Thetownend.com

Villa is the priority, not Stevenage - says Di Canio
           
           


  PAOLO Di Canio has ripped up the old footballing cliche of ‘one game at a time’ by revealing that next week’s clash with Aston Villa, rather than tomorrow’s visit to Stevenage, is his highest priority.

           

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/headlines/10008748.Villa_is_the_priority__not_Stevenage___says_Di_Canio/?ref=rss
           
           
           

How bizarre.

Glad I'm not going tomorrow then.

Idiot.   ::)

Paolo, the love affair is cooling.  I'm going to stop returning your calls soon.

in fairness the Villa game is a much bigger game imo

i sort of agree with him. we beat villa, we lift the embargo and paolo is happy again. plus it could mean another decent tie at the CC or even a bigger club away

I know what you're saying magicroundabout, only thing is by saying this publicly if we now lose to Stevenage with a weakened team and then get beat by Villa anyway di canio looks like a bit of a twat.

Is Paolo maybe doing his usual of deflecting attention from the players and on to himself and not putting pressure on them for tomorrow's game?

He could have said this before I bought my Stevenage ticket.

agree completely. saying something like this publicly is a bit stupid.

I wouldn't say he deflects pressure from his players at all, in fact I would say he does just the opposite.

The recent people he's deflecting pressure onto and away from himself is the board.

No, he's being a dick.

Personally I would rather he talk like this than criticise the players as he has been doing recently. As for the Villa game, although maybe slightly deluded, if we win it the pay day would be good for us so I understand why he's focusing on it. I guess we've just got to see how the next few games pan out, if we do well I bet everybody changes their tune......again!

I'm sure a lot of us Swindon fans are getting fed up with the crap he is spouting now, its like he is having constant digs at the board, the league is more important than Villa, yes its a big game and could land us a massive game if we win but in reality it will be a very difficult game to win and I'd rather get promotion than get Man U in the next round.

I wonder what the players think when he keeps saying stuff like this?

I would have thought, the players being with him day in and day out, know inifinitely more about what he is thinking, what his priorities are etc etc, and are not at all concerned about what pdc cares to dribble out to the press...

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but the daily PdC-bashing is really getting on my tits.

Who cares what he says or does. We are probably where most people thought we would be in the league plus the added bonus of a high profile cup tie on Tuesday.

Some really do have short memories of the dull, grey seasons endured by fans recently.

Maybe if we are in danger of relegation the league should be the priority?

Haha

Just read Risser has been given permission to play against us tomorrow

Yay

That is a big boost.

Agree with Paolo here, would much rather win in front of a full house on Tuesday - those are the matches you remember when you look back on Di Canio's reign when he eventually departs.

You may be right, something doesn't add up.....

As nuts as Paolo is, and as petulant as he may seem he certainly isn't stupid.

The situation with the embargo must surely have been explained to him and I'm sure he would have understood it so why continue to blame the board when he would surely understand they are doing what they can? Also, he said recently his chat with Patey went well and no doubt the embargo would have been on the agenda so again it doesn't make sense for him to moan about the board. It would make more sense if he was complaining about the FA.

It wouldn't be the first time he has tried using mind games (with mixed results). Or maybe he's just having difficulty articulating himself?

This

An away glamour tie (or home game on TV) in the next round could lift us out of the embargo, so in that respect it is more important than the Stevenage game. If he's so desperate to bring in new players than I guess he could be willing to sacrifice the Stevenage game for a shot at Villa.

...or more likely, it's just mind games! I'm sure the players have been made aware of how important tomorrow's game is.

Exactly this. Mind games - transfers a bit of pressure onto Stevenage!

Seeing as I can't make Tuesday and I'm heading up to Stevenage for this one, I will be mightily pissed off if we field a 'weakened team' and lose as its costing me a bomb to get up there.

Paolo talks like a fan.

Us oldies all still remember beating Arsenal & Wolves (in the first leg) in the league cup in 79/80.
Whereas we probably don't remember, without looking it up, who we played in the league games just after.

If we win at Stevenage & beat Villa it's obvious which one would be remembered in 30 years time (unless we can beat Stevenage 8-0 ;) )

This is my thinking. He's been so good at it in the past.

I must have it wrong then as I just see him telling it how he sees it.think he does this all the time when questioned.

Or he's telling it as the board/money men see it.

