Good Guy/Bad Guy

[DV]

Results have been fucking spot on though.

Which is what he was paid to do.

At the end of the days negative press, his opinions on Paul Bodin, the future career paths of players whom couldn't hack his methods and most of of all what other fans think of us have absolutely no significance on where we finish or would have finished under Di Canio...

[sonicyouth]

Results have been fucking spot on though.

you could argue that we've only ended up where we started in 09/10.

[Batch]

- Dividing the fans worse than any other manager I can recall.

While I didn't agree with some of the points entirely, I can understand where you are coming from.

I think though that the above point wasn't correct until the recent events. Yes there were a few that openly didn't like his political views, there were also a few that didn't like some of the points you raised to the point of not liking the man. But I'd argue the vast majority were completely united behind the manager until he walked out on us.

In fact I'd go as far as saying up to that point he was one of the most universally liked managers we've had. And I think DV is right, the results are key.

One thing that was never tested was whether this would have held up if he'd truly had a bad spell results wise. There was the beginning of the League 2 season, but other than that its all went as well as it could really, JPT final aside.

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

Pox were never The yellows....they were and still are just c#nts....

From all us Oxfordshire Reds Mate.

[DV]

you could argue that we've only ended up where we started in 09/10.

Indeed but that hasn't got much to do with Di Canio as it wasn't him that took us two steps back in the first place.

Plenty of teams take that step back and don't come right back up.

[FreddySTFC!]

you could argue that we've only ended up where we started in 09/10.

& the argument would have no substance as that was pre-Di Canio.

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

Black disappointed me the way he "could" have put us into meltdown with administration and selling all of our assets.

Paolo was god in my eyes (yes biased and blinkered view). It just still feels a massive void. The last 18 months have just been fantastic and "Swindon experience" just tells me that now we go down hill. Of course I hope not. I guess that the last 18 months have just been one of the all time highs.

Having met PDC a few times (feel very lucky) and talking STFC he is just one amazing character.

One story to share was his view on Stevenage (When they were near the top of the league and we still had to play them). He shared a discussion on them, questioning their players habits, they were trying to organise a players party. He seemed to know a lot about them. He was scathing. They will fall, wait and see, Oliver (Risser) hates it there, I want to play them now, today...........Few weeks later 4-0 and they start to fall.
Coincidence but a few chats I have had just have a bad habit of actually happening.

He wanted STFC to follow Brighton and Southampton.......He was impressed by their Clubs building blocks and ideas for sustainability. He wanted this for Swindon.

He openly admited he made made mistakes and has learnt from them.......
I have never met anyone who can talk like him and get so excited and passionate about football.
It must be a very quiet place now he has left the building.

Onwards and Upwards though, but still missing the era. Of course in time it will pass.

[Simon Pieman]

Paolo was a fantastic manager for us and exactly what the club needed to haul it out of league 2 and take it to the top end of league 1. I thought it could be a disaster appointment but I was wrong.

However, leaving us when we're in our position, having always stated that he had a job to finish, preaching about loyalty etc. - he should have stayed until the end of the season and bowed out properly.

His actions are no different to Leon Clarke being a bit of a cunt for throwing a paddy over the amount of running he had to do.

[GoSWINDON]

Black disappointed me the way he "could" have put us into meltdown with administration and selling all of our assets.

Paolo was god in my eyes (yes biased and blinkered view). It just still feels a massive void. The last 18 months have just been fantastic and "Swindon experience" just tells me that now we go down hill. Of course I hope not. I guess that the last 18 months have just been one of the all time highs.

Having met PDC a few times (feel very lucky) and talking STFC he is just one amazing character.

One story to share was his view on Stevenage (When they were near the top of the league and we still had to play them). He shared a discussion on them, questioning their players habits, they were trying to organise a players party. He seemed to know a lot about them. He was scathing. They will fall, wait and see, Oliver (Risser) hates it there, I want to play them now, today...........Few weeks later 4-0 and they start to fall.
Coincidence but a few chats I have had just have a bad habit of actually happening.

