Thetownend.com

The man deserves his own thread.

Due to be announced at 8pm according to BBC Wilts. Thoughts? Personally, I'm very pleased with the appointment.

Yep didnt know who he was, but reading around happy for some calm after the storm.

Lets hope he gets us performing and getting to the top again!

I want to see him stood on the pitch with a scarf held aloft his head.

Until then, I refuse to believe it.

[url width=322 height=235]http://i.imgur.com/3dQej1W.gif[/url]

Good contacts in the Prem I'd imagine. I'd be happy with Liverpool and Villa cast-offs and young guns!

'Welcome' Kevin MacDonald! Good, solid appointment...ticks the boxes it seems! Well Done to Jed & Co! Lets continue this promotion quest!

Welcome Kev! A good solid appointment of an ambitious manager,now wanting to make his way in the game.

I'm sure that James Collins will be pleased,as MacDonald was his youth and reserve manager at Villa.

Well done Jed!

I want to know what Graham Turner has to say about him first.

Happy with this, hopefully have a training session tomorrow before the presser to get prepared for Saturday

Welcome to Swindon Kevin.

Delighted by the generally positive vibes coming from fans regarding the appointment.

With his superb record in youth development it is a sign of where this club's future will lie. Will be interesting to see how quickly he moves into the loan market or how much research he has done into our team already.

A lot of negativity has been around regarding McCrory and his clan, but this appointment seems to have a large backing which is a huge positive.

I hope he isnt judged on the last 14 games of this season alone and is given time to build something.

COME ON YOU REDS

At the ground for a quiz night, MacDonald unofficially confirmed.

:clap:

Good appointment

As an added note; be nice to stick a few past Coventry and win with new manager syndrome that seems to have been done to us this season by a few teams!

I look forward to seeing who he brings in with him to complete his backroom staff.

Some loan players to boost the squad ASAP please Kev!

Well said fcb. And BruceChatwin on the New Manager thread. Both of you summed it up very well for me

Yeah agreed by this being a good appointment by the looks of it.

Seems that the new board are a lot more football savvy than the majority of posters on here gave them credit for. A surprisingly positive appointment, fancy us for an automatic top 2 place now.  

And to start taking advantage of the other teams close to us dropping points!!

Pleasantly surprised.

I'm pleased that Jed & Co didn't go for a name just to try and make the fans happy.

We have no idea if MacDonald will be good, but at least he has the right credentials to be a good manager.

Best of Luck Kevin.


PS  Don't wear a Red Coat ;)

So what Villa players can we get in on loan then?

Remember villa lads that have come through saying big things about him and thanking him for their progress. That will do for me. Sure he won't take any shit so let's hope he hits the ground running

Frankly i've never heard of him. and haven't googled him (yet)

I'm yet to see a nagitive reaction on here and very few on twitter (I think i've managed to unfollow most of the "retard element" on there)

So all in all i'm happy with Kev.

I'm not unhappy with the appointment, bit it's a bit of an unknown. Would have liked someone more established but everyone has to start somewhere...

Better this route than buckle or Sanchez!

Welcome aboard.

Echo what has been said - sounds positive and at least not proven shite like many managers out there.

Like some others I had not heard of him and really wanted a " big name" however after some research happy with his appointment.

Welcome kmac

Hadn't heard of him prior to tonight tbh, but seem to be hearing a fair amount of positive things about him.  Sounds more promising than some shite manager that's been round the block.  Good to see the board have acted quickly as well.

I wonder how he came into the mix though?  Is he known to Jed and co?

They sneered at us when we blooded, Macari, Ardiles, Hoddle, MacMahon, Malpass & Di Canio. They were right about two of that list anyway.

Welcome Macca.

Confirmed by club.

Swindon Town FC ‏@Official_STFC
Swindon Town Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment of Kevin MacDonald as manager

Woooo!

@Official_STFC disgraceful appointment you dickheads


First reply on twitter, brilliant.

It's worth checking the response from the Villa fans on Twitter, some very positive things being said about him:


Heart Of The Holte ‏@HeartOfTheHolte
@JoeMerriman5 He will do a great job, very respectable guy, and should have got the Villa job.

Heart Of The Holte ‏@HeartOfTheHolte
Good luck to Kev at Swindon, he did a fantastic job for the reserves , I wish him and Swindon the best of luck. #AVFC#STFC

Heart Of The Holte ‏@HeartOfTheHolte
Swindon fans YOU MUST give Kev a chance, he will do a great job for you, he will get you some good, young talent. #AVFC #STFC

Adam Cox ‏@abc123cox82
facts 4 #stfc no.1 his Nickname is Kmac, 2. He's a gr8 tactician, 3. Produced all our Academy players 4. He's a players manager 5. knowledge

Adam Cox ‏@abc123cox82
Congratulations to #stfc from a huge villa fan, Kmac is a great motivator, has great knowledge & will be an amazing appointment 4 u. #avfc

Adam Cox ‏@abc123cox82
@ryan_muskett #AVFC #STFC see you in the premiership soon, if you have young players also expect them to shine! Gr8 appointment 4 u, missed!

