Thetownend.com

Brighton fan in peace here, hope you don't mind me posting.  First off, great to see you guys back in the mix and poised for Championship footie. Always liked your team except when we're playing you. I was there at your place last year when you played us off the park and promptly stuck twenty on you chaps for promotion.

My question is this: how do Town fans now feel about PDC as manager? Have the stay-aways because of his politics warmed to him or is there still bad blood? And how did you fans take to his style of footie? It took some time for Albion fans to get their heads around a patient passing game but we're loving it now. And do you think he's there for the long-term?

That's 4 questions, apologies. My view, fwiw is that PDC is mad as hell but clearly got a very good footballing brain. I'd take him over Pulis or Mick McCarthy any day of the week.

Fucking love the man.


He's quite obviously a mental headcase but I love him.

He gets results which is the most important thing of all.

Ive got a bit of a love hate view on him. There have been times when I wish he would just shut his mouth, points where i was not bothered about when he left and there are times when the guy is absolutely talismatic if thats even a word! I was disappointed with the decision to let connell go on a free, I questioned his handling of the Caddis situation, dissappointed with how he has wasted a lot of money on silly signings, easy jet maggera, the italian goalie who's name i forget and how he sometimes makes knee jerk reactions in games. Then there is the talismatic side to him, the guy who flew off in a helicopter after his father passed away only to return a few days later to manage the team in their next game, the guy who i can imagines lives and breathes our club 24hrs a day preparing for our next game making sure all details are covered, the guy who has installed so much passion and determination in our squad that they are prepared to train harder than any other team in our league, the guy who has given us so many new songs to chant from the stands, the guy who is prepared to sell his image rights and put his own money in to benefit the club and finally the guy that punches the dugout and walks out onto the ground and holds the swindon town scarf aloft to all those that stay and the guy that has given us so many good memories on the pitch. All in all i absolutely love the bloke and will be sad when he goes but id imagine he will always be in our hearts and we will always be in his, but our club will move on a prosper with and without him.

^^^Agree with most of the above post ^^^

He's definitely frustrated and annoyed for the above reasons. But he sure gets result and passion out the team. Not sure that I can think of another manager that we could realistically attract I'd rather have here.

The only question mark over him is whether he can be effective with a tight budget. Up to now he's had comparative luxury in the transfer market of buying a lot of his targets, only to let them go again when he realises they are not good enough/falls out with them. It would be interesting to see what happens when he gets a "no, you bought them so you are stuck with them" answer. My personal opinion is the bloke wants to win at all costs, so he's not likely to stay at a club that won't support him with new players in such a situation. Thankfully even though we may have reached that stage, he's amassed a good squad while the cheque book was open...

I'm not sure the stay aways have changed their views as such, but I'm sure one or two are back to see the football.

The above two posts pretty much sum up my views perfectly.

Di Canio is a very complex, conflicting type of person so that's going to be reflected in peoples' views and feelings about him.

I've been critical at times and make no apologies for that. However, one day he'll be gone without warning and when people look back at his time here, it will be seen as one of the most memorable/enjoyable periods in the Club's history. That is saying something and that is the ultimate compliment I can pay him.

Other than that, nothing to add to the above.

Best manager we've had since Hoddle, possibly better.

Nice sideburns.

Eccentric managerial genius, that often tests the patience of the fans and players...And requires a patient and generous board (that's an understatement!)

But the brand of football we now play, the fitness of the squad, and the results are probably the best we've ever had.

I think these questions are really hard to answer!  Like everyone above, I can only look on in wonder at what he has achieved on the field, yes with relative freedom in the transfer market, and a range of mistakes along the way.  The last three games - after a very iffy season at home so far - suggest that something key has clicked and very suddenly.  I believe that he has finally won the battle about discipline and who is in charge.  Whilst we would all have our favourite players, and in terms of objective quality, there are probably those who are better than others, what we are seeing now is fourteen players +, from whom it is really difficult to name 'man of the match'.  Whether it is Wes in goal, Darren Ward as a rock solid centre back, a renewed Si Ferry as the midfield engine room, or any of the forwards, each one uses his gifts for the whole team, and they all seem to know where everyone else is and what they are doing.  That is a huge achievement from two seasons ago.  It has been very uncomfortable at times, most obviously with the Caddis affair and the upbraiding of Wes, but PdC seems to have won, and has brought the current team with him, for whom there is now much praise coming from his lips!

