Swindon Town FC - The Next Decade

[michael]

Being a 3 year season ticket holder I am very keen to see us get promoted this year and then again next.

After that I'm not really bothered

[Barry Scott]

Established Championship Football
An Academy
Amusement at the implosion of all the "big" clubs around us
Decent Team
Improved Fanbase both in size and intelligence
Better coffee

[reeves4england]

I'd like to think we'll establish ourselves in the Championship, it may yet take a yoyo period before we achieved it, as we have no idea what the board's reaction would be financially should we go up. For a club this size to make it to the Premiership and stay there would be asking a lot. Burnley have made it, as have Hull, and fair play to them for it. It's very difficult to sustain that success though, and I think we'll see just what lengths they went to financially if they get relegated.

[Reg Smeeton]

Improved Fanbase both in size and intelligence

Not sure either is desirable....too many big bastards stood in the TE and I wont be able to see.  More intelligent fans would make the quizzage more difficult to win.

[Talk Talk]

Same as always. A Division 3 team that yo-yos up and down between Div 2 and Div 4. Our natural level.

It keeps the plastics away and ensures we endure heartbreak and pleasure in equal amounts.

[STFC_Gazza]

Top Half championship with Gary Speed as gaffer. Who leaves us to join a bottom half of the table Premier League side (Sheffield United) as manager, which sees us sitting just above the CCC drop zone before we drop back into League One with Calderwood as boss. We will lose the JPT final in the next 10 years but never see L2 again for atleast 10 years. Fitton and crew will be gone after CG redevelopment fails and we will be on sound footing with local investment although we are still playing in the CG will recently re-newed rent terms with the Council.

[land_of_bo]

In 10 years time we will be in the FA Premier League 2

[Berniman]

In 10 years time we will be in the FA Premier League 2

Agree.

We will be a club like Watford, but with better finances.  We will have good years and bad years, flirt with promotion and relegation some years but all in all be a solid mid table championship side. 

[Ardiles]

Top Half championship with Gary Speed as gaffer. Who leaves us to join a bottom half of the table Premier League side (Sheffield United) as manager, which sees us sitting just above the CCC drop zone before we drop back into League One with Calderwood as boss. We will lose the JPT final in the next 10 years but never see L2 again for atleast 10 years. Fitton and crew will be gone after CG redevelopment fails and we will be on sound footing with local investment although we are still playing in the CG will recently re-newed rent terms with the Council.

That simply cannot be allowed to happen.  If we don't get a ground redevelopment underway during the next few years, we will be playing second fiddle to Reading and Bristol City not just for the next decade but for good.  I'm not sure what this 'local investment' is you're referring to, but we need Fitton & Co to stick around much longer if we are going to make noticeable strides forward.  The consolidation/ship steadying phase of their ownership is now largely complete.  The interesting bit is just ahead (I hope).

Edit: And to answer the original question, my ambitions for the club extend to establishing ourselves in the Championship and no further.  I'd be happy with that.  And we have to be realistic and accept that, in terms of resources, we simply would not be able to compete at the top level without taking massive financial risks (as Portsmouth have done)...which I would not want to see us do.  By 2019, if we were playing clubs like Wolves, Ipswich and Bristol City on a regular basis and attracting crowds of 12,000-15,000, I'd be happy.  And I'm really very keen to see us remain at the County Ground.  Watching football on a sterile retail park like they have to in Reading would not do it for me...no matter how good the football was in the ground.

[Batch]

TAnd to answer the original question, my ambitions for the club extend to establishing ourselves in the Championship and no further.  I'd be happy with that. 

I'd be extatic with that! Also being in the Championship means we could dream of a dip into the Prem, even if it never happens.

The worrying thing is, even with crowds of 12-15k we'd be hard  pushed to be competative on a financial basis with most of the other clubs in that league.

[strooood]

Anyone else find this thread strangely depressing?

[derbystfc]

established chamionship side, a few good cup runs here and there, prob a few play off campaigns here and there too. but thats about it.

I be happy with that considering only 3/4 seasons ago we were in league 2!

[herthab]

We will either be in the same league, or a higher (Or lower) one.

Or we may be not here at all.

Ten years is a long time in football. I wonder what Leeds fans would have answered to the same question in 1997?