Club statement

[Simon Pieman]

Power is looking towards an end game I think. Abandoning the 'Swindon way' and now talk of owning & possibly renovating the stadium seems to point that way. A club that owns its own, modern(ish) stadium will cost a lot more to a buyer than we will currently. Just my assumption, not really based on anything other than what I've seen... The fact he was so proactive for years and now has completely taken a back seat COULD mean he's lost a bit of interest.

Of course, if it does pan out this way and he does sell us, we could be attractive to the wrong type of person...

Could have even agreed a sale subject to planning permission.

Or maybe he has a soft spot for the club and its supporters

[horlock07]

my take on Power slipping into the background was to arrest fanbase decline, and also that continuing in the same way would have us in the conference sooner or later.

But it just illustrates that the fucker cannot win,

Heavily involved - Fans - why won't he let the manager manage;
Steps back - Fans - He has lost interest, doesn't care anymore, just looking to get out.

As for the stadium and training ground, we really don't know, what I will say is that having tried to deal with the Council on a planning matter for the last 18 months that are singularly the hardest fucking Council to deal with in the entire country, will not make a decision regarding anything, procrastinate, don't return letters/emails/phone calls and seem to have no ideas of what they actually want.

On the ground if the Council were to sell to Power they would be mental not to include some manner of use restriction on use within the sale and clawback/unlift provision if football ceases to be played on the site and its sold for development, plus they have control over development via the Planning system, and if they depart from the local plan potentially the decision will be taken away from them anyway.

Do I trust Power, I honestly don't know having never seen evidence to come down either side on the argument.

[Peter Venkman]

What are the club planning to do a massive nationwide survey and write a book? They shouldn't waste money on that, the government will be holding a census in 3 years time....

Doomsday is sooooo 1086.

[Peter Venkman]

Power is looking towards an end game I think. Abandoning the 'Swindon way' and now talk of owning & possibly renovating the stadium seems to point that way. A club that owns its own, modern(ish) stadium will cost a lot more to a buyer than we will currently. Just my assumption, not really based on anything other than what I've seen... The fact he was so proactive for years and now has completely taken a back seat COULD mean he's lost a bit of interest.

Of course, if it does pan out this way and he does sell us, we could be attractive to the wrong type of person...

Totally agree.

[Tails]

Heavily involved - Fans - why won't he let the manager manage;
Steps back - Fans - He has lost interest, doesn't care anymore, just looking to get out.

As the 'steps back' bit came pretty much directly from me.... I wasn't criticising him for it and it was merely speculation on my part as to why he's abandoned the model and changed his mind re. ground purchase. I'm not a Power fan but also not one of those that will beat him for absolutely anything.

[Ardiles]

Power saw the "Swindon Way" as a means of making money, which after all was his stated objective. Similarly he stated that he had no interest in ground redevelopment etc.  It is surely not coincidence that at the time when we've no playing assets to sell, due to Power's poor recruitment decisions, and the Trust reveal what looks like a decent price for the CG... Power suddenly is interested in a property deal.

I do think it really is this simple.  Power’s strategy initially was ‘the Swindon way’.  It was all about the playing side - buy & develop young, untested players to sell on for a profit, and then reinvest.  He was so focused on this that he went out of his way to make it clear that developing the club’s infrastructure was of no interest - despite the sorry state of the County Ground.

This strategy worked for a year or two, and then fell apart…since which time the club has been in a state of decline.  So LP changes track, quite rightly in my view.  And purchase of the freehold might well be a part of an exit strategy.  While it does carry risks, we also have to recognise that many have been calling for this for years (even decades).  I remember Rikki Hunt making the same point 20 yrs ago.  The status quo is not sustainable, so I’m inclined to throw caution to the wind here and see where it takes us.

Doing nothing is not an option for us at the moment.  The club is on a downward spiral, and this may just provide a better alternative in the long run.  That said, I remain sceptical that LP will be able to raise the funds to finance the purchase.  The Council will be duty bound to get the best deal for the local taxpayer, so it will not be cheap.  And what will the debt used to finance the deal be secured against?  Lots of questions.

[Don Rogers Sock]

I do think it really is this simple.  Power’s strategy initially was ‘the Swindon way’.  It was all about the playing side - buy & develop young, untested players to sell on for a profit, and then reinvest.  He was so focused on this that he went out of his way to make it clear that developing the club’s infrastructure was of no interest - despite the sorry state of the County Ground.

