Thetownend.com

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/sport/10202596.Di_Canio_considering_his_position_at_Swindon_Town/

Swindon could have managed to fuck up one of the best thing to happen to us in years.

I wouldn't blame him for leaving, he deserves better.

Fuck it - if he goes I'm going with him!!!!!!!

"I feel at this moment that my job is not just impossible but is untenable"

That's pretty much that then. I can't say I blame him really.

Time for whoever actually owns STFC to say something.

What a shambles, i'm really quite angry.

Cunting typical. The whole thing is botched form start to finish. Need to step away from the keyboard for a few hours. Talk of contractual breeches just says to me he's working out how to legally get out.

What, again? Why don't you either support the club, or fuck of for good? It would avoid all your pain and sacrifice.

Clinging to the fact that PDC is not a quitter, and will not leave

Seems like a plea for something from the new owners

Really fucked off with Black for this mess at the moment. I know bigger pic he's saved the club, but the timing of this and the actions over the last month in general have really fucked us over

Goodbye Paolo and thanks for the ride, its been fun.

What a shambles at STFC,as a fan you could just cry at the incompetence,false promises,

undermining of PDC and the contempt for the fans.Sadly,a lot of us have seen it all before.

The thought of losing PDC in these circumstances just makes me so angry, I could take losing him to a bigger club and he would deserve it but the obvious deceit and lies he is constantly having to put up with is just ridiculous. If PDC walks away then we are right back to square one pre Fitton and crowds will drop back to the 5,000 levels. The new guys need to come out of the shadows and make a statement of intent , just so pissed off beyond belief at the moment

 :(

It's a bit of a financial disaster in itself. Had he been poached by a bigger club whilst under contract we'd have picked up a decent wedge. He's suggesting that the club are in breach of contract, which may allow him to walk for free.

That is potentially 2 of our biggest assets lost in 24 hours. Someone really needs to pull their finger out.

If that's your real attitude then you wont be missed

Being discussed on SSN now.

The new board had better be in a meeting with Paolo right now, giving him every reassurance that this has just been a really shit few days and that it won't continue like this once the takeover is complete.

Lets be honest, this could indicate the state of the takeover. It may not, but...

The team bus is enroute to London, saw it with the players onboard about 6ish on M4. Question is whether Paolo is onboard or not?

Fucking seething

We need to show PDC we are 100% behind him tomorrow, assuming he is there.

Dont start attacking fellow fans thoughts? Just because of a couple of fuckwits!!! My present thoughts are " why shud I give those wankers my money as a fan of course!

You couldn't make this up, could you. You don't issue a statement like this and then stay. We've gone from the sublime to the ridiculous in a very short space of time.

Fuck sake - I will be geniunely pissed off if he leaves - PDC reignited excitement around the club.

This is turning in to a disaster... and we are turning tinpot.

Got to give him massive support tomorrow. 90 mins of Di canio chants asking too much?

My concern is not paolo leaving but who out there is good enough to replace him.

No manager or player is bigger than the club, and whatever happens stfc will always be supported.

I'd say Di Canio is as close as you can get to irreplaceable - may seem dramatic and over the top but he's just, well different isn't he. One of a kind.

I'm struggling not to be angry with Black (I know I really shouldn't) but it's his comments about not leaving a "car crash" thta really bug me..... he's jumped out of the driving seat and we are now veering across the carriageways heading straight for a an oncoming lorry.

If anything it's a cry from PDC to the new owners to say "come on, show me you have the ambition and drive to continue taking this club forward or else i'm out".

I really hope its this

I would love to think you are right

Clinging on to the fact that if anyone could, PDC could.

That said, this looks crap. I was against the appointment originally, partially because I was uncomfortable with the politics of it all (less so than others I'm sure, but that point has been debated) but mostly because it looked like a colossal risk. That risk has paid off massively and is continuing to pay off, but this looks like the end of the road. The events of the last few weeks have been catastrophic but (touch wood perhaps) STFC will survive, perhaps a slimmed down STFC with less ambition but they will still be my club.

In one way I wouldn't miss every aspect of the Di Canio circus, but I recognise that he's been more successful than we could possibly have expected in the time he's been here. I'm sure he won't be short of offers.

But will the new owners do that? We haven't heard anything from any of them.

These new owners need to get involved a bit more now. Not nessesarily with the public but with PDC and those currently involved at the club. They need to outline their plans etc and what they want to achieve here.

I blame Andrew Black personally, he can go and get GRID for all I care.

Even if the lot taking over don't complete, there will be another lot like them in the wings.

I've got a horrible feeling we're about to lose Paolo, go back to being a club with little real financial firepower or footballing ambition and a 'hardworking' but amateur board with no real money who are in it for the lottery ticket of the property deal that will probably never arrive.

Championship - we could almost touch it.

Is anybody popping to Banbury tonight to tell our new owner to pull his finger out?

As we speak, the front man is talking at a fans' forum at Banbury United, so I wouldn't hold your breath.

Would completely understand if he moved on now.  The transition of ownership has been handled unprofessionally .   We all deserved better than this...players, supporters and, yes, PDC.  If he leaves, there will always be a welcome for him back in Swindon.  And hopefully in happier times.

If not there should be, road trip anyone?

Tomorrow at Crawley we need to show him that we want him to stay. Would be great if someone could knock up a banner saying 'Paolo please don't go' or something along those lines.

think our new owners must be bricking it now?! There will be close to mutiny scenes and I kid not!! Paolo to a lot of us was Swindon

Et tu, Paolo?

Exactly, except for the 'other lot waiting in the wings' bit. Not sure I believe there were other credible parties if the most credible is this shower.

As others have said cant blame if he goes.

Another night sat on front of the computer pressing refresh

Anyone think there is any chance we will get a statement from the club/owners tonight?

I would be very surprised.

fuck that, I'm going to get drunk.

Hope he's still here at 3am when I log back in!

Someones going to twaat from the meeting at Banbury, wonder if anything will be said about Swindon



Banbury United Fc ‏@BanburyUnitedFC

Will endeavour to tweet from tonight's meeting with @JedMcCoy Note will be unofficial and my take on procceidngs in 140 character bites.

And that is the most sensible advice anyone will put on here all night.

The club is dysfunctional at the moment, in that regard anyway.

Only Paolo Di Canio can interfere with the producing of a matchday thread.

Gene Wilder has been seen in the county ground carpark.

Paolo may not be STFC but he's the driving force behind it

I expect no further clarifications on any of the myriad issues that have emerged over the last few days causing us all reason for serious panic and another 5 or 6 hours of paranoid speculation on these forums fuelled by this silence before bed.

Oh for fuck sake. I genuinely thought this would be our year but the past couple of weeks, in particular the past 72 hours, have really put a fucking downer on it. If Paolo does go, and who'd blame him, I'd say we'll end up as mid-table fodder.

Hardly surprising that it's come to this.  The last few days have been an absolute joke and quite frankly I'm disgusted at what has gone on.

I also can't help but feel extremely pissed off with Andrew Black.  Worse case scenario is Paolo walks (which looks extremly likely), the takeover  collapses and we subsequently end up in administration.  We're then in no better state than when he saved us?

Fuck knows what all the players are thinking as well.  The last thing they need is a televised game tomorrow.

How can things turn to such a big pile of shit in such a short space of time?

Our esteemed new 'owner' Mr McJed lives up your way.  You could always pop round after he gets back from Banbury  to politely request that he pulls his fucking finger out?  Just an idea, like.

This. In spades.

I'm going to don my tin hat and bunker down with some Tribute, hoping I wake up tomorrow to find its all a bad dream

Televised?

Nigel Adderley on Twitter, BBC Journo and Tranmere Fan, fill your boots @nadderley

Self fucking destruct every time .....bah....

Yes?

I'd completely missed this:

@Official_STFC: Kick-off for tomorrow's game at Crawley Town is 5.20pm and the game will be televised live on @SkySports #STFC

What really fucking grates is the fact we're so close to getting to the champ, even with loosing MR we have a really good squad and an amazing chance to gain promotion.

I would guess that this statement is a result of takeover issues... and if the new lot aren't taking over or being allowed by the FL to complete (fit and proper persons) then it's administration and chaos and PDC won't be hanging around for that.

Fucking Swindon... Always the same

[url width=250 height=285]http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa245/spacedcadet23/nuclear-bomb-explosion.jpg[/url]

It's top story on SSN

I bet sky are creaming themselves that they've got us live on TV tomorrow...

I can see this becoming a bit like the Macari thing in the 80's, if he does go with crowds trying to force a change of mind, the big concern that I have is that the new board won't have the money to get PDC to come back though

Top story, whilst the new owner talks to a room full of 30 people that he'll be dropping in the summer anyway! Jesus.

Anyone who thinks Black is exempt from blame is wrong. He made an arguably bad (in hindsight) business decision to take over, but an even worse business decision to bail out now, just when the Championship is within touching distance. Promotion followed by a well organised sale would surely be preferable to this mess for all concerned. Relying on promotion may be a risk, but to a successful businessman such as Black I would have thought it was an entirely acceptable one. If this is the end for Paolo then Black is at least as culpable as anyone else

Funnily I was in Eversham earlier should have popped by.

