Thetownend.com

A friend has just told me that former Swindon Town Chairman Brian Hillier has passed away, it was all very sudden, he had a brain haemorrhage last night and didn't recover.

Personally I'm upset about the news, thoughts with Simon and the rest of the Hillier family.

RIP Brian.


(If you have nothing pleasant to say about the bloke please ignore this thread and do not leave a comment.)

Very sad.....never really recovered from being sent to prison....was good times with Macari until the tax debacle..RIP.

RIP

Reading Lou's book lou is of the opinion that he was very poorly treated by the authorities.  He certainly wasn't lookong to line his own pockets unlike some who have run the club more recently

Condolances to his family, he was chairman at a time when the club needed a boost which it got with him in charge.

As stated above he was a bit unfairly treated in the case going away for what tons of other Chairmen of clubs have done...but unfortunatly he was caught.

I was talking to someone earlier about the whole affair (after telling him this news), he told me exactly what we were done for, then he told me what Spurs and Hartlepool did and the punishment they were given (which was minute in comparison) and then let off.

Hillier was a made a scapegoat, sent down, served his time and rebuilt his life.  I have a lot of time for him and his family.

What he did, he did for the benefit of STFC - no personal gain. He got caught doing what just about everyone else did. Without him I'm not sure we'd have started the ball rolling to ur succesful years.
RIP.

Those are my thoughts exactly Chalkie, without Brian the "glory years" of the late 80's and early 90's may not have happened.  The bloke should be given more credit than he is by town fans, instead of making him out to be the root cause of all our problems.

Indeed

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/wales/1279300.stm

Condolences to Brian's family

i,ll never forget going to chesterfield on a friday night only for the game to get cancelled untill 3pm saturday due to floodlight issues.Us fans inside the ground weren,t too pleased but lou and brian came over and said anyone who wanted to come straight back up in the morning would get free travel.They were true to thier word and back we went saturday for another win great days!

Yes, sad news and condolences to his family.

rip.he backed macari with funds for players and we had some great times with him as chairman.i dont give a fuck if he was a bit dodgy with payments etc.he was a scapegoat, and the unlucky one to get caught.

Totally agree with the messages so far - I am grateful to the guy for being responsible for some amazing moments early in my swindon supporting career.

RIP Brian

I have contacted the club about this, not sure if anything will be said on Saturday about his passing, I think there should, but it's up to his family and the club to decide.

End of the day he did help engineer one of the best teams weve ever had.

Hope there is some kind of remembrance at Town for the bloke.

RIP Mr Hillier

When I did my A Level Business Studies Project at STFC for 2 weeks back in the 80s he was a gentleman and introduced me personally to EVERYONE at the club back them in my weeks there.  And he helped produced the best STFC side ever with Lou. Ive only good memories of him none bad. Minutes applause on Saturday would be appropriate.

wow my dad was saying he was talking to him the other day at Calne Town - Ive just text him to check he has heard the news - Thanks Jan

Podger's dad was the one who found out, he went to work this morning wondered whre Brian was then got a phone call telling him the news.

No bother letting people know.  He was a real character, very well known member of the Calne community.  Think I may get a card or something and pop it in the shop, to pass on to his family.

oh yeah didnt Podgers dad work for him?
my dad is quite upset about it

Ah, so sad, they were good days indeed.  Chris Ramsey always referred to him as the Big Cheese!  RIP Brian.

I have some of his shirts at my house. My mum Irons his and his wife clothes.

Very sad and sudden.

RIP.

my dad has some lights for him  :(

RIP

RIP

Sad news. Rest in Peace Mr. Hillier.

Hillier was the true godfather of the 1980's revival of STFC. He fought off cunts like Carol Embury and Dave King trying to take control of the club, only to be royally stitched up by the FL and the News of the world.

A minutes silence / applause is the least we can do to mark Brian Hilliers' incredible influence on our football club this saturday.

Glory days - the whole of football knew we were poorly treated and only those twats at Oxford danced in the street.

RIP.

Has this even been announced on any websites at all? I would have thought the Official Site or the Adver site may have mentioned something.

