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Think I have mixed feelings about the way that things are going at SN1.

Last year was glorious, in so much as we had a proper clear out and seemed to start again from scratch. I really admired the club for this as I think it was a bold move to removed the cancer. Then, it seemed as if we turned into Blackburn Rovers. Bringing in Holmes, McEverley and Bostock seemed a little over the top and I think contributed to us losing a Cup Final. But thats not my point...............

I'm excited about these 'better quality' players that are signing for us, but part of me doesn't like the MLB/NFL/NBA approach that we seem to be adopting ie Buying a team. I guess I wouldn't be keen to see wholesale changes in personnel both this year and next, perhaps, in order to secure back to back to back promotions.

There's part of me that pines for a run like in the 80s when the core team from the 4th division stayed with the club through to the Premiership. Upgrades were done along the way, but they were subtle rather than wholesale.

I guess I'm saying it would be more satisfying to win League 1 by improving the players that we currently have rather than buying success.
 

We have signed 3 out of contract players so far. Hardly spending big.

I think it is exciting that we seem to be trying to build a young (by and large) and talented squad. Hopefully it is a squad that can grow together and create some proper club legends. Wouldn't it be good to sit here in a couple of seasons and be able to say that the likes of Caddis, Ritchie and Ferry have played for us more times than David Duke and Jerel Ifil?

PDC's approach seems to be one of constant improvement. If he finds someone who is better than what he's got he'll sign them, on loan if necessary. This was most evident towards the end of last season when he was still signing new players even though we were running away with the league.

Don't see a problem with it myself. We're not spending crazy money, just buying sensibly. Plus we're building a squad for the Championship and we're still a long way off from having the players that could compete at that level.

We don't know yet who is leaving, but its reasonable to say that most would agree that not all those who served the team last season have the capacity to improve significantly.  In those circumstances, I don't think it is unreasonable, given that we are certainly keeping a substantial group of good players - Fodders, Caddis, Flint, Devera, McCormack, Ritchie, Ferry, Rooney, Benson, plus at least some of the others - maybe da Vita, Risser, Thompson.., that we bring in others, whether its 3, 4, 6 or whatever, that will keep the team moving forwards.  It is not like Blackburn when they were first promoted to the PL, who virtually got rid of the whole team which had got them there....

My worry isn't that we are buying the league. Its not like we are buying players that are so obviously too good for league 1 - there is no guarantee we will be anywhere near the playoffs. There is a gap between league 2 and 1, ask Chesterfield. Some of our current players probably aren't good enough for top of league 1 but were good squad players for league 2.

My worry is the financial sustainability of buying such players and what we will happen if we don't succeed in chasing the Championship dream in the next year or two. Wray is no idiot and has obviously committed a fair whack of the consortium dough on this to an agreed budget. But after decades of kick in the balls followed by kick in the balls I think most fans have this fear in the back of the mind.

Meh, I'll enjoy the ride and worry about it stopping if and when it does.

A dreamer, maybe.

I'm also hoping that Roberts isn't another Gareth Whalley, Neil Ruddock, David Geddis etc etc

We had to strengthen the squad to get out of league 2. It's clear that we need to do this again to get out of league 1. I'm glad we are in a postion to do this. Im glad we have a big name manager and board who back him to the hilt with money.

You should always aim to improve IMO. If better quality players are available then take them, no point resting on why we've got as for once the club is ambitious and the current crop won't get us out of league one!

I had doubts about whether or not we need the number of players being cited, but seeing the quality coming in I think there's nowt to complain about. Provided we don't spend massively beyond our means and there is a wage cap in L1. Also, the board have set a target to be in the CH in 3 yrs, so they are not heel bent (although eager) on going up at the first time of asking.

We'll probably get rid of a few more as well...... Bodon, Connell Kerrouche, Smith/Risser/Cox.

Before my time, but I agree that Macari's side had a spine that stayed with the club as we went up through the leagues.  But do we not also have that now?  If we are a Championship club in two years from now, I think it's perfectly feasible that Caddis, Ritchie, Ferry, Foderingham, Rooney could all still be there.  All players who would have had a role in the 2011/12 Division Four title winning season and who, potentially, could still be playing for the club two divisions higher up.