Thing i
s after watching mr smiley happy calm PDC yesterday, something must have changed in the meantime.

I bet that's a happy gathering.  Fair play to McJed though...simultaneously managing to fuck two football clubs over without even lifting a finger.  That's a real talent he has there.  Football is lucky to have him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPMjIK_U7LI

I agree it is a gamble though, does Black like a little punt?????  I agree its like, he's just spent the evening snogging with us all, but then he's just found out that Flasheart is really a Bangkok Ladyboy, and he can't away quick enough....  

Just as I was thinking that things were calming down a bit along comes another serious intimation about behind the scenes problems that were obviously being glossed over.

I just trust that Paolo (and his advisors/coaching staff) can let the dust settle and see what this new consortium are really offering.

If it is a load of old b******s then by all means walk away and put a League winners title on the C.V's and stroll into another job as there are bound to be offers on the table.

If the new owners are genuine then all I can ask is that they be given the opportunity to correct this undoubted shambles.

As a long time Town supporter I always will be, but the older I get, the less the chance of seeing the Town being a solid force in the football world. As we appear to be on the edge of doing something extraordinary at present I would hate to see all the good things happening on the pitch be thrown away because of off-field problems.

Not happy at all - just keeping fingers crossed!

Black is on Twitter isn't he? Any scope for a heart felt 'please don't let this go to shit... At least wait until May' campaign?

If/when Di Canio goes, he's going to hang us out to dry.

And if legally nothing can be communicated to us, what exactly can he say to them?

I cannot fathom quite how this whole takeover thing has been handled so terribly.

We've not heard one peep from the new owners, nothing. I think Jed whatsit needs to realise that he's not dealing with 25 disgruntled blokes like he may have when things weren't going well at Banbury. He should have issued a statement explaining who the hell he is and what his and the consortium's intentions are.

These are supposed to be professional businessmen. Think my 4 year old could have handled it better.

YES!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_NbJ-JmsN8

He seemingly wants to cut and run. Don't think he will care about much else.

Very true... Just feel helpless whilst watching our club cruise into shitness

here here.
Fucking shameful the way this has been done and black throwing the towel in now.

It's the hope that kills you.

I hope we smash Crawley and Paolo sees that we're still in with a very good shout of promotion.

I don't think anyone's allowed to comment due to an NDA, no?


I very much agree. Every other manager, bar Mourinho, is the same as all the others - dull and nondescript.

It's a cry for help he wants to know what's going on just as much as us probly more.....

PDC walks. Investors walk and we're so stuck in the shit it ain't worth thinking of.

PDC leaves, he rinses our side in the summer for signings.

PDC stays. Investors stay. But they have to do something fucking incredible to keep him sweet and they will be playing by his rules. I like this one!!

Loving that old HTV clip! Was weird we were talking about Brian Hillier at dinner

Lets hastily organise an action group?  :D

Banbury are playing Frome tomorrow and my friend plays for Frome - might get him to wallop a ball into this Jed guys head. Not sure what this will achieve but might make us all feel better?

The worry is that he'll already be gone otherwise why release a statement like that the night before a game?

On the plus side, at least we have a gimme 3-0 win tomorrow.

No.

They can't comment on confidential material. They (current board) can open the lines of communication. When even the team manager is questioning what is going on then something if amiss.

PDC already knows we can/ could have achieved promotion - I think he's pissed off because it appears as if the proverbial rug is about to be puuled from under his feet and a promotion-capable team....

So frustrating for him and us fans....

PDC isn't stupid, he's very media savvy, there will be a well thought out reason for this statement. Best case, trying to prompt the new investors into action... worst case softening the blow for his resignation (probably after the Crawley game)

Will he be the first manager to resign live on tv?

The finger is pointing completely towards Black for allowing the situation to descend into this state.  Fair enough he wants out, but I'm completely disgusted in the way he's gone about it.

That's the sort of way Paolo may go out, what better way than in front of the Sky cameras. In all seriousness, if he's at the game tomorrow I think he'll stay. Hope he's sat down with the players now and not in his hotel room thinking bad thoughts  :(

Where the fuck is our chairman in all this??? If that dour bastard is getting a penny for his tenure he should be shopped in for fraud.

Patey? Who the fuck is Patey?

Does seem strange to release a statement saying that you're thinking about quitting. If he's gonna quit, why not just quit?

Can we all get in touch with the football league and tell them to pull their finger out and make a decision on the takeover?

 :eek: :(

I pity the poor dugouts.  He rough on them when hes happy, god knows what he'll do to them in this mood.

Thats if he makes it to the dugout!

Fucked up Afghanistan!
Fucked up Afghanistan!
Now you've fucked Swindon Town!
Ritchie and di Canio!

...And ratify the three loan signings.

Totally agree. What was the whole point of getting involved, pissing ten million down the drain then panicking like this and not even having anything to show for it all.

Like the last 18 months have been a fucking waste of everyone's time (and money)!

He's just pushing for clarification and some communication I think

1) It's a very public advertisement of his availability to other clubs without quite having to burn his bridges
2) He's letting the new guys know who's in charge by holding their feet to the fire right from day one. They'd better have the money to meet his demands

This way he gets to see what the new guys can offer while he weighs up if there any other offers and if there are, if they look like a better bet. It's called having the whip-hand

Yeah, that's the whole problem in a nutshell. The three loan signings. Fucking hell.

This is key.  However pissed off he was at Ritchie's departure, if the 3 players had come in, this latest installment tonight wouldn't have happened.

Lets hope the new guys learn how this works quickly!

Let's hope they can pay for it

I tend to agree

Me too.

A diplomat

A person who can deal with people in a sensitive and effective way.

tactful


Is he fuck!!!

He's worked his bollocks off from day one.

He feels he has been deceived by people who have not got the same attitude/work ethics as him.

Oh agreed.

I'll be positive.

This galvanises the players and fans even more.  There are clear reminders of the Macari crisis...and that didn't work out too shabbily.

Galvanise, that's where I'm hanging my hat: from thinking Crawley unlikely, to Crawley well why the hell would any Town fan capable of getting there not be there?

We have all seen his cheeky smile when he was asked if he had met the knew lot. It is not the first time PDC has played this game.

If this is a genuine reaction to the 3 loans not going through then Paolo is being a complete and utter tool. However, He is smart enough to know how such a petulant act will make him look to future employers. If he has spat his dummy out because he couldn't get his way he will soon realise that is not the best way to go about getting a new job.

Think I need to teach the club about stakeholder engagement. Contact me for my day rate....

It's not just about the 3 loans - the statement is about the whole way the old and new owners have conducted themselves over the past week and he's right they've behaved very shabbily. However, you're right it's not the first time he's played this game. In fact, in part that's why this week happened in the first place.

A mate's just text saying PDC's bookies favourite for 'Udders.

Well that's one club we can rule off the list then. Bookies are usually fucking shit at calling these things

<outrageous straw clutching>
Paolo has a history of taking the attention off of the players and the club and onto himself before a big game (such as a televised one).
</outrageous straw clutching>

I really wish we knew all that was going on behind the scenes:

- I was talking to someone who knows Patey today. He said that he was a good bloke, but not really a football fan.
- Really disappointed at the PDC statement. How can you go from a brilliant interview yesterday to this statement today?
- Don't want PDC to go, because he has breathed life and passion into both the players, fans and beautiful club that is Swindon
- I don't like to see Swindon Town descending into a shambles
- I didn't like the fact that a 'local' consortium backed by someone who the league said didnt have enough cash to buy Luton was taking over
- I couldn't believe that Mr Black would pull the finances completely
- I don't like that we have sold one of our most prized assets for nowt. It was bad enough when I thought that it would help to finance 3 (fairly) exciting signings. But to see that it has now cost us our reputation, possibly our chance of promotion, our manager, possibly the take over and the energy at the club is crazy
- I also don't like the fact that I have spent all this time honing my 'Paolo Whispering' skills only to find that I may never need them again!

I have been a Swindon fan since before many on this site were born. I've seen good times and bad times. I will always be a Town fan, but the last few days have burst my bubble and sapped my enthusiasm for football.

'We are Bodins Red n White army'

To be fair, I don't think that required massive insider info to suss that out.

It's not backed by him, it's fronted by him. And for once I'm not just making a shit pun, there's a big difference. The other four guys in the consortium may well be loaded. Set against that, their choice of frontman so far isn't inspiring a great deal of confidence that they are serious players either.
Well believe, Toto, cos it's happened. It was his financial advisers who sent the email to all FL clubs on Tuesday night advertising our entire squad for sale.

Sorry, I've got nothing for you on this one. Possibly a lucrative career hiring yourself out to local media of wherever he ends up?

This email to all FL clubs...did we really send it to Portsmouth?

This is a good point.

A friend has also pointed out to me that every job has it's challenges and people have no choice but to overcome them.  He feels that Di Canio has been backed to the hilt up until now and the reason we're in so much debt is because of the never ending (until now) backing to bring players in that he's had.  According to him it's time for Di Canio to show just what sort of character he is and not jump ship at the first sign of trouble.

Your mate talks sense... Does he fancy buying a football club?

Your friend is talking out of his arse.

