Thetownend.com

this one may cause a few arguments...

http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/insideswindontown/archive/2008/10/06/fan-view-swindon-s-pleasure-seeking-five-point-plan.aspx

Enjoyed that, short and sweet. Agree with most of it as well.

Good article Juddie, agreed with most of it.  Particularly liked defusing a bomb is nerve-wracking, Open heart surgery is nerve-wracking, not playing football in front of 6,500 fans.  Great way of wording it!

Where were the prossies????  Juddie out!

fook, the prossies!!! I forgot. Next one Jan. It's about Lee Peacock, so will have to get it in somehow!

What the others said, and especially liked the bomb/open heart surgery stuff. The only thing i'd perhaps differ from is a Macca/Marshall hot wings combo which personally I feel would leave us a little lightweight. If we're looking to grind out wins, I'd prefer the more solid H's (Hartlepool and Hereford) line-up. But then I talk a lot of shit about this kind of stuff, so I'm not going to go head-to-head with you on it. That aside, yet again, well-written blog, always worth reading.

Nice one again Nick

you're all too nice, I haven't written one people don't agree with yet. Must try harder!

I think it's a complete joke. Who are you to go telling us how the team can turn it around in five simple points. Pah.



























(;))

I think we should get a new keeper in. Brez and Smith are equally shakey.

I read it twice then did a ctrl f search and nothing!!  ;-(

I disagreed a bit. Grrrowwwllll!

I know the idea of the article was to make it simple but the way its written is a bit too simple its not that easy.

Agree with most of it but I think its obvioius the players feel nervous at the County Ground, they've said as much in the media and I bet they would say the same if you asked them yourself.

And Marshall and McNamee on each with would be footballing suicide, we'd get torn apart

good read, but disagree with playing marshall and macca at the same time

Yep i agree with Dv and Arriba i mean we would just concede 2 or 3 goals at home every week....................... oh

Nice blog, I could only see Macca & Marshall being able to pay in the same team if we had a solid defence and that we haven't so we'd leak even more goals I suspect and teams would probably have a field day

There is 1 way for Malpas to face his critics and turn their opinion of him and that is to do one of the evening with's....where fan;s can ask him anything they like and he can show he is an articulate football manager and does know what he's doing

Although if we lose on Sat he may want to go into hiding !!

what the fhell is there to be nervous about? The worst that can happen is they play shit, lose and get booed. Hardly the end of the world is it?

You not looked at the Adver site recently then? It's worse than the end of the world, even if we win

Ask them Juddie.

I dont really know you but I doubt you've ever been a professional footballer or done your job infront of a crowd who will boo you, shout abuse at you and swear at you.

The players have come out and said they dont like playing at the CG.

Then get rid of the fuckers

I agree, get rid of our shit supporters!!

I doubt the players have had a life where they work in a menial repetitive job,in a crappy environment, with no psychophants around, they have to do a 40 hour week, If they're ill or injured they get reduced(or no) pay and their manager doesn't appreciate them (actually, scrap the last one). They are a bit precious aren't they ?

I agree with you about the fans though.

If a Professional footballer cannot take abuse how do they manage not to cack their pants during every away game?

I realise it is probably a bit unusual to face abuse at home, however this is just a smoke sceen in my view. I played on league grounds at youth level and can confirm if your head is in the right place ie. every game is a cup final, you enjoy playing football more than anything else (almost) and are concentrating on tactics and what you have to do, then the crowd noise is a bit of a blur.

You would not last long in the team if you offered to fight supporters, at boys/youth level the parents take care of the fighting!!

Heard Brad Friedel on the radio the other night and he said "The worst day playing football is better than " then stopped himself before he said something like "the best day in your shitty office jobs" because I think he realised it would have sounded like gloating at the rest of us. Maybe they should pin that up in the dressing room

I don't buy it, it's absolute bollocks DV. Our players aren't youngsters just getting into the game, they're all experienced and some have been here long enough to know that there's a lot worse can happen - like the club closing - than being booed. Some have experienced far worse than our current run, players like Amankwaah who almost lost his career. The booing is a minority too, it's not like that stroiing of games under kingy when people were booing before the game had even started.

