Thetownend.com

right this might have been mentioned already on the forum but i got told last night that when Watkins said it was down to 2 canidates those two are Richard Money & Dave Hockaday which i think is already common knowledge.
Money was they man they wanted and had everything in place to appoint him a few days ago until Newcastle wanted a six figure sum compensation, the last few days have been trying to sort out a deal with Newcastle to get the amount lowered, if unsuccesful then Hockaday will be appointed.

I'm off to hibernate

Wake me up in the spring please

 No shit Sherlock :sherlock:

Lovely use of the sherlock thingy Reg.

Lets hope they sort things with Newcastle as I will be underwhelmed by Hockaday

Hockaday will be a risk but hes done well at what hes done so far, cirencester academy and watford southampton etc

I heard one step further than Hockaday had been offered the job.

Clearly not.

All pretty much youth based though, Byrne's proven what a difference there is between youth and first team football. Add in that to the majority of our 20 something supporters and below he would be a complete unknown I think he would be a risk too far

wasnt he first team coach at watford when they got promoted??

Yes, I also heard he pushed a few players our way in the past.

A certain winger from Watford and a striker from Southampton we had on trail but never signed, no one has ever mentioned him since go.

but i agree like u say about Byrne, it will be class if we can keep Byrne on but as reserve team manager, hes great bringing through the kids and to give them plenty of reserve games then be pushing them through to the 1st team cos we have 3 or 4 kids coming through who could make the grade here

Completely and utterly agree

a guy i've been working with claims his mates younger brother is the best footballer he has ever seen.

Boothyroyd had to sack him the season after because some of the players were complaining about his style of play.

Probably but my point remains to a large chunk of our fanbase he would be an unknown and a big let down. I just think another unknown quantity is a risk too far.

He was then replaced by Malky McKay.....cost cutting much?


The guy played over 300 games for us! I know that was a long time ago....but you should still know...

I do know but I would bet my house that alot of our supporters wouldn't have a clue who he is. Without the big name factor and the fact that as a manager he would be even less experienced than Malpas would really see alot of people against him from the start.

 The Prof scored one of the best goals ever seen at the CG in 83, unfortunately it was for Blackpool and there were only 2400, there to see it. Game ended 3-3.

 I think it was the memory of this 30 yard strike that prompted Ken Beamish to sign him.

I know we love the youth and all that now, but do all our successful candidates now have to be youth team managers or academy directors?

Malpas was Scots under 21's, he couldnt sign any young Scottish players and his coaching was shit as well.

Youth football doesnt offer any guarantees. Just hope we get Money now. He's got that L2 championship under his belt that we couldnt get to a couple of seasons ago.

My current feeling is that all the names mentioned are done with and we'll get a new applicant.

Completely agree Spence, thats why I would like a proven manager at the helm with Byrne in charge of the stiffs, creating that link from youth team to 1st team

Spot on Fred I agree totally mate.

I don't understand why we're trying to get guys who are already in employment. We're just not high enough in the food chain for it to work...i.e what self respecting club is going to allow their manager to go to Swindon??? Even if it was a League 2 Club we had approached, they will be saying, "Oooh, Swindon are only 10 places above us (just an example) in the league, Sammy Smackedass can do much better than that" and understandibly they won't be interested in talking to us (Sammy Smackedass was just a made up name although the Adver will probably be 'linking' him with us tomorrow and Vic Chandler will have him down as hot favourite)...alternatively, if we go for Academy types such as Money, we'll have to pay a load of compo which is not going to happen. If we were Premiership or top half of the Championship we could be trying to poach other clubs personnel but we're one place above the drop zone in div 3 so that really is not going to happen.

Let's just get Holloway or Dowie in and stop fucking around. Either one would be fine. So what if Holloway pissed about a bit in his interview? It doesn't mean he can't do a job for us

Enough is enough. Some times you can think about things too much.

Get a fucking move on Fitton.

There.

I said it.

And it needed to be said.

FUCK YOU WATSON :)

Holloway and Dowie are both fucking twats and are the last people I'd want in charge at Swindon.

At least, that is how I felt when Malpas was sacked. Now, I still think they are twats but I'd be over the moon if Fitton was on the phone to one of them at this very moment and they were appointed tomorrow morning before the game.