How ironic! Sounds like he's the dickhead.

Fair play to the board for getting this done so quickly.

Welcome to STFC!

This was a good one:

[url width=497 height=117]http://i.imgur.com/7qVLCB6.jpg[/url]

but we don;t know his favourite cheese.....panic, panic. I hooe Jed covered that one or he's a fucking tool.

"It's not been officially confirmed, but I'm led to believe MacDonald is on a two-and-a-bit year deal. #stfc"

Says Sam.

Good to see that Sam Farr is really in touch with the fans 8)

What an utter cunt. Sort of person we don't want anywhere near STFC.

Do you think that is what his contract will say? :hmmm:

Excellent!

Pretty happy with this, reckon he'll do alright.

Villa fans seemed to have a lot of respect for him as well http://www.avillafan.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9051&page=2

This one is slightly different to those, they were great players. And Malpas.

Ferguson and Mourinho weren't world class players either... 

[url width=491 height=80]http://i.imgur.com/ag0mPW1.jpg[/url]

I'm very happy that i've seen little or no abuse on my twitter homepage. Seems i've done well at not following Retards.

Great collection of quotes there SY. Feeling even better after seeing those. Well done Jed and co., keeping your heads while all around were losing theirs. Think it was the right decision to listen to the players and give them a chance to carry on where Di Canio left off short term, and when it didn't work out, right to make a quick appointment in response ahead of a big game this weekend.

Interesting appointment.

Has a very good and experienced track record in football and is thought of highly. First time manager as well, so needs to make it work...

Much better than most of the out of work managerial merry go round useless managers that were linked.

I'm not convinced he's going to work the players as hard as our previous manager - which is, in my opinion what has got us this far rather than talent alone.

Still (hopefully) got his own staff to turn up to.

We'll see won't we....

He sounds like a disciplinarian with attention to detail and a superb work ethic. He is also humble and unassuming; sounds like exactly what we need.

As said elsewhere, it looks a pretty good appointment given the recent hiatus and appears he is a good experienced players man from all the background info.. Happy with this given some of the names in the frame.

 :clap:

Please stop posting those SY, making me rather angry!

Well I'll certainly need to take back a few of my earlier comments.  Unproven as a manager, but the signs are good.  I'll go with that!  Welcome Kevin.

I hope Jed takes more notice of the TEF than he does of Twitter.

E I E I E I O.....

Made i smile:

[url width=900 height=1200]http://i46.tinypic.com/2mzz3f5.jpg[/url]

Just realised that it's the same KM who played for Liverpool.  Didn't make the connection initially, looks a bit different without frizzzy hair and a moustache  :)

And unless I've missed one, our 4th (?) Scottish manager since I started watching in 1990?  We do like to appoint a Scotsman, don't we.

Edit: I wasn't counting Iffy, by the way.  Not sure if he was Scottish as well (or if he just lived there for a while).

Good sensible appointment, I like that he has brought through many young players at Villa, that can only be a plus. He's had plenty years of experience so I don't think he'll find it hard to adjust to management.

Very exciting appointment for me - just what we need.  We have a good team, what we needed (especially on the evidence of last Tuesday night) was someone with the tactical nous to change things around, balance out weaknesses or deal with identified threats & make substitutions. His background suggests he will be able to do all of these.

I'm hoping that given his credentials developing so many of the Villa squad that once again the Swindon youth set-up will start to bring through first team players.  Looking forward to the trip to Coventry even more now - should be an absorbing encounter.

I'm not sure there are any candidates out there who would.

Encouraging appointment IMO, could be a very shrewd move by Jedward and co based on what I've read from the Villa fans and others in the game who know him.

Buzzing for Saturday now!  COYR

Has he worked with James Collins when he was at villa?

Yep.

more than likely, yes, as their times at Villa overlapped and was manager of the reserve side that Collins presumably played for.

Hah I saw that and thought what a tosser! There are some idiots that "support" this club

K Mac did win the double with Liverpool apparantly so cant have been a complete plodder!

Excellent news!

Part of a double winning team at Liverpool so not bad credentials as a player.

I've got a really warm fuzzy feeling about this one.

That FB "fans page" is an absolute mong fest this evening.

@RealMarc12: Buzzing for Kev mac at Swindon! Hope it goes well for him! What a guy!

Marc Albrighton

I seem to recall him having quite long curly dark hair, when he was with the Scousers. Only a squad player, that might reflect his character a bit, having spent years as a backroom man.

He pulled off Scouser-chique really, really well.

[url width=800 height=566]http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/liverpoolecho/oct2009/1/0/image-11-for-gallery-matchday-memories-liverpool-fc-v-everton-1986-fa-cup-final-200789989.jpg[/url]

sign him up!