He wanted STFC to follow Brighton and Southampton.......He was impressed by their Clubs building blocks and ideas for sustainability. He wanted this for Swindon.

He openly admited he made made mistakes and has learnt from them.......
I have never met anyone who can talk like him and get so excited and passionate about football.
It must be a very quiet place now he has left the building.

Onwards and Upwards though, but still missing the era. Of course in time it will pass.

just when i thought i was getting over him , you come out with that . Thanks mate . What have we done ?

[GoSWINDON]

Paolo was a fantastic manager for us and exactly what the club needed to haul it out of league 2 and take it to the top end of league 1. I thought it could be a disaster appointment but I was wrong.

However, leaving us when we're in our position, having always stated that he had a job to finish, preaching about loyalty etc. - he should have stayed until the end of the season and bowed out properly.

His actions are no different to Leon Clarke being a bit of a cunt for throwing a paddy over the amount of running he had to do.

I still think he was trying to call the old/new owners bluff and it backfired on him big time , no way back for him now tho.

[jonny72]

While I didn't agree with some of the points entirely, I can understand where you are coming from.

I think though that the above point wasn't correct until the recent events. Yes there were a few that openly didn't like his political views, there were also a few that didn't like some of the points you raised to the point of not liking the man. But I'd argue the vast majority were completely united behind the manager until he walked out on us.

In fact I'd go as far as saying up to that point he was one of the most universally liked managers we've had. And I think DV is right, the results are key.

One thing that was never tested was whether this would have held up if he'd truly had a bad spell results wise. There was the beginning of the League 2 season, but other than that its all went as well as it could really, JPT final aside.

Think a lot of people had major concerns but were willing to put them to one side whilst things were going well. Once the wheels started falling off a few months back more and more people have been voicing those concerns. Plus we've had some of the inside details come out and perhaps it wasn't quite as rosy at the club as we thought.

Whilst I agree about results being key, Wilson achieved pretty much the same in his first season with us without all the baggage and without a major shit storm when he left. Sure he got us relegated but we were able to rebuild quickly with a new manager, not so sure we'll do the same this time - I can see things dragging out until the end of the season and beyond. Which is my point, the lasting effect of PDC isn't a good one.

[StfcRusty]

Black disappointed me the way he "could" have put us into meltdown with administration and selling all of our assets.

Paolo was god in my eyes (yes biased and blinkered view). It just still feels a massive void. The last 18 months have just been fantastic and "Swindon experience" just tells me that now we go down hill. Of course I hope not. I guess that the last 18 months have just been one of the all time highs.

Having met PDC a few times (feel very lucky) and talking STFC he is just one amazing character.

One story to share was his view on Stevenage (When they were near the top of the league and we still had to play them). He shared a discussion on them, questioning their players habits, they were trying to organise a players party. He seemed to know a lot about them. He was scathing. They will fall, wait and see, Oliver (Risser) hates it there, I want to play them now, today...........Few weeks later 4-0 and they start to fall.
Coincidence but a few chats I have had just have a bad habit of actually happening.

He wanted STFC to follow Brighton and Southampton.......He was impressed by their Clubs building blocks and ideas for sustainability. He wanted this for Swindon.

He openly admited he made made mistakes and has learnt from them.......
I have never met anyone who can talk like him and get so excited and passionate about football.
It must be a very quiet place now he has left the building.

Onwards and Upwards though, but still missing the era. Of course in time it will pass.

Good post. I agree that Paolo leaves a massive void and I wish we could rewind and have the opportunity for the last week to play out differently.  When I read Black's criticisms about Paolo being intense and demanding, I just thought they were the qualities I want in a manager. Would Black have preferred Paul Hart?

