wasn't his.  The next week or so is definitely going to be interesting both in the boardroom and on the sidelines. Another roller coaster ride ahead on the tracks of Swindon Town FC!

Obviously people are concerned about Di Canio walking and I am too.  However, I'm also slightly concerned about Nick Watkin's opinion on it all.  He's a good friend of Wray's and to lose him as well would be a complete disaster for the club imo.

Thanks Jeremy and good luck.  The best chairman I can remember.

True. Hence why I think his opportunities to leave may be more limited than he realises.
That can be a positive as well as a negative - often a new manager will want to bring in his own people anyway, as Di Canio himself did, so saves having to pay off the old ones if they leave with the guy who brought them in.

They've brought some one in who's prepared to say 'no' to Di Canio. We all know what the result of that will be when it happens.

Has anyone read the washbag's take on the subject?

http://thewashbag.com/2012/10/15/a-black-day-for-jeremy-wray/

He's also pretty new to all this and there won't be many people lining up to take him I imagine as you say.

Maybe. You have managed to post more in a day than you have in about the last 2 years though. Welcome back! At least someone seems to have enjoyed today.

I think we also have to look at the revenue PDC has brought into the club, whether in getting televised games, through his own success (inc the Johnstones anyone) encouraging extra on the gate (home and away fans), more eager sponsorship or selling a few extra shirts or letters on them.

Spending 66.5% instead of 65% of NEW financial limits hardly puts PDC at the helm of a Leeds or Pompey living the dream approach.

Is budgeting for mid-table a sustainable strategy?  When most clubs compete each season for the same players, what makes a club succesful?  Money or sometimes the reputation of the manageror the other playing staff for those on the up prioritising success: PDC v Chris Wilder anyone?

Any young manager of ambition will press for players and budget and will prioritis success on the pitch over other worthwhile goals.

Did I miss something or did PDC simply "buy" 8 cup wins against higher league opposition, a Wembley final, a league championship followed by sixth place in the league above in the last 15 months?

Is Chesterfield's League 2 championship and make do approach to League One the better approach?

Does anyone really think we will get a better manager who will spend more modestly and somehow create a lasting dynasty?  PDC has been politicking in wanting to know if there has been a change of plan and it looks like he has lost.

Eventually either PDC would have outgrown STFC or STFC would have outgrown PDC but as J Wray said it is a shame to leave halfway through a project. 

I don't think this would be the right time for us to lose PDC

Yeah, but its just fairly well written guess work. I think you have to come to the conclusion we want to kerb spending and/or reign Paolo in.


Is just a re-iteration of the club line from the beginning of the season, I don't think its significant the new boy is saying it.

Not slagging the Washbag, I enjoy reading their articles and listening to their podcasts.

Apart from the last time I posted more than once in a day and you said the same thing. It's getting tiresome.

On a lighter note, does anyone else think our new chairman looks like one of the baddies out of Smiley's people?

[url width=460 height=276]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/1/5/1262692062518/Sir-William-Patey-arrives-002.jpg[/url]

RedRag: No, I think it'll be totally the wrong time but have all those achievements you listed (which have been great btw) been negated (financially) by the spending he has done?

If we hadn't achieved all those money turning successes then would we have reached this point sooner?

plagerised, but surely he's Alexi Sale:

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSNCOovYAMAaD2a_dh1pdrewtlfwYS4iwzno5xQNpQMUk2VOIU

Oooh, I much prefer that one. I liked Alexei. Can we get him to do the vampire thing he did on the Young Ones along with a rendition of "Allo John Got a New Motor?" in the centre circle before the Scunny game?

Umm no I didn't I just posted that you weren't doing very well on your self imposed abstention on Paolo bashing. Tiresome is a very apt word, yes!

Truce? Big hugs!

I fully agree with that, last season was a symbiotic relationship between him and us; this season is starting to turn out that he's more trouble than he's worth. Paolo has a habit of keep issuing back me or else threats - the problem is someone very soon is going to call his bluff.

Yeah why not! Life's too short.

It is indeed. And we're all on the same side. And I'm off to get some work done (because I've not done nearly enough while actually at work today due to avidly following the ongoing soap opera that is STFC)

I am not sure that PDC has spent such a lot of money.  I think he has been influerntial in generating part of the extra revenue that has helped sustain any extra spending.  I don't see 66.5% as mad spending.

What we would probably all have to agree on is that PDC has appeared to be wasteful although the get rid of Leon Clarke decision was arguably a good one with hindsight, regardless of the cost and the fact that it was PDCs call to get him.

Not sure who bears responsibility for the embargo miscalculation nor do I know what happened to the £2m debt for equity swap and whether Black (through Swindon Football Holdings) found that he had to underwrite the share issue heavily himself and is still looking to diversify.  The Washbag alludes...  This Patey matey guy may be just what we need but there seems a tad less enthusiasm for STFC from him than from JW and Fitton before.

As Ardiles has been saying we shall have to wait and see

Never dull, eh?

Yeah we are mate. Paolo is too, at least at the moment. Just remember that! :-)

Enjoy catching up fella.

Something that hasn't been mentioned at any point today was the point that Jezza made a few months ago about the Prem 2, which he believes will happen in the next couple of years.  I am all for prioritising the ground redevelopment, but the potential Prem 2 would make it a necessity to be up there by the time it comes in (if indeed it does).

I would prefer to get our asses up there and then look at redevelopment.  Just a thought.

Jeez if there's one thing that pisses me off its the reference to "soulless stadiums". The madstad is a fantastic stadium

The thing is i can imagine behind the scenes they are pissed off with legit reasons. They have been good as gold and let Wray get on with dealing with dicanio which recently has been wray becoming more of an apologist than a chairman.

At the beging of the season they would of said right what is the budget? and clearly gave them those funds,then 2 months later they are hearing that the chairman and manager has overspent and that the manager has said he will quit if he does not get what he wants.