 Yeah that's it...a sort of mullet.

With his contacts he won't be needing a personal agent to go and find players , a good safe appointment will be interesting to see who brings in as his back room staff

Good feeling when players comment.

Happy with this.

Do you reckon he fancies a loan move?  :)

Reg - your thoughts on this appointment and your expectations for the rest of the season?

Replaced in the side by a guy named Steve McMahon.

Can we have another Mc to go with our growing band? Gary McAllister?

Amazing what a single action can do to change the general mood. I include myself in that. That probably makes me fickle. I am just hugely relieved.

That may not be as far fetched as it sounds. I do hope he brings in his own team.

Mac, it's Mac.

We need a Graham Turner gif. The one of him kicking off at the end of the home game against them last season.

Things like that are making me even happier with this appointment.

Please not Daniel Johnson, one of the worst players I've ever seen. He was on loan at Yeovil earlier in the season and played against us at the County Ground, subbed off early in the game and sent back to Villa soon after.

http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/article/collinsagreatappointment-686711.aspx


Helps get the squad in the right frame of mind.

http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/article/kmicannotwait-686678.aspx

Really happy with this appointment!!

Judging by the Villa comments, we could have a diamond here.  Although only assistant at Villa, it sounds like he was the backbone & the players loved him, similar situation as Clarke at Chelsea & Poyet at Leeds etc. It went wrong when they left.

Welcome Kmac, now get us up!!!

Someone asked him, and he said wheres matt ritchie haha

Solid but uninspiring appointment. But then again how do you follow on from Paolo? Fully behind him though, let's see if he can get us up.

Andreas Weimann

@andiweimann: Congratulations on Kevin mac for getting the Swindon job ! Gave me my debut for villa and a brilliant coach !

Am happy with this appointment - don't know much about the chap but am encouraged by the positive vibes coming from some of the Villa.....

Some of the Twatter responses are embarrassing.... Hope KMac has a proverbial thick skin!

Welcome KMac  :clap:

not knowing anything about the guy until a google search and a chat to some vila mates says to me it is a pretty solid appointment. Good connections within the game and a decent pedigree learning off some decent managers.

This to me is a bit like Clark at WBA. Learnt off some decent managers and worked at some top clubs so is now trying his hand at full time management.

Thinking about it i'm quite happy. Tisdale would have been a nice appointment too but in good stfc tradition we've given someone a chance. Let's hope he continues PDC's work and builds on it.

welcome

Not really any view, not unhappy but not inspired. Could bring the organisition and stability we need.

What is his fave cheese ?

TEF Braces itself for...

MacDonald, it's MacDonald.

I posted them a while back,  but to repeat myself, seems like a decent appointment given the situation.

No idea how it might pan out for the rest of the season, but we needed someone in to steady the ship. We also need some players to have any chance, and again there's not much time for that to happen.

The big questions we need answering tomorrow ; what is his favourite cheese and what is his political persuasion

Discodazr thinks Mark Cooper is being appointed as assistant. Ex Peterborough manager

Is it Kev Mac? KMC? ????

I can't see it he has just been installed as Telford manager 4 weeks ago

Well done to the new board. Obviously the proof will be in the results but sounds like a good honest appointment and a top bloke (yeah I know - night be too nice etc etc). Would have been easy to go with a run of the mill "failed" manager and piss the fans off or the opposite track of a headline grabber like Wright to try and get the fans on board. Glad they went for neither and for the first time in a few weeks I have a smile on my face when thinking about STFC.

Now can't wait for Saturday.

Brace yourselves: I'm about to give Jed some credit for something.

I was very critical a few days back when the news broke that the new board had not started selecting potential management candidates.  [Link here (http://thetownend.com/index.php?topic=50791.msg1167309#msg1167309).]  Well he's certainly turned it around very quickly since then.  We needed a manager quickly; they went out and got one.  Minimum of fuss.  Impressed with that.

Good appointment on paper,should have plenty of contacts and hopefully we can pick up some young players at the end of the season from Villa and Sunderland who we can develop.Was worried that it was going to be a tried and failed ex manager but more than pleased with MacDonald

Some of our fans on twitter are fucking idiots  :no:

Best of luck Kev, lets hope we're all celebrating promotion soon.

Can somebody please check out his past political history

If there's any sign of anything slightly right of centre, I'm going to throw a hissy fit and disappear off theforum

(I can hear you sobbing)

His ideas won't come fully in to play until after the weekend.

Players playing for promotion and their futures. Hopefully, that'll be a good mix.

MirrorFootball ‏@MirrorFootball
BREAKING: Kevin MacDonald has a job, e-i-e-i-o, and that job is managing Swindon, e-i-e-i-o

Just read on twitter from bloke called darren who I think is an agent and supports Swindon that mark cooper the Telford manager is new assistant manager.