I don't think we really appreciate just how far the discipline, training methods, organisation and planning have taken the team. Without it, I fear going backwards. I'm also surprised just how quickly so many have moved on. If it was down to me, I'd be doing everything to get him and his team back at the helm. We've just had our debt wiped out so surely debate about his salary is less relevant than ever.

[GoSWINDON]

Think a lot of people had major concerns but were willing to put them to one side whilst things were going well. Once the wheels started falling off a few months back more and more people have been voicing those concerns. Plus we've had some of the inside details come out and perhaps it wasn't quite as rosy at the club as we thought.

Whilst I agree about results being key, Wilson achieved pretty much the same in his first season with us without all the baggage and without a major shit storm when he left. Sure he got us relegated but we were able to rebuild quickly with a new manager, not so sure we'll do the same this time - I can see things dragging out until the end of the season and beyond. Which is my point, the lasting effect of PDC isn't a good one.

I dont really get what you're saying , on the pitch the wheels have never fell off . PDC might not of been everyone's cup of tea but he certainly delivered Wilson never achieved near as much .Maybe im reading it wrong

[mrverve]

Black disappointed me the way he "could" have put us into meltdown with administration and selling all of our assets.

Paolo was god in my eyes (yes biased and blinkered view). It just still feels a massive void. The last 18 months have just been fantastic and "Swindon experience" just tells me that now we go down hill. Of course I hope not. I guess that the last 18 months have just been one of the all time highs.

Having met PDC a few times (feel very lucky) and talking STFC he is just one amazing character.

One story to share was his view on Stevenage (When they were near the top of the league and we still had to play them). He shared a discussion on them, questioning their players habits, they were trying to organise a players party. He seemed to know a lot about them. He was scathing. They will fall, wait and see, Oliver (Risser) hates it there, I want to play them now, today...........Few weeks later 4-0 and they start to fall.
Coincidence but a few chats I have had just have a bad habit of actually happening.

He wanted STFC to follow Brighton and Southampton.......He was impressed by their Clubs building blocks and ideas for sustainability. He wanted this for Swindon.

He openly admited he made made mistakes and has learnt from them.......
I have never met anyone who can talk like him and get so excited and passionate about football.
It must be a very quiet place now he has left the building.

Onwards and Upwards though, but still missing the era. Of course in time it will pass.

This is what worries me. The discipline. He brought this club to a professional level again, high standards on and off the pitch and it rubbed off on everyone. Since I've been going I can't remember another manager who was so influential. He was a workaholic, I don't think fans appreciate this, he worked long long hours, he grafted, was meticulous - yes he was very well paid BUT he left no stone unturned and you saw the results on the pitch, he was a winner, he cared.

He wasn't perfect, quite a few things he did I didn't agree with, I was uncomfortable with bashing of individual players in public, the high turnover of players, the way he lambasted Bodin etc. could've all been kept in house as could the constant moaning about funds and the "umbungo". He was fickle and childish at times BUT I come back to it, look at the results, the performances, the commitment, this wasn't a coincidence, the clean sheets this year and last, it was all due to the drilling, the fitness that Paolo oversaw with his staff. The players bought in to it and it worked.

He'll give me some of the best memories during my time as a Swindon fan, just wish it hadn't ended the way it has.

Paolo's built the foundations, get someone in to carry on where he left off or the best thing to happen to Swindon in two decades will be wasted.

[RobertT]

I don't for a second think the two are close, but McMahon walked this league, playing some good stuff and ruled with an iron fist.  Unfortunately, he also ruined the entire foundation of the club behind the scenes, which took years to undo (if we have even managed).  It was a warning that as good as it seems in the first team, you do need an effective Board and Senior Management team to keep the success in check when it comes to the rest of the club.  I think this time we had that clash, and that ultimately has caused PDC to go, I'm still not sure if it will be ok or not, but it seems clear it wasn't sustainable for both parties.  I'll put it down as a fantastic 18 months and hope someone else comes in and build success off the back of it.