Genius, however, is extraordinarily difficult to live with much of the time, and i think there are large areas of the life of the club (which is so much more than just the football of the first team) which is having to cope with a lot of fall-out from this particular genius.  And, however loveable and passionate the individuals within an institution are - and i know that we are blessed with some outstanding people, it is really difficult for an institution to deal with a genius, especially one in such a prominent position who doesn't have the 'benefit' of a diplomatic, media savvy, gentle, polite British way of doing things.  Can this be resolved?  Not by compromise - to compromise a genius removes exactly what makes him special.  Can the institution catch up?  I'm not sure.  There is really important work going on in business, in the community, in the lower levels of football development which has to be managed and inspired just as much as the first team.  I believe the board is absolutely key to the future.  I think it is wrong that the board is made up only, or primarily of the investors.  They, unless they are totally potty about STFC, have their own agenda - perfectly legitimate, but it is first and foremost about the management of their own money.  Unless there is a broadly-based board, representing all aspects of the club, with a charismatic counter-balance to PdC at its head, I think the dangers inherent in PdC's character could end up being very destructive for the club as a whole.  He has won a battle with the players he is responsible for.  Others in the club are not within his remit.

So, in short, I believe Di Canio is both brilliant and dangerous in equal measure.  His is a work in progress, which, as a supporter, I love....it has been fantastic going to the County Ground these past few weeks, and I have no doubt that (provided the bubble doesn't burst) the crowds will continue to grow as a result, in itself an important contribution to the development of the club.  But it still has to be managed, in a way which does not emasculate the genius, but which ensures the whole institution can flourish in the fertile soil of what he has achieved.  It is too soon to judge the new chairman.  He seems to have made sorties on the PdC front.  Has he made similar sorties with the board?  Who knows?  I don't envy him his job.

Sorry, skin_im....uve said in three lines what I was trying to say!!

L2 champions
Cup Wembley finalists
Multiple giant killings
Sexy football
L1 promotion candidates
Significantly increased media coverage

I'll take that

I love him. I don't much care for every word that comes out of his mouth but it's all part of who he is and you can't and should never reign him in. His scatter gun approach to transfers was a little worrying last season but this season pretty much all of the summer signings are regular fixtures of the squad and the loans have been much more successful this time round.
Easily the most enjoyable period to support Swindon in my time as a fan.

Quality post absolutely spot on. For those who say he's better than some very good managers we've had in the past,he has also had considerably more financial backing than any of them.
We definitely have the best owners in the history of the club,but not perhaps, the best manager.

I pretty much agree with all of that Benzel.

Well obviously apart from the last part because I am a lot older than you and it is not anywhere near matching the Macari period or the rise to the Premier league for me....yet...but thats not to say we won't do it under Paolo.

You have to take him how he is, good or bad, and there has been a lot of bad but the good far outweighs that bad.

I was born in 86 so I feel partially responsible for that rise :)

Oh and RWB Robin....excellent post.

Will become one of our best ever managers if he gets us to where he wants us.

The crucial thing for me is what we do when he leaves. Paolo will have built foundations for many years so when the time does come when he leaves we have to get a manager in place who has the same principles to drive this club forward.

 

Go to Mex's pub and have a chat to him.

I think one of the things people haven't touched on yet is the effect he's having at the club that'll be here after he's gone. His willingness to chuck home-grown players who previously had no caps to their name into the front line is something to be respected. Bedwell did well when Wes got hoiked off at PNE. Nathan Thompson's made a right name for himself now. Miles Storey, well there is some over-reaction as to his talent, especially having only seen him in the Villa game myself, but he's going to come on to be a really great player. Louis Thompson is getting the odd cap here and there, even with our midfield as it is. I mean four players does not a team make, but if you look at all the youth that's come and gone through the club without even catching a glimpse of the first team (at least in my lifetime), you really have to respect the legacy Paolo's building here.

Some could say that's Paul Bodin's doing, but I think it's less the leadership of the youth team themselves, and more Paolo's mentality, technical knowledge, and training. Plus it must be pretty bloody inspiring to be told you're a good player by Paolo di bloody Canio....

Will be very sad to see him go when he does. Wish he could stay here forever, but I fear he has a great managerial career ahead of him and will be sorely missed. I mentioned on the Mangerial Merry go round thread about his politics, so I won't repeat it. I am so, SO proud to have the privilege to see Swindon Town play under one of the best spells of management we've seen in twenty years, especially as I missed all our good periods, and my main early memories of the Town are under Andy King...

The thing I think a lot of people looking in from the outside don't realise about Di Canio's brand of football is he doesn't really play the patient passing game at all.