That's what I was thinking BO.  His son's flew back from his holiday in Cyprus now to take care of things, I haven't heard from the club whether there will be any minute's silence/applause, last I heard they will consult with the current board and family.

I refrained from posting anything on the this is site as I wasn't sure what kind of reaction it'd get on there.

I hope the club respect his memory tomorrow with a minutes silence.

I'm begining to think he won't even get a mention.  Which is scandalous.

To be fair, I think the club is in something of a tight spot over this.  On one hand, Brian Hillier did a great deal for the club during the 1980s (as others have said below).  On the other, he is inextricably associated with a scandal that brought the club in to the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Jan - I think your use of the word 'scandalous' is little OTT.  While those who want to are free to make their own private expressions of regret for his passing, I really don't think the club should feel obliged to make a public statement.  To do so could prove quite divisive, both within the club and through the wider football community.

I can see both points of view here and won't be surprised if the new Board decide to distance themselves from previous regimes.

I'm not saying I agree, but I would understand.

Personally I dont think anything should be done.

Good post

So the bloke who stiched us up to the FA did get a minutes silence and Brian Hiller doesnt.

Where's Reg? He'd know whether they should have one or not.

He was a bloke who had the best interests of Swindon Town at heart.  He has passed away.  STFC, which was a massive part of his life, should at least put an article on their official site to say they are sorry to hear about the loss of a former chairman. 

Despite what some OTT manager said a few years ago football isn't a matter of life and death, end of. 

For any former chairman to pass away without a mention is, as I said before scandalous.

There should definitely be a minutes silence or appleause, BH only did what lot's of other chairmen did, they got away with it little Swindon were picked on as they didn't have the muscle to fight back.

deffo a mins silence should be done.not applause imo

Sorry but I cant stary quiet any longer,just becuase the bloke has died he seems to have become a modern day Robin Hood in some peoples eyes.He broke the law, got caught and got us demoted. presiding over a scandel that is still to this day an embarrasment to the club.

To be fair though it may not necersarily go down well with some of the older generation that was around at the time and don't know all the in's and out's, people will remember him as the one who got sent to jail and as has been said it may prove diversifying, we don't really want to split the fanbase over this.

FWIW I think the club should perhaps put something on the OS announcing his death and offering their symapthies to his family.

Personally speaking I don't really have an opinion as I was young when it all happened and was not really old enough to understand the implications for the club at the time.

But there are obviously those that feel strongly both ways.

Have to say I'm inclined to agree.

Affraid i agree with that aswell

and me.

I just thought I'd say I don't really have an opinion on the matter. Thanks.

We were made an example of YR, fair enough if you just want to take the view that he deserved what he got.  Our case was centred over 27 cases of financial irregularites totaling under £30k, the biggest of which I'm led to believe was not declaring (to the football league) a £2k payment to Ross McLaren.  Spurs later were found guilty of illegal payments of over £400k, including interest free loans of over £80k to Ossie (which were never reported or paid back) and were given 6 point deduction, which was later reduced on appeal, other clubs also commited greater crimes and got little punishment, but hey why let that get in the way of not forgiving and forgetting.

I'm not saying the bloke was a saint by any means, but if people can't show a bit of sympathy for an ex-chairman of the club at the time of his death then this club really has lost it's heart and soul.

Also whatever happened to serving your time and moving on?  People are willing to let Lee Hughes kill and return to the game and yet BH can't serve his time and move on, and be paid a little respect from the club that he followed home and away for 16 years.  Absolute joke.

I will pay my own personal respect to his family, but as I have said before for the club to remain mute on the subject is not acceptable in my opinion.  Flipping heck we were all posting like crazy when BP and MD who had a very short connection with the club came down in that plane, and when a on loan player died through drink driving, but let's keep this all hushed up at the risk of upsetting some people.

(That's my final comment on the subject)

what a load of shit. I really dont want to argue over a dead fella, but that post annoyed the piss out of me.

So what he did was ok because spurs did it worse?

He did serve his time and everybody moved on. I dont remember anyone treating lee hughes like a hero when he returned to football, and I doubt he'll be given a minutes silence either.  not that lee hughes has anything to do with this.

Fair enough you have your personal feelings for the bloke because you knew him, but you cant assume that everybody else should be bothered or think that he did anything for STFC other than be a player in the clubs biggest ever scandal.

Just beacause you knew the bloke it does not give you the right to declare that the club "has lost its soul"  because a few people dont look back on his involvemenmt at STFC with the same rose tinted glasses.

Using the Spurs example always strikes me as a bit dodgy. Yes in financial terms they may have had some equivalence but their £400k was from two or three incidents, whereas illegal payments were the standard way of doing business here. Half the first team (all the tribunal signings) were receiving a brown envelope each week. EVERYONE knew we were skimming the gate money to provide the slush fund to fill those envelopes and handily evade the tax and rent to the council at the same time. We were just taking the piss. It was bound to get out eventually.

And using the  "everyone was at it" argument is even more dodgy. Whilst I'm sure other clubs have worked the odd fiddle here and there, I don't believe anyone else was at it to the extent we were.
 

He did serve his time and move on didnt he? Im  sure he was very sucessfull in whatever he did.Im not paticularly keen on minutes silence/applause anyway I think they are too common place and see no reason to have one for a disgraced former Chairman.

We got caught far and square with our fingers in the till and the League made an example of us.

Would big clubs be treated the same - no - but that is the way it is (much as it pains me to say it), decisions off and on the pitch always favour the big boys, money is the root of all evil and it has certainly ruined football.

This subject will always split the town fans and i think both sides have valid points.

The club will want to distance themselves from this previous debarcle but i would like to think the Adver could do a report where the club could make a brief comment.

Just imagine if the clun did have a minutes silence, and people booed (and I'm sure some would). I don't think that'd be very fair on the family so maybe it is best for the club to distance themselves from it.

Sorry jan how can you say if we dont do this the clubs lost its soul? The best day of my football supporting life was taken away due to what he did, some fans never got to see us in the top flight because of his actions. As for best intererests of the club at heart that does not make it ok.

Says on the OS that there will be a minutes silence.

I'm going to make fart noises throughout it.

Would Jan be so incensed if it was Willie Carson ?

I think not

Jan is incensed because, as a Calne lad there are personal attachments.

Therefor Jan should keep it on a personal level, and pay his private respects to the family in a way he sees fit, not try and persuade everybody to holding similar views when they dont have that "connection".

At they end of the day, scapegoat or not the guy broke the law, was tried by his peers, got us demoted and went to jail.

End of story as far as I am concerned.

I will observe the minutes silence tomorrow in respect for his family, but I certainly wont be shedding any tears

These sentiments match mine exactly.The occasions in the 1980's i met Hillier i didn't like him at all,

but i do accept that there are some of our older supporters that got on well with him.

I will observe the minutes silence because the guy is dead, for no other reason.
Us oldens have strong views about the matter, but RIP, end of.

I see both sides,he broke the law and was punished,though his punishment was to much IMO...he took the rap and i must say alot of players were well happy with the NON TAX contracts they were recieving in brown paper bags...should they have went to prison too?
Iwill observe the silence because the poor fella has died and anyone who jeers etc relly do need to get a grip...when a person dies its the people left behind who have to mourn and it isnt fair IMO on them.

RIP to Brian Hillier

The only comment I will make is...

My Grandad who supported Swindon Town for over 60 years went to the playoff final at Wembley where we got promoted to the old first division. It was a dream of his to see Swindon Town play top-flight football. His last Swindon Town match he saw live was at Wembley in 1990.l

My Grandad died the season we played Leicester in the playoff final and never got to see Town play top-flight football, He never got to another game again due to failing health. That game in 1990 was his dream as a Town fan for all those years, 2 weeks later his heart was crushed due to the allegations that came out.

Due to Hilliers actions my Grandad never saw Swindon Town play top flight football, so footballing wise no I am not upset or anything, However that said, a family has lost an unclem a dad, a son and as a mark of respect if I was at the game (get back to Swindon Monday) I would observe the minutes silence as it is a humane thing to do, no other reason.

Good post gazza agree with all of that.

