Sad news - former town chairman dies

[janaage]

Sorry but I cant stary quiet any longer,just becuase the bloke has died he seems to have become a modern day Robin Hood in some peoples eyes.He broke the law, got caught and got us demoted. presiding over a scandel that is still to this day an embarrasment to the club.

We were made an example of YR, fair enough if you just want to take the view that he deserved what he got.  Our case was centred over 27 cases of financial irregularites totaling under £30k, the biggest of which I'm led to believe was not declaring (to the football league) a £2k payment to Ross McLaren.  Spurs later were found guilty of illegal payments of over £400k, including interest free loans of over £80k to Ossie (which were never reported or paid back) and were given 6 point deduction, which was later reduced on appeal, other clubs also commited greater crimes and got little punishment, but hey why let that get in the way of not forgiving and forgetting.

I'm not saying the bloke was a saint by any means, but if people can't show a bit of sympathy for an ex-chairman of the club at the time of his death then this club really has lost it's heart and soul.

Also whatever happened to serving your time and moving on?  People are willing to let Lee Hughes kill and return to the game and yet BH can't serve his time and move on, and be paid a little respect from the club that he followed home and away for 16 years.  Absolute joke.

I will pay my own personal respect to his family, but as I have said before for the club to remain mute on the subject is not acceptable in my opinion.  Flipping heck we were all posting like crazy when BP and MD who had a very short connection with the club came down in that plane, and when a on loan player died through drink driving, but let's keep this all hushed up at the risk of upsetting some people.

(That's my final comment on the subject)

[Colin Todd]

what a load of shit. I really dont want to argue over a dead fella, but that post annoyed the piss out of me.

So what he did was ok because spurs did it worse?

He did serve his time and everybody moved on. I dont remember anyone treating lee hughes like a hero when he returned to football, and I doubt he'll be given a minutes silence either.  not that lee hughes has anything to do with this.

Fair enough you have your personal feelings for the bloke because you knew him, but you cant assume that everybody else should be bothered or think that he did anything for STFC other than be a player in the clubs biggest ever scandal.

Just beacause you knew the bloke it does not give you the right to declare that the club "has lost its soul"  because a few people dont look back on his involvemenmt at STFC with the same rose tinted glasses.

[Lumps]

Using the Spurs example always strikes me as a bit dodgy. Yes in financial terms they may have had some equivalence but their £400k was from two or three incidents, whereas illegal payments were the standard way of doing business here. Half the first team (all the tribunal signings) were receiving a brown envelope each week. EVERYONE knew we were skimming the gate money to provide the slush fund to fill those envelopes and handily evade the tax and rent to the council at the same time. We were just taking the piss. It was bound to get out eventually.

And using the  "everyone was at it" argument is even more dodgy. Whilst I'm sure other clubs have worked the odd fiddle here and there, I don't believe anyone else was at it to the extent we were.
 

[yeo]

.

Also whatever happened to serving your time and moving on?  People are willing to let Lee Hughes kill and return to the game and yet BH can't serve his time and move on, and be paid a little respect from the club that he followed home and away for 16 years. 

He did serve his time and move on didnt he? Im  sure he was very sucessfull in whatever he did.Im not paticularly keen on minutes silence/applause anyway I think they are too common place and see no reason to have one for a disgraced former Chairman.

[THE FLASH]

We got caught far and square with our fingers in the till and the League made an example of us.

Would big clubs be treated the same - no - but that is the way it is (much as it pains me to say it), decisions off and on the pitch always favour the big boys, money is the root of all evil and it has certainly ruined football.

This subject will always split the town fans and i think both sides have valid points.

The club will want to distance themselves from this previous debarcle but i would like to think the Adver could do a report where the club could make a brief comment.

[ibelieveinmrreeves]

Just imagine if the clun did have a minutes silence, and people booed (and I'm sure some would). I don't think that'd be very fair on the family so maybe it is best for the club to distance themselves from it.

[Don Rogers Shop]

Sorry jan how can you say if we dont do this the clubs lost its soul? The best day of my football supporting life was taken away due to what he did, some fans never got to see us in the top flight because of his actions. As for best intererests of the club at heart that does not make it ok.

[Colin Todd]

Says on the OS that there will be a minutes silence.

I'm going to make fart noises throughout it.

[Fred Elliot]

Would Jan be so incensed if it was Willie Carson ?

I think not

Jan is incensed because, as a Calne lad there are personal attachments.

Therefor Jan should keep it on a personal level, and pay his private respects to the family in a way he sees fit, not try and persuade everybody to holding similar views when they dont have that "connection".

At they end of the day, scapegoat or not the guy broke the law, was tried by his peers, got us demoted and went to jail.

End of story as far as I am concerned.

I will observe the minutes silence tomorrow in respect for his family, but I certainly wont be shedding any tears

[alanmayes]

I will observe the minutes silence tomorrow in respect for his family, but I certainly wont be shedding any tears

These sentiments match mine exactly.The occasions in the 1980's i met Hillier i didn't like him at all,

but i do accept that there are some of our older supporters that got on well with him.

[dell boy]

I will observe the minutes silence because the guy is dead, for no other reason.
Us oldens have strong views about the matter, but RIP, end of.

[leefer]

I see both sides,he broke the law and was punished,though his punishment was to much IMO...he took the rap and i must say alot of players were well happy with the NON TAX contracts they were recieving in brown paper bags...should they have went to prison too?
Iwill observe the silence because the poor fella has died and anyone who jeers etc relly do need to get a grip...when a person dies its the people left behind who have to mourn and it isnt fair IMO on them.

[STFC_Gazza]

RIP to Brian Hillier

The only comment I will make is...

My Grandad who supported Swindon Town for over 60 years went to the playoff final at Wembley where we got promoted to the old first division. It was a dream of his to see Swindon Town play top-flight football. His last Swindon Town match he saw live was at Wembley in 1990.l

My Grandad died the season we played Leicester in the playoff final and never got to see Town play top-flight football, He never got to another game again due to failing health. That game in 1990 was his dream as a Town fan for all those years, 2 weeks later his heart was crushed due to the allegations that came out.

Due to Hilliers actions my Grandad never saw Swindon Town play top flight football, so footballing wise no I am not upset or anything, However that said, a family has lost an unclem a dad, a son and as a mark of respect if I was at the game (get back to Swindon Monday) I would observe the minutes silence as it is a humane thing to do, no other reason.

[Don Rogers Shop]

Good post gazza agree with all of that.

[chalkies_shorts]

I will observe the minutes silence. Not only because a family has lost someone but also i genuinely believe that between him and Lowndes Lambert they had vision to drag us up from the crap of Ken Beamish and gave us a vision. I don't think many people realise how close the club was to going under at this time. I was as pissed off as anyone when we got demoted. I was actually on my honeymoon when I found out. I didn't blame him at the time and I don't blame him now. The cunt Slave Trader Smart I blame along with Dave King. Once the papers were invloved ( the People not the NOTW ) then we were fucked. Judas cunt Smart set the ball rolling.
Hillier made no personal gain and paid a bloody heavy price. Illegal - yes. Immoral - I don't think so given what other clubs were doing at the time and have done since. FFS he's not in the same league as Shinawatra.
Give the guy a break.