This new bloke will hardly be at the club so it seems likely that dicanio will now have to go directly to to the money men.Also with constantly looking after paolo i gt the impression he has not got alot of time to try and secure new investment and make progree with the new stadium

Ok, I'm in for some of this  :)

Best post of the day so far:


My perspective is to be objective and have a business perspective on this situation. Andrew Black does not have £128 million squids in his back pocket for nothing. He is a businessman and so is Arbib, unlike most of the shysters and cowboys that we have had to put up with since I started following town (05/06). Wray has done something that the majority shareholders do not like. We made a big loss last FY, perhaps halfway through this one we are headed for the same outcome and that doesn't wash. Not forgetting JW is Edward Wray's (Black's business partner in Betfair) brother - a favour too many? We know Wray is great with the fans and Paolo. Possibly he has neglected the rest of the business that Black and co. see getting them some return on their sizable investment so far because he has got too involved with the playing side. Fitton syndrome? As Riddick notes, the stadium redevelopment (note that Patey said redevelopment, not "move to an identikit stadium on Shaw Forest") might have been peripheral to JW's focus. A chairman normally turns up once a month or so at board meetings to oversee a company from a distance and to steer it in the direction that the owners want. That is where we are now headed I believe. I think Nick Watkins has probably been somewhat eclipsed by JW. It is his job as chief exec to run the club day to day and he probably does. Involved enough in the team though and with Paolo? Dunno.

As for Paolo...interesting. He is still learning and this will be yet another experience for him. If he does kick up and move on then so be it. Black won't want to sacrifice payday for a manager's antics, so if it does happen then expect an experienced and successful Championship manager to be appointed next. Yeah I will miss him - love the guy. But biz is biz and that rules this game. Not managers, not the fans.

Andrew Black just done some quite insightful tweets

Black's explanation seems to suggest there is no major issue

https://twitter.com/bertthebold

Looks like a shoe-in if Doctor Who wants an older face. He's got the look down pretty well.

That's what I meant. I will don the coat and pay you a visit for your disrespect .

I think some genius in the Jeremy wray thread mentioned the possibility of the de-fittonisation of the board.   He deserves a medal. He also wouldn't be surprised of nick Watkins followed in the not to distant future!

Is he the only man bankrolling us at the moment ?

Yes, as Sir Martyn Arbib is not on the board, he is an investor.

Andrew Black ‏@bertthebold
@ceej69 nothing else changes though - don't worry about that. I hope Paolo can settle with the new chairman - I don't see why he shouldn't.

Surely meltdown Monday isn't coming to an end already?

I think the tweets have been helpful.  Paolo will do what he wants. Not much we can do about that.

Lets hope the STFC express can continue up the leagues whatever.

Well said.

It's nearly temultuous Tuesday.

Or it could (and I stress that) be a Terrific Tuesday!

Takeover Tuesday, followed by Waqim Al-Bin Sheik Sumhani Wednesday and Constable Thursday (for the hell of it)

I guess he meant he's the only one still pumping money in whilst the other investors still hold their stake.

Unless the others have all sold out to him?

Maybe I missed it but I'd still like to know what their motivation was - an expensive toy, turning round a failing club, making a profit or something else?

Well I feel alot more relaxed now I've read Andrew Black's tweets, panic over...for now!

You have a pic of our new chairman as an avatar, bloody impressive

It had to be done, especially after he pulled a funny face unintentionally in an Afghan sitcom. Not many football league clubs can say they have a chairman that has done that.

Looks like it might be safe to take a few hours kip...what we do know for sure is that the Pox lost 3-0 and the league 2 table makes good reading.

Set the alarm for 6 just in case

Looks like the last paragraph of that interview with Patey sums up the reasoning behind this in a nutshell

It also seems to suggest to me that black wants us to be a bit more self sufficient which is not a bad thing. This I'm sure will cause friction as pdc is interested in back to back promotions as this looks great on his cv. I'm sure self sustaining and a rapid fly up the leagues don't go hand in hand.

What is needed is rising gate figures, we hav the capacity and a good population to attract new supporters from.

It was always about the money, the new guy is just hear to bring in more investment. Nothing really changes.

I'm surprised that so few saw that. After all, the board has been saying they are looking for more investment since they arrived.

Hodgetts alluded to the fact that Andrew Black has approximately 98% of the shares in the holding company!!  However much we hate losing JW I suppose at the end of the day the money talked.  Incidentally JW is godfather to one of AB's children, so there is obviously a close thing between those two as well.

I think you have it spot on there.

The final two paragraphs from the latest article in The Washbag ('A Black day for Jeremy Wray as STFC Chairman is Dismissed (http://thewashbag.com/2012/10/15/a-black-day-for-jeremy-wray/)') point to the same conclusion.

'With Sir William immediately confirming his task will be “to secure new investment to support the programme of ground redevelopment and to co-ordinate the execution of the Club’s longer term strategic plans” he’s clearly focusing on the long term sustainability option, not necessarily coming out in support of securing funding now to allow Di Canio to rebuild his squad.

Crucially SWP adds a caveat. “I look forward to working with those who share the same ambitions for the Club both on and off the field and relish the opportunity to take on this challenge.” With Di Canio already stating Wray’s departure has “changed the dynamics” at the club, the key question moving forward is whether the current manager shares SWP’s ambitions?'

Interestingly on the commercial side. I always look at the advertising around the grounds of other clubs when watching goals express or the FL highlights. We seem to be rather light weight compared to some clubs. Now that's not the only  aspect of the commercial side to the club but maybe that tells you something?

I wonder who will be the spokesperson going forward?

Will we be hearing more from Nick Watkins if Patey doesn't want to get overly distracted by on field matters.

But surely that would be part of Watkins role.