Am I the only one who finds all this positivity hard to believe .....

Where are all the miserable bastards who think this appointment is a disaster and the world will end imminently?

Maybe relief it wasn't the Buckle/Newell/Blackwell type appointment most were expecting.

www.twitter.com

Nothing on the Telford United forum (http://www.buckschat.co.uk/) about that.

No, please do. You won't be missed. You've now posted about 10 times how disgusted you are with people who don't agree with you. You're not actually very nice really at all are you. FFS will you drop it now?

I'm actually pleased with this appointment - much better than a Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink or Terry Butcher type.

I also can't believe how quick the board made the decision, the old lot would have taken 8 weeks to appoint a new manager.

I'm loving it.

Solid.


Footnote: needs to hit the ground sprinting, we/they got serious work to do.

The comments from the Villa fans are encouraging.

Time to put the debacle of the past week or so behind us and start to get excited again.
Looking forward to Saturday now!

Well, well, well.

Go off to help the kids with homework, come back and we have appointed a manager.

Jed & Co have called our bluff a bit on the last 24 hours, and there are signs that things at STFC might progress quite smoothly.

Kev Macdonald is an appointment that no-one really saw coming up until today. First time manager, something to prove, great credentials and well connected. I like it very much.

Encouraged by the comments by Villa players and supporters. It looks like a sensible appointment by the board and not just a  name to impress the fans. Welcome to Swindon Town Kevin and well done board members.

When have I ever said I'm disgusted with anybody you fucking twat (you excepted)

Interesting.

Welcome KMAC!  Let's do this!  Do it right and you will be a championship manager in 12 weeks time!

And playing against your old club in 6 months time.

I'll say it then.

I'm gutted.

Never heard of him, he might be class but he's an assistant, he's not a 'name' and whilst 'interesting' it's not a headline maker.

I bet I'm not the only one either but cue getting shot down anyway

Fuck off. I think its inspired.

You take sort of managerial experience, where some top name club jobs counts for multipliers above being actually having done some work, divide that into cost. K "'Big Mac!' 'Fries with that?'" Donald wins.

No different than Jimmy Flloyd. Maybe slightly better.

Kevin Who?

It seems quite a few in football know KM and I am hoping a lot more will come May this year.

Quite a late starter at 52 for the main man job but he is a respected coach - can only wish the guy luck and hope he keeps believing and leading should everything not go smoothly to start with. 

I think there's some risk but that has paid off in the past and it seems a positive risk to take.

Good Scot in cherge.  :toocool:

Nae bother lads.

Complete young unknowns have paid off in the past, I'm sure I'm wrong on this, but I can't think of any coachy types given their first big jobs working out in the past?

Fair point but I am sure a few saints fans though "Nigel who" ? And now we'd love him here

The Liverpool 'Boot Room' is probably the best case(s) of coach-to-manager success.

Not really a relevant example though.

Seems like a safe hands appointment with a lot of decent contacts who is by all accounts an excellent coach. Like all appointments, it could work out and it could not, but considering some of the names that have been mentioned I'll take it, gives me a lot more confidence in the new board that we haven't got Newell or another lower league plodder.

At least there'll be someone now who can understand Simon Ferry   :D

Teamtalk have gone with the Big Mac in town headline  :D

The team could now be The Mac Lads!

Beer & Sex & Chips & Gravy!

Cut to the chase. What cheese does he like and does he favour 4-5-1 in a paul hart style?

4-3-3, it's 4-3-3.

Do you think Sweaty Betty is the new massuer?

Been out all evening and come back to this news.  Not the appointment I was hoping for but only time will tell if it is the right one.  Hugely encouraged by  the comments on here (well most of them!) especially from people in the game who know him well.  After all the shenanigans of the past couple of weeks it is now time to take a backward step and settle everything down, and this appointment is the catalyst for our promotion push.  Expect things to be a lot quieter on the journalistic side, no bad thing in my opinion.  Welcome and good luck Kevin.

Mark cooper being lined up as assistant apparently. ( Sam Morshead )
Edit: Son of Terry, presently at Telford

She did wear big knickers and worked on't sewage farm

I dont understand all the negative views towards this appointment (I know there haven't been many here but there are loads on Twitter). Who were these people expecting? Mourinho? I mean come on it was never going to be a blockbuster name. People questioned the PDC appointment when that happened. Some people are never happy. Makes you wonder why they even bother supporting the club.

I'm pleased with this. He's got a great reputation and sounds like he isn't one to let the players piss around but at the same time is a very good coach and very level headed as well as being a good man manager. Something Paolo wasn't. Could be a very good coup.

I hope that most people will give him support, and can see the potential.

I think that most peoples problem comes from the fact that we still know fuck all about the investors behind our new board. There's potential there, but if this is a sign of their new outlook, I can see why it might be seen as uninspiring.