He won't be leaving and certainly not soon. He has played this card before and we should have learnt by now that he is a man of principles and loyalty being one of the main ones. I don't think he would be able to turn round to the players and say I'm leaving mid season. After all he has done to think that he would leave potentially before finance is back in place and the loan window I don't think he would chuck it away he has worked too hard for it. There are no current vacancies that worry me and again I don't think he could stamp his foot on a club mid season

Ha ha.  The differing views of the Townend  :)

There are a lot of jobs he could walk into if its available or not. If he makes himself available he will get offers and he will have better options than staying with us. I agree with your part about playing a card though he's done it again and again. I think Crawley may be his last game if the owners don't seriously prove something in the coming days.

Oh, yeah, deffo. Well, not even a fall guy. He was brought in to do a job - dispose of a troublesome "asset" from Black's portfolio as quickly as possible - and he's done it. Now it's just a case of where do I pick up my bonus cheque on the way out?

Hmmm, that cheeky smile bit reminded me that when he gave that interview it made me wonder if this lot were the consortium Phil Spencer had allegedly been trying to string together. Clearly they weren't but maybe what PDC's up to here is trying to derail the WindoleneWonderConsortium at the last minute to get Spencer's consortium back in the game. If there is one.

The new potential owners need to get on that phone to Phil Spencer and get in front of him and show him the money and explain what the fcuk is going on and especially why they sold ritchie so he can pacify paolo - unfortunetly if they do nothing over the weekend he is gone on monday

Yeah, Power to the people!!!!

 :crash:

If they want to spend the next 2 years with Di Canio walking them round on a lead, and they can afford to write every single cheque he asks for, then yes, that's exactly what they should do.

Isn't Mourinho leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season?  :sherlock:

As good a manager as he is, he is only that good because of the pre season training and ability to pick players to match his work ethic and style of play (after a few failed attempts!) I can not see how much of an impact he can make without this and I think a chairman will see this. At swindon he has by and large been able to do everything he wants including mistakes and for the last 12 months he has built it his own way.

He's only good because he can see what is needed to succeed, works really hard and manages to pull together a bunch of players to fulfil their potential to achieve success.
Guess anyone could do that  ::)
Granted he's not got everything right first time but has learnt from his mistakes.

Whilst this statement is horrendous and alarming, if anyone is going to make a statement like this and use if for effect, it'll be Paolo.

He loves being the underdog, the one who rallies the people who support him and triumphs in the face of adversity.
Hopefully this is a rallying cry to get the club to sort themselves out and fans to show support for him and for the fans and players at Crawley tomorrow to show how solid and defiant we are.

That or he is genuinely fucking off into the distance...the first option feels a bit more palatable.

Would another club take him? 

I tried to use my sources, I asked will Paolo quit. They said "maybe". Thanks.

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ssanty/cgi-bin/eightball.cgi

Quite something you got there. I started with an easy one:
Is Paolo a fascist? YES
Is Jed McCrory normal? NOT SUCH A GOOD OUTLOOK
Will STFC win at Crawley tomorrow? DEFINITELY
Will Paolo still be in charge on Monday? DEFINITELY

So there you have it. Sorted.

Phew, I was worried for a minute.

Yes, nothing logical ever happens in the world of professional football.  Please refer to the recent goings on in the world of Appleton for proof.

All is well in the world found this gem on twatter

UberFacts ‏@UberFacts

Playing with puppies and kittens has been proven to relieve stress and help students perform better on tests.
Expand

Certainly Paolo has played the 'up sticks and leave' card before... and it seems that he is using chaos over the takeover to stamp his authority on the club and let the new owners know who's boss - we've been here with Leon Clarke for example. As the Washbag noted some time ago Di Canio likes chaos - in political circles they call such things "a beneficial crisis" - an opportunity to use uncertainty to gain more power for themselves.

One thing I would dispute is that Di Canio is loyal to Swindon - no he isn't, he's just adept at projecting that illusion.

"PDC, the vox pop of a man that keeps on giving. They are losing 250k a month apparently, it's a shame Paolo forgets his lust for new blood is the root of it. His store card has run out of credit!"

Read more: http://www.yellowsforum.co.uk/thread/12983/di-canio-breaking-news#ixzz2Jh050KVH

Take your pick!

Really , i could swear he hasn't left before

I like how the first 3 topics on that board are all about us

they're obsessed, always looking up

Sam Morshead ‏@SamMorshead_SA

Hearing there could be some sort of statement coming out of Swindon Town very soon. Not sure what, not sure when.

FRIDAY STATEMENT: You've got 19 minutes.

I bet it's something we already know.

Maybe to say Di Canio has resigned?

 got to be  :badmood: :cry:

My money is on the words gross misconduct, breach, confidentiality and resignation appearing somewhere  :bye:

...or the new board offer their full support to PDC.

Swindon Town FC ‏@Official_STFC

Statement from the Board of #STFC coming up on the official website. Link to follow.
Collapse

 

Don't panic :)

Oh FFS, this will be third night on the trot my bedtime has been delayed due to the ongoing saga which is Swindon Town FC.

If it's about the takeover, we've waited long enough, why not leave it until the morning?  

The other obvious possibility is that Di Canio has considered, decided, and gone.

The Friday statement is back.

Odd time to release a statement though at almost midnight.

...they've got 8 minutes before the Statement Friday window slams shut..

Is this it?

Jed's back from the bar and realised all hell had broken loose.

Given the last few days?

It's an absolute shambles I know that, certainly going back to the Diamandis era.

FOLLOWING Paolo Di Canio's comments earlier today, the Board wishes to assure fans that it continues to work towards the sale of the Club and the ensuring of its long term future.

The last few days have been extremely demanding given the combination of significant on-going losses, a closing transfer window and the disappointment of not bringing in the loan players as we had wished.

The Board expects to complete the sale of the Club next week and are confident that the new owners share the same ambitions as Paolo and his team. The decisions made over the course of the last few days have not been made lightly, and in the case of the decision to sell Matt Ritchie, have been done in conjunction with the new owners.

Whilst the Board understands Paolo's desire to gain promotion and is wholly supportive of this, the Board's considerations and responsibilities extend beyond the on field activities of the team. On some occasions it is faced with difficult choices and whilst we recognise the disappointment to all caused by the sale of Matt, the Board has not shirked its duty to face up to the harsh realities of its financial situation.

We look forward to the swift resolution of these short term issues, Football League approval of the new owners and hopefully a win against Crawley.

http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/article/boardstatement-634146.aspx

http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/article/boardstatement-634146.aspx

About time too. OK its not saying much, but at least its communication. Welcome communication.

I should just go to bed and get the bad news in the morning .....but I can't. I hate football sometimes

Not far off then.

What he said.

There are better ways to talk to the press, the fans, and your manager than a midnight press release...

48 hours too late and doesn't particularly make me feel better about anything to be honest.

The French have a good saying for this sort of anti-climax: the mountain gave birth to a mouse.

More importantly, it arrived before midnight.

STATEMENT FRIDAYS ARE BACK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbusENG6hCE

Fuck me,If it was ever the time to show support and turn an away following into a home game it is now.
Paolo will be gone with anything less.
He needs passion in his life.
He has huge respect for the away support.
We all need to get there however we can and show the man the same respect.
Fuck the egg-chasing and show up or he'll be gone by Monday.......

Completely right. Wish we had a home game today, though.

Time to get the scarves out, again.

When is a statement not a statement?

[url width=170 height=244]http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj306/kupo_kid/Riddler.gif[/url]

Di Canio has every right to be pissed off and considering his future and I sympathize fully with him.

BUT...he might as well stick around to the end of the season at least, what's he got to lose?

He's still got a very decent squad of players, hopefully those three we tried to get in can come in on emergency loans. We're also in a great position on the league. If he gets us up, brilliant, he will be even more of a Town legend and his managerial stock will rise further. If he doesn't get us up then it will be a case of, 'oh well he was working under extremely difficult circumstances' and his stock will not have dropped and may still even have risen depending on where exactly we finish.

During that time, he can also fully assess whether or not he can work with the new owners.

Yes, he is emotional and wears his heart on his sleeve, hence the statement but he is also very shrewd and thoughtful so I sincerely hope he is thinking along those lines as well.

OK, I'm biased and looking at the situation through STFC tinted specs but surely the logical thing for him to do would be to stay, at least for the time being?

Isnt this statement a clear shot across the bow of the club. Considering and actually leaving or two very different things. If we can get the take over ratified and these loan players brought in then I can see pdc chillin a bit.

Eventually though we are going to need a manager that can manage a sustainable Swindon town and im not sure pdc is that man or though I do love having him here. Eventually I would like someone who has had a lot more experience in these leagues and knows the players a lot better so that transfers are a bit less hit and miss. I think we've got him for a bit longer yet though so lets enjoy

Also I think for league one swindon still get a decent crowd and every other team moans about our ticket prices so we cant have a bad income and should be up in the top half/third of this league within a sustainable budget. If the reported 250K monthly wage budget is true then if we dont have the backing and continue the way we are then trouble lies ahead.

All this talk of people saying i wont go again they are messing the club up, yes they are not doing a great job, but dwindling crowds will hurt the club even more, especially if the new owners dont have deep pockets.