When he is able to impose his style on a match, it leads to a high-tempo, frenetic game based on a belief in superior fitness levels to the opposition and greater desire from his players, pressurising the opposition to win the ball high up the pitch, getting the ball up the pitch as fast as possible (whether that be long balls, balls into channels or passages of short intricate passing) and trying to score from the first minute to the last.

When this works, as it has been recently, it's probably the most exciting and dominant brand of football i've watched at the CG. But it requires the players to be 100% committed in every game and unsurprisingly this doesn't always happen.

This. Imagine if we still had someone like Paul Hart...

Completely agree. Di Canio's football is like the man: energetic, unrestrained, open, vibrant, fluent and attacking. There's nothing patient about it, unless it's called for.

I recall a few games where he's let the opposition do what they want up until the final third, then press hard, hunt in packs and break at pace in numbers.

He's a man that changes tactics and personnel on a whim, he studies the opposition to such a degree, players and styles of play vary depending on the opposition.

He doesn't do the usual, as expected, 60-70 minute subs that other managers do, he actually changes players when he wants. 20 mins, 40 mins whenever, he knows what he is doing.

Sometimes his personality grates, and if we're not playing great he can rile me as much as thisis, but when we're playing well, he's a genius, we're unplayable (relatively speaking) and I want his babies.

One thing I love about him (forgetting his loyalty and total desire to win) is he's man enough to admit mistakes and he's able to change and adapt in a footballing sense - you don't leave Coverciano as number 1 for being unskilled.

If he can learn to manage his ability to deal with flawed and lazy players (doubtful - he demands 110%, at all times, no excuses) he could be a top, top manager.

Enjoying every minute of it, the ups and the downs.

In terms of the perception on budget, if I am right, our budget this season for expenditure is very similar to the two seasons Wilson had here.  The only real difference is we spent a little bit on buying someone, but even that was more than we had believed we would pay, hence the embargo.  So while he has had freedom to make decisions on players, in and out, in rapid succession, he is not operating on some mammoth budget that we haven't really seen here before.  I'd hazard a guess that this time we are seeing more players come and go but on less money than we may have paid before for a smaller squad (so each earning more on average).

Compared to Managers of the past, well McMahan was allowed to spend close to £400,000k on a striker at this level, and Hoddle had a team with players generally purchased for cash.  Macari was the last man to work wonders on a real shoestring, much of which was gained by telling the FA we were paying the players less than we were to work the tribunal system and the taxman!  Still, worked out alright eventually!

Surprising to me if that's true. My perception is based on bringing in the likes of Atiku, Comazzi, Lanzano and paying them up as soon as, then bringing in the like of Rooney and shipping them out on loan and falling out with Clarke and Caddis.

It feels like we've wasted loads of money, even if that isn't reality.

Yeah me too

Can't stand him, looking forward to his departure

That sums it up perfectly

The best.

You just know the players have to give 100% and that is what fans want.

It will be a sad and quiet place when he goes, but STFC goes on.
For now loving every minute in these difficult times.

Look forward to every game like a kid looks forward to Christmas.

My question is this: how do Town fans now feel about PDC as manager? Have the stay-aways because of his politics warmed to him or is there still bad blood?

I'm not convinced there were many stay away fans. We had dropped to division 4 before PDC had managed a game and was always going to lose a few fans.
There has been the odd one or two fruit loops on here who threw their toys out of the pram.
I've enjoyed the football, great entertainment. I've enjoyed the mans honesty, for too long we've had managers telling us we have just watched a triffic game and it was crap.

Welcome oldboy and congrats on your win over Newcastle.
Poyet has them playing some nice footie.

As for Paolo it has been an incredible time with him at the helm,me personally there has been times like the Fotheringham incident i have wondered if he would last.....i have said this before but i feel the passing of both his parents in the last year or so has probably made a manic man a little more mannicker(new word there).
He reminds me of Brian Clough in a way...the way he used to keep the Forest board and the fans on there toes.
I think the league is there for the winning...and fairly comfortably in my view......will Paolo be here this time next year....only he can answer that.....or can he :D

Agree with this.

Yes, I also agree.  And possibly some movement on the Caddis and/or Austin fronts as well.

I think the past 18 months have been nothing short of brilliant. I've always wondered as a younger Town fan what the days under Macari would have been like when the club was on the up and pushing up through the leagues, winning games and playing good football. Well at last it finally seems to be happening again. It's not just the results, it's the passion and dedication of the man. Sure he has his flaws (his man management skills don't sit well with big ego players like Leon Clarke and there have been more than a fair share of bust ups) but overall his entertainment value is brilliant.