I think you may be overstating the point.  Again, I cannot verify because I was not around when it happened, but I'm sure I can remember someone making the point on here not so long ago that Macari also undertook some significant squad rebuilding in the summer of 1986.

Additionally, with a year left to run on his contract, Magera may well be given a chance to prove himself at L1 level.  I don't think L2 lent itself to his style of play and with a bit more open football could see him take off...

I'll be quite happy if PDC's signings for L1 do as well as Lou's new boy's did after winning Div 4.

Off the top of my head, Digby, Quinn, Chalky, Phil King and Tim Parkin all came in either in the summer or during the course of that season.

My only slight concern is that in recent memory, exciting signings have been a huge letdown  (Prutton, Cureton, some others)... i'm hopeful that this year they will live up to expectations.

I mentioned before it's all about getting players who are hungry to succeed, Williams and Collins come into that without doubt, I'm always dubious of players coming from higher leagues like mentioned above.

Young and hungry is best but we do need experience to know how to win games in this division.
Navarro and Roberts will give us as their previous clubs seem to suggest they have the right mentality.

I think that's why we might see an experienced centre back come in at some point also.

Still a young squad though overall.

Trying to think of the last goal scoring centre mid we had in the mould of Mcloughlin?

Grant Smith, albeit for a short spell.

The idea is clearly to push for promotion. Of course we are taking a risk. Players like Roberts can't have come cheap wage wise even if he was a free. We took risks last year and it paid off. To go up again we'll need to the same. I'm all for it to be honest but of course if we do fail to go up within the next 2 years it could affect the club in the longer term.

Easton

Kevin Horlock

none fit to lace Alan Mcs boots

Steve Foley overlapped Alan Mac, but was here after AM had moved on.  They are a rare species and therefore highly desirable.

I think the "core" of last season will remain in the side this season.
We won the league last year but you could still see the weaknesses and gaps. Left Back, Another Midfielder and a Goalscorer.
After years of misery and selling players to survive I would take this "time" at Swindon as magical. I know where you are coming from a few years back but the aim is Championship.
We are bringing in players who can cut it in Div 1 and at a push make it in the Championship.

Enjoy the ride mate. Think of what could have happened if Diamond Mike & the Portugese were running the Club ?
You could be talking about a player good enough for the Conference South that would be a useful addition to the squad.

These are great times and I can't wait for the season now.

Man City bought the league....no doubt about that.

There attendances will not dwindle....and the million or so who saw the team go through the City with the trophy do not give a hoot whether money is spent or not in pursuit of Glory.....that is me that is.

I want teams to fear us because of the quality in the team....that will cost.....its time after a century in the doldrums(more or less) we aim higher.

With this manager i believe we will be in the Premiership in three years....but it will cost.

In fairness we havent shipped out many players have we?we havent got rid of many first team regulars or people who played much of a part last season.

The likes of De Vita, Smith, Risser and Connell who all did a job are all still here, it is only certain fans that have written them off - not Di Canio, well not yet anyway - as they are all still here.

To be honest, my opinions/sentiment towards footballers disintergrated after the debacle of 2010/11. There is no loyalty from clubs nor players anymore, so as far as I am concerned any strategy that brings us success is the right one. Regardless of who is sold, who is brought in, how much we pay ect. As long as the club is still secure and we are moving in the right direction I could not give a fuck who is bringing us success or what other fans think of us and our percieved 'big money' spending/chopping and changing.

Think we're miles away from buying success because we've signed a couple of Div 3 freebie journeymen and a raw but promising Div 4 striker. Evidence suggests that we need a bit of strengthening just to stay in Div 3 . We have been relegated twice from here in the last 6 years.

Div 3 as we know is a horrible league to get out of in an upward direction....last time we managed it we were spending 500K on a striker in the close season. Now if we were doing something like that, then I think you could say we were 'buying' our way out of the league.

Interesting topic, and got me thinking about the idea that we kept the core of the Div 4 winning team.

So looking back at Lou's team/squad, of the 12 players that played in the most amount of games that season, only 6 of them were to repeat that the following season.