We need a manager quick, to stop the rot and so he will have a few games to assess the squad before the transfer window opens. Otherwise, we will most likely be facing a relegation battle.

I'm sure there is a reason Holloway hasn't been seriously considered. Fitton clearly wasn't impressed and he didn't fit the criteria. Besides he can hardly pick up the phone now and say "Please Mr Holloway we've changed our mind". Holloway will probably tell him to get lost.

and what exactly makes them 'fucking twats' just out of interest???

Because Jonny says so!

I am really struggling to think of anything which makes either of them even remotely deserving of the epithet 'fucking twats'. I reckon Jonny has had at least 4 Stellas in the last hour or so.

Well Holloway is a gashead, thats pretty twatish you must admit!

Im with Jonny.

Well I bet they are going to drag it out, say (and make it look like) that they followed all options - all of which lead to dead ends, and the only option available is to do the cheap thing right thing and leave Bryne in charge until the end of the season ::)

Meh! Paul Trollope is a Town fan. That's a FACT by the way.

I suppose what we are forgetting is that AF, acomplished business man that he is, complete with bollocks the size of footballs, is in fact pretty green when it comes to appointing managers (as in football managers that is, as opposed to the regular business world) It is a whole different ball game and it must be a steep learning curve for him.

Whatever. I didn't even mean Dowie and Holloway specifically. 'Just get some fucker in there and stop messing around' was really my point.

Well they both look weird, possibly due to inbreeding.

Holloway is from Bristol, has a funny accent and his desperation for the Swindon job is embarrassing.

Dowie made himself look pretty dumb over the Palace / Charlton saga, along with a hefty bill at the end of it. He thinks a lot of himself and other than a decent spell at Palace he hasn't really done much as a manager.

I'm surprised by the number of people questioning my labelling of them as twats, I thought it was widely acknowledged and accepted as being a fact. My mistake.

Yeah Holloway's an idiot, I mean he really wants to be our next manager, what a cock eh?

Okay so IH didn't follow protocol in his TE visit, but bloody hell all he did was turn up at a town match.

We could do a lot worse than Holloway (although as I say, my original point was not that we should specifically appint him)

We could for example, bollocks around for five weeks making people (like myself) think we know exactly what we're doing when in fact, we are just pissing in the wind and and after the afore mentioned five weeks of bollocksing around, we are actually contemplating starting the whole thing all over again.

Fuck me  ::)

You know I was being sarcastic there OST don't you?

Yes ineed McSporran. I was actually agreeing with you. As you say, he turned up at a Swindon game in teh Town End. Big deal. What's he done wrong?

In some ways this forum (and internet forums in general) can be quite frustrating as things can get misinterpreted (some times quite badly)

There's no substitute for some goody chummy banter and a few beers down the pub. Then we all know were we stand - no awkward misunderstandings!

I suppose we don't know what he has done to rule himself out. Personality clash, asked for too much money, wanted a big transfer kitty, who knows. Same with any of them really.

I guess after my earlier disappointment/frustration I can understand that if the right person isn't available then he isn't available. Earlier thought of "what the fuck are they playing at" have turned to "we don't know the ins and outs so stop whining like a bitch Batch and go with the flow".

As Hethab said earlier, all we can do is get behind the team during this crucial period.

It is certainly true to say that we really, really, really, really, really need to win tomorrow.

Big time.

The quality of performance could not be more irrelevant.

I'd take a shit 1-0 that's for sure.

I don't know why, but i'd be really happy if we got Hockaday.

Having said that, i'd be pleased with Holloway/Money/Dowie, just wish we'd get a move on and appoint someone

I'm surprised and pissed off in equal measures that we are still fucking around with appointing a new manager.

Nick Watkins was apparently a recruitment guru in a previous life and Andrew Fitton is an international busineesman who, presumably, knows a thing or two about how to appoint decent staff, yet they're both still fucking around seemingly unable to make a decision.

If this was happening under the devious-previous  board, everyone would be going off on one accusing them of incompetence.

I'm really worried that we're just trying to get someone in on the cheap. Too many names seem to get mentioned, they glow red-hot for a while, then just fade away. I've had nothing but respect for Fitton to date - still have, but he needs to pull his fucking finger out on this as we're flirting in the relegation zone and look like a club who cant afford to pay the wages of a half-decent manager.

