Iron Bru › Forums › Blast Furnace › Put us up for sale Peter › Reply To: Put us up for sale Peter
Share your thoughts NI,
Happy to SS.
But like you, not happy with the way things are and have been since Alexander’s departure. I don’t know PS personally so I won’t slag him or any of his family off, but I can make critical observations.
Swann always talks a good game when he comes on the radio or on an IB podcast. He tells us he cares about the club and the town and is doing all he can to build success. However we are used to politicians speaking to us in a similar manner. “We’ve a world beating track and trace programme in place!” “Brexit will be of benefit to all of us!” PS does often sound like a politician on Question Time.
I won’t repeat the list of promises. They’re there in the OP. But were they promises, or pipe dreams? Swann cannot be criticised for having a vision for the club.
The vision however appeared to put the stadium (new, rebuilt, refurbished or whatever) ahead of the football. To me it was always cart before horse. Surely the emphasis on developing youth should have been one of the first of the new owner’s actions, not one of the latter.
Of course when things are going okay football wise then it’s relatively easy to get fans on board with these visions. A promotion in his first season in charge. Three seasons flirting with the L1 playoffs. Not the heady days of Adkins and the Championship, but not too bad. After all we were still two divisions higher than Grimsby and Lincoln!
However, if you scratched off the veneer then the cheap chipboard beneath was clear to see. The promotion under the record breaking Russ Wilcox was particularly turgid. So much in fact that it didn’t really feel like one. Being in the upper reaches of L1 should have been joyous, yet there was always some mischief going on in the background. Players falling out with management and ownership over contracts or being played out of position. We then stated to hire and fire our managers at the drop of a hat. This despite PS telling us each time that (insert name) was the best man for the job and that he was here for the long term. One day we may learn what happened with Paul Hurst a year ago.
Around the same time news of the much talked about “transfer committee” emerged. There then followed a list of players signed but never featuring in matches, other than the odd cameo appearance. You know their names, Vose, Margetts, Lewis, El Mhanni, Olomola, Dales, Hallam. Now we have the likes of Mooney and Dunwald-Turan to add.
Many of us have questioned whether these signings have anything to do with the manager and coaches. Particularly as recent managers have been appointed after the squad has been put together.
Recently we’ve been told that the club has to cut its wage bill. This is fair enough of course, all clubs are in the same boat. But what do we do? Sign a lot of poor, inexperienced youngsters when surely a smaller number of new additions a mix of youth and experience would have been better. Then to cap it off we hear that the new chief scout is the Chairman’s son!
But to me it’s the whole atmosphere surrounding the club that seems to have died. Players don’t seem bothered whether they win or lose. No urgency, no pride in the shirt.
Change has to start at the top. I don’t know whether a new owner would be the catalyst or whether the Swann family can turn it around. Maybe they have reached the limit of what they can do. Who knows?
These are difficult times, sure enough. Would anyone want to buy a football club in the lower reaches of L2 at the moment?