This strategy worked for a year or two, and then fell apart…since which time the club has been in a state of decline.  So LP changes track, quite rightly in my view.  And purchase of the freehold might well be a part of an exit strategy.  While it does carry risks, we also have to recognise that many have been calling for this for years (even decades).  I remember Rikki Hunt making the same point 20 yrs ago.  The status quo is not sustainable, so I’m inclined to throw caution to the wind here and see where it takes us.

Doing nothing is not an option for us at the moment.  The club is on a downward spiral, and this may just provide a better alternative in the long run.  That said, I remain sceptical that LP will be able to raise the funds to finance the purchase.  The Council will be duty bound to get the best deal for the local taxpayer, so it will not be cheap.  And what will the debt used to finance the deal be secured against?  Lots of questions.

Be quite cheap to get the ground i thought?

[Reg Smeeton]

Doomsday is sooooo 1086.

Interestingly, the Goddard estate comprised of lands, mentioned in Domesday, as belonging to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. He's in the Tapestry, cracking Saxon skulls with a large wooden cross, as peaceful priests weren't allowed a sword.

You might presume that the Normans put the feudal system into place, and so much of the land ownership we have today comes from The Conquest, but not really so, the Normans just imposed themselves on an existing feudal pattern. Swindon had been held by Wadard, pre 1066.

[Flashheart]

I think any excitement I may have is quelled more by the fact we're dealing with SBC than anything else. They don't seem to be big on progress.

[Ardiles]

If it was going to be cheap, the club would have bought the freehold years ago.  The cost has always been the stumbling block.  The only factor in the club's favour now, I guess, is that central Swindon/the surrounding area is in such a sorry state through lack of investment over a sustained period that the price will be lower, perhaps, that it could have been.

[Don Rogers Sock]

If it was going to be cheap, the club would have bought the freehold years ago.  The cost has always been the stumbling block.  The only factor in the club's favour now, I guess, is that central Swindon/the surrounding area is in such a sorry state through lack of investment over a sustained period that the price will be lower, perhaps, that it could have been.

Pretty sure they have given the trust a price already haven't they ?

[horlock07]

As the 'steps back' bit came pretty much directly from me.... I wasn't criticising him for it and it was merely speculation on my part as to why he's abandoned the model and changed his mind re. ground purchase. I'm not a Power fan but also not one of those that will beat him for absolutely anything.

If you made that point I must have missed it as it wasn't aimed at anyone in particular, more a comment on general social media these last few weeks.

[Reg Smeeton]

I do think it really is this simple.  Power’s strategy initially was ‘the Swindon way’.  It was all about the playing side - buy & develop young, untested players to sell on for a profit, and then reinvest.  He was so focused on this that he went out of his way to make it clear that developing the club’s infrastructure was of no interest - despite the sorry state of the County Ground.

This strategy worked for a year or two, and then fell apart…since which time the club has been in a state of decline.  So LP changes track, quite rightly in my view.  And purchase of the freehold might well be a part of an exit strategy.  While it does carry risks, we also have to recognise that many have been calling for this for years (even decades).  I remember Rikki Hunt making the same point 20 yrs ago.  The status quo is not sustainable, so I’m inclined to throw caution to the wind here and see where it takes us.

Doing nothing is not an option for us at the moment.  The club is on a downward spiral, and this may just provide a better alternative in the long run.  That said, I remain sceptical that LP will be able to raise the funds to finance the purchase.  The Council will be duty bound to get the best deal for the local taxpayer, so it will not be cheap.  And what will the debt used to finance the deal be secured against?  Lots of questions.

I take the point that doing nothing is no longer an option if we wish to sustain league football at the CG into the future.  However such is the break between club and fans, I'm not sure there is much heart left in the fan base if the worst comes to the worst.

It'll be a shame to see the Club go, as the CG must be one of the oldest grounds in the country.

[Private Fraser]

Pretty sure they have given the trust a price already haven't they ?

From the Trust's November 2017 update:

"Earlier in the year we met with multiple fundraising partners to discuss how we can get the money together to purchase the stadium. Our initial £1.1m bid was not accepted by the Council and we can expect that number to more than double when all of the associated taxes and costs are taken into account and before a final offer is accepted."

[horlock07]

Interestingly, the Goddard estate comprised of lands, mentioned in Domesday, as belonging to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. He's in the Tapestry, cracking Saxon skulls with a large wooden cross, as peaceful priests weren't allowed a sword.

You might presume that the Normans put the feudal system into place, and so much of the land ownership we have today comes from The Conquest, but not really so, the Normans just imposed themselves on an existing feudal pattern. Swindon had been held by Wadard, pre 1066.

So is the Tapestry coming to the UK a sign?