If players get nervous then they shouldn't be playing football.

Same goes for the England team at Wembley. It's a joke.

and bollocks to anything the Adver says. They create stories out of nothing, throw away quotes become headline,s it's nonsense.

the only time I could understand it is if it's racial abuse, or the sort of thing Sol Campbell had to endure against Spurs. A bit of booing? I wish I was in their shoes...

Such bollocks that the players say it themselves.

I obviously don't have the same kind of access to the players as you do DV, whatever (!) I'm not saying they don't say it, I'm saying it's ridiculous if they do.

They players have mentioned it in the adver enough times.

Of course its a ridiculous concept I'm not disputing that - but that doesnt mean it isnt true..

i've just read perry groves book, and he said exactly the same thing about the negative effect abuse and booing from the supporters of the club you play for has on players.he suffered it at arsenal

Different kind of pressure though, playing in front of 35,000 or whatever Highbury was then, and where you're expected to win every game. All we ask for of our players is to try their hardest and show some passion. Not to much to ask is it?

I can understand players going to United, like Liam Miller, and being crushed by the expectancy etc, but not in League one!

sorry juddie but i dont agree.some of our fans demend more than trying their hardest.alot of ther time that aint enough for some.pook,reeves,ifil,howe,hewlett,aljofree,jpm, all have been singled out for abuse.did-do they not give 100%

I wouldn't bracket all of those players together... of all of our current players I'd say Pook gets the roughest deal because a lot of fans' minds our made up about before he even takes to the field. There are fans who sit behind me and tut if he's brought on, or slate him before he's even kicked it. The 'abuse' at Aljofree and McGovern were reactions to both players having a stinker.

And one of those players you mention is the perfect example for our current lot. Alan Reeves turned it round and he was treated far worse than any of our current players are. Same with Jerel.

Bobby Howe was just rubbish!

you said "all we ask for" though juddie, and that isn't the case.
some town fans are harsh on players imo.

Perry groves was ginger though

nuff said


deserved everything he got did Tin Tin

including being a legend now,and a fav of their fans?

is he really ?

a popular ginger? I don't believe it.

Does anyone actually think JPM and Aljofree have given 100% this season and in JPMs case carry that over to last season as well? Have they tried as hard as Jack Smith - I don't think so? I don't think anyone can accuse Pook, Reeves or Ifill of giving anything less than 100% As for Howe - crap and a bottler - all that for £5k a week.

nor me  :D

He is only a legend because he has a cool name if he was called timothy spinks he would not be a legend

No, JPM doesnt. Neither did Christian Roberts at times. Jamie Cureton was also half arsed.

Ill feeling comes from a lot of things. Bobby Howe and Mark Robinson it was about their wages.

Hewlett and Duke was frustration because they were blatently the weak links in an otherwise good team.

Aljofree because hes the worst captain weve ever had.

I will defend Aljofree a bit here - Seagraves.

O'Hanlon for me takes the title of worse captain

before this season, though, I would have said aljofree was good? He didn't have a proper pre-season and may be siffering as a result, no? I'm not defending him, just sgg

Howe was rubbish but his missus was fit. Very fit.

Fitter than her lazy cunt husband

I decided to fill my empty avatar with a tribute to the man himself! Something worthwhile, you know.

new blog up now: http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/insideswindontown/archive/2008/10/27/stringent-swindon-worlds-away-from-cash-splashing-spurs.aspx

Jan, did I pass your test in last week's blog?
http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/insideswindontown/archive/2008/10/14/holloway-sighting-the-talk-of-the-town.aspx

new challenge please!