The scummers have got off lightly at the moment with their signing of Luke McCormick, we are too busy fighting amongst ourselves

I agree with what's posted above.

I think it's just Di Canio hedging his bets. Leaving us outright over this would make him a less attractive managerial proposition, and I doubt Phil Spencer would be advising him it was a good idea (especially as he wouldn't make any money out of it!). However, if another team fires their manager and comes in from a higher level (aston villa for example) it give him the leeway to be off (and Phil Spencer gets some sort of pay-day presumably).

I think the wording of the statement was very careful in regards to this.

Isn't that what managing is about? Getting a group of people together and motivating them to achieve the best they can? Look at man united they have dominated English football for 20 years now look at some of the players who have been there. He's had to sell the club to various countries in doing so play below average players. The secret is motivating a team to do well no matter what that is where fergie has achieved his greatest feats. Paolo has that same ability and its a rare one. Paolo also has the ability to learn and adapt yeah he throws a pmt every now and then but that's his personality and more so his desire to achieve greatness. Paolo is our biggest asset and he will be looked at by bigger clubs. Still maybe a little early but people will be thinking what if

On sky.

Will take charge tonight but position is untenable....

Were those his words?

It's just flashed up saying.  Sky understands that Paolo Di Canio intends to take charge of Swindon's game at Crawley tonight.  Di Canio issued statement last night saying he was considering his position at the club.  Di Canio angry Matt Ritchie sold to Bournemouth and says club hs made 'false promises'.

Has he resigned then?

Edit: This sounds like twisted words to me to make it a bit more sensationalistic. Id expect nothing less from sky. He has said those words. i.e. position is untenable and has not indicated he wont take charge. Put them together and it then sounds like he is off after this game. I will wait and see

He would not be taking charge tonight if he had resigned would he? ::)

Maybe he has to give a weeks notice  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Just one thing... if he was going to resign, would he have bothered sorting out deals for BWP, Green, and Pack if he wasn't planning on sticking around? Surely he'd have up and left as soon as Ritchie went if it was that much of a deal breaker for him?

Or am I just being hopeful?

From the text of the statement, I read that his initial concern was allayed by the potential signings and them not completing tipped him over the edge.

Still, I guess we'll know more after the game.

Makes more people watch the match tonight.

It's like watching Paul Bodins Penalty this news lark...... want to watch...but I don't....just in case it goes to rat shit.

We can all only be hopeful LS, I think it is that fact that these deals were not allowed to go through that has really pissed him off.

I think your right. By all accounts those deals are still alive just that pdc has to wait a week. I dont think he is going just yet. A bad result today could be the final straw though. An emphatic win could have him chillin again

He'd be a bit of a tool if he did leave. It certainly wouldn't look good on his CV.

That was not the fault of the club though surely?

Well, i suppose if they told him it would all be okay and go through and then didn't, it would be another broken promise in his eyes? Who knows...

No this was out of control of anyone at the club which makes me think it was "just another" paoloism, vening his frustration to the general public and fans, or thats what I hope anyway.

Which would be irrational.

PDCs "breach of contract" allegation about non-consultation re Matt Ritchie and statement of his position  having been made "untenable" strike me as indicating there may be no compo claimable if he departs notwithstanding his contract and indeed that he may have been "constructively dismissed".

There are so many "ifs" but what I really regret is that we have lost a lot of money on Ritchie and we are probably losing any right to compo if PDC walks out because of the truly indecent haste with which the plug is now being pulled and losing respect as a club.  

Even if AB generously writes off debt (and tbf let's never underestimate that, it may be the most important part of the story), I feel we have let Matt Ritchie down (he could have got a better club and package than he did) and obviously PDC who has worked harder and given of himself more than anyone at the club and who could have been sat down and consulted.

A bit belated but my tuppence worth:

If Paolo was serious about leaving, he would have done so already and not release statements that he is "considering his future"... he's a man of action and not words.

Given that there have been no approaches for his services in his time here, despite his success, I don't think he would walk into another job that easily and I expect he knows this.

The statement is all about leverage. He knows that he is currently the biggest asset the club has and is putting pressure on both the current board and the prospective owners to give him what he needs to get us up. He is testing them.

Despite all of my misgivings over his appointment, my outspoken opposition to him and the fact that sometimes it still doesn't rest easy with me... I felt gutted when I read that statement last night. I guess I sold out.

You didn't sell out. You bought in.

In Paolo we trust.

[url width=630 height=482]http://www.snspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/trust-no-one.jpg[/url]

Pretty much my take on things Sonic, perhaps I'm just trying to convince myself but I really feel like if he wanted to go the towel would have been thrown in before now.

If this is an attempt to galvanise the troops, set the siege mentality amongst players and fans alike and getting some more bums on seats for Hartlepool next week then its a unique way of going about things, but one thing Paolo can be classified as is unique.

I hope Crawley feel the wrath of Swindon Town today.

To use the internet forum vernacular....'this' ^^....

If he is considering his position (and I'm sure he is) there is absolutely no need to tell anyone, apart from the above.

Hopefully this is a rallying cry to the players for today's game to show how much the gaffer means.

Exactly, if Di Canio really wanted leave he would have quit by now. He's given the new board a way back, a chance to sit around the table and sort all this shit out. If theyre not prepared to do that then surely its because they want him to resign? May be they have a better manager lined up haha

For me PDC would not quit now, he'd wait until after the game and after legal wrangling over contractual release and potential compensation. He has other coaching staff that he's brought in to consider. Plus he may genuinely seeking proper information before quitting.

That doesn't mean he is definitely leaving, that doesn't mean he isn't. Just that its unlikely that the official word will come until after the game/over the weekend.

To be honest, if we can't afford him or his spending he has to go doesn't he. PDC didn't come to do a Dario Gradi steady eddie job, you can here it in him, he wants to win things. My only hope is we can keep him and the squad together until summer. Then is the time to dismantle and re-adjust our playing budget.


I know it sounds unlikely, but the feeling I have is he has genuine affection for us fans. Its not impossible that he wanted to lay it straight to us personally rather than get it PR spun by the club. But he could most definitely be putting the pressure on to gain information.

As JJ has stated the deal was done for speed rather than the best deal for the club.

On a smaller scale I do it all the time in my business.

Consequence is........fall out.

I don't think that sounds unlikely at all. I genuinely believe him when he says things about the support he receives from the fans.

The upshot of Di Canio's statement last night was a subsequent statement from the club.  Had Di Canio not gone public I very much doubt we'd have heard a peep out of them.

Maybe just maybe Di Canio knew they would be forced into making some of statement and thought the fans deserved it?

Chris Wise: Paolo told his players of situation Friday morning (about going public, about what the statement basically says).

Fucking shit-stirrer

Well yeh, didn't he take em all to fratellos.....

In the morning? Pasta breakfast? Bit heavy on the stomach day before a game isn't it?

No, I'm not sure why I poster that to be honest

PDC and Spencer are comfortably the most media-savvy of everyone involved in this sorry shower. He's running rings around them.

Nah 4 lunch,

It's not a high bar is it? Actually, that's not fair - Nick Watkins and Chris Tanner are both extremely media savvy. Sadly I suspect their hands are tied by a lack of instruction

Apparently tomorrow's Daily Mirror is to say we are sacking Di Canio as his salary is to expensive.

I don't think there is anything worse these new owners could do rather than sacking PDC...

Well that is obviously true coming from that bastion of virtue.

Agreed, I think the Mirror ran the Paolo to Huddersfield story as well as The Mail, and er, Vital Swindon.

Makes no sense, they would have pay off the remainder of his contract any way

Cash-strapped Swindon are ready to sack manager Paolo di Canio – because he is too expensive.

The extrovert Italian faces the axe despite a good run of results at the League One promotion chasers, where he is paid a thumping salary.

Di Canio claimed last week that he was “considering his position” after star Matt Ritchie was sold and he was given no money for new players.

Now Swindon’s potential new owners are poised to change manager if they are given Football League blessing to take control in the next 48 hours.

Buyer Jed McCrory is keen to land Brian Stein and Mike Newell as the new management team after the pair worked together at Luton.

Stein is pals with former Banbury United supremo McCrory. Newell has been out of the game since a spell at Hartlepool but is keen to return.

Di Canio’s exit would be unpopular with Swindon fans but the former Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham star's reign has been a strain on the Town coffers, with his own wages a major factor in the imminent change.

So a football correspondent thinks you sack a manager and it doesn't cost a penny.

Jesus wept

Can't afford his wages but can afford to sack him and pay him off? Ridiculous article.

And Brian Fucking Stein! Who I doubt has managed a good dinner let alone a league team. Utter utter bollocks. At least no one will read it.

They even put it on the back page. What a load of old gash

Brian Stein is part of the consortium that put McCrory in at Banbury. And one of their first acts was to get rid of the then Banbury manager and replace him with Edwin Stein, Brian and Mark's brother. All of which may just mean of course that the journo's looked into that past, decided it constitutes a precedent and put 2+2 to make 5.

Equally, we know Di Canio's not cheap, either the man himself or his methods. It's a big part of why our current board fell out and why Black now wants out.

So I think I'm getting there, Rufus Brevett, Stein, Banbury utd, this is a yellow conspiracy to get us from the inside isn't it?

It's more likely red-top horseshit to be honest. I'm sure we'll know soon enough

Unfortunately I think There is substance to this story.

Who is Brian Stein?

If we get Brian Stein in place of Di Canio, I think our fans' reactions will make a Di Canio post-match interview look tame (and coherent) by comparison

[url width=300 height=300]http://www.drinkstuff.com/productimg/44658.jpg[/url]
He's got a good head

I think it rings true,would explain a lot wouldn't it?

fuck me our fan base is going to nuclear if this happens

I could easily imagine a full scale riot, the likes of which we have not seen in a long, long time!

I'm sure everyone would be prepared to give Mr Stein a fair chance to prove himself

I love a good riot,time to cut some eye holes in the orange hat and turn it into an orange balaclava

BBC also jumping on the bandwagon... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21347264

oh man, if this is true there will be bloodshed, what a fucking daft thing to do.

Why?

If that were to happen, I'm not sure I'd make it to another game in the near future... I was falling out of love with the Town after the Wilson/Malpas eras, but have been drawn back in by the ambition, passion, and success of the last few years. Not sure i could take being happy to achieve mid-table obscurity with a bunch of conservative nobodies. I'm too poor and busy to waste my time going through the motions every Saturday.

Or, it's all a load of nonsense!

I can't be the only one who has had the thought that Paolo may be being forced out? I mentioned footballers taking over in another thread at the weekend and I'm sticking by that.

Firstly, Di Canio has come out saying he does not receive a very large wage from the club, so the premise of the article is wrong. Secondly, it would not make sense to do this for money-saving reasons far beyond the fact he doesn't earn much and they'd have to pay him off, since there would be no way i'd renew my season ticket if that occurred while they were in charge and neither would a lot of our other fans i'd imagine.

Depends what PDC thinks is large and what is large for a League 1 club

We really need Paolo Di Canio because he is typical of a genuine Swindon supporting "fuck wit" supporter like myself !!!

Pride and Passion..

Suggest that we are generally good people who stand up for what we believe in and wish for the "dream" to happen

Yes, like in 1969 and the wonderful years of Macari, Hoddle and Ossie.

We have been dealt with some of the most cruel unfair situations and decisions that would kill off most clubs and supporters.

However, this has rallied a desire, determination and devotion for a club that will never die   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTMYzgrXA7M

Fuck, I hope he stays...

 :-[

Brian Stein and/or Mike Newell can cunting fuck off along with anyone else who thinks swapping them for Di Canio is anything more so than a major fucking disaster...

So they want to sack him to save costs?, an action which would mean they have to pay up his contract AND pay the new manager. Would that not be a tad self defeating?

I'm surprised they managed to spell his name right. Give the 'article' no credence whatsoever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0

Take a look at the section of Grimsby's Wiki page that deals with the period during which Newell and Stein were the management team.  It's called 'Demise and Further Relegation' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimsby_Town#Demise_and_further_relegation_.282008.E2.80.932010.29), and tells you everything you need to know about the calibre of this pair.

You don't know what to believe at the moment, but if there is any truth in these rumours, there will be blood up the walls.  I can see thousands rapidly losing interest if this is the path we're about to take.  Let's keep our fingers crossed that all this is paper talk with no substance.

Sell our best player and sack our manager? All speculation but if it happened there better be a fucking riot...

@SamMorshead_SA: Just got off a half hour phone call which gave me no reason to believe an ounce of that Mirror story. #stfc

Does not sound like there is much to this story about paolo being too expensive.

Jed has been tweeting saying it is complete fiction and FL approval is close interestingly all his tweets from late last night have just been deleted in the last 10 minutes

Too fucking right it would. It would bring in fighting, falling attendances and a return of apathy towards the club. And as mentioned, they'd need to pay PDC off. In short it would be stupid.

There is always a nag though as to why we sold Ritchie behind his back and why nobody has seemingly been in touch with PDC.

Stein, fuck off!

Let's just focus on this post here shall we? Rather than the post above it.

Think positive thoughts 8)

Piers morgan impaled on a spike
Piers Morgan impaled on a spike...

yup, thank's OST its working

And what did he write last night?

The only way this would be logical is if the new manager is on a hell of a lot less then PDC.

Although I don't support the supposed 'appointment' of Newell, he did well at Luton, but didn't he leave them in a shit situation as well?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/paolo-di-canio-faces-the-sack-1588457

The story itself is most likely drivel, but it's highly likely Di Canio will have his wings clipped at least - if his methods were not affordable/sustainable for the deep pockets of Andrew Black, they're likely to prove a bit rich for the new guys too. And he may not react well to that. So whether they intend to sack him or not, he may walk the plank himself before too long

He said the when asked about mirror article "fiction"

"The last 20 days have been very frustrating"

"FL approval very close"

When asked about PDC and keeping him was important he just replied "agree"

I was trying to cut and paste it I refreshed and the tweets all disappeared

In fairness though Paul, I fully expected him to walk within a week of Patey arriving so who knows?

There was a few tweets from McCrory last night. Not much in the them in that he agreed with a tweet that the clubs fans were the most important part of any club, that the ratification or a conclusion to the take over deal was very close and that he had listened to the game on he iPhone using live commentary. That's was about it. Maybe he had had a few jars and thought better about interacting with the fans before the deal was ratified.

If this is true, then I will go down to the club and kick the living shit out the new 'owners' until they fuck off. 

It's not

I am in Evesham later shall a go around to Jeds with a big wooden stick?*



*attention any old bill this is clearly a joke ( I will use a metal rod  :) )

Yeah that will help STFC no end.

I'm sure you will

Other Div 1 managers would find that hilarious ! You also have to throw in his dugout team and agent / mate Phil Spencer - have you seen what the club has paid in agent fees since PDC arrived ?

It seems to me that the press  are after Swindon as they have in the past
Remember it is international week and most of the reporters invent, expand on whispers as they have nothing else to write about
•   PDC is always going to be a headline think back the press were waiting for him to be out of the door over the Clarke issue.
•   The Rotherham game after a couple of defeats  last season when it was live on TV Headlines  will PDC still be in charge (another International weekend)
•   When we won the league last year headlines will PDC be in charge next season
•   Every recent vacancy PDC is linked in some way
•   PDC in my view is building up a siege mentality with the players and more importantly with the supporters not against the new owners against everyone not associated with the club does this remind people of the past a little with Lou in Charge? 
Swindon is always going to be headlines with PDC in charge and long may it continue, I can smell promotion in the air

True dat. FWIW, I think he's got enough savvy to know (or Phil Spencer does) that if he can stick it out till the end of this season and guide us to a reasonably placed finish (let's face it, the past couple of weeks have given him all the excuses in the world for missing out on promotion/play-offs although his pride will still want to achieve that) then he can get a decent Championship job in the summer to take him the next level up. It's a question of whether he can hang on that long I suspect

"Robins are third in League One but Italian's big salary is a strain on resources and potential new club chief wants is poised to make a change"

the grammar in that sentence is appalling

This article is awful,  Newell left Hartlepool in 2003 since then he has managed Luton and Grimsby!!

How embarrassing.

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/swindontown/news/10209194.McCrory_rubbishes_Di_Canio_sack_plan_report/?ref=twt&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Go on Jed, what a guy  :clap:

Why?

So Brian Stein is somehow involved then....  :sherlock:

Good, nice one Jed.

Hold on, what about Stein...:)

edit: doh, beaten to it....

If you don't know it makes it even worse, you may want to edit your posts. (Oh and there is a little thing called the law that prevents people making threats of violence to others, even if they are only the nonsense of teenage boy's fantasies)

I wouldn't rule out Rickie Hill, who is currently managing Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Surely the daily mirror has a sports editor, combined with a certain moral obligation or code to ensure that everything goes out has at least some semblance of truth and some half legitimate sources?

How can these people get away with writing this shit? They are just making themselves look stupid.

Why do you think that Reg?

As an good Irish man like Jed is, I know he would of laughed off my post and taken it as it was meant, now don't be such a politically correct muppet and man up.

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

I'd wager there's more fabrication than fact in your average paper, but it's what sells and entertains.

You're not that naive surely...?

You have to be told?

judging by your and flashes responses, I obviously am.
What I was getting at though was is there no accountability here?

Wouldnt surprise me if the new owners have been giving some thought to a possible replacement if only to have a plan in place in case Di Canio walks.

Would be brainless in the extreme to sack him now though as it would cost the club massively both on and off the pitch.

Much better to wait until the summer at least. If we go up, the extra income from the Championship will cover the current wage budget. If we dont go up its unlikely Paolo will want to stay in League One.

Long term I suspect we will be looking at a much cheaper option than Paolo unless the new owners have very deep pockets.

As an good Irish man like Jed is, I know he would of laughed off my post and taken it as it was meant, now don't be such a politically correct muppet and man up.


Yes, spell it out for me, because I think you should be embarrassed for being a nimby type jobsworth.

Although PdC costs in terms of his dealings, it's worth remembering that he was looking at Newport County before us as a way of gettting into management...so his actual wages are probably reasonable.

Relative to player wages though is Di Canio that expensive? I think a cheaper manager, based on past results, is a false economy. I'd prefer a smaller/less experienced squad and keep PDC if that option is there.

Y o u 'r e  a t w a t

You have run out of logical argument and have EMBARRASSED yourself.

 :-[ sorry about that, I missed the logical argument bit about kicking the fuck out of the new owners.

 :D

Is David Pleat still alive?

How does the Swindon Hatters sound?

All Looton fans, think of Rickie as some sort of deity...Rickie as boss and Pleat as DoF a dream ticket. The proximity of the CG to Manchester Road could be selling point for Pleat.

 :D I'm ok now - found the ignore button just in time!!

As an good Irish man like Jed is, I know he would of laughed off my post and taken it as it was meant, now don't be such a politically correct muppet and man up.

Some have a joke, others go mental about legal action...

As an good Irish man like Jed is, I know he would of laughed off my post and taken it as it was meant, now don't be such a politically correct muppet and man up.

Some have a joke, others go mental and press buttons on the internet...

Ricky Hill has already had a go at luton and it went badly for him. I remember us winning there when he managed them.

Top memory Arriba, I had totally forgotten that.

How far are you going back arriba? I remember watching us play them in the early 80s at their place. Could of been in the cup, I know we won. Dave Moss was back with them then. He ended up as the chief scout of the Liverpool academy but not sure about now though.

Glossing over the majority of this, please explain what a nimby jobsworth is? I assume that you do know what nimbly means?

You have twisted my words a wee bit there , I called someone a "nimby type jobsworth" not a "nimby jobsworth" as you have just stated, please check your facts before seeking clarification.
 
I called someone a nimby type jobsworth, meaning they are the type of person who is similar in nature to a nimby and a jobsworth, do you need me to explain what a nimby and jobsworth are?

Hope this clears it up for you.  

The more pertinent question, are you really a TV?

Following on from John's question, post op or pre op?

Careful now, she'll kick fuck out of you in her heels.

Television or transvestite?

Funny how when I had a laugh about fighting someone you jumped all over the post taking the morale high ground, but you have just posted about violence against people in your own post, what a hypocrite!! embarrassed yourself again!!

good point!!

Is your name holly. Are you from Miami fla? Have you ever hitch hiked your way across the usa.

Is your name l l Lola (L ó l a  Lola)?

If you can answer yes to the above there is a chance you are a transvestite.

I think the point is you can't really come on a public forum and threaten to kick fuck out of the new owners. The defence of "I was just kidding your honour" tends no to sit well with a magistrate.

Pre or Post Op?

[url width=350 height=270]http://i.imgur.com/SXPuE.gif[/url]

Do you have like a seperate harddrive filled with gif's for every occasion?  :D

[url width=500 height=225]http://i.imgur.com/QWHugLG.gif[/url]

Sorry but I don't kiss and tell.

Moving on, according to this pub twitter feed Paolo was in for lunch today, location....Nottingham

https://twitter.com/rtones/status/299185114091515904/photo/1

Deemed fake hours ago.

Pleased to hear it. Who deemed this as fake?

Me.

...and Twitter when I did a quick search.

http://www.footballtradedirectory.com/news/2013/february/swindon-new-owner-breaks-non-disclosure.html?

 :suicide:

PAOLO it's fucking PAOLO !!!!!!!

What a pleasure to read such a professionally prepared article. Its carefully crafted misreporting and attention to lack of accuracy make it worthy of some sort of industry award. Brilliantly non-factual, almost to the point of complete hogwash, coupled with the subtle use of grammatical error and redundant proof reading to preserve the art of misspelling, this text deserves to be printed on every toilet roll in the land.

Or, to put it another way,  :suicide:

 ;)

Swindon Town FC ‏@Official_STFC

Town manager Paolo Di Canio will not be holding his pre-match press conference today due to prior commitments #STFC


A Still sulking
B Having an interview at another club
C Meeting the new consortium
D At the dentist

 Sam Morshead ‏@SamMorshead_SA

I understand Di Canio is meeting with consortium set to take over at #stfc this afternoon, hence why he is not available to do press duties.

Yay it's C!

This is it then...could very easily be Bodin in charge come Saturday.

Great...unless they don't promise him the money he wants!  :(

Must keep thinking positive thoughts...... :headhurts:

One possible outcome.

At least it's coming to a head now.  We'll know, one way or another, whether they will be able to work together by this evening.

[url width=260 height=173]http://i.imgur.com/fAKFt7K.gif[/url]

The sooner this is sorted the better, for both sides and the fans. At least it'll give us an idea of which path the new owners are going down. Hopfully not the garden path.

Indeed the denouement beckons....to quote Churchill...This isn't the end. This isn't even the beginning of the end. However, this is the end of the beginning....or something.

[url width=300 height=232]http://awesomegifs.com/wp-content/uploads/dead-horse.gif[/url]

if they tell Paolo that BWP, Danny Green and Marlon Pack deals will all go through then reckon he will stay for time being to at least try and add another promotion to his cv :hmmm:

I had to google that.

Is sounds like a word that is supposed to be something else but has been said while very drunk.

If Paolo is meeting with the new owners today does that suggest the FL have OK'd the takeover?

I think we can fairly safely assume that yes.

How's your glass looking this morning Reg?

[url width=400 height=364]http://wordbreath.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/mfln1740l.png[/url]

Why is meeting the new owners a negative? He has to meet them at some point and I suspect it's setting his mind at rest and clarifying their position and ideas.

I think it's a good thing. I'm pleased. \:)/

Concurred.

Agree. He'd have gone already if he wasn't interested in what they have to say.

He can't take the forest job without resigning first :P

It's good that it's finally happening, he'll either like what they have to say and stay or not like what they have to say and go.

I think it'll be the former.  :)

[url width=900 height=675]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/Reg__Smeeton/DSCF0026_zps9a4c8ca1.jpg[/url]

Completely empty then. That explains a lot :)

What a horrible badge that was!

FWIW, irrespective of the outcome of today's meeting (unless it goes completely Reg, of course) we still won't really know what we're getting with the new lot until the summer really, probably September. That's assuming they tread a sensible middle line and don't go completely apeshit (in either direction) from day 1 :)

But the fact that something's moving has to be a positive, at least it's a step down the road to finding out if nothing else!

At this stage I'd take a get to summer and see. It may be spending gets cut then, but to not give it a go this season having got this far may be blowing the last shot at championship football for quite some time...

Yes...completely agree.

Yep...I've either drunk the contents, or poured them down the drain...let's hope the prospective owners aren't about to do the latter.

With you on that Batch. Fingers crossed, eh?

:D

I liked it in a minimalist / eastern block commie sort of way ! (although not as much as the traditional one)

Hope this gets sorted today and is good news!

That's just how I see it Batch, Im relieved that the FL have presumably sanctioned the takeover and we managed to avoid administration, Would be a huge blow now if Paolo did leave for whatever reason as i really believe we have a realistic chance of promotion this season but I'd be much less confident without Paolo leading us.

What makes you presume that out of interest?

I thought Paolo talking to the new owners indicates that we have new owners because the FL have OK'd the take over?

Billy Davis->Forest  looks likely now.

And Mark Robins to 'Udders could be on the cards, stopping a promotion rival AND the only other club that may have a chance to tempt Paolo away (currently) in one move.

It could go either way, I suppose a lot could do with who has called the meeting. Apparently we should know before the Hartlepool game. It would be great if the three new loanings were unveiled at the start and maybe an appearance from the new owners. Hopefully an exciting new chapter.

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If the worst happens, Jamie Carragher has announced his retirement.

Could do worse (i.e. Stein/Newell combo)

When did that happen? Don't want to piss on your chips or owt, I hope it has been OK'd. Just not seeing anything to indicate it as yet.

he is even less coherent than Paolo

And he's thicker than your average prize winning pedigree.

Morshead confirmed PDC is meeting with the new board today. Hence him not giving a pre-match interview.

Careful, Sam's actually logged in here right now :-)

Anyone listen to Sam on Talksport earlier?

I imagine he put them straight on a few facts

I did. There wasn't anything he said that he hasn't already tweeted. I like him though - seems a good chap.

Richard Keys is a cock though.

Considering they were going to bring in 3 loan players (and Pack on a permanent deal in the summer) it seems they have an immiediate plan to get promoted. What the plan is from there and whether it is alighned to the manager's is anyone's guess.

But I can't see Paolo leaving now. Maybe at the end of the season, at worst the new owners can string him along until then.

Even if he quit, I don't think he would go straight into the kind of jobs he gets linked with-ie huddersfield and Forest

He always states he can manage at PL level so why would he go anywhere else. I don't think he is driven by money.

Well he isn't going to Forest anyway. Unless Billy Davies lasts even less long than McCleish!

Afraid they didn't give me the time to iron out all the nationals' various mistakes over the course of the past fortnight. Shame, felt I didn't really get the chance to do it justice.

In all fairness it’s not in TalkSport’s nature to interested in actual facts so you probably had a tough job on your hands

Ah, thanks. That has to be encouraging news really doesn't it?

Sam did the adver ever print the article about the Swindon fans who live abroad?