Perhaps this is as much about how the board are managing the Chief Executive.

Sitting down and watching this current situation unfold.

Today, I would suggest that PDC would be feeling like a real "dick". With his egotistical behaviour and especially his stupid after match childish antics he has helped in getting J Wray the sack.

Wray was unable to manage DiCanio and therefore he was removed from the top seat.

Reports state that Wray was offered a position to continue at the club and he didn't want too...!!

I really hope PDC can see what he has done to a "mate" and will pull his head in and do what he is exceptionally good at...that is understand football on the field and let the commercial side of the business be run by managers with business skills.

Only time will tell if PDC can keep to his three year plan and not keep running to the Board for more every time there is a challenge on the field..  

I do hope he can and will.

Come on Swindon.... :)

Yes, ultimately it is, but there is also a commercial manager with other people on that side.  A few years ago we could not give advertising away with the way the club was being run, I guess everything takes time to get the confidence back - and now is not the right time financially for a lot of companies to be seen splashing the cash!

Interesting take on things. Alas, I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for an outpouring of humility from our manager. What does surprise me is the feeling that some of us are now a little more ambivalent as to whether or not PDC goes next. Obviously we want him to stay, he personifies success.

But have recent events weakened our previously unwavering, unconditional support for the man? There are only so many spats and outbursts and whinges that the average fan can swallow. It'll be our club long after PDC moves on and I for one live in fear of the ghosts of administration and overspending. Our eyes should not be bigger than our bellies.

Personally I hope the brakes have been put on. I sit very uncomfortably with giving away good players we paid good money for. I don't like poorly concealed threats to quit and I don't really like a revolving door policy with regards to players. I like a settled, solvent, successful football club and we don't really know, deep down, if we have one of those.

Yes, speculate to accumulate, but please don't turn our club into the circus others accuse us of being.

Listening/reading the little bits an pieces this morning my take was:

Wray - Wanted success through promotion. Championship = increased revenue exposure = increased investment oppertunaties.
Black - Wanted success through all avenues without the gamble/ extra expenses of bankrolling just the team. New ground/inestment/on pitch investment, but not at the cost of the others.

As fans, we are bound to agree with Wray.

As a manager of a football team PDC is bound to agree with Wray.

Blacks seems less risky long term. I just hope Wray got it wrong about the Championship drawbridge raising.

Who's approach is right? Who knows. The man holding the cheque book makes the call.

I like this a lot.  Don't want to get too down on PDC at the moment.  But I think you're right.  The support for him is becoming more qualified/conditional than it used to be.  The magnetism & charisma that he brought to the club after the futility & drabness of Paul Hart was precisely what we needed.  That magnetism & charisma is still important...but perhaps not quite as important as it was 15 months ago.  It will take you so far, but it won't take you all the way.

I don't think we've seen whether PDC has it yet. He may spontaniousky combust, or he may bring more success and leave for someone else. I'd have liked to see which, may still do I suppose.

Personally I started having reservations over the Connell treatment, but it doesn't mean he was wrong or right...

Is it to soon to start a 'who do people want as our next manager thread?'

Yes

I am a bit more relaxed about this today.

Wray, Black and Patey have made it clear that the change of Chairman is to do with ensuring the board maintain a focus on the commercial aspects of the club. There has been no suggestion that the playing budgets will be cut, but it is clear (rightly IMO) that they aren't going to be increased any time soon either.

I am sure/hope that PdC/Spencer will realise that no other club is likely to back him as much as Swindon have at the sort of level where he is likely to get an offer.

With a dollop of common sense things should be back to business as usual within a day or two.

Except it's been stated by the new guy that removing the embargo is a priority. 

Hmmmm ..... Di Canio and Common Sense ...... Hmmmmmmm

That might mean selling someone in January, or sending back some loanees, not piling in more cash (if that is even allowable) I hope Austin moves for a big fee in January - that should sort things out.

Correct Nev.

Yet at the same time it might mean they will inject more cash. We don't know so how can it be 'clear'? (which is what I was getting at). We shall find out in the coming days weeks. 

Also an element of not what you know but who you know here me thinks.

Especially if we are seeking more investment. I also get the feeling misplaced or otherwise that Black maybe thinking a new ground rather than trying to develop the GC may be a better way forward and hence the intro of Patey.

I have alluded to the fact that we are light on the fanbase and that ST will have to rise substantially for next season or we will struggle financially in the Championship if we get there with our gates. Am I right in thinking that there is a wage cap on the horizon for them too? If so we'll really struggle and this current embargo will seem like pocket money in the championship.

I thought he qualified that as removed in weeks rather than days. Can't find the quote now though.

He did says weeks rather than days. If by 'anytime soon' you mean we are limited only by the embargo then I think I misread your post a little. (Some seem to be assuming that the purse strings are being tightened by the board)

This embargo will not go away just by injecting some more cash!!  It has to come from sponsorship, revenues etc.  One way round it would be to rename the DRS the Betfair Stand or even call the whole thing the Betfair County Ground, I presume that would be sponsorship and allowable, a cash donation as a straight donation might help balance the books but it will not sort the embargo out.  As I see it, beat AV at home, draw a massive club (home or away) to bring in extra revenue or ship some players out to bring the wages below the cap.

Can't see how you've worked that one out? What hint has there been that they want a new ground? Why would Patey make any difference if that were the case?

Which would equate to cash being injected into the club, would it not?

No, you probably didn't. What I am getting at is that even if a bit of extra revenue is found to get the embargo removed, it wouldn't necessarily give PdC the additional funds to bring in extra faces - it would just mean the shortfall from bringing in existing players had been resolved. OK, he can move players out to free up funds to bring players in, but that is always harder than just bringing someone in. Regardless of the embargo, I think his unlimited access to the sweetshop has been removed.

Is there no wage cap in the championship then?

