CLUB STATEMENT

[Simon Pieman]

Gazza. I don't care if I'm the only one who doesn't go. I've given the club hundreds of pounds of my money this season even though I'm £14k in debt which is almost what I earn in a year, incidently. This isn't a massive proportion of my salary but you get my drift - it's money the board isn't going to get from me (out of principle).

Mike Bowden's cameo at the open meeting confirmed what we all knew deep down at the time and that is he was there to test the water, build up an understanding about what the Trust was telling the people there, only for him to blow it out of the water when he reported back to the management and they released a statement. This is mainly what's pissed me off the most.

I'm also sorry you have had a lot of shit over the Christmas period, we've been there mate.

[Fred Elliot]

Why should the fans continue attending and paying out a fortune for games if they are going to be treated like shit with no respect given whatsoever.

The board need to realise what impact they are having and when they see revenue dropping (lets be fair money is the only thing that will make them give a shit about the fans) maybe then something will be done.

I am trying to stay positive after all the personal shit I have been through over christmas. If fans stop going, then we go bust and have no club however on the flip side if we move to Chippenham we have no club. Maybe we should just all concede. SWINDON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB IS DEAD.

Maybe someone can post a poll seeing how many would be prepared to boycott, or maybe its just boycotting home games Im not sure? I have a season ticket so it wont cost me any more to go anyway.

We are going bust in June Gaz if someone does not do something.

Or do you honestly believe that they will get the creditors to agree to a 10 yr restructure og the CVA ?

[STFC_Gazza]

SIMON PIEMAN

I want to make this clear, i dont love the board, I dont want franchise football and I dont want to piss anyone off.... If you want proof I am against Franchising etc this should clear it up http://archive.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/2005/12/1/255384.html

We don't want to lose our club

From the archive, first published Thursday 1st Dec 2005.

DON'T leave town ­ that's the message from supporters protesting against the possibility of the club leaving Swindon.

After hearing Mark Devlin, Swindon Town's deputy chairman, say the club may move out of the town if the plan to revamp the County Ground is left dead in the water, Gary Stanley, 24, has decided to stage a peaceful protest in January at the match against Bournemouth.

As reported in Tuesday's Advertiser, the plans for a new stadium at the County Ground ­ which would include a hotel, leisure complex and 600 new homes on the surrounding land ­ look likely to be rejected by the council on legal grounds.

Questions were raised at a Swindon Council meeting last Thursday about the legality of the council bequeathing the club the land surrounding the development so it could raise the money to pay for the new stadium.

Mr Stanley, who works for Thames Water, said he had been talking with other supporters about the protest, which will be called Loud and Proud ­ Give the Town a Ground Day.

"We as fans find it very disheartening to hear the board saying this," he said.

"We are now pleading with the council to work with the club to keep this illustrious club in Swindon."

He said that for teams such as Hull City, Reading and Swansea, new stadiums have brought success to the teams and given towns a centrepiece to be proud of.

"We are committed to showing the council, and the club, that the club needs to stay at its home in Swindon.

"If the club leaves Swindon, the town itself will lose thousands in income to local businesses from away supporters, who wouldn't visit the town if it wasn't for football."

The stadium and its surrounding infrastructure would cost £50.1m.

At the moment the club will pay for this by £25m earned from the sale of the adjacent land for development, £5m from the Lottery and Football Trust funding, with £20.1m left to find.

The controversy surrounds the £25m that the club will earn. If the plans go ahead as present, the council would be effectively giving Town the money by giving it the land.

On Tuesday Coun Justin Tomlinson (Con, Abbey Meads) who has been heavily involved in the project, said the plans could not go ahead as they are and that he would be meeting with the club to discuss alternative options.

Mark Devlin was unavailable to comment.

[Luci]

I'm not saying people should boycott, what I'm saying is why should the fans get dragged through all this shit, pay their money and get lied to and cheated by our current board and that I can understand perfectly if people decide to stop going temporarily/untill the current board is gone.

Staying positive is one thing but theres going to be limits on much people are prepared to put up with. This has dragged on for so long its ludicris.