Rotherham at home - 3-1 - Mayes 2, Rowland. Cracking game

explain.don't get it

Villa is the more important game in the grand scheme of things, because if we win and land a plum tie the embargo gets lifted.

Allthough I live 20 mins away from Stevenage, I can't go on Saturday, as a mix up with the calendar means the Mrs is off to the theatre in London, and I have the kids !

Having said that, I am out in Hertford in the evening if anyone fancies celebrating a win with a pint !
Obviously, it won't be as important as celebrating a win over Villa, but...

It has to be mind games long term the league is the priority - it luls Stevenage who are on a good run and are well placed at the moment into thinking the players wont be trying hard as they are focussing on the villa game

Paolo is absolutely spot on here. Give me Paolo's interviews every week over the well worn cliches of a Danny Wilson or Paul Hart.

Will fans really not go tomorrow because Paolo says the Villa game is more important? If we miss out on promotion by a point or two it won't just be because of the Stevenage result ( if we lose ) I'll be more inclined to look at results against Colchester, Orient, Scunthorpe and no doubt a couple more poor proformances before the end of the season.  Paolo and probably the players are thinking the same as a good percentage of our supporters about the Villa game being bigger but it's not something you expect a manager to come out with on the eve of a league game.

I reckon Paolo his a right proper giggle to himself after some of his press work.

Well my mind is mate up. If PdC doesn't think this game's very important then neither do I and I have decided not to attend.

(This was a decision I made 6 weeks ago, but now I've got a better excuse than the original, 'can't be arsed' one).

Probably shouldn't have said it, but that's true of about 90% of the things he says, and about 70% of the time he's just expressing his honest opinion rather than trotting out the old managerial clichés to avoid answering a question. Regardless of whether beating Aston Villa might lift the embargo or not, I think the biggest effect would be puncturing all the negativity that's been building up around the club the last few weeks (which a big game like Aston Villa could achieve in a way Stevenage probably could not).

I must admit though, the most likely outcome at the moment looks like:

1. The players go in half-hearted at Stevenage (sadly inevitable anyway imo) not wanting to get injured for Tuesday
2. We get beaten comfortably to the anger of the travelling supporters, who'll moan about wasting money and the players and manager not trying etc.
3. We get outclassed and defeated anyway by Aston Villa (because lets face it, they're a Premiership team, we're not in good form and half our players are out injured)
4. This whole thing blows up in Di Canio's face
5. The stupid c*nts that interview him goad him again with questions they know are going to get volatile responses they can make headlines out of for the next week
6. Di Canio goes into an expletive filled post-match rant on camera bemoaning his current situation and denouncing the board, the players and the fans as traitors for not subscribing to the 3 year plan
7. That post-match rant being played every 15 minutes on SSN for the rest of the following week
8. The process of a total u-turn of opinion on these boards from acolytes uniform in their praise for Di Canio as an instant club legend and managerial genius to furious revolters uniform in their denouncement of him as a deluded and arrogant tw*t who should get out of our club as soon possible; rubber-stamped by a load of 'long-time' supporters coming out of the woodwork going on about watching Swindon since the 60s to qualify themselves as experts on football and the history of the club in the anti-Di Canio 'and his type' spaz-out that follows ('Swindon Town existed long before Paolo Di Canio and will exist long after' etc. etc.)

Or maybe we'll win both games and everyone will be happy. Fuck knows it's football.

Can I have option two, please?

I am going tomorrow and I personally would like to see us play the strongest team we can in the league! The cup has been a nice distraction and I'm sure the potential money we could earn by beating Villa would lift the embargo and also land us a plum tie with TV very likely. 3 points tomorrow would set us up nicely for Tuesday!

Setting the scene for a weakened/experimental line up tomorrow to save players for Tuesday?

Wouldn't be surprised to see Louis Thompson in midfield tomorrow.

If Paolo is really serious about not taking chances with injuries ahead of Tuesday he will surely rest Wes ? Can't see it happening, if anything he will bring key players off if he gets the opportunity due to the scoreline but can't see many changes apart from that.

After you posted I had to check, & I now call bollocks :)

Of course the Villa game is more important-we lose against Steve and we can still go up.I think it's what annoying people call a "no brainer".

What's your favourite cheese?

I reckon oakley might play.

Have sam morsheads latest tweets re comments on football forums about loaded questions to paolo from journalists been discussed?