With a wage cap I just seem to be hearing baout endless Paolo demands when he knows there is a wage cap, god only knows what he will be like if there is no wage cap!

I think we'll find out in the coming days.

Just a couple of comments on your post...


Wondering what makes you think this?  Staying at the County Ground has been the policy for some time now.  The relocation option, to my knowledge, hasn't been on the table since the time of Shaw Tip debacle - which was quite a few years ago now.


Not sure where you get this from, really.  By our own historical standards, and when compared to most other teams in the division, our attendance figures are very respectable.  Only this Saturday, we had approx 8,700 home fans at the game - which is about double what we were getting 10 years ago.

I think our attendances have responded to the additional investment.  Let's not forget, as well, that we are still a lower league club - same division as we were playing in under Andy King 10 years ago - so we have not had the inevitable increase that would follow from promotion back to the Championship.  And neither have we yet had our redevelopment boost, as many other clubs have.  I would argue that the attendance picture is more positive at the moment than it has been for some time.  Away followings pretty healthy as well.

I think our attendances would be just fine if we get to the Championship, it's a lot more popular than it was the last time we were there and is a much better standard of football.

A few people seem to be saying this.

I think one or two have taken something that Billy Patey said out of context and it has snowballed (a little).

Jeremy Wray talks to the BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19961590

the cheese question has been answered :

UsernameSTFC says

Sam I asked JW this question and he answerd it, so I'm going to ask you and hope for a answer!

What is your favourite type off cheese?

I'm partial to comte and plenty of nutty-flavoured cheeses. Emmenthal is a good one. Good enough answer for you?

That's Morshead's favourite cheese, not Patey's

 :doh:

Yes, and as sponsorship should be perfectly acceptable on the wage cap issue - however, let us say they decided to inject money straight into the club's bank account it would not get around the problem!

I also think they could be on the look out for some land m4 ish a419 area they want a return on their money rather than keep putting their hands in their pocket. A hotel a conference centre casino, the county ground now is not big enough, and we all know what the council can be like when it comes to planning.

I recon they should look at putting the football speedway and dogs all together with the above mentioned.

Part two of the interview with Patey is up.

He openly states they will be trying to lift the embargo to help PDC supplement the squad. That much is in plain English (awaits an interpretation stating the exact opposite)

Got a feeling PL and FL rules precludes any ground having a greyhound track incorporated.

Seems a sensible thing to do - have the lot up at Blunsdon, good road links, and a huge site.

But sense and footballing authorities don't go together well

Why the bloody hell are people still babbling on about other sites? We are developing the CG. That's it.

Because if we all stuck to a 100% facts only forum it would be dead

Sorry flash should we all go though you before we post our own thoughts on what might happen.    ::)

I think the point Flashheart is making (& pls correct me if I'm wrong) is that there is nothing out there to suggest that we are thinking of moving away from the town centre.  Nothing at all.  It's pure speculation, based on nothing other than an idea in a few people's heads.

I'm sure some people don't fully appreciate just how lucky we are to have a centrally located ground.  If we ever do move (which I doubt), we'll miss it when it's gone.

That's exactly what I'm saying.

What an utterly, utterly pointless direction to take the thread.

I'm sold, part 2 of SWP the interview should have come out yesterday on STFC Player. Seems genuine enough

- suppliment and support what is already happening.
- want to build on the winning team
- priority to redevelop the County Ground
- Council ready to work with club
- Paolo is going nowhere, no plans to change manager
- Glad Swindon dont punt ball down the pitch and hope for the best
- Great Crowds and loyal fans and tweeting fans
- Wants club to expand with the Town, grow together
- will suppliment and support the squad and will see what they can do to help but embargo needs to be addressed.  
- bigger challenge coming into a club doing well than if club was struggling.
- Dont want to change winning team and fulfill ambitions that have already been set and not to stifle them.

Must admit I smirked a bit when he said that. He was obviously not about for Orient and Colchester

Well, until the first stone has been laid at the CG there is absolutely no evidence that a move away is a definite no-no.

We've had boards say all sort of things in the past regarding the future of the stadium.

Who's to say this board will be here long enough to do anything.

If you prefer to believe everything that comes out of the boardroom that's up to you.

Cant see what difference it makes to you if someone brings up a possible move

I'm starting to read your posts as if written by a different rik mayal character. Do you know any hippies called Neil?  :D

Ha ha.

I do know a hippy called Neil, actually.

Is he an utter, utter, fascist - no wait that was someone else......

Sir Bill did mention it in his interview yesterday - only very briefly though.

No he didn't. It was just taken out of context.

"Redeveloping the stadium..... building a new stadium". It's just a slight of speech, it has since been repeated that redevelopment of the CG is the target.

He is a professional diplomat...

I personally am beginning to think that the change of chairman is not really that big a deal. If he can get more investment great and if he is better able to deal with the various parties, concerning redeveloping the CG, fine.
PdC prides himself on his 'professionalism', if that is indeed the case the change of chairman shouldn't cause any real concern, should it? Especially as the new chairman has stated that nothing, regarding targets and ambition, has changed.
Wray is a very likeable man, but just because he was chummy with supporters and got on well with PdC doesn't mean he was brilliant at his role. Surely there's more to the job than PR?

Reading Morshead's Q&A earlier, it was interesting (yet not wholly surprising to read the following:

"Phil Spencer has a big part to play in identifying players Town want to bring in and negotiating their transfers to Swindon Town."

Seeing that we paid a shitload in agent fees since Paolo turned up, is this not something that should be looked into? A scouting network that doesn't directly give PdC's mate a healthy payday would possibly be more effective, efficient, and better value for money.

I started a thread about this a while back about PS and his role at the CG. The cunts on here turned it into a thread about some prick off a C4 property show.

I was intrigued by his dual roles. If he represented any of the players we brought in and was brought about me choking when finding out we spent £500k on agent fees.

If seton wills had done something similar this place would have gone into fucking meltdown!!

Did we not employ some fella named ken Ryder or summat as scout? Or is he long gone?

The agent fees published by the FL are those paid to players' agents, not the club's. I would imagine Spencer does it on more of a consultancy basis.

Ah right... I wonder if he represented anyone we have signed? Like some of the dross from last summer (Obika, Esajas etc)

The club will have paid him as part of the di canio deals.

Surely it's PdC's job to identify players he wants - not an agent

Could explain why so much dross has come in and out again.

Seems we have to sign 5 turds to get one gem

Like I said BR, it was mentioned 'only very briefly'...I didn't read anything into it but the words did come out of his mouth. You can't say 'no they didn't' ::)

That really is splitting hairs.

I didn't even notice it the first time. I only noticed it when it was mentioned on here and thought "I didn't hear didn't say that". Although I am sure that was the original source of all the nonsense about no longer staying at the CG.

But hey ho. If people want utterly pointless off-tangent discussions then let them, I was just curious as to why people are still pursuing it.

There are a couple bits of diplomatic speak that I picked up on:
- Ground development and possibilities OVER THE COMING YEARS (Patey is working on a long term strategy)
- We want to realise the ambition and not stifle it (The ambition was Championship within 3 years - Not necessarily this year)
- Well, THERE IS SOME DEBT. (He emphasised this bit)  
- There is no intention ON OUR PART to replace the manager. (That doesn't mean that he wont walk. Also reminded everyone that Paolo has signed a 2 year contract)
- We WANT TO support him. (But that doesn't necessarily mean we will)
- WE ARE OBVIOUSLY IN A BIT OF A CONSTRAINT AT THE MOMENT. We will see what we can do to help that, BUT the embargo is not a technicality, its a serious issue AND WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THAT. (That is the ultimate in sitting on the fence - Addressing it leaves multiple options open)
- We have injuries. Any manager would want to supplement his squad to. We'll SEE WHAT WE CAN DO to help (Again, this could range from nowt to lots)

NMH. That's just over analysis on steroids mate ;)

Do I detect an element of self interst here?

Heh, heh!

Maybe 10 years ago when I lived in Blunsdon

Moving back in the New Year but into Rodbourne for a bit

Maybe, but with diplomats you really have to listen to what they say.

Long gone FCB, people said he was a very good scout but I think he went during the relegation season of 10/11 if not earlier!

Spoken liken a true politician, saying lots without really saying anything. The language used means the answers can be interpreted multiple ways.

One point on wray he seemed like a real top guy and definitely had stfcs best interests at heart. Losing someone like that is what concerns me.

So, lets see if I have got this right:

Man who has pumped in £10m plus wants focus on non football side improved

Said man finds contact who has a back ground in both big finance and public service

Biggest stumbling blocks to ground development are finance and publc body in SBC who are tough to deal with unless you need to build a car park.

New contact being brought in to focus on this and curren Chairman who has been a bit focussed on (and good at) the footballing side isn't so keen to hang around and probably end being and over bearing shadow in the background.

Club continuing with everything else it committed to on the footballing side

In any other world, that would be a good news story................

It's difficult though to list the facts and separate them from the emotion, the relationships and the possible consequences involved. It's unnerving to have a hugely popular chairman removed and to see that person quit all association despite being offered an alternative position. It is also worrying to have our manager issue loosely veiled threats of leaving, whilst the incoming chairman makes noises suggesting said manager will not be given the blank cheque book he seemingly demands in order to remain in his position.

This series of events, to me at least, smacks of irresistible forces and immoveable objects.

It's kind of strange that the chairman role at football clubs is still so public and hands on. In most businesses the chairman would take a back seat and the chief exec would be running the show, which also seems to be the way bigger clubs are run.

Wonder if Nick Watkins will take on a more public facing role and some of the role Wray played, with Patey taking more of a back seat.

Very good point. That would be much more encouraging and would have made sense of a situation that involved Wray staying on and concentrating on the football with Di Canio. In that scenario (the one initially touted) Patey would be the big man with the big contacts working on bringing in investment for the bigger picture projects.

The worrying aspect to this being the case is that Wray may have quit entirely because he was unwilling to work with the manager once the financial goalposts had moved. In other words, it wasn't what he or the manager signed up for.

The corollary of that would be Patey now telling Di Canio that things have changed. All before any type of relationship has been built or trust been formed.

Good luck with that, mate.

i got to thinking earlier if wray was offered the much maligned position of director of football

Which would have been a jumped-up title for Chief Liaison Officer. In other words, a buffer between the Board and the gaffer. His first job would have been to inform PDC that the bank was now closed. He clearly took one look at that role and ran a mile.

Ha ha, that's so true. Maybe we should build a massive multistorey with a stadium on top, sbc would be non the wiser unless Rod Bluh likes parking on the top level.

That's not true though. They are also good at selling off land for more and more houses in North Swindon while enforcing pointless bus gates to force cars onto already crowded road infrastructure. Not to mention blowing millions on a few paving slabs in the town centre in the hope of providing a sheen on the turd.

But its OK if you are an advisor, they can loan your company 1/2 million to stuff up a communal  communications project, then sanction a new current technology for private use and claim its somehow makes up for the mess up.

In the interest of unbalanced, do look like they are doing something useful with the old college site.

That's quite a sanitised gloss over the past few days. In any company the major shareholder sacking the chairman would be seen as a big news story and a sign of internal disharmony. The fact that he's chosen to do so in what is obviously an unplanned way (despite the tweets about "been thinking about this since the start of the year") also indicates there was some kind of row/trigger event/not-a-crisis that made him feel he had to act now adds to that perception. This may or may not turn out to be for the best, but it clearly indicates some kind of trouble at mill behind doors which is always going to be reported as such and would be in any company

Or maybe it really is just a move to enhance the commercial side of things. It's hardly far fetched.