Ashs idea (as per the other thread) of action is the best option in an ideal world but I think a monetary influence on the club, loss of revenue etc. might make them move quicker into resolving the current situation.

I hate this as much as you do however its getting tiresome now.

[Fred Elliot]

Why should the fans continue attending and paying out a fortune for games if they are going to be treated like shit with no respect given whatsoever.

The board need to realise what impact they are having and when they see revenue dropping (lets be fair money is the only thing that will make them give a shit about the fans) maybe then something will be done.

I am trying to stay positive after all the personal shit I have been through over christmas. If fans stop going, then we go bust and have no club however on the flip side if we move to Chippenham we have no club. Maybe we should just all concede. SWINDON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB IS DEAD.

Maybe someone can post a poll seeing how many would be prepared to boycott, or maybe its just boycotting home games Im not sure? I have a season ticket so it wont cost me any more to go anyway.

We are going bust in June Gary

Unless you believe that the majority of creditors will agree to a 10 yr restructured CVA ?

Would you ?

[STFC_Gazza]

as funny as you find it, I think that shows where I am coming from, now admittedly no one wanted to take part in the protest at the time and maybe it was knee jerk but hey...

[Simon Pieman]

Bloody hell Gaz, I've only been winding you up about Chippenham mate  :-))(  

I'm dead serious about not going to games though.

[STFC_Gazza]

Bloody hell Gaz, I've only been winding you up about Chippenham mate  :-))(  

I'm dead serious about not going to games though.

Some other people may not see it as that hence why I posted it! I would likely lose interest in football all together if we moved.
COME ON WILDCATS!  

[flammableBen]

I haven't read the club statement. Is it really worth the 8 pages of severe anger aceness? Genius.

I'd encourage anybody who's gonna boycott the games still to come and sit in the merlin pregame to get drunk. That way I won't get lonely.

[Simon Pieman]

I'd be up for a sit in protest at the pub, Ben.

[flammableBen]

Fucking ace. It can be the "I'm going to drink the £20 I would have spent on a ticket in a pub mega-protest"

Sexy fun.

[Simon Pieman]

Um, except for the fact that I've said I will donate ticket money to the trust  

No worries, I'd only spend extra money on beer anyway, so hardly much difference. And if I'm lucky, Reading might be on the telly one week.

[yeo]

Hmmm im coming around to this idea  

[Simon Pieman]

Ace. Any more for any more?

[deltaincline]

I am trying to stay positive after all the personal shit I have been through over christmas. If fans stop going, then we go bust and have no club however on the flip side if we move to Chippenham we have no club. Maybe we should just all concede. SWINDON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB IS DEAD.

You continue to talk bollox gazza. The point being made earlier was that if fans stay away as part of an inteligent protest, the board would have no choice other than to take notice as they would be starved of funds.

I'm fucking fuming that the club pump liquid shit out of the doors in a clear and shameless effort to split the fanbase, and you are happy to ride the wave and sing their happy tune to the rest of us.

Do the research; Diamandis and Holt worked for Robert Maxwell.  Do you ever stop and think about how the media (yes, even in a relatively small town like Swindon) is used and manipulated by people with a vested interest to sway opinions?

The board are using largely obsolete and outdated media methodology to create a feeling of uncertainty among the fans of stfc, yet they still seem to be able to convince you that they are the future, despite the damming evidence right in front of your fucking eyes!

Ask yourself a couple of simple questions gazza; Why would the trust put so much effort into backing Bill Power and Mike Wilkes consortium? Are they sinister cunts trying to make a few bucks off the club? Do they hope to cream off some lucrative contracts if Power takes control? From what I see and know, the trust is a load of fans who want whats best for the club in the long run. I have asked questions of several trust team members in the last few weeks and have had straight forward and consistent answers.

Conversely, why would the board wish to remain in control of an entity that allegedly loses money year on year? Why would they say on the one hand that they want to sell up, then publiclly resist a serious offer to relieve them of their burden?

If the board are attacking the trust then they are attacking all of us. The time has come for us all to stand together, including you gaz