I will observe the minutes silence. Not only because a family has lost someone but also i genuinely believe that between him and Lowndes Lambert they had vision to drag us up from the crap of Ken Beamish and gave us a vision. I don't think many people realise how close the club was to going under at this time. I was as pissed off as anyone when we got demoted. I was actually on my honeymoon when I found out. I didn't blame him at the time and I don't blame him now. The cunt Slave Trader Smart I blame along with Dave King. Once the papers were invloved ( the People not the NOTW ) then we were fucked. Judas cunt Smart set the ball rolling.
Hillier made no personal gain and paid a bloody heavy price. Illegal - yes. Immoral - I don't think so given what other clubs were doing at the time and have done since. FFS he's not in the same league as Shinawatra.
Give the guy a break.

i doubt we would have been in a position to play top-flight football if it weren't for Hillier's actions.

Nice to see that Andrew Fitton has agreed to a minutes silence for Brian Hillier today.

Can't believe the disrespectful remarks spouted here about Hillier. Yes, the bloke did bird for making illegal payments to players. Yes what he did was technically wrong and 'against' the law. I don't recall him stuffing any of the clubs cash in his own pockets though.

Hillier, Macari and Fararr were doing what they did to pay the players bonuses for playing well and for entertaining us. A load of jealous cunts couldn't handle him so dobbed him in to the league, which led to us being done by the revenue as well. He deserves better treatment than some of the disrespectful shite dished up about him on this thread.

Thank fuck Fitton has some class.

i dont think we would have had the success we did if hillier didn't add dodgy sweeteners to signing on deals.
he did wrong, but you can bet anything he was one of many.
when someone dies, you should remember the good they did anyway.he wasn't perfect, but was at the start of the best i have ever seen at the county ground.
he deserves some respect and a mins silence isn't alot to ask for.

Fucking spot on Arriba on all points.

Some people would argue that had it not been for Hillier we wouldn't have got to the stage to gain promotion to Division One anyway.

Excellent post.

I'm glad to say the silence was done very well by everyone today which is pleasing, as I was sure there would be a few boo's.

If Lou Macari died tomorrow would you be in favour of a minutes silence?

I would.

I'm glad the minute's silence took place today.

(that really is it for me on this one - and for what it's worth I probably have taken it a little more personally than others because of the very local connection with Mr Hillier).

RIP

Still think that a minutes applause is alot better than a silence.

I thought the silence might be broken but our fans are ace now aren't they? :)

I turned my radio on during the minutes silence,most annoying I thought it was broke.

I heard one boo from the DR.

Swindon Town legend Fraser Digby has paid tribute to former chairman Brian Hillier and said it was a ‘hell of a shock’ when he heard the news of his passing.

The 65 year-old was taken to Great Western Hospital on Wednesday evening after suffering a stroke and he passed away the following morning.

“I found out on Friday, through a mutual friend and it came as a hell of a shock,” he said.

“When I last saw him I noticed then that he was slimmer and thinner in the face than the last time I saw him, but apart from that he was his usual self.”

Digby, who made over 500 appearances for the club, moved to Swindon in 1986, two years after lifelong Robins fan Hillier had joined its board of directors.

“It my time there it always had a nice, family atmosphere and Brian was a major part of that,” he said. “He always used to come in the dressing rooms after a game and would travel away with the side everywhere as well.

“His heart was in the right place and everything he did was with the best interests of the club in mind.”

In 1990, Hillier was sentenced to six months in prison for tax evasion.

The club won the second division play-off final that season but were not promoted after being found guilty on 34 charges of financial irregularities.

“It would be a shame if that’s how he was remembered because I would never class him like that,” said Digby.

“Between he and Lou Macari they were the catalyst for probably the most successful period in the club’s history.

“I think a lot of Swindon fans realise just how much he did for them.”

Hillier’s funeral will be held at St Mary’s Church on Thursday, November 6 at 2.45pm.

All donations will go to Calne Town Football Club, where he was chairman prior to his death.

Jan, i had a history teacher at school who sadly passed away in late 2005. He was called mr walker, and always went on about how he was chairman at calne town. Do you remember him, or was he making it all up?

Dunno fella, Jonno might be able to answer that, I haven't been to Bremhill View for years. 

Ah right, no problemo

St Marys Calne Jan??

I think my dads going