I'm not saying it isn't. But it's not a normal rearrangement of the business, or they'd have done it at the AGM or in the close season as an orderly transition. Not sacking the chairman in the "Statement Monday" farrago we had at the start of the week.

Thought he said much the opposite in his BBC interview. That due to his pre-existing relationship with Di Canio he may not have been able to keep out of the way enough of Paolo working with the new chairman.

He's also just effectively been sacked by his best mate, which could understandably have dented his pride enough for him to want to make a clean break from the whole situation.

Apologies, I don't really get your point. I'm saying Wray may not have been willing to continue to work with PDC given the new set of circumstances, because he basically didn't agree with the fact the new regime wanted to deny PDC what they had initially promised him, an open cheque book of sorts. How is that the opposite to what he has said? Wray is loyal to Di Canio and refused to go back on their initial promises.

Sorry, I possibly wasn't very clear.

You are saying he left completely as he would NOT have wanted to work with Di Canio under these 'new circumstances' as you put it.

I'm saying my reading of what he said was that he left the club because he WOULD have continued a dialogue/working with Paolo and that it would potentially undermine the job the incoming chairman was trying to do.

42 pages of unfounded. Well done everyone!

You do know it has been clearly stated that nothing has changed in regard to supporting PDC?

I know the tin foil hatters are trying to dissect that and turn the positives (i.e: we want to help) into negatives but that's their perogative.

Do you have a small screen? Mine says 29 pages.

I think you're both hitting the same point but from different directions... Basically Wray felt it would be untenable continuing to work with STFC due to his commitment to PDC and because they are changing focus away from promotion this season.  Easier to walk away and let the two factions resolve their differences than stay and become another Kofi Annan

Are you pre-empting 13 more pages of cobblers?

How did you come to that conclusion.

There has been nothing, anywhere to suggest anything of the sort. Quite the opposite in fact.

It's a safe bet, let's be honest.

Yes, of course. But there are all sorts of types of support. Guaranteeing the club's solvency is supporting PDC. Yet if that means halting the players' revolving door then he may see it differently.

Wray has gone because whatever he was doing, he wasn't doing right, according to his boss/ best mate. Doesn't that mean that things will be done differently from now on?

Well Wray chucked money into the team, and threre have been quotes where alluding to a difference of opinion on how to  approach progressing the club(will look for them at lunch time if its important). So one conclusion may be that there will be a scaleback/reality check of sorts in the future.

FWIW I think we have to wait and see the actions over the next months rather than second guess what was meant from what was said.

Yep, fair enough, I get you now. I see what you were saying but that reasoning from Wray smacked a bit of a diversion tactic to me. It's all speculation. Never a dull moment. I loved the transparency of the Di Canio/ Wray double act. I hope the clarity continues with the new regime.

Have you seen the second interview?

He directly said they would support PDC by lifting the embargo as a priority and help him to supplement his squad as needed. They have directly said that nothing has changed.

as i said some 20 pages previous some rich bloke replaced by another rich bloke

You wouldn't even get that in the yellow pages - I blame cheap Chinese imports

The Mexican one has it exactly right.

Thanks for the italics. For emphasis. Very good.

Glad to be of help.

It would seem these things do need highlighting at times!

Yep, fair enough. I've always been a bit on the paranoid side. Hopefully it's all a case of 'nothing to see here' and business as usual.

If you've been around the club since the days of Bobby Barnes, I think that's quite understandable.

I only see 30 pages! Is there something being hidden from me? Is there a conspiracy on the TEF? Have the goalpost changed? Are we not working to the 85% Bollocks 20% Football strategy that was clearly laid out at the beginning of this adventure?

That's the problem with accessing the tef via my mobile.
It is amusing to see all these theories though, someone call Mulder &amp; Sculley!

I'm beginning to think it's all one big conspiracy. Especially as my TEF states 80% Bollocks, 25% Football. If you have more bollocks than me, i wanna know why?!

 
Sorry Don, I tend to ignore your posts!  :P

It appears the decision to replace Wray was taken a while back and they waited until the replacement was ready to take over before announcing anything. Nothing to suggest Wray was sacked or that this was a knee jerk reaction to anything.

I don't know...

Wray is told to step down - he does so

Wray is asked to stay on the board - he turns it down.

We can all speculate on the reason but ultimately there must be some changes to the dynamics for this to happen and if Wray believed the business plan going forward would only enhance the club and still be aligned with original agenda and wasn't going to put him in an untenable position why would he stand down?

Likewise why would the club come out and publicly state that they were no longer pushing for promotion , they wouldn't because it would publicly destabilise the club so they may well publicly state the agenda hasn't changed  but what happens in reality at be completely different - I guess we will only find out in due course when funds do or don't become available.

Well, 10 days ago. That's not really "a while back". If this had been a normal transition, they'd have done it at the AGM or over the close season
Erm, there's Wray's statement.
I don't know what you call that but I call it being sacked.

Well, Andrew Black tweeted himself that they'd been wanting to change Chairmen since the summer.

Andrew Black ‏@bertthebold
@ceej69 ...I don't want to go into detail here. I decided at the beginning of the year that we needed an experienced chairman.
 View conversation   Reply  Retweet  Favorite

Even I've done him a dis-service there.

Well I'd prefer to take Andrew Black's word on when the decision was taken, rather than yours. His tweet on Monday;


I'd call that a while back, but feel free to call it whatever you want.

Given blacks intention to replace wray has been a goer for a while. I am surprised black authorised such lavish spending over the summer.  Wasn't there an annoucement not to long ago about some of investors putting a further £2m into the club?

One thing I've taken away from all this is that
The club are trying to be more commercial hence replacing
Wary with some one with more experience (if you can call it that) this
Should hope fully bring in more revenue for the club and also lift the
Transfer embargo giving di'canio more funds if needed.