Andy Rowland didn't play again,
Bryan Wade & Charlie Henry were much less used the following season.
Colin Gordon was sold.
David Cole only played a handful of games & was replaced by Tim Parkin
Kenny Allen was similarly replaced by Fraser.

Of the regulars that played the following season, joining the afore mentioned Digby & Parkin we did see Jimmy Quinn, Mark Jones, Phil King & Steve White join all of which were regularly in the starting line-up that season.

The following season was a similar story, with Rambo, Stumpy & Coyne out of the team to be replaced by Bobby Barnes, Jon Gittens, Kieran O'Regan & Steve Foley as regulars.

In fact, by the time we got to what is effectively the championship, only four of that league winning squad played regularly (Fridge, Kammy, Bambi & Hockaday), although Stumpy played 20 odd games too.


I guess the point is that there is always a turnover of players when you move up a division.
Even those that stay are in danger of being replaced by new faces, even more so in this day and age with the Bosman ruling.

Fuck me reg has started already.

Ha Ha, DRS

However, as usual, an interesting take on the situation from Reg  [was the £500k striker the Chief?!]

We are not "buying" our way out of the division as such but I suspect that in the current climate we are moving up the expenditure league over previous seasons.  Collins, Roberts and Williams will ALL receive a signing on fee and obviously our wage package (as well as "ambition" and PDC's charisma) has had to impress them.

Whilst this is a long way short of "buying" success, I would venture these are the sort of players who always used to slip our grasp and go somewhere else (usually Huddersfield wasn't it?).  It is a positive that finance, the board and PDC are changing our place in the League One pecking order for attracting players and equipping us for success, if not buying it.

The original point however is an anxiety that we may be overspending and oddly enough I am not sure what financial benefits would accrue from reaching the Championship.  Are Coventry, Portsmouth and even recently promoted Scunny in great financial shape?  Two of them (unlike us) at least have a high volume of core support to aid revovery if well managed.

For the moment I feel we have spent some money on some interesting players and this will bring its own pressures.  PDC has not been afraid of this last season though so let's risk some optimism, shall we and leave the finances to the Board, eh?

Scunny have just signed Kennedy on 1300 a week.My point was more about looking like relegation fodder.

I'm not suggesting we'll look like relegation fodder (yet  :) ), just that it's a basic for any promoted side to do a bit of strengthening, if they can as the first target has to be the 50 point mark,then see where you can go from there.

Which seems to be what we're doing, which is good, as the likes of Chesterfield and Wycombe didn't do and paid the price. Fuck knows what Bury did.

I've not got mixed feelings in the slightest.

We've finally got an ambitious board, an ambitious manager and they're assembling an ambitious squad. We've had plenty of the opposite in the past, let's just enjoy the ride.

This

I concur.

Agreed

After reading comments on this topic I can only agree with Banbury that thank goodness we seem to be going forward and with the passion and professionalism that has NEVER been seen here before.
We have an international coach / manager who has impressed everybody who he seems to come in contact with.
A professional commercial manager in Nick Watkins and a Board that has put their money on the line.
From where I am sitting and with my memory I am sure this situation has never happened to Swindon in the fifty years that I have had an interest with the club.....and I am sure prior to that time Swindon were always in the poor house !!!.  
My advice is to take advantage of seeing STFC become a proud football club and just perhaps true success will come our way

Come on STFC make it happen for all of us.    :)

Not to mention Stevenage. Sometimes, the winning mentality (and a good crop of players) can take you through the leagues without much tinkering.

Let's not forget that the increase in season ticket prices will generate at least £500k more this season compared to last. That may or may not be spent on contractual wage increases with promotion to league 1.

We'll probably get more away fans through the gates too.

Obviously we cannot sustain year-on-year losses, but we're definitely speculating with our spending to reach a future equilibrium. At the moment our debts are all to the owners, a development of the stadium is going to require much more funding. The way we're spending money at the moment (be it perceived to be excessive or ok) is going to fit within the framework of this plan i.e. I trust our management is not stupid to factor every aspect into an overall plan. They wouldn't have purchased the club if not.