There is such a good buzz around the club at the moment. Even last season (as brilliant as it was) is now starting to be eclipsed by this season in my opinion as although we pissed the league in the end last term the football this season has been a lot better from us and recently we've just been pissing on teams. I love the attack, attack, attack mentality we are developing. No fear, pure commitment and dedication and the hunger to demolish teams. If we can keep it up I think we've got a good chance of the autos again.

Was only thinking this the other day, In the ideal scenario a player or coach would be alongside learning the trade the dicanio way and takeover from him in a classic bootroom move.
More club need to work this way rather than starting a fresh each time hoping it pays off.
Unfortunately Bodin is the only option and they don't appear to get on.

Or perhaps a senior player like Ward ?

Problem with that is the manager tends to take people like that with hit.Last time we did it we did not do too well

We should stick to giving high profile ex-players their first jobs in management as it's always worked well for us.

McMahon arguably didn't work well..

McMahon inherited a team that could have won that season if they were managed by a retarded Gorilla...

I vaguely remember McMahon saying the following season, when we were second and had something like 39 points, "at least we won't be relegated..."  which was shortly followed by the suicide of the physio and a slide down the table into an abyss

Ha, can anyone remember the Keep the Faith campaign? My mate went along and was given a Keep the Faith T-shirt and was photographed with McMahon. Shame we lost faith  :).

The same Gorilla would have won League Two last season with the resources Paolo had.


Guess you're referring to Kevin Morris? In which case, Gorman was manager at the time so it was before McMahon.

Di Canio is doing a great job, in more than one aspect.. With his "madness" made media talk about Swindon. Everybody wanna listen to the last Di Canio rant :D :D
 
But obviously what is really making the difference is the job on the pitch.. The position in league one is really good at the moment,for a promoted team, but more important from what I read Swindon plays a really attractive football..  Di Canio looks like a complete coach..  ppl may think he can't manage men in a proper way, cos sometimes he gets mad and disrespect somebody.. 

But what u see on the pitch is a super organized team, that runs more than the opponents, that plays in a true system.. The lads wouldn't play like this if they wouldn't respect and follow Paolo. his methods could seem crazy, but facts say players really bought into them.

It's great to win, but win in the right way is what football should be all about.  Hope he brings the team in championship and then will see.


I read from somebody that Paolo reminds a bit of Brian Clough. I thought that too.. I watched Damned United so many times, it's an amazing film.. I can see many similarities in personality.. Clough and Paolo really push the owners to get what they want.. work for attractive football in results, and both have eccentric personalities. Obviously Clough was a british man, with a rather elegant way of speaking.. Paolo is mad italian like me, so he is completely different. But their passion and their way to see the game is similar..  Hope Paolo can really bring Swindon on top, Football Manager style heheeh, but unfortunately today's football doesn't allow this type of things.. Maybe an arabian scheik is needed

it was the sale of wayne allison that started the drop wasn't it?

Word!!

PDC like Macari has come in when the club and the fans were on our arses and pulled us up and restored some battered pride....whatever happens now he will be a legend in town manager history.

There's a cliche in football that you're as good as your last result...at the moment PdC is on a high because we've turned round the home form with some eye catching results....twas only a few weeks ago that some on here, wanted to see the back of him, because of his idiosyncratic media presentation re the Board and perceived mistreatment of certain players like Caddis and Connell.

Lose 3 in row and knives will be back out

cant stand him, dont go anymore, know he is doing well but he does not sit comfortably with me. Im obviously a fruit loop.

Personally dont understand this stance, I just want to go to games and see my club win football matches. Regardless of who is the manager...

And of course that is your freedom of choice, however I can not bring myself to cheer a man whose belief system would eradicate that freedom of choice for many parts of society.

I will say no more on the subject as the PDC worshipers have mild heart attacks at the sheer audacity of my choices

Not at all Mex Red....exactly what I tried to say in my early post on this thread.  There are two very distinct sides, and if I were not just so glad to be back in Swindon after 20+ years of exile (and delighted by the football which is now being served up) I would be in a real quandary about continuing to go.  Despite all the stuff on here about the club being so vibrant now, I don't think you would find it difficult to find people who would disagree!

Have you been at all since he has been manager Mex?

Fair enough. Honestly dont think that he supports facism as vehemently as some parts of the media tried to make out, but I do agree he does have some undesirable personality traits.

My view is that he's the right man for our club at this moment in time, his team are doing the business on the pitch and he has galvanized the club and the fans to strive for something better than the mediocracy we have been used to over the past 10 years or so.