Took over a month ago, lost 4 out of 5. Doubt the Telford fans will be all too bothered.

Go and support Manchester United or Chelsea if you want a name and headlines. We are swindon. Solid appointment, hope he does well.

I presume Cooper is McDonalds choice and he obviously has a good idea of who he wants to bring in to start building his coaching team. He may well keep Fraser and the temp fitness coach for a bit longer until he has his own people in place.

Not an appointment I expected.

Sounds very positive though.

That so many Villa fans (and some players) have bothered to eulogise about him today is testimony to the fact that we may well have a very competent young manager on our hands. And one with some decent contacts that will let him loan or sign players whos fees hopefully wont include hefty cheques being constantly paid out to some slime-ball of a players agent called Phil...

Time will tell, but that could be said about virtually any appointment at our level, so that's not intended to detract in any way from an unexpectedly decent decision by the Peckham massive.

Well done Jed and Co. A good days work, indeed  :D

Welcome Kev. Don't worry about piffling poop suckers like STFC in Bournemouth. Gutless individual.

Onwards and upwards

Oooh spill.

STFC in Bournemouth would rather holiday in dumb drumb Tenerife, and has never been to God's own county. Fucking retard!

Serbia rule

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_i17S64-EA

Disliked at best, hated does you a favour.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/QuKQTU7.gif[/url]

Do it wrong and you'll be playing Championship Manager in 12 weeks.

Overall, initially I was looking for the panic button having not heard from him but comments since have been encouraging.

Totally summed up in one gif - brilliant

If we were all slagging of MacDonald - DMR would be telling us all what a good appointment it was.

In the words of OST!

FACT!

Everyone's entitled to their opinion - whether a player or manager or whatever - but my take is that it is time to get STFC out of the headlines purely on the back of Paolo.

A period of quiet reflection on the football side and say farewell to the never-ending circus. I don't know about others but the PdC reign, while exciting, was very draining. Nobody knew from day to day what the hell was going to happen next.

Let's get back in the shadows, get the club promoted this season if we can and let nature take it course

we are KMacs Red & White Army

In the ranks of Scottish former coaches/assistants lets hope he's more Steve Clarke than Maurice Malpas.

More than satisifed with the appointment, as others have said the reaction of Villa staff and players is encouraging.

I thought Bournemouth was God's Own Country ?

Well I'm sobered up and I still think it's shit  :toocool:

Good luck to him......seems to have a good coaching record and i must say a big up to the new board on this one.

They could have taken the predictable old fart route......this looks a promising appointment.

UP THE TOWN.

Very worried about this. He used to play for the Huns, and with our history I'd have thought consorting with tax dodgers was the last thing we want to do.

On the plus side, he's a teuchter. So he can drive a tractor.

But as you're now more interested in golf it hardly matters now does it?

If you sobered up by 8.45am then you didn't drink enough last night and must've been trolling.

Must rein it in on a school night Samuel

I've always been more interested in golf Lumpy me old fruit

Do you play or just watch men in funny trousers and panned shots of empty sky on the box?

Only the 3 games on loan, we can only presume he learnt his lesson and got out.

I play, I'm fucking deece as well

Will you stop using shit slang words when you grow up?

Back on topic ...............................

Will BBC Wilts be covering the press conference?
Will they again after a few mins fuck off to a show about the Chelsaea Flower Show or play some shit 60's music?

:Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: :nod:

Totes. Well, probs.

I would normally consider hanging around for it but I don't see the point. They're bound to play only a couple of minutes or so!

What at the moment? Or during games of golf? Who's deece anyway? He sounds nice, I'm happy for you.

DMR models himself and his lifestyle on Barney Stinson.

I admire that.

Had a scan through and can't find this anywhere else so thought i'd mention that Chris Wise believes Ian Wright was the boards first choice which surprised me.

Ian Wright spoke about the job on Absolute Radio quite openly according to someone on Twitter.

Had a look about and here's the clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEF5fhXPxlE&feature=youtu.be

He was contacted monday.

Malpas had a year at Motherwell as manager before Swindon.

He made me want to claw my eyes out and replace them with my baws.

Considering he's been at Rangers and RoI, is he one of the good guys or the bad guys? Might switch to Luton if he's one of them.

Jed lied!

Sounds like he was keen but ultimately not ready and family came first. I can't say that I'm disappointed.

Surprised at that if true. Happy with how things turned out if true also (thank you Ian Wrights wife).

Why were the bookies odds so short on Macdonald if that's true? That level of favouritism you would have thought indicated some insider knowledge?

To be fair to Wright he actually comes across quite sensibly in that interview and speaks positively about the board.

Good interview. If Wright feels he hasn't gained enough knowledge to become a manager, then it's the best outcome.

[Plus he told the Town End to fuck off when playing for Forest! Ian Shite Shite Shite]

Umm ......

Ian Wright says he chatted to some fella called Martin?

Good point, didn't pick up on that...

Martin King surfaces?

He also said he was contacted by us on Monday, 2 days before Jed and Millward had talks about the way forward manager wise.  Guess Jed could have tapped up potential guys before Bury though.

Agree that he comes across pretty well in that interview for someone I've always regarded as a tosser in his media career

Seems like it
http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/10261379.Wright_opens_up_about_Town_job_talks/

Forgive my forgetfulness, that's the dodgy Luton bloke we don't like, right?

Incidentally, I came across this earlier whilst rummaging through the interweb.


http://www.griffinpark.org/forums/showthread.php?t=104011&page=1

The money thing may be answered if they do have backing, of course.

Yup, I'm liking the positive player feedback and Villa comments, and the no-nonsense quick appointment... and of course the lack of Newell and the other usual suspects!  Relief all round.

He's the ex-Luton director, but AFAIK there's no evidence he's dodgy, although the board he was part of was. Which doesn't mean he was part of the dodginess. Whether you like him or not is up to you :)

EDIT: Flashheart's quote puts it much better

former director at Luton, he quit the club in protest after some other board members sacked Newell without holding a board meeting.

basically what everyone else before me said.

Nothing to do with the "dodgy" Vale people, none of whom have surfaced yet - except Gary Hooper who is apparently dodgy but as this thread (http://thetownend.com/index.php?topic=50655.0) illustrates nobody could actually pinpoint what it was he had done wrong.

Sam just tweeted Martin King is being used in a consultancy role by the club.

THe fabled Martin Luton King surfaces!

So in what capacity was he conducting interviews, then?

Edit: FCB's post answers this.

Was Martin King linked to this plastic pitch company?

no that is Gary Hooper

He's the new Phil Spencer!

Good job I didnt put away the orange hat!

Bit of info on Mark Cooper:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Cooper_(footballer_born_1968) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Cooper_(footballer_born_1968))

fair bit of managerial experience, had a good spell with Kettering and even managed to do a half decent job at Darlo! Interesting that he'd leave Telford so soon to take up a number 2 role but MacDonald should know what to look for in an assistant manager.

So am I right in thinking that despite all of the dirt digging the best we can come up with on the new owners is that they may have got involved with some dodgy people in the past, but when they found out they were dodgy they distanced themselves and did something about their dodgy dealings?

So in summary, they're actually good guys? Albeit good guys that may want to install a plastic pitch to increase revenue.

Considering Paolo got a pizza named after him in Fratellos, will McDonalds be putting something on their pound savers menu in recognition of KMAC?

Haggis burger or something???

Cooper confirmed as Assistant manager

I think that's pretty much it.  Nothing wrong with vigilance, though.  It's right that the focus has shifted in the last 24 hours to the new manager and the big game tomorrow...but the questions are not going to go away until the identity of the backers and the interests of all those involved with the running of the club are known.  They may be good reasons for the lack of transparency on this (other than the people concerned being 'family men', obviously)...but sooner or later it will have to come out.

TBH I think people will only get curious if the so-called 'warchest' of £4.5m doesn't get opened.

If it become obvious the club are suffering from a lack of cash people will ask questions then

I think that misses the point, actually.  I don't really care how large the 'war chest' is.  It's the strings that are attached to it that matter.  What are the businesses investing in STFC getting in return for their investment?  What is their motive for getting involved at all?  These are fundamental questions that cannot be answered until their identities are known.

Bit harsh but it raised a smile :D

You wouldn't attach strings to a warchest. Ropes at the very least, maybe even chains. Unless it's more of a squabblebox than a warchest.

Does anybody know if MacDonald was at the League Cup game at the CG earlier this season?

Left Villa when Lambert was appointed so I doubt it.

For some reason I thought he was still there. Cheers!

I get the impression Jed at least is in it as it's a good thing to do (saving a club) and owning a proper football club is really cool - showing your dad round isn't normally the first move of a criminal mastermind. It's better than what most of us do with mates in our spare time (play poker, get drunk, go to a strip joint). Maybe they're aren't any sinister motives, it would appear there wasn't with the Black consortium.

Not even sure a plastic pitch would be that bad. Apparently they're a lot better nowadays and the authorities are slowly starting to swing in favour of them. Wouldn't be the same though no matter how good they are.

So you're saying we're being run by the likes of us!!!

I do agree with a lot of that, but there's one point that has been getting on my nerves a bit that your post reminded me of...and that's the idea that Jed has saved the Club from oblivion.  I just don't buy it.

We were told that 6 or 7 separate interested parties who were looking to buy the Club from Andrew Black.  Of these, we are told that only Jed & Co were prepared to accept Andrew Black's deadline, meaning that it was Jed or nothing.

BUT, the timetable point really feels like nothing more than a bargaining ploy to me.  Put it another way: would Andrew Black on the one hand offer personally to write of approx £10m of the Club's debt and, on the other, be prepared to see the Club go in to Admin simply because an arbitrary deadline, set by him, could not be met?  The two do not go together.

If Jed McCrory had never appeared, one of the other interested parties would have done a deal.  They may have taken a week or two longer to do that deal than Jed McCrory did, but they would have got it done.  Why?  Because from Andrew Black's point of view, a sale - even if it was going to take a little longer - would have represented a far cleaner exit route than Administration.

So I very much doubt that Jed has 'saved the Club'.  (Not to say, despite still having reservations, that I don't want it to work out for him and the new board.)  He has provided a way forward for the Club in the short to medium term, certainly.  But there would have been other ways forward also.

PS  None of which has anything to do with Kevin MacDonald.  Apologies for moving off on a tangent.

Is the press conference on the radio, or will Sue fatty Davis be talking about the importance of compost?

Someone asked Sam if Sky Sports where broadcasting it he replied,

@g2vdunn can't imagine will be live. May have snippets. Best places for coverage - Adver website and @BBCWiltshire who are broadcasting live

So I assume they are.

Okay, thanks. Let's hope they broadcast the whole thing this time.

Black said most if not all of the other interested parties only wanted to buy the club out of administration. Which makes me wonder if some debt has been left with the club, maybe the debt owed to him by the club and not via the holding company.

My impression was that administration was only ever a threat to get Fitton to write off his loan and so make the sale quicker and easier. I struggle to see how it was ever a realistic option as with the sale of Ritche and potentially season ticket money they could have made it through to the end of the season.

Presser may be delayed a few mins as Kev makes his way back from training having also watched the yoofs training this morning!

We dont actually know if the club has been left with any debt or if it is totally debt free, sometihng else that needs to be answered

Scrap that .... Presser under way!

Getting on for half of Premiereship clubs have a mixed grass and artificial fibre pitch anyway (Grassmaster?). I think its only about 5% of the pitch, it's like having a hair weave for football pitches.

I think Black said that the only debt was the debt secured on the ground lease,  iirc it was about £1.7million owed to Black & Arbib.

Big Jed wants to build an under 21 team

Stayed with it past the Chris Wise questions. Fair play BBC Wilts.

Not for long...

Good to see the slating they got registered.

Diggers is staying, that makes me happy.

Who was the tosser asking questions after Chris Wise?

Does sound very much the like there is now a big emphasis on bring young talent through into the first team and this is a big reason why he has been brought to the club. Sounds like there is money available but as suggested before it does not seem comparable to what we had before. A postive appointment for the club much more inthe mould of being sustainable rather than  like the previous method.

I assume by this he means 'reserve' or 'development' team that PDC scrapped

bbc wilts putting full press conference up on soundcloud later. That's a very good idea

Will it be interrupted by some shit 60's tunes?  If not Its just not bbc wilts.

Wonder who picks the team for tomorrow then - although I think it is picking itself at the moment due to lack of bodies

Ferry and Devera should both be available, so I'd imagine Ferry will be back in for Navarro. Not sure I'd break Flint and Ward up as they're doing well enough at the moment. Although personally I do prefer Devera.

At the risk of being ridiculed .... Whats soundcloud?

It's a website where people share all their audio. A lot of music producers use it to get stuff out there.

Bingo!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BERlSv6CMAEtff-.jpg

He'd endear himself to me immediately if he dropped McCormack! I imagine, it'll be the usual lineup from the last few games, with Ferry hopefully fit.

Love this :

Sam Morshead ‏@SamMorshead_SA
Scarf above the head pic for http://thetownend.com  #stfc pic.twitter.com/jlEPPnmN2i

Do we really want to be advertising the TEF on there....  ???

I am now happy.

Welcome aboard Kevin.

I'm glad somebody listened to me. Cheers Sam!

Watched youth team training today. Once more than Di Canio did

Welcome to Swindon Kmac and good luck.

Chris Hull - Sky Sports. Hence the irrelevant Gareth Bale / Giggs questions.

Although he's actually alright, for a Blackpool fan.

the guy is a fucking toilet (ian. not jed.) does anybody remember that chat show he did with our beloved melinda messenger? he was like ortis at the olympics. pillock.

Used to work at Nationwide

Would just like to say the same and thank god it was not  Ian Wright .

I'm getting good vibes from KMac after reading what he had to say! Buzzing for tomorrow now!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BERsmHRCAAAF_ra.jpg

No tie from Jed.

In full
https://soundcloud.com/matthewsmithbbcwiltshire/stfc-press-conference

Thanks

so new songs then?

Another Paolo Di Canio related dig from Tans.

Sam Moreshead said the same thing.

It's fine if he says it.

Alright Paolo

You may as well change your name to Lumps or red frog.

And you may aswell change yours to Paolo the way you keep kissing his arse

You're becoming seriously tiresome, please drop it.

It's a forum, I can say what I want.

You're absolutely right but you're just trying to troll. And you're crap at it.

I'm honestly not, I get annoyed at the repetitive anti-Paolo posts from a few people, so I counter them with pro-Paolo posts. 

But yeah I've made my point now so no need for me to carry on. As you were everyone.

Have I missed something?  Where was it quoted that we have a 4.5m war chest?

The only time I heard 4.5m was to do with the playing budget that PDC was given.

Yep, that's how I understood it, and what was left of the war chest ws basically used to lift the M'Bargo in the autumn.  We were ok for three loan players earlier on as we had moved wages off for Paul Benson and Lee Cox, and I guess for Risser.  The Pack deal was a loan leading to a permament 100 grand fee in the summer.

It's official on the cheese front...

Andrew Warren ‏@AndyWarren_
For those asking (and those bound to ask @SamMorshead_SA later) MacDonald's favourite cheese is the plastic rubbish which goes on a Big Mac.

MacDonald Out :no:u

I like him already

And now that Paolo and his team have gone there's presumably a fair chunk more available.

Although it's almost certainly dead, I'd have liked us to have signed Pack.

Has he not signed anyone yet?

Bloody useless!

I dont think Big Mac cheese can be classed as cheese.

So the answer hasnt really been answered.

Dodgy-deal-is

Following the appointment of Kamc and the recent good news on season tickets, if we get a good result against Cov followed by a loan player or two, the new board will soon drop off the grumblers radar completely.
You are right to be vigilant but even if the money is dirty, tarnished, whatever, the more things they seemingly do right, the less we will care (sub-consciously that is).

Having listened to the interview I really, really like the sound of Big Mac. He sounds calm and measured and quietly intelligent.

Just got to the end, who gives a flying fuck about Suarez, Giggs, or fucking monkey face Bale. Fuck off with your shit questions.

Do people think he'll have pitman on the bench or can put that suit back in the wardrobe?

What the fuck was that all about?

Ah but good grumblers may fade away but they never die - they always sit in the sidelines waiting for their prophecy of doom to come true because it always does, life's like that.  They think their negativity is special but in reality anyone can predict a bad thing as at some point in our life it will come true...

Take Sir Alex Ferguson... He's totally shit, a crap manager and always falling out with his players.  If I say it often enough then at some point me saying it will coincide with them losing a game and him having a spat with a player and then I can shout out that I was right and everyone else was wrong...

I think that's what annoys most people about negative people, they really aren't clever at all but for some reason they think they are because they can predict the obvious

haha. I think we are lucky with our local journos at the moment. warren seems like a nice chap, lyus is hilarious with his three day alcohol binges in the chilterns and sam combines being an excellent journalist with being a pre menstrual woman, but in a good way

Villa fan here, Guys.
Think KMc will be good for you.
He was, basically, in charge of our reserve team for many years. They won the southern league several times under his tenure, and were unfortunate in losing the last couple of overall finals to northern champions, Man Utd.
He also took control of our U19's in the Next Gen tournament.
Many feel he was unfortunate not to be given the n.o. 1 job when O'Neill left.

Good luck to him and Swindon.

Thanks Nigel

What kind of football does he like his teams to play?

Let's hope it's the type where we score more than the other lot :)

I can see how that could be a good thing. Worth a go I reckon!

The more i read/hear about this guy, the more my optimism increases,i think the new board may have played a blinder here,getting in a calming, mature,footballer to steady the ship and give us the extra nudge over the line.... :)
feeling very positive about tomorrow now...

This is clearly a very good appointment and a very shrewd move by the new board. Hopefully he hits the ground running, but if not he should get a very firm grip of things given a bit of time. As long as our sizeable dickhead contingent don't get on his back if tomorrow isn't great then I think we'll do well under KMac

MacDonald is quite fortunate in the fact his first game will be away where our support is usually a lot more, erm, supportive.

Yep and we should take a good following too.

A warm welcome!

I want to know where these ace user names have sprung up from, gypsies and hillybillies in tandem, outstanding.

 I dunno, I think Sutton Red takes some beating for general off-the-wall craziness

Mine is also the name of a Racehorse

Lets all make sure we get behind this new manager today and give him a proper welcome to the club !

His reserve teams at the Villa were mainly young guns with a couple of more experienced player and played some decent stuff.
The U19's had some talent, and were a joy to watch.
I can see him coming back to us for a couple of our fringe players who he worked with. If he does I'll give you the heads up on them

Cheers Nige, any likely candidates?  Will probably be looking at midfield, or attacking type players.

I met MacDonald after the game today and had a brief chat.
Comes across as a decent guy. To be fair I was sat behind him during the game and he is no "arms crosser" and was vocal whilst encouraging.
He is certainly going to be a massive contrast to PDC.

The players already appear to warm to him and are more relaxed.

don't tell DV.

Apologies accepted