 

Given the latest news I would say it is odds on we will get one of the late contenders, i.e. Ince/Wilson/Speed/Hockaday.

It seems to me that Money and Calderwood are not able to join because of their respective clubs not agreeing with the transfer, Ince and Wilson have been sacked since and would probably jump at the chance given the circumstances and Speed would take it given the circumstances with his injury.  Hockaday would take it because he hasn't had a crack at management yet.  

Still an absolute farce with the amount of time that it has taken and the amount of press releases/speculation that has happened, and really does make a mockery of the club, whether we have a new board or not.  As much as I back AF and the gang, I wonder if he would be quite as happy watching this debarcle taking place at one of his other business interests other than Swindon Town FC.  Probably the only reason he is getting away with it is because 1.) As we all know he has saved our club so deserves the right to fuck things up now and again and 2.) We are all used to the same old shit happening in the past so why not let AF get away with it aswell.

Having said that. if anyone is asking why are we having so mauch trouble employing another manager, ask yourself would you want to work for a club, or let your member of staff go to a club that is conducting itself in a mannner in which we have witnessed over the past 5 weeks?

As much as I love AF and Co for saving our club, it has got to the point now where I am starting to wonder what the fuck is going on?

Have you thought about how other clubs see us these day's, now we have board that are worth millions.It just maybe they are trying to hold Mr Fitton to ransom and just maybe he wont pay extortionate amount's.Mr fitton may have said i've had enough of this and gone back to a manager where no compensation will have to be paid.

It's not as if the new manager would be in charge tomorrow anyway,i dont really see what all the fuss is about by waiting a few more days.

TBH I would have said exactly the same thing 3 or 4 weeks ago before all of the press releases that meant absolutely nothing were put out.

Yes AF seems like a good business man but how many busnesses do you see making random press releases stating what has been stated over the past 5 weeks and not expect clubs to hold us to ransom.  "one of the names will blow your socks off", "our next manager could cause the wow factor"

I'm sorry but the last 5 weeks makes no business sense whatsoever.

Hopefully after all this is done and dusted and the right man is in charge, AF will do what he has done so far, stand up and openly admit like he did with Mo, that mistakes have been made and that the club have learnt from it, that is all we can hope..

It's taken me 6 weeks to appoint someone into a 25k a year job, i didn't save my department from near total collapse within the past 12 months or spend my own money investing in the systems so far, amazingly this has caused little more than "how's it going" from those interested.

This has no significane other than I would be crap at doing this football recruitment malarky I suppose.

the way i see if we may hae a better offer on the table ,i'm sure waiting a little longer won't hurt

I don't mind us trying to get someone on the cheap. When I stood out the arkells protesting it was because the club was being run into the ground. If stability means not paying out the nose for instant fan gratification with the likes of wise/sturrock then fair enough.

I guess it's from that point of view that I find the lengthy appointment progress encouraging. A sign of ambition but on our own stability based terms.

Frustrating? Yes. But even if we really are back at square uno today, I'd say it was worth the fucking about for Fitton and co to approach the candidates who may have been a bit more work, even if it did result in failure. Even with hindsight I'd say it was worth the effort.

Would I be going mental in the same situation under the old board? Too fucking right I would. The current board aren't the old board though are they? They don't have the same record of incompetence of the old board, in fact their record so far shows the opposite. I'm willing to give them the time on this.

I agree with you, FB.

I'm pissed off with us fucking about, but I'm happy knowing that I can bitch about the club now it's in safe hands ;D

I agree with you on the press statements,but this could be Mr Fitton bending over backwards to please the fan's by keeping us informed,after all he did say we would always be kept informed over matter's since he took over the club.

Maybe some of his words like blowing socks off and wow were the wrong choice like you say,but i dont trust the adver, they could well be dramatizing what they get told or what they learn from the daily mail etc. 

I bet you don't really.

I fucking do, you cunt ;)

Have they forgotten we are battling relegation and have not won a game for a few months ?

So much for Money's release clause as some was spouting.

Pardew is available, forget Ince he will only stick around until something else come's along, or even Speed but if Sheff Utd wanted big compo before chances are they still do.

Let's go back to Dowie I'd be quite happy with him now.