As for his political views, they dont appear to have affected the club in any way and haven't spilt over into interviews ect (as yet). So long as the team are doing the business and his personality is controlled, whilst still being effective in terms of helping to provide results, i'll be a supporter of PDC.

PDC has made STFC more marketable, however, he is not in Macari status yet.

He has one more promotion to go before he's there.

What has politics got to do with football? That's right, fuck all.

You've clearly never seen The Great Escape.

Politics or religion has many things to do with football, maybe look in your own backyard to see red star belgrade....

I'm not from Serbia so that's not my backyard.

Au contraire...the two are inextricably linked, maybe you could do an essay on the subject. The impact of the Reformation on  Hugo Meisl's wunderteam in 1930's Austria and the rise of fascism.

Religion/Politics has no effect on footballing/management ability. He is a good manager, that's all that matters to me. Danny Wilson could have been a Marxist for all we know, it doesn't matter.

Another promotion and then get into the play offs in the Championship like Macari did before he is there.

touche

What's not to like?

[url width=611 height=417]http://i46.tinypic.com/9znced.png[/url]

Don't lose any sleep mate, thousands have replaced you

And maybe a little bit of financial engineering

Town were in rag order, both on and off the pitch, when Lou took over.  He managed to bring in plenty of cash in transfer fees.

I'm not sure PDC would put up with, "Sorry Paolo, but there's no money for a loan this month as we have to build some steps in front of the North Stand".

Lou woke the whole Town up, which is probably why many in my generation (late 30's) are Town fans.  He left a positive legacy I hope PDC can do the same.

I think it's possible that PdC could do the same. God knows we need something to galvanise the people of Swindon to get off thier arses and watch their local team, instead of  'supporting' some premiership club.

Like paying loan players wages with his own wages? :D

This is why it is essential that the board get the ground redevelopment moving while the the team on the pitch are going in the right direction.  We need to be self sufficient.

Erm..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_War

And leaving a legacy so future managers can benefit - Badilles/Hoddle

For modern day read - Javier Mascherano/Beckham!

Spot on Reg.

Personally, I really love what he's trying to do here. 

Macari is streets ahead of di canio. The latter has the potential to close the gap though

Would argue the betting fiasco took plenty of Browny points away from Lou.....lets not forget he did contribute a little to a double relegation.

Allegedly.

FIFA get many things wrong but their no tolerance stance on politics in football is one thing they get right and plenty of countries have been banned as a result. Sure you can find arguable examples to prove otherwise but in general politics has nothing to do with football and pretty much everyone agrees with it.

Whilst not wanting to reignite the argument I've still seen nothing to suggest Paolo has the fascist leanings that many claim.

Yet they are a tad lenient toward racism......

Indeed, but I don't think it should detract from their refusal to allow politics in to football.

Though I'm not sure how big an issue racism is in games under FIFA's jurisdiction, seems to be more of a Europe / UEFA issue. And as we're all aware UEFA really don't get it and their handling of it is far worse than FIFA's.

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:....FIFA is little more than a corrupt political construct, set up in much the same way as multi national companies, in order to avoid scrutiny from more conventional nation states.

Their rule might enhance the game, but is there to protect FIFA from proper accountability....personally I'd have welcomed HM Government taking action over the fiasco of the last 2 WC selections of Russia and Qatar.

Nothing wrong with awarding Russia the World Cup at all. Qatar's the big mistake by FIFA.

That's because most people don't understand the details of facism, they hear the word and go on one and involve themselves in something they know fuck all about.





 :fishing:

Yeah...there's some people who can't even spell the word.

That's my point...

A point that you clearly demonstrated...

To you anyway.

I think he's top notch at the moment and there well may be a time where he pisses me off and I'll want him to go but so far so good.

I think he'll walk out in a blaze anyway at some point.

The only thing that does piss me off is that people offer Hart up as the only alternative, like there's only two types of manager. There's only one manager who I have respect for and that's Macari, Paolo maybe at some point but not yet.

He's been successful so far and joined the club at a very low point which may raise him up over what he would have been had he joined in 'normal' times.

Or Escape to Victory as I think you mean?

Or Cool Runnings.

Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time!

Before Christmas, I also went to Stonehenge for the winter solstice. Swindon had just beaten Tranmere 5-0 and I waited until 4am before going there to see the sunrise. It was raining and I didn't see anything, so I left and went straight to training.

So he may be a fascist or facist or fazzachist but he's our's, a new age one with a British twist?