Afraid not. There hasn't really been a quiet week for it to slot in! I'll be back in touch in the summer to do a revamped version I'm sure.

Sam, where's our free pints you promised when you joined the TEF?

I'm sure we can sort something for the end of the season.

Are you related to the horse racing Morsheads?

The ex-jockey/Perth course manager Sam is a second or third cousin, I forget which.

What time are the consortium and Paolo meeting today?

Are you sick of all the questions that you get on Twitter Sam?

EDITED.

Sam, did you ever answer the cheese question?

Comte/Emmenthal

Disappointing choice.

I would have had you down as a Philadelphia man, meself

Cheese has never been my strong point.

Why is there no greyhound correspondent on the Adver?

Some people aren't :)

Fingers crossed you will have some good news for us later after the meeting.

So is it all going to get 'done and dusted' today then Sam??



I'm referring to the takeover in case you were wondering :hmmm:

Dogs struggle to use laptops effectively.

You even had the default, fail-safe option of English cheddar yet even that was beyond you.

It's a lost cause.

True - but can you lick yer own bollocks?

This answer made me chuckle.

haha! Me too!

Not sure. I don't want to say it's definitely going to be at any time because it's really not down to me. Best I can offer is that it all seems to be going pretty well and could well be within next 30 or so hours. Fingers crossed. Sorry to be so vague.

Did anyone call him a YKW yet?

30 hours?! I was hoping it'd be sorted in 2 or 3!

Ditto

So you're saying it will absolutely definitely be done today then? WHOOOOHOOOO!!!!! :pint: :pint: :pint:

I think he confused hours with minutes.

Surely we'll get some sort of statement today if there is a big meeting between manager and consortium?

I hope so. 30 hours does seem like a randomly precise amount.

I love the comments by Hughes the Hartlepool manager about Paolo especially the last line

"He's an infectious, passionate character who wears his heart on his sleeve - everything he does is for the team," he said.
"At Celtic he loved the place. That's him, its not an act, he's just an honest guy.
"He could start a fight in an empty house but he's clever enough to know how to use that."

By end of play tomorrow I guess he means.

i will be spending this weekend in a cabin where i presume i won't have any internet or phone signal. if the deal hasn't been sorted out by then, can we all delay it until monday please?

There won't be a statement until around 5pm tomorrow afternoon.

Great time for burying bad news that.

Friday statement time

Yep. Looks like it'll all kick off tomorrow.

Here's hoping for 3 new signings, 1 new bunch of owners, and 1 happy manager.

1 out of 3 I reckon

That's the spirit.

Oh how happy I'd be if we get a war cry from PDC tomorrow, with the promise of the 3 players and a 10k crowd on Saturday.

Actually, this would make a lot of sense.  Billy didn't even make it off the bench at Torquay mid-week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcYppAs6ZdI

Having given this some thought over the last few days, in my opinion it's highly unlikely PDC would quit before the end of the season, even if he finds the new board impossible to work with there are just too many reasons for him to stay:

1) We are realistically in with a shout of automatic promotion. 2 subsequent promotions in your first 2 seasons as a manager is a hell of a way to establish yourself.

2) He's all about seeing the plan through to completion, I think he'd find it hard from a personal perspective to step away before he'd had a shot at getting us to the Championship.

3) The free rein he has had, up to this point at least, means he has been able to build almost a whole squad around him. That will be very hard to emulate at any speed at another club.

4) He is still under contract, although he could argue that the board have recently broken the terms of said contract and get out of it without penalty, that is likely to be a long drawn out legal battle, which can't be particularly appealing.

5) Loyalty. To the club, to the players and to the fans. It's the reason he stayed at West Ham so long and should not be underestimated.

7) If there are problems between him and the new board then if he shows he has the ability to work through it and still manage the team effectively then it's just another string to his management bow.

What PDC is very good at is creating an atmosphere amongst the players that means they step up their game when under pressure, that 'siege mentality' that people talk about. All this uncertainty is doing just that and is, I think, being used as another way of getting the team to think and play as more of a unit in a critical part of the season.
It's doing exactly the same to us as fans - the outstanding away support lately and the high number of tickets sold for a game against the bottom team in the division (even when you account for the reduced price) just go to show that in times of uncertainty we're some of the best at pulling together and getting behind our team.

So, I say embrace the uncertainty, we're definitely used to it in the rollercoaster that is being a Town fan. Lets make the most of the opportunity to remember what has been so great about the last year and a half and why we don't want it to end yet, lets all pull together to get behind the club at such an important point in the season, and look forward to the summer when we go up as fucking champions.

COYR

Evidently it was quite a turbulent meeting this afternoon.

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Due dilligence may take some time.

 :eek:

Hey! I made that smiley, I'd honestly forgotten about it.

I take it there hasn't been a statement yet? Not that I necessarily miss the days of Friday statements, but I sort of do. Is it going that way?

No statement yet. Sam Morshead reckoned we might know something by end of play tomorrow, good old statement Fridays

Found him!

Amongst all the uncertainty, has anybody asked our new potential overlords what their favorite cheese is?

They signed a NCDA.

Jed would probably write either

Chedur
Red Lester (probably named after that jockey fella)
Carefully - you know, that Welsh stuff
Luton Blue - got to be some of that, surely

Stinkin bizhop iz the cheeze of choice for ze Banbury massive.

and don't forget darley duncaz

I had a quick look on Twitter last night and saw Andrew Black and Jed's Twitter pictures.

Andrew Black's is of him sitting calmly at the breakfast table drinking his tea whilst enjoying a bowl of cheerios.

Jed's appears to be him looking like he is off his head in his pink shirt having consumed one too many sherberts. (correct me if I have the wrong fella)

Not that I should let appearances get in the way of a good story, but is he really the fella fronting the consortium?

I still don't get the misspelling of his own name, such that I view anything said on that account with suspicion.

I believe that is him. The bloke with him is Ray Clemence (either that or it's his twin brother)

THATS who that is!! I was racking my brain last night and just couldn't place him!

It was that and his twitter profile (Banbury massive, rooaaarr! etc) that prompted some of my comments at the weekend.  Judging a book by its cover?  Probably.  But there's not a lot else to judge at the moment.  First impression is he's a lad who likes his football and likes a drink...but not someone you'd have running your club.

Exactly. It's a far cry from the quiet professionalism of the board for the past 4 years. Beggars can't be choosers though.

If he's going out smashing places up, getting into fights and turning up to work pissed and/or hungover everyday then I'd be concerned.

Asides from that it is really, really, really scraping the barrel to suggest he is unfit because a photo shows him having a good time. If that is the worst that people can find to criticise him for, I for one am heartened.

There have been rumours that Paolo knows some of the consortium or that ex footballers are involved ... Are the delays as Gazza is involved?

I have heard that most of those involved are at minimum proper football fans, thats all I know.

i don't trust anyone who drinks. as such, i don't trust any of you lot

To be fair, just because he's the only name made public from the consortium doesn't necessarily mean he'll be becoming chairman or running the club.

Wouldn't be surprised if he has just been the guy who has got the group together and it will be persons as yet unnamed who end up in the boardroom.

I never said I was concerned, just clarifying that this was indeed the fella. I did state that it is probably wrong to judge a book by its cover. At least he appears to be a football man (albeit Luton Town). If we could tragmonify Andrew Black and Jed, perhaps we'd be onto a winner!

West ham having a difficult time with most of their fans anti allardyce. He will be out of contract at the end of the season. Mmmm

I read the article linking Paolo with the job. Can't see it happening in a million years. Fans might want it but the owners wouldn't touch him with a barge pole unless they were desperate.

which article is this?

I saw it in this article I assume its the same one Jonny was talking about.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/west-ham-are-stalling-on-offering-boss-1646656

That's the one. Don't think it's any more that wild speculation from the press.

This :sherlock:

They were talking about west ham and allardyce on five live earlier. Think di canio could go there and fan pressure could force the boards hands. Not saying it will happen but think it's very possible.

If we keep pdc until the end of the season then he goes to wet spam then fair enough really.

His success won't go unnoticed forever, some bigger club will risk it sooner or later

If he's still with us this time next year in the Championship and we are doing reasonably well, other clubs will be allover him like flies on shit.

At it stands though he's still too much of a risk and can't see anybody coming in for him,

From a brief perusal on the West Ham fans board, the % of West Ham fans in favour of PDC isnt as high as most think.  Most seem to think he is a cheque book manager and a lot favour a move for Martinez if Sam Allerdyce is moved on.

I have read the KUMB forum myself and as you say its split pretty evenly between for and against Paolo .
 I dont know if anyone watched sunday supplement on ss1 this morning but paul smith ( total bellend from the sunday mirror ) said paolo has been interviewed for the job at wham previously but was told to come back when he had more experience , dont know if this is common knowledge and i missed it  or he is just talking shit as usual .

edit: have just read back and seen article relating to this story from paul smith , im still not sure i remember Pdc ever being interviewed for wham job tho .As records go for paul smith stories i wouldnt be too concerned apart from the fact even broken clocks are right 2 times a day.

I think he expressed an interest.  But one of the Dave's said he needed experience somewhere beforehand.  I dont know if he was actually interviewed.

I know a few west ham fans, and meet others in occasion through work. Every single one of them said they wanted di canio. I'm sure there are plenty not keen on him but I'd say they are in the minority, and if their results don't pick up will shrink in numbers further. Don't underestimate how much they love him.

Oh they love him alright. I've seen evidence of it too. Loving him and wanting him as manager is different though. Also the major factor that will work in our favour is that fans don't appoint managers, directors do. Can't see Gold and Sullivan being all over Paolo slating them in every other press conference when they refuse to stump up some dosh.

i would agree arriba  , the majority of west ham fans love him , u only have to listen to the di canio chants at the games to realise this.  But alot of this is also down to the dislike of big sam and the style he plays . Judging by the comments on their forum , the main arguments about PDC are: FOR : loves the club , west ham legend blah blah blah , doing great at shitty club , imagine what he would do at massive club like west ham . Against: Left west ham in the shit , no loyalty , only doing well at shitty club because he's got money to spend  and obviously he's a fascist .

I do personally believe he will go there eventually but not in the near future , he still has a long way to go to convince the owners just because of his unpredictability  IMO

edit: didnt read your comment  before i posted paolo69,  but i agree with you

Mostly appears the usual tabloid mixture of rumour, conjecture and complete and utter bullshit.

West Ham are reported to be somewhere between £80 - £110million in debt. To be able to service that above all else they simply need to stay in the Premier League. You can say many things about Sullivan and Gold but they aren't fucking stupid. Why on earth would they show big Sam the door - who ok isn't ever going to be popular with a lot of the fanbase, but as good as guarantees you a mid table finish - in favour of appointing a man with 18 months managerial experience in the lower leagues with a potential for chaos and implosion equal to a potential for greatness.

Might change of course if this time next year we're in the top 10 in the Championship and West Ham are in the bottom 3, but for now, not going to happen.

Lets face it, at some point he will go there - its a perfect match. But the timing has to be right and I am not sure that now with the people that are currently in charge it will be perfect match.

Well Thats It.
Paolo is off then.....

Just seen on Sky News the Pope is about to resign.

Will Hill have made Paolo 4/5 FAV to succeed as next Pope........

The Miracles he has already performed at STFC make him number 1 candidate !!!!

I don't trust anyone who says he doesn't drink and then goes out and gets 'tipsy' on two pints of Guinness.

Or that 'taking up drinking' is a slow process. Balls to that. Anyone who ever took up drinking did so by drinking too much and probably puking up their stomach lining, either the same day or the following morning.

I don't feel (not think or know) he will not go anywhere until the end of the season at the earliest. I try to think in terms of what would i do in his shoes?

Look at it like this.

a) I'm a rookie manager, I stay till the end of the season and get two promotions in my first two seasons on my cv and I take all the glory. If the right job comes along I can go with my head held up high.

b) I stay till the end of this season and we don't get promoted. I can leave blaming the take over on not being able to complete the job because my contract was compromised. I have one promotion and a top 6 finish on my cv. I can go if the rigt job comes along.

Either a or b and he can stay another season and see what happens as his contract is still in place under the assurances he got in the beginning, so if it all goes tits up and the new owners are as poor a church mouses then he can bugger of at anytime.

It is a win, win for him. I hope he stays and takes us in ot he premier league and europe with a new stadium.

And they all lived happily ever after. 

Well Paolo's not doing the pre-match presser this PM so read into this what you want...

I remain unconvinced that he would last very long at a bigger club where lets be honest the pressure would probably be 50x what it is here, we've seen the way that he reats if he doesnt get his own way or he gets his toys taken off him, that combined with the extra media pressure and possibly a club/chairman who doesnt bend to his every whim doesnt bode well. loo at managers in the upper leagues and the only ones who seem to have overall control are those who have been at clubs a very long time, its all very well us giving him £1m a year to piddle up the wall, in the premier thats £20m per annum, can you see a chairman risking that on an unproven manager.

Love him to bits and he has done wonders here but its a heck of a different world up top.

Maybe there is another press conference planned...takeover ratified?  :hmmm: I don't think Di Canio will go in the short term (i.e before the end of the season) but I've been proved wrong before!

Has anyone spotted Mike Newell tucking into a happy meal at the magic roundabout Burger King?

Well, if I see him it wont be a happy meal

PDC usually does his press conf's even if he refuses to discuss off field matters, this is not a good sign of everyone being happy, and with Morshead even refusing the alude to the unofficial reason for his no show.

Have to wait until tomorrow morning and see if anyone see;s the coach leaving and who's aboard

Maybe PDC is doing a bit of extra fitness training so he can add himself to the bench ofr tomorrow as we only have 2 subs available

fucking hell, logic and reason have clearly taken a holiday from the forum today

Get your franchises right!

Today? This train departed months ago.

And immediately derailed ...

Only if he's now working for the Foods Standards Agency.

Ha ha, quality! :D

Oh dear.

It is a train to nowhere.

What can the matter be?

That's why he didn't make the press conference, he's locked in the lavatory

He's been there since Thursday afternoon apparently

He's resigned according to Morshead on Twitter

He's gone.

Sam Morshead ‏@SamMorshead_SA

Paolo Di Canio has resigned as manager of Swindon Town #stfc

Great :/

what great timing just as we can go top, really dont blame PDC I am amazed he lasted as long as he did under the circumstances he has been working under

Sell Ritchie with mutual approval,
Don't contact him before deadline of sale to explain.

Its almost like they didn't want him to stay.....And I really don't give a fuck if that comments upsets the happy clappers.

So you're going to blame the new lot for the actions of the old lot?

That makes a lot of sense mate!

My initial thoughts tbh...PDC resigning saves money if they had sacked him instead... Not covering themselves so far with glory on the communication front it has to be said, if nothing else.

So maybe it's a conspiracy then between the new lot and the FL to not get the takeover ratified in time?

No-one said that...but their actions so far have hardly shown much enthusiasm to keep him here either.

What are they expected to do?

How would you have had them force the FL to ratify the takeover in time?

You mean blame them for the mutually agreed sale of Ritchie without even telling him and, assuming Paolo isn't lying



Yes, yes I fucking do blame them as much as Black.

And blame them for agreeing when they met Phil Spencer not to sell Ritchie and then to go and agree to sell him

The new board are as culpable as Black if not more so, it does seem their lines of communication have been practically non existent

Er...talk to him...?


So who told him if the new owners couldn't be bothered to...? Assuming, as Batch says, Paolo is telling the truth.

Get a fucking grip

We don't even know who the new lot yet are and they are being blamed. This is not rational.

Over, and out.

What do you expect?....come in and sell our best player for peanuts.....the manager has gone...probably and seemingly with there blessing and we havn't a fucking clue what is going on!

Dont ask me to be rational......you be rational if you want.

Come on BR, thats the beauty of the TEF

We live in hope

I still think he was forced out, theres no way Paolo will let this pass without having his say but we may have to wait a few more days to hear from him.

We know who the figurehead is. He has a telephone. You want to keep our best asset you can dial his number and try your best.

To be fair FH now isn't the time to be rational is it. Now's the time for over reaction, and emotional outbursts. Give it a day or two and if people are still talking shit then, have a go, but tonight should be about saying what you want really.

Jed is on the tweet offensive as I type.

can you keep us informed of whats being tweeted please ?

Fuck me that last one must have come from a thisis poster

This Jed bloke looks like the kind of middle aged prick that goes to The Spot on the pull. His twitter page is unprofessional and with every passing day I lose a little bit of faith in his ability to do such a job. Stick that in your Luton and Banbury massive pipe and smoke it.

Nice to see the complete blanket NDA doesn't cover Twitter but does allegedly cover your own potential team manager.

One does get the impression that he's enjoying this.

Yep.  Nobody is coming out of this whole sorry saga with any credibility whatsoever at present.

Hopefully the players will this time tomorrow.

Very good!   ;D

His comment that he would be having a word with PDC as soon as possible when the deal is done implies that he has not been in contact so far.  Why?!  What kind of fucking 'front man' are you?

The FL were asking for more information off the new lot last week so the new proposed board would of had every opportunity to keep the deal on schedule or slow things up ?

I wish I was going to show support to them.  On the other hand, we're more likely to win without me in attendance  :)

His twitter page is embarrassing and he comes across as a complete bellend. Out of his depth.

I'll be interested to see what the club says, despite the fact that no-one appears to be steering the ship at the moment. Patey is still chairman, Nick Watkins is still CEO so some form of comment would be nice.

They will.  They're a class bunch, and tomorrow with no owners and no manager, we'll be top of the league.

This is what it's all about now - tomorrow night - nothing else matters right now. This is where the likes of FP (assuming he's going to be in charge) and the senior pros like McCormack and Ward have really got to step up to the plate and bring everyone together. We are still in one hell of a good position and we've got the players who can get us up. Let's fucking do it.

Get a grip, stop being irrational  :)

Oh yeah, sorry, I'm too busy not comprehending things.

I'm hoping di canio the swindon fan comes along tomorrow night to watch. If he really is mr 100% I doubt he can just switch off.

Really?  I don't think that would be his smartest move.

It would be the type of thing he would do especially the publicity he would get

I know what you mean, but I think it would be disrespectful to the players.