Fitton to blame...Total joke to blame Paul Hart.

[NZrobin]

You all know it's a total joke to blame Paul Hart..in saying that he has not gotten the results that every true Town fan wanted...However, the blame must be firmly pointed to Andrew Fitton.
I suggest that he is not a chairman who can inspire anyone. His choice of player managers so far is clearly an "each way bet" sort of guy who won't speak out of turn...and won't be what a winning football club needs   !!! 
Having read the article written by Nick Watkins (Fitton's man) where he is obviously pissed off with what is currently happening with the club. I suggest the rot is becoming complete on and off the field. 
Football is about passion and energy...not, rules, regulations and KPI's. It needs players, managers and supporters with skills, guts and dreams...it also needs a chairman who is singing off the same page.
Small issues like Swindon not wearing "our" traditional red shirts at Wembley last year and allowing Brighton buying the club captain right before the start of the new season were simply the start. It was "all over" for me listening on the internet to the FA cup replay defeat to Crawley. I think it was Phil Kings comments stating Crawing were a far better footballing team and Swindon were simply not up to it.
It must be said Fitton got lucky with the signing of Austin last year. However, only because of Bournemuff's financial issues. He choice of allowing Wilson too long in a position where he was not getting any results needs seriously to be questioned. Football like businesses are measured by results.
Swindon are by a country mile the worst performing team in the division and this had been evident prior to the end of last season.....Rest assured Paul Hart is not the man to blame. 
In summary Fitton is not the man needed to be the chairman at STFC.   

[DV]

You all know it's a total joke to blame Paul Hart..

No.

Its a total joke to blame everything on Paul Hart but he's come in, made us worse, sent back good players, bought in bad players, played players in random positions and showed no attacking intent what so ever.

[yeo]

Its Fitton,Hart,Wilson,the Players,ex Players,the Internet and the fans fault.

Either that or its just one of those things,some years stuff goes well,others years it goes badly and sometimes nothing much happens at all.

[stfctownenda]

I think collectively the blame needs to be shared this season the board have made big mistakes letting vital players go, the management have been tactically inept and unable to motivate and the players have been consistently mediocre.To suggest it is a joke to blame Hart is a stupid statement he's had players to work with that are capable of beating most teams in this league and he like Wilson has failed to motivate them.During his stint as manager we've played Dagenham,Walsall,Plymouth,Notts County and other teams around us and he has played 4-5-1 in every game showing little endeavour,ambition and positivity to win these games when you think if we'd recorded better results against these teams we'd probably be out the relegation zone so it seems nuts to me the way Hart has set us up.He has played lots of players out of position,made terrible substitutions and failed to sign good players, he is without doubt one of the worst managers we've ever had,hope he's gone this week!!!

[Luci]

Agree with all but the first post.

Board, players & Hart must take some blame. Hart has never proven he's got a clue when it comes to tactics and has frankly done more to leave me bemused as opposed to making me think he's got what it takes to get something out of the game.

After his shoddy interview, I endear myself even less to him than before.

[Simon Pieman]

After his shoddy interview, I endear myself even less to him than before.

Why, what did you do?

[Matchworn Shirts]

They waited for too long to oust Wilson, in my opinion.
Hart took over a sinking ship, but has managed to speed up our demise

ultimately I blame the players and Board, but mainly the players. Bar Phil Smith & Matt Richie, I'd gladly get shot of the whole lot. As well as Hart, who makes Onuoras reign look like a giant success- at least last time we were relegated we took it to the wire.

[Batch]

Paul Hart did not get us relegated.

- Not bringing in quality to replace Paynter, Greer and then Austin was to blame. No goalscorers = struggle.
- Changing a manager on the eve of a critical 3 game spell against other bottom teams was to blame
- Changing manager after the transfer window was plain stupid.
- I see no evidence this current squad had the ability to stay up. We have some good players. And some good but miss firing players. But I am not sure we have any bottle and we are missing in key positions.


BUT....

Hart just hasn't 'gone for it'. 4-5-1 at home. Negative substitutions. He tried to tighten it up and nick wins. It didn't work. I dread seeing more of the same next year.

[Only Me]

I think collectively the blame needs to be shared this season the board have made big mistakes letting vital players go, the management have been tactically inept and unable to motivate and the players have been consistently mediocre.To suggest it is a joke to blame Hart is a stupid statement he's had players to work with that are capable of beating most teams in this league and he like Wilson has failed to motivate them.During his stint as manager we've played Dagenham,Walsall,Plymouth,Notts County and other teams around us and he has played 4-5-1 in every game showing little endeavour,ambition and positivity to win these games when you think if we'd recorded better results against these teams we'd probably be out the relegation zone so it seems nuts to me the way Hart has set us up.He has played lots of players out of position,made terrible substitutions and failed to sign good players, he is without doubt one of the worst managers we've ever had,hope he's gone this week!!!

Agreed, the 4-5-1 formation in "must win" games is incredible.  At least he played 2 up front on Saturday.  The only trouble was that he changed it back to 4-5-1 after we were 1-0 up and in complete control of the match, as well as shuffling 3 people's position.  Maybe that would have been right to reshuffle the team if we were losing, but we were winning.

Poor poor tactics. On that basis (and not to mention I don't want to see 4-5-1 all next season), I would rather Hart goes.