And Bedwell

was just about to post this

[url width=720 height=1280]http://i.imgur.com/DswkE.png[/url]

Also note the reply with tans homemade avatar

The Townsend Forum? Is that something to do with The Who?

Townsend forum?

No one likes a fucking grass.

What. A. Cock.

I read that as Danny Dyer initially.

FWIW i agree with Sam.  The journos ask the questions, paolo chooses to answer them in his roundabout way.

If questions about the embargo weren't asked we'd be killing him and he does ask and we kill him. 

I feel this could back fire. Seems like we are putting way too much pressure on ourselves to beat villa. Yes they are not the best prem team but FFS they are premiership and at the moment we can't beat teams like Scunthorpe. The cup should be a welcome distraction from the pressure if trying to gain promotion. I want the team to play, enjoy and test themselves against premiership quality. I hope the place rocks and vibrates with the amount of noise. Lets all enjoy it.

haha, not suggesting that is tans but thought it ironic that the guy had nicked his avatar from one of the Townsend forum idiots

Not sure if Sam's comments RE 'goading Di Canio' are in reference to my post earlier, but if they were I can assure him the 'goading' comment was directed at the person who interviews Di Canio on Wiltshire Sound, in particular a question he asked him a couple of weeks ago: 'I hesitate to ask this, but if the Swindon board don't get this embargo lifted would you have to consider your future at the club?'

When you just want to hear some glimmer of sanity, some fleeting hope of stability on the horizon amid the disaster zone of a Di Canio post-match interview, he goes and asks a question like that and got the inevitable response. It's his job I suppose, but it didn't exactly endear me to the guy.

What an insult...as much as I like the Who, Townsend is a member of the glitterati allegedly.  I know we've got DMR and Jayo on here, but come on.

What a cunt. Stealing my homemade avatar.

Thats my twitter hate target for the night sorted.

Cunt!

Goading? Di Canio doesn't need goading, he's self-goading. Do you all seriously think that if it hadn't been for that nasty Chris Wise with his oh-so-clever questioning PDC would have kept his yap shut about the M'Bargo? Have a word.

It may have escaped everyone's attention but it's a journalist's job to ask questions. If the idiot answering them can't do so without sticking his size 9 firmly in it, that's his look-out, not the journalist's fault.

There is no pressure on us whatsoever. If Villa put out their best team, we would lose to it most of the time. To win I feel we'd need a fully fit squad, firing on all cylinders and a slice of luck. If we lose then so what, we should do!

If Villa put out a healthy dose of stiffs and kids with a half arsed attitude then that's a different story.

But a good performance is still a big thing. We have lots of "day trippers", lets put in a spirited performance and entice some back.

Bigger game than Stevenage, actually I think it is in some ways..

This would be the main thing for me. Our last two home games have not been great. I hope we can get the ball down and play like I know they can instead of playing head tennis. Sounded like the second half if the Crewe game gives a positive impression we might start good. If we win I'm gonna feel like running on the pitch even though I won't. Been looking forward to this and watching it getting closer ever since the draw was made.

Would have to say if there is a good time to play Villa it's now, it's been their worst start to a season in 43 years and have only scored 6 goals this season. They also are playing Norwich tomorrow without a recognised centre back due to injuries. We are sandwiched in between Norwich and Sunderland which are both big games for Villa due to their league positions which may determine what side they play against us. Of course Villa should still put us out of the cup and if we have a bad night they could do it in style but if we beat them it will be a bigger shock to outsiders than us.

Well i reckon more people read the Townshed forum than the Adver these days.....though i did have a chuckle at the Roy of the Rovers reporting after the Scunny match.

Alan Mac is on 4 yellows, if he was booked tomorrow would he miss the Villa game or next league game?

Doubt it, alan mac is in hospital after a kidney op

He's back home now Tans ;) Wish him well and hope he has a full recovery from the dreaded cancer.

Fair dos

I quite like The 'Townsend' forum. Pauld is right though, pretty sure it doesn't take forensic questioning to get newsworthy stuff out of Paolo.

How could he get the name wrong?

Does he think the actual Town End is called the Townsend? Does he get tickets for the Townsend or something?

Going slightly off topic but who was the chief sports writer at the Adver before Gary Rose? My mind has gone completely blank.

Got a feeling his name was something like Anthony Morrison and went on to be Newcastles journal despite being pretty bad.

Anthony Marshall I think his name was, that's the one.

Don't you remember 'tone on town'?

 :hmmm: