Swindon - in EPL 28 years ago, now close to the end game

My father in law has had a season ticket since the early 90s.
They are a club that always seem to be on the brink of disaster in some way but this is unheard of even for them.
Must confess they aren’t a club I hold much affection for, having been to a few games I’ve always found it a fairly miserable place but it would be a tragedy if/when they go under and a massive shock to the Swindon area. Can’t really see another outcome.
 
Football authorities should have the power to enforce the sale of a club if the owner is a thieving scumbag like this and a hardship fund to stop them going to the wall. As it is, it'll be points deductions and fines instead - pushing them closer to the brink. It's terribly sad and you hate to see it. That guy Power sounds like an utter bastard.
 
Current owner was on the TalkSport this morning. Knew owner pending just needs to be approved by the football league then the takeover goes through. Simon Jordan quizzed him quite a bit and seemed to accept the position, but hit out with a good question at the end, noting the current owner is a secured creditor, so will get paid some return if the club goes down the tubes.
 
Lee power the chairman was on talkSPORT this morning. He’s been ordered to sell his shares to an Aussie who I think is already involved in the club.
Clem something or other, lee powers side of the story is clem was ordered to provide 300 grand for running of the club while this concluded, still hasn’t passed fit and proper test or paid deposit for the share. He’s basically said it’s not his club anymore so won’t fund anymore.
Didn’t catch the end of the show so not sure if there was any other info other than admin has to be on the way.
 
Were they promoted to the EPL one year then refused promotion then went up the next year?
Think Fjortoft scored a fair few goals for them
 
Swindon had a boyhood Rangers fan as their chairman a few years back?

Cyber pint for the first correct answer.
 
Were they promoted to the EPL one year then refused promotion then went up the next year?
Think Fjortoft scored a fair few goals for them
They beat Sunderland in the 1990 play-off final to go into the top tier but Sunderland went up because Swindon broke league rules.

Promotion campaign Manager Lou Macari left in 1989 to take charge of West Ham United with veteran midfielder, and former Argentine international, Ossie Ardiles replacing him. In his first season, Swindon were Second Division play-off winners,[9] but the club later admitted 36 charges of breaching league rules, 35 due to illegal payments made to players, and were relegated to the Third Division — giving Sunderland promotion to the First Division and Tranmere Rovers to the Second Division. The scandal saw then-chairman Brian Hillier being given a six-month prison sentence and chief accountant Vince Farrar being put on probation. A later appeal saw Swindon Town being allowed to stay in the Second Division.[10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swindon_Town_F.C.#1969–2000
 
It's always sad to hear about Clubs, especially smaller Clubs, who have long been the fabric of British football going through troubled times.
Anyone of my vintage, when you mention Swindon thinks of the charismatic Don Rogers, he of the Pancho Villa moustache, who scored those goals to beat Arsenal in the League Cup back in the day.
 
Current owner was on the TalkSport this morning. Knew owner pending just needs to be approved by the football league then the takeover goes through. Simon Jordan quizzed him quite a bit and seemed to accept the position, but hit out with a good question at the end, noting the current owner is a secured creditor, so will get paid some return if the club goes down the tubes.
Was that when Jordan asked Power if he held, "debentures"?

On face value, I thought Power came across quite well with his answers but seemed to get knocked out of his stride with Jordan's last question.

Hope they get it sorted sharpish though - like they said, nobody wants another Bury.
 
Not to worry, Charles Green and Craig Whyte will be standing by, ”to offer any assistance if required.”
 
It's always sad to hear about Clubs, especially smaller Clubs, who have long been the fabric of British football going through troubled times.
Anyone of my vintage, when you mention Swindon thinks of the charismatic Don Rogers, he of the Pancho Villa moustache, who scored those goals to beat Arsenal in the League Cup back in the day.
Really good game that, despite the Wembley quagmire. Arsenal just couldn't handle Rogers that day.
 
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Was that when Jordan asked Power if he held, "debentures"?

On face value, I thought Power came across quite well with his answers but seemed to get knocked out of his stride with Jordan's last question.

Hope they get it sorted sharpish though - like they said, nobody wants another Bury.
Yeah that was the question, agreed he did come across quite well. Can understand why the staff left and why Power won’t put any money in from that interview.
 
There's a couple of hundred thousand in the Swindon area. Surely that can comfortably support a professional team? I guess all the little lads are running about in the latest Premiership team shirts...
 
Remember eating them play my local team in a pre-season game in 93 then playing against them in 99.

A real pity what’s happened.
 
My main memory of Swindon is of them beating Arsenal in a League Cup Final at Wembley back in the late 60'. They were in the lower divisions at that time but had a really good team. Their best player was a guy called Don Rogers.
 
Still the only team to concede 100 goals in an EPL season.

There's a really good Channel 4 documentary about them which is filmed during their promotion season. Hoddle got them promoted and then quits for the Chelsea job which seems to knock the entire club for six that summer.

 
Swindon, despite its reasonable quality of life, is a soulless place. Without a football team it will be even worse.
Yep, huge percentage of the town work in London or Bristol so never go out locally. Decentish music scene for a satellite town though.
 
My father in law has had a season ticket since the early 90s.
They are a club that always seem to be on the brink of disaster in some way but this is unheard of even for them.
Must confess they aren’t a club I hold much affection for, having been to a few games I’ve always found it a fairly miserable place but it would be a tragedy if/when they go under and a massive shock to the Swindon area. Can’t really see another outcome.
I lived in Swindon for a couple of years around 1999/2000… the people of Swindon aren’t really that engaged or bothered about their football club is the sad truth of it.

At the same time, Swindon are that time we’re wanting ridiculous amounts of money for match tickets - in 1999 the standard ticket was about £25, it was crazy.

The town is full of Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, West Ham, Liverpool & Man Utd fans. I dare say that a good cup run would have seen Swindon flags everywhere but in general there is much apathy.
 
I lived in Swindon for a couple of years around 1999/2000… the people of Swindon aren’t really that engaged or bothered about their football club is the sad truth of it.

At the same time, Swindon are that time we’re wanting ridiculous amounts of money for match tickets - in 1999 the standard ticket was about £25, it was crazy.

The town is full of Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, West Ham, Liverpool & Man Utd fans. I dare say that a good cup run would have seen Swindon flags everywhere but in general there is much apathy.
I remember when my uncle's family moved there in the 70s he said Swindon people were into speedway rather than football. I don't know if speedway still takes place there.
 
Even as an oxford fan wouldn't want them go bust, just few years struggling in non league win do fine. May get to party like they did when boot on other foot. What goes around.......
 
Football authorities should have the power to enforce the sale of a club if the owner is a thieving scumbag like this and a hardship fund to stop them going to the wall. As it is, it'll be points deductions and fines instead - pushing them closer to the brink. It's terribly sad and you hate to see it. That guy Power sounds like an utter bastard.
In this instance, the owner is not actually at fault.


There is a buyer, there is a court order forcing the sale to the buyer for £200k and the current owner is waiting for the payment to sell the club to the buyer. The buyer is not transferring the cash until he is given fit and proper status by the EFL. The EFL are taking their time over it. The only hold up is the EFL.
 
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