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

I don't think anyone blames Hart as such but his attempt at keeping us up has been pathetic. If we had gone down 'all guns blazing' then every Town fan could take some, albeit very small crumb, of comfort from that.

To go down without so much as a whimper as we have/are about to, is unforgivable.

[Arriba]

I've been critical of fitton and i stand by what i've said,but there aint other options out there waiting to take the club on. even though we are going down and the team is in a right mess,we are not in danger of going under.
if fitton and the rest of them fucked off we'd be right up shit street.
all we can hope is that the board have learned from the blunders this season.start a fresh next season and push on.
hart can't be part of that,even though i think the stick he's got is way ott.

benyon is proven in league 2,so get him firing, and another up there with him and we could do well next year.
4,4,2 with players knowing their job,ditch a few, and a few fresh faces,we will be right up there.
if trollope is taking over at least he has been having a look,and will have ideas.
no point ditching hart now as our fate is already known.let him see the season out.
i just hope fitton knows who is coming in to turn this around and has the plans ready now.

[Simon Pieman]

I think it will be Trollope and this will piss some fans off even more. I remember a few years back when a lot of people wanted Trollope here - it shows how one bad season (which is all Trollope has had) can change a person's perspective.

[Peter Venkman]

Everyone else seems to be having a go then so will I.

My take on things......

Paul Hart could be a good manager if he had better players who could play in the formation that he obviously likes, defensive, which on paper does work......it just hasn't worked for us and he is tactically immobile and cannot change his formations/tactics with the players he has here at his disposal or they arent technically as good as they should be possibly, which is why they are playing in the league that they are I guess.

I am certainly not blaming him for our relegation, I blame that on Wilson and the players, Wilson did not have the charisma to get in players who wanted to play for him/Swindon, and the players at the club have shown little heart for a battle, when their heads go down they go down totally and can't get back up again.

We have lacked a goalscorer, when Austin left us in a less than pleasant way then we should have gone out and replaced him with someone straight away, this I put down to Wilson.

When Greer left and Paynter then we should have gone out and replaced them, this I put down to Wilsons lack of charisma.

We have had underperforming players all season, the reliable Douglas, Cuthbert, JPM, Manks etc have all way underachieved and Ferry has been too much of a bit part player and not given a run, Prutton has come in with a reputation of being a good player and ended up being a rudderless speedboat, Dossevi and Pericard have proven to not be up to the standard needed in this league also.

Smith and Lucas in goal have both made some astonomical howlers and have shown little consistancy which is needed in goal.

Caddis and LFJ and Ritchie have shown some glimpses of style and class but certainly not often enough to make a difference.

Onto Mr Fitton.......

This man saved our club, for which I will be forever grateful and I will never want to oust him from his position as Chairman.

I would like a go between/general manager at the club with Football experience and I want us to be willing to trade with agents as pretty much every player has one these days and we need the best players we can even if it means paying fees of agents which Mr Fitton refuses to do.

I will say that IMO Fitton was slow in removing Wilson from his position when I felt it should have come earlier to save our season, but I also understand that Fitton wants some steadiness of managers at the club and was giving Wilson as long as he could to change things, I fear he gave him a month or more too long.

We are not Man Utd/Liverpool/Chelsea etc we ARE and ALWAYS WILL BE a selling club, so we buy cheap and sell on at a profit, thats how lower league clubs have always been run, we did well with Charlie and whos to say we wont do it again and again, the Hoddle link could work hugely in our favour if it appears.

As for Fitton interfering with transfers at the club.....how do we know that? do we have an insider that says Fitton sold Greer, Fitton sold Austin etc etc......no we don't we are football supporters who do not know whats happening inside the club, we have little idea of whats involved in the running of a club, and as for Greer coming out and saying that about Fitton...hes left the club, hes going to stir the shit, that was his persoanlity and why he was disliked by so many at the club.

Lets just accept we have gone down and build for the future and get in a new manager who we will all back, difficult I know as some days I feel that even Mourinho would not be accepted by Swindon fans...hes failed in the past with Chelsea hes had a bad season or 2 at Porto so we don't want him etc etc etc.

We as fans need to back the club in its hour of need and work for the future and get back up again as soon as possible with a new manager and squad of players.

Heres to the future !!!!

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

i just hope fitton knows who is coming in to turn this around and has the plans ready now.

That's my main concern. He needs to have some idea of what he's going to do to sort this mess out.

[NZrobin]

It is accepted that Andrew Fitton and his associates have saved a sinking ship in STFC ...
However, it is time for him to now stand up and show commitment to his five year plan where he promised Championship football at Swindon. The club sold many thousands of Season tickets this year on the "Fitton" promise.
Under his watch as Chairman he has had a very easy ride from supporters who have seen so many gutless team displays with little or no passion. These supporters must feel totally frustrated and let down.
If Swindon had gone under several years back where would the club be now ?....perhaps, just perhaps a white knight would have come to the fore and we would be doing a Crawley or Wimbledon and going forward. Or worse doing a Luton or Wrexham..I horrible to think about.
Andrew Fitton, it's your chance now to take brave decisions and either move over or bring in a "winner" who can forge a passion as seen in the Marcari days...if not I suggest Swindon will be playing sub division 3 football for many years to come.