"ladies of the night working manchester road during the credit crunch"

8)

i want you to put in the phrase "like a baby on amyl nitrate"

keep up the good work :)

interesting, especially considering the next one is about Michael Pook...

Good work juddie!!

Especially is you threw in a JAF mention too!!!!

I'd like to see the phrase

 "A defence with the solidity of a blancmange"   inlcuded

Thankyou.

Re-Sturrockification :D

i think you should write the next one in shakespearian iambic pentameter

shall i compare thee to a michael pook ?

We should campaign to get that in the next OED. We need to start dropping it into daily conversations - those of us who work in corporate land could easily get it established by dropping it into the rest of the meaningless business speak without anyone noticing. "Our go-forward paradigm will mean leveraging a blue skies strategy to synergise destrucrrockification of locked in value across the domain to achieve real customer focus"

Given the continued under performance of this business the directors have decided to embark on a intensive period of re-sturrockification.

This will involve the 2 hardest working yet modestly talented members of the team becoming central to the ongoing stratregy.  One of the previous incumbents of this role has been retired due to old age and bad hair.  They will be ably supported by our dynamic front 2 in sales who have performed admirably so far this year under difficult circumstances.

Our back office team has been instructed to stop getting involved in sales and to focus on what they are paid to do. This has worked well in the last week where there has not yet been a serious individual error leading to a loss making situation.  The back office team has also been instructed to forward sales leads to the sales team much quicker than before, bypasssing the now redundant bad haired middle man.

 :D

Brilliant work CT. There you go juddie, do one like that for the next blog!

"sonic youth is the oracle"

now there's a challenge

Ain't just saying this Juddie to be a kiss arse but your blogs are pretty good mate!!

thanks Jan. The FourFourTwo chaps don't believe anyone reads them!

I'll make an effort to leave a comment, when I get round to signing up to their site.  That'll show 'em!!

You can tell them I read your article more than I read their magazine!

I actually think their mag's getting worse. I keep badgering them for a job!

It's been on a downward spiral for years. The day before the sponsorship announcement I vowed never to buy it again. I now suscribe.

I've bought it twice since the deal.

It's a bit expensive when all you read is the Swindon articles.......

Two kmain problems: 1) it has no competitor and 2) it's not their fault, because it's the way football is going, but everything is commercially driven. All interviews are organised through launches, everything has a commercial angle. What we need is something between 442 and When Saturday Comes IMO.

I'd love to get my hands on FourFourTwo and sort it out.

I love When Saturday Comes magazine.

Can anyone remember a mag called 'The Onion Bag'?

I quite liked that.

Onion Bag was good, total football was also good.

Yeah, I enjoyed reading that one as a lad.

Total Football was great, but it seemed to go downhill quickly. To be honest, what killed off Total Football was football going gay (and internet forums).

Juddie, you are doing your bit to boost tourism in Swindon. Anyone would think Swindon was the Amsterdam of the West.

isn't it?!

i find WSC a bit "elitist"... FFT is too commercial and premiership obsessed.

we need a balance which covers the lower leagues in more detail whilst not sneering at the upper echelons, FFT are slightly addressing this issue but much of the coverage of the lower leagues is whimsical

your blogs are very good juddie.

People have tried doing lower league mags, but for whatever reason they haven;t worked. I don;t necessarily think a lower league mag is the answer, just one that is more balanced.

The best footie mag, apart from the one I work on(!) is Champions, the champs league mag. Not because it's champs league, but the content is superb.

You'll have more chance finding a unicorn trotting into Wiltshire with an army of leprechauns whilst getting popped on by a group of flying pigs than read such a publication.

Just because it sticks it to the man doesn't make it elitist. They talk about the state of modern football and write good articles about times of old. Their balance of Premiership and FL is okay too.

FourFourTwo is a SkySports generation magazine for those who couldn't give at shite about anything below the top half of The Championship - but still has to cover the lower leagues somehow (I've no problems with STFC being the zoo animal in their little project).