I like this...a kind of free form poetry....

I've taken a couple of days to digest these changes before making any comment and I can't really see any cause for alarm.

Our main benefactor is not going anywhere, in fact, his recent decision surely only reinforces the fact he is very invested in seeing us continue in the right direction.

Wray was a good chairman who had a rapport with the fans. Fitton before him was equally excellent and Wray continued his work, I have no doubt that a man such as Patey who is so experienced in public relations and diplomacy will continue with the transparent and open chairmanship we've enjoyed since the takeover.

Paolo may very well have lost his key ally but if Black's plan is to rein not only the spending but to exercise greater control of Paolo then I don't see this as a bad thing at all. Paolo might walk but I think we all know that he could walk out at any moment with the drop off a hat such is his temperamental manner.

Finally, if this season marks a solid step forward in the ground redevelopment and we miss out on promotion, I'll take that.

McBeal?

[url width=300 height=400]http://www.lex100.com/images/ally-mcbeal.jpg[/url]

McCoist, our secret signing that will win us the league?

this is why i don't bother making serious comments anymore.

Oh God, not minute textual analysis again. Whatever, he'd been thinking about doing it for a while maybe. Lovely. Nonetheless the decision when taken was sudden, unplanned (in terms of the timing or else why not do it at the AGM/close season) and in the normal run of things most companies aren't in the habits of just sacking their chairmen unless there has been a sudden event/row/discovery of chairman in state of undress in the ladies to precipitate such an unusual event. Which was my original point in response to Rob's "Nothing to see here" post. But it really doesn't matter that much. If you'd rather see it as the careful long-planned execution of a well thought-out strategy that's all fine. What matters is how it works out.

Did you ever?

Pauld.

I have already copied this tweet from Black


Is that minute textual analysis, or is it reasonable to think that October is at the beginning of the year?

Now then now then

People are only happy with Black's reasoning because Paolo has stayed (for now). If Paolo had left people would still be going mental.

Seems almost sacrilegious to agree with this, but I do.  For the sake of the longer term, we've got to get this redevelopment moving.  I could handle a promotion every two years if I had to.   ;)

You sound like Jimmy Savile...

It still doesn't sit right with me, there's more to it than has been said, my opinion is some kind of boardroom row/issues, to sack Wray in October just doesn't make sense.

Think about if this guy is hardly going to be at the club why didn't they just give him a seat on the board and keep Wray as Chairman? that would have been the better option I think.

Still think it could be due to overspending and the embargo but I'm just guessing, it still smells fishy to me.

Maybe the change has been made because of the spending, in so far as Black realised that the development of the ground and search for suitable finance for that and the club was now a top priority and footballing success on it's own has not bridged the gap quickly enough.  I'd imagine the early success this season means the Championship is a possibility, plus attendances while good are not sufficient to bring in the revenue to sustain this for more than a one year push.

If we go up, we are in a prime position to get the development under way.  If we don't go up, we are not going to keep up the current wage bill under current income for too long.

Either way, I still think this is actually small news.  The oddest thing of all is that Wray was a Chairman.  He still smacks of a Chief Exec to me, and we have one of those.   I assume that Wray was easier to remove financially to bring this guy in, and given his role, he couldn't be the chief exec as he's not going to be hands on enough.

The interview with patey on the adver match day thingy before the game is interesting about investors writing off their debt. Abib already willing to do this.

This is great news right? Couldn't see it discussed elsewhere. 

Heard a bit of this interview on the radio as I was driving to the match yesterday.

From what Patey was saying, it appears that the debts that we had prior to the takeover weren't paid-off but were assumed by the investors (Arbib, Black etc.).  There is no chance that these debts will ever be repaid so they have zero real value to the holders.  However their presence on the balance sheet is deterring would-be investors from getting involved.  So the plan seems to be to negotiate the writing off of these debts so that the club can move forward with new money.  I thought he suggested that Arbib was also prepared to put more in if this happened, but nay have misunderstood that bit.

Also Patey confirmed that the main reason that Black wanted to replace JW was that he spent 100% of his time on the footballing side when we needed a chairman to take forward the commercial side which was being neglected, specifically the ground redevelopment.

From what I understand, JW was unpaid for the work he did with the club and Matey Patey is going to get some sort of salary.

So why couldn't JW stay doing what he was doing on the football side, and Matey Patey come in as an additional person for the commercial side.

Unless I've got it all wrong

A chairman surely should be involved in all aspects of the club, not just the on field activities. As nice as JW is, it's clear that the owners weren't happy with his stewardship of the club and as a result had to make a change. He was offered a place on the board still, but refused.
I'd rather have someone who is actively working behind the scenes to improve the football club than someone who appeared to be not much more than a director of football (As nice as he is).

Could director of football be the role jw was offered?

Not sure if its good, bad or indifferent.

My take , with complete lack of fiscal knowledge, was that he would be seeking all parties to write off some debt. If they agree, its obviously good news in that investors will be easier to attract. You don't want to invest in a great big financial liability.

However, to me it also signals that Black and Arbib are 'desperate' (keen) to get investors on board far sooner rather than later. Don't know if that means they want out, or want to continue but can't afford to do what they want on their own.

The loss of Fitton and Wray from the FC concerns me. They have yet to agree to write of their debt and the last thing we want to see is another holding company ding dong.

As for JW, seems obvious he wasn't taking things in the direction Black wanted. "Doing a good job on the football side" is subjective. To me our resurgence under PDC has been been fantastic in terms of results. Most Town fans wouldn't argue with that. But to Black, perhaps it has become (or was always) unsustainable and money was being spent on players rather than other stuff.  

Who knows, the waters are very muddied right now.

Who knows.