The board cannot allow this to drag on too much longer, the manager needs to be in to asses the squad, crimbo is a key time and by Jan we could be adrift at the bottom if results go against us and we will be slightly less attractive.

Perhaps Fitton & Co need to lower their sights slightly.

What's the saying ? don't cut of your nose to spite your face ?

Dowie!!!
Whoever put the bet on, keep the faith, my source may of been right after all!

I have a sneaking suspicion that Danny Wilson will get it a decent manager who always gets teams playing passing football has worked in all the leagues and likes to bring through youth so he ticks all the right boxes.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/wdp/sport/Wilson-makes-late-bid-Swindon-s-new-manager-Money-deal-stalls/article-562323-detail/article.html

I think Fitton is living in cloud cuckoo land when he goes on about stability and getting a manager who will stay at the club long term. A manager will only stay at a club until something better comes along, so the only way our next manager will stay long term is if he is crap and we hover mid-table in the 1st. If he does well and we get promoted, he'll be off as soon as he gets an offer from a bigger, better club.

These days its seldom that a manager hangs around at a club for more than 2-3 seasons. I'd prefer we get the best manager even if that means he'll be gone in a season or two - it will move the club forward at least.

I see Sheff Utd have confirmed an approach for Speed and that they will let him go. Which begs the question of how much compensation they want. I can't believe it is that much given his age and current injury, £200k-£300k would seem reasonable as that is what we'd pay for a half decent player.

Its just crazy this is taking so long with so many decent managers out of a job at present, plenty of who could do a good job.

 You're actually well wide of the mark with your first assertion....there are some managers because of their media profile can get to move on up, because of their name, whilst there are others who have a lower profile who just get on with the job.

 As an example consider Paul Ince...got a job in the Prem , because of his name, OK did a steady job in the lower leagues, but many have done that as well...compare to Simon Grayson at Blackpool, done a very fine job, in getting them up and keeping them up in what is now a very tough league....never gets a mention.

 What Fitton wants is a Grayson...an Ince would fuck off pronto and put you back to square one.

Another example is Steve Tilson of Southend.

danny wilson for me....I'm gonna put some dollar on it now

Fitton wants a Gary Johnson type figure for us i think.

wont be long before he gets the boot at city so if we hold fire for another 6 weeks....hides

If we're doing all this fucking about in order to wait for Gary Speed I will be fucking disgusted.

I am also dusgusted

From what I've heard (which could be complete bollocks), the process hasn't started again. Fitton's just trying to appease the press and the fans whilst trying to get Calderwood who's been the number one target all along.

who got a win today.

If Forest werent going to let us have Calderwood 3 weeks ago we have exactly 0% chance of getting him now.

Move on.

Rumours I am hearing is that whoever it is that Fitton wants has an agent, and AF will not deal with agents.  If that is true and he continues with that stance (and it is an admirable one) I fear for the future as no manager or player will be coming here!

I dont have an agent, sign me up!!

Agents are part of football and at the end of the day we will be the ones missing out by not dealing with agents.

I'd be pretty suprised if none of the players we signed in summer had agents, particularly as Mark Marshall's was in the Adver every day until we signed him.

I feel it's also his stance regarding to paying "market rates", whereas its a case of "I will pay so much and not a penny more"


very similar to his ethics regarding transfer dealings but so so so much different with a manager

The thing is, if he really wants the perfect manager but won't pay the going rate for him then we'll be forever trying to get someone in. Somebody somewhere needs to bite the bullet and go off script a bit.

That's why I said it is oh so different with a manager, and this is not the normal commercial world.

This is football and falls completely outside the normal boardroom pissing contests

Indeed Fred.....also players are 10 a penny, if you look at the odds.....20-30 players at just about every club....up to 60 at Premier clubs......but only 1 manager and a couple of coaching staff.

Plenty of players to pick from but only a few with manager experience or potential.

exactamundo

Of course they had agents, but did AF pay them?  If the sticking point is paying the new manager's agent then I can see this rolling on and on!

I occasionally lurk on here, am a regular poster on MOS, but thought I'd put up what I've posted there about todays match. Incidently, in addition to the below, I did suggest to Nick Watkins that appointing Dowie would make a few posters on here a bit richer this xmas, but judging by his response, I'd say they see him too much as a short term appointment for that to happen.

Anway from MOS

in the Directors Box at todays game, and in the members lounge before and after. Can report there were no interesting sightings (ie Money, Ince Speed etc) watching todays game, but having spoken to a couple of people at the club, I can add a little to the above.

Speed was ruled out intially as Sheff U wanted to recoup the £750,000 they paid Bolton for him, obviously the situation there has changed this week with his injury. Money was all set to be unveiled but the £100,000 compo Mike Ashleys mob demanded was the stumbling block, reading between the lines it seems that rather than the amount, its the fact that the Money gave the impression his contract would let him walk away for less that is the problem.

Hockaday is madly passionate about the club, and regarded as a very good coach, him assisting Calderwood was seen as the Dream Team though Forest have scuppered that plan (there win at Saints today I suspect see's him safe for the January transfer window, and therefore the rest of the season). When the Money deal stalled they did consider Hockaday but were put off by his lack of managerial experience and a negative reaction from the fans, both on the net and in calls and e-mails to the club and Radio Swindon.

I had a chat with Don Rogers before the game today, well he did make he laugh.
I asked him who would be the next Swindon manager, he responded.

I knew last week, but I haven't got a clue right now!!!!

So, now we're only going to appoint managers the fan base like, well fuck me we really are fucking fucked!

There is not one manager in the entire world that would come here and not be moaned about and that for once is actually a FACT!!

Also, going back a bit.

100k is bloody nothing. We (supposedly) paid near that amount for Kasali Yinka Casal who has played a grand total of 6 games and is being kept out of the left back slot by Callum Kennedy (youngster) Michael Timlin (central midfield) and Jack Smith (right back)

What really worries me about PWP's post is if it is genuinely the case that the board are letting the selection of the new manager be delayed and even, seemingly set back to square one, by the "empty vessel makes the most noise" faction. FFS, if we're going down that route, why not run the whole damn thing as some kind of a "Gaffer Idol" poll on the Adver forum? I'm starting to agree with delta, and that worries me most of all

Fuck it, appoint Hockaday. I haven't got a problem with it. There are no guarantees and if he's another Malpas then he's another Malpas. I bet if this wasn't football connected, he'd have appointed him. He wouldn't be my no 1 choice but we need someone and someone now. 

Chalkie...they had 50 applicants,Hockaday didnt even apply!...surely there was one there worth a gamble.

I'm desperate and maybe Fitton shold go with his insticts. He fucked it up once, his instincts can't be that bad - he'd be bankrupt if they were.

But running a football club is a different kettle of fish.

I don't see AF as a gambler and I think that as soon as the preferred options disappeared they took a reality check on the situation rather than go with a knee jerk reaction just to get a manager in place for Saturday.

The fact is, is that since MM left and the selection process started various other managers have become available and to give an example of this Danny Wilson wasn't sacked until after the shortlist was drawn up and, given Wilson's experience over both Speed and Money, I think they want to assess the those new available managers for suitability.

I for believe it is the right thing to do, as frustrating as it maybe, for the long term success of the club.

He was a gambler when he appointed MM though surely?

Dave Hockaday would be fine, we are heading for the Div. II shitter anyway.

But Dave will need staff.  I have no problem with Byrne staying on, but whoever is responsible for coaching the back four and the goalies needs to go.

I was out up in Old Town tonight and saw Paul Sturrock, or (more likely) someone who looked like him.

Hockaday equals another mega Malpas-esque gamble. No thanks.

Right now I'd take anyone with league management experience, Andy King has got to be available for such a role anyway, sign him up.

MM was a learning curve and definately a lesson learnt that no matter how good a coach you are on paper, in football, you also need to be a motivator.

Good business people are allowed to make mistakes, what makes an exceptional business person, is the ability to learn from the mistake and not repeat it which is exactly why they are taking their time over the next appointment to ensure we don't again end up with second best

 I was out in OT last night and didn't see PS...he does still have a house here and a son to visit, so quite likely.

 

Fitton has said that he needs to apply a standard business model to the club and other clubs haven't done that and that is why so many are in the shit. If he has a mangagerial budget why would he blow it? He would then need to make cuts elsewhere.

Bit like buying a house really!

I don't understand all the dithering over appointing a new manager. There is no magic formula to appointing a succesful one you've just got to go with some one who has a proven track record.
He might as well of put Holloway's, Dowie and Money's name in a hat and picked one out.

Except there's no cmpensation for two of them, so we chose the third!

Someone needs to tell Fitton he's not recruiting for a business but for a football club. He needs to know that you cannot take 5 weeks or more looking for a manager if the team is as bad as it has been. We all know he wants to make the right choice but most clubs would have appointed Holloway 3 weeks ago and i believe we should have just done the same. Of course we must trust that AF will get it right but it's getting to the point now where i'd take any manager (except King, Iffy and Malpas of course).

well leeds have just sacked their manager!

Rumour on the Leeds sites that Gary Speed is lined up.

I've just looked again nothing about McAllister being sacked only they expected it.
If he has gone and Speed goes to Leeds, maybe this was the hitch in Fittons plan.

McAllister will be the next name linked then. Ince will get the Leeds job i reckon.

There's no way that will ever happen.

It's already up  on the Leeds official site that he's been "relieved of his duties",due to their bad

run of 5 consecutive defeats and that they want a new manager, who will be able to deal with

the impending january transfer window.

I'd be suprised if Leeds went for the popular former player option again. From what I've read it appears that Speed isn't interested in us anyway.

Poyet is the favourite now apparently.

How many times has the favourite changed? They've only just sacked McAllister! Or were you writing about us?

it's going to be dowie!

Them.

I don't think they'll risk Poyet.

bit bored of reading all the posts so thought I'd partake....and post a pointless post meself

not sure why Nick Watkins would go around telling some of the staff who they now want as Manager, and this is stating the obvious but I hear that Speed is the man we're going after now....it was the classic 'don't tell anyone but' speech.....which probably means its not him

on another note, the players don't like Byrne and Nalis said (ok, so I've seen milk turn quicker than him) that training is the worst he has seen at a club in his years as a pro....no shit sherlock!

Or put another way, plenty of the players do like Byrne but Nalis doesn't because it's really not worked for him here. Bitter dropped player in lashes out at manager/training/tea lady shock!

The only thing I hope Nalis likes is the fucking road out, the sooner he fucks off the better.

Nalis is mint, but not for us. It is akin to having a Rolls Royce engine in a clapped out banger.

Other way round surely? like having a Rolls Royce with a clapped out banger engine inside?

I'm not sure whether I'm more michael or DV on this - Nalis has been my biggest disappointment this season, was really excited when we signed him but it just hasn't worked out. I don't think that's entirely the player's fault, but I suspect he needs to be playing in a more "cultured" team that could perhaps make better use of the talents I think he probably still has. But he doesn't work in our team at the moment, sadly.

Spot on Pauld if Nalis plays and the game passes him by imo you need players that r going to do the dirty work around him

Surely Nalis is a bit too old and experienced to be bitter about not being selected?  You'd hope so, perhaps he is just being truthful.

correct Jan...folk I know who chat to him say he aint billy bog bollocks and as you're no doubt aware, he even drives a Smart Car to prove it :-)....FWIW I aint rated him either but it doesn't surprise me that training is slack given our performances...good habits and all that....centre of the park is crying out for a decent ball player...it is sad to see the majority of our team don't want the ball and aint prepared to step up to the mark and be counted...

we are in the shit, and I want a new manager as much as anyone but I don't want a panic appointment being made now as the new man will turn it around and regalvanise the team...we still have 25 games left of this season and when we go and win a few games on the trot, folk will soon be talking about the play-offs...PMSL

Didn't Fitton say that he would like a manager in the mould of Mcallister of Leeds  when he was in the middle of the recruiting process ?

If I'm correct then perhaps this is the chance for Gary to jump straight back into managment straight after being sacked.

Although I suppose he will have to agree a pay off with leeds before he takes another job, and knowing Bates he'll delay as long as he can.....

Oh well let's get Pardew instead

Fitton meant that he wanted someone affiliated with the club as McAllister was with Leeds, someone that wasn't going to get a hard time by the fans after they lost say, 5 games in a row. Oh.

Latest from thisis:

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/headlines/3994245.Fitton_admits_his_reputation_is_on_the_line/ (http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/headlines/3994245.Fitton_admits_his_reputation_is_on_the_line/)

Spot on , steer clear of ex players it will only end in disaster and tarnishing there memory as a player.
Just get a new man with no Swindon links we need fresh ideas fast.