Think the 2nd paragraph here is what worries me the most. Why the sudden need for new investment so urgently? Sure we need investors to try and get the re-development funded or part funded but is there a feeling from Black that if he can find new investment he would be quite willing to give up his stake in the holding company?

I guess we won't find out until new investment is secured (assuming we manage to secure any that is).

I didn't know Fitton and Wray had any debts from the club. I didn't think they actually put much money into themselves they were just running the club and acting as representatives for Black and Arbib. Maybe i'm wrong?

Only football fans could take new investment as a negative.

Experience over hope...?

Paranoia

We haven't had any new investment over and above Black's sizeable wedge at the start of season?

New investment would be great for sure but it depends what comes with it. Any investor(s) are likely going to want a stake in the holding company and a big influence on how the club is run and on future plans.

Now i'm fully behind the current owners and regime so let's hope they find someone that fits in. The last thing we want is a 50/50 split ownership of the club with both owners having different ideas for the club.

You must surely already know I am referring to restructuring to attract new investment?

I find it amusing that people feel the need to think up reasons to be negative.

Not necessarily saying it to be negative. Just making the point that it could happen. Equally though we may find an investor willing to pump money in that fits in perfectly and boosts the club even more. If that's the case then brilliant.

It's not sudden, they've been talking about wanting to get new investors for a long time - probably a couple of years now.

I did. But I've not seen much negativity around the idea of new investment itself. Just reservations on what impact the situation wil have on the playing side in the meantime.

perhaps they want new investment purely for new development with the investors taking a percentage of the revenue purely from the stadium and any add ons associated?

trouble is they might not want to invest in this if they see that the club that will be using the stadium has debt and may be at risk hence trying to get the debt written off.

ie. that new investors wouldn't have any involvement with the club itself

The club have said for years that they want to bring on an investor or investors with development knowledge.  I think this change has just re-focused attention.

All this talk of finances at the club has got me thinking about player wages.

Anyone know how much they're earning?

Led to believe the max is £3k a week. Though if you ask an Oxford fan it's £10k.

no chance is 3k the max. Some will be on more and some will be on less though.

The max is far higher than 3k.  I don't know what the players earn now, but I know for a fact that Douglas et al were earning substantially more than that in 2009/10.

10k does seem a tad steep for a L1 footballer.. Saying that, so does 3  :eek:

There won't be any on 10k but some will be on more than 3k easily

Average wage in League 1 in 2010/11 was £1410 a week.

Average in the Championship was £4059. 

I would expect a handful of ours to be above £3k a week, but not many.

Sounds a bit more reasonable. Still a decent wage, eh..

If we have aspiratrions of progressing to the next level and want a stadium redevelopment then new money is required to help Black et al finance it all or we may get to the next level and fail

As it stands we are a club going places on the up with paolo at the helm now is the time to get that money while we are popular

Just read on the BBC site that Bolton have asked Palace permission to speak to Dougie Freedman. That may at least quash a few rumours about Paolo going to Wanderers.

and start some about him going to Palace instead

Yeah, probably. Every other person I spoke to at yesterday's match mentioned Paolo going to Bolton, a few also had heard Hoddle is coming back here. it's amazing how far and how fast rumours spread.

No chance they have not got any money

Reckon the biggest risk is from a bigger club that is on a bad run, needs to get the fans back on side, is willing to take a risk and won't put too much pressure on the manager. Somewhere like Blackburn for example. Though I'm not sure Paolo has done himself many favours over the last few weeks.

Saints chairman losing patience with Adkins, and Paolo's daughter is at uni there,  :hmmm: maybe we could do a swap.

Has she got her coaching qualification though?

A good point well made :)

I'm really not sure that there's many chairmen out there who would be willing to take a risk on Di Canio.  I think most would see him as too much of a loose cannon and would go for someone more likely to toe the line.

I dont think PDC will leave, he is putting as much pressure on the board as he can with the threats as i would expect any manager to do but if its an open cheque book that he is after where can he go that will give him that. For instance if he chooses to leave swindon for bolton are they going to give him the money to buy a whole new squad, the obvious answer being no. He will be given a small amount of money and told to work with the rest that he has got. The situation PDC now finds himself in is another lesson and art he must learn as a manager. This will also hopefully teach him to pick and choose his players more wisely and not play the law of averages game.

I think I'm upgrading my outlook to cautiously optimistic.

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/9998233.SPECIAL_FANS__JURY_WITH_NEW_TOWN_CHAIRMAN_SIR_WILLIAM_PATEY/

 SWP answered my question Ground Redevelopment (CG or move away on cards) and partially about the player budget (this season - sounds good, next season avoided answering).

Not sure what to make of the Scottish goat cheese though. The jury is out on that one.

Did SWP come down onto the pitch at full time in Saturday? I thought they said something on the radio about him being on the pitch.

I doubt it, he was starting against Arsenal.

Hyuck Hyuck

Yes he did, good sign that.

Apparently so, congratulated the players and Di Canio off.

Thanks for letting me know.

I caught the tail end on the radio last nitht where it said that Di Cannio has got his first opportunity to talk to the new chairman and the board (?) today since the embargo was put on us so should have some updates tomorrow

Jeremy Wray was at the Villa match last night. I saw him in the car park afterwards carrying some sort of board. Embarassed myself slightly trying to thank him too.

Yeh said that it would be Black and Patey Di Canio and one would assume Spencer will be there, up in London apparently.

A cheese board?

I heard this on BBC wilts too but I hav not heard any update since. Glad to hear Jeremy wray was back at the CG. He must hav enjoyed the game.

I don't get it.

I was referring to the recent cheese questions to SWP and to our former chairman Wray.

I was still puzzled, but I read this and all became clear. http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/swindontown/news/9998233.SPECIAL_FANS__JURY_WITH_NEW_TOWN_CHAIRMAN_SIR_WILLIAM_PATEY/?ref=rss