QUESTION TIME: 1pm-2.30pm (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

2:31pm

Right ladies and gents, thanks for your time this afternoon. I've enjoyed fielding your questions and I hope that I've been able to help out with any queries you've had.

We plan on making this feature a regular event on the Adver website, so keep an eye out for next week's time.

Until then all the best,

Sam

2:28pm

Via email:

Hi Sam

When do you think the players will learn that short corners are a waste most of the time? It’s easier to be offside plus the players are generally under more pressure when crossing after a short corner and so many times it just hits the first man or is closed down. What’s wrong with getting it straight in the mixer? Short corners really do frustrate me!

Chris Sharp

This is one of the biggest frustrations in the world of football. Slight hyperbole I know but I don't see the point, particularly at this level. Sure, the short corner can create a better angle for the cross but more often than not it doesn't beat the first defender. I'm like you. Get it across!

2:25pm

You're more than welcome. You may well proved to be right, it's never dull at the County Ground.

2:19pm

2:18pm

I have yet to meet Andrew Black, although I hope he will accept our offer of an interview, so it would be hard for me to comment on his thoughts.

I have not heard of any other plans than to redevelop the County Ground, and I believe the "focus on commercial" element of the club's blurb is to build all four walls of the club up at once together rather than erect a skyscraper on the football pitch (metaphorically of course, that would just be ridiculous) and be left with a hut of the other commerical aspects of the business.

2:16pm

I think it would be human nature to be affected personally by the public dressing downs he dishes out. We can only go by what they tell us and they say they are all learning from him.

2:13pm

I don't think it would be a boardroom split, as there would be very little left of the board. 

I think you may be close to hitting the nail on the head.

2:12pm

I share some of your concerns there. The club must always be in a position to function and thrive for future generations, and those who pass through must be caring and responsible.

We've seen too many examples where a community's club has been corrupted and polluted by greed. If Di Canio achieves success everyone will be happy to celebrate with him.

If in 10 years' time that success has come with a price then the achievements are tainted. There's a balance to be struck there.

2:09pm

That sum of money is unlikely to be in one big chunk.

2:05pm

2:04pm

I think if Di Canio focuses as he says he will focus there is nothing to worry about. Scunthorpe are not having a great season, they've only won once away from home and only scored three times on the road. I'll go for a 2-0 win.

2:03pm

2:02pm

2:01pm

Fair enough point but remember Jeremy Wray also had other commitments to deal with. He wasn't earning money at Swindon Town. Let's wait to see how he operates.

1:58pm

1:55pm

Phil Spencer has a big part to play in identifying players Town want to bring in and negotiating their transfers to Swindon Town.

1:54pm

1:53pm

The mediator role is always down to the chairman, who can act as the voice of reason between so many parties.

If anyone is qualified to act as a mediator it is the new man in charge, a former senior diplomat who has run huge embassies in some of the world's most dangerous regions.

He knows people and know how to deal with people. I appreciate Di Canio is a different case but Sir William Patey has to be allowed the time to create a relationship with him.

We can all be shocked at Jeremy Wray's departure but there is no point immediately jumping on Sir William's back saying his arrival will cue nuclear meltdown.

If Di Canio is a man of any maturity he will give himself and Sir William the chance to work together, and his statement yesterday suggested he will do just that.

1:51pm

Let's wait and see what Sir William has to offer before making snap-judgements.

Inevitably it will be hard for him to gain the reputation Jeremy Wray procured for himself over 18 months in a short space of time but he has to be given the opportunity to bond with fans.

Over the phone last night he was friendly, chatty, polite and just as open about himself as an individual as Jeremy was with me earlier in the day. 

In terms of where Town will finish, I said sixth pre-season and I see no reason not to stick with that now.

1:48pm

That's a question you're better off asking the club directly. I imagine it's because they'd rather fill the other three first before adding the stewarding/police expense of opening a fourth for only a handful of people.

I think we live in a Town where too many children arrive with parents already associated with another club and therefore they do not become Swindon fans.

There are so many Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea and even Man City shirts in the town now that Swindon Town gets swallowed up.

It's down to the transient nature of the region, the movement of people from London and the Midlands during the 1950s and 1960s and the breaking down of the GWR.

Now we have a smaller core of Swindon supporters despite our relatively large catchment area. Addressing that situation can be done in many ways, and free tickets to schools is a great suggestion, but it has to be supported by those schools and the local community as much as it has to be promoted by the club.

1:43pm

It's an interesting question, and seeing as I am under the understanding that no approach has yet been made for him at any time you may be slightly right.

He does things the way he sees right to achieve success. Some may say it is heavy-handed or excessive and it is certainly extrovert and unorthodox.

For the record I think tactically he is very, very good. I disagree with some of the ways he deals with certain situations but he is his own man and will run things his own way. That's his prerogative and he'll live and die by that.

1:41pm

1:40pm

I read the conversation last night and it was good to see Andrew Black opening up. I hope he accepts our offer of an interview.

1:39pm

The development of all things Swindon Town away from the football team itself - sponsorship, sales, advertising, ground redevelopment, the whole package.

1:39pm

I think Di Canio is certainly demanding. He sees a certain way of achieving success, so far the board has been more than happy to go along with that.

I would not call Jeremy Wray a 'yes man' simply because he shares the same vision as Paolo Di Canio but perhaps his methods were not following the same path as the primary investors.

Di Canio has not walked as a direct result of this situation, so he is willing to adapt. In any business there has to be compromise, and if that doesn't happen who knows what we'll see.

Great to hear from an Old Pinewoodian. Give me a hint who you are...

1:36pm

1:34pm

Sponsorship or increased gate receipts will obviously help, as will progress in the League Cup, all of which is unbudgeted revenue.

I have not heard of any dicussions regarding selling the naming rights to the County Ground.

1:33pm

What Mr Black says in the discussion is "the football side has gone well with Paolo doing such a good job, but it has been difficult at the board". That, I imagine, will be down to the money needed to support what is going on.

1:30pm

1:29pm

1:28pm

I do not know what Burton think of Luke Rooney but if he has been doing well I would expect the loan to be extended.

Coming back would only up the wage bill slightly, and would not make a huge impact.

1:25pm

1:23pm

Who was involved in this Twitter discussion?

1:23pm

I'm partial to comte and plenty of nutty-flavoured cheeses. Emmenthal is a good one. Good enough answer for you?

1:22pm

I think youth is a big area which must not be neglected by this club. The board have sunk significant money into the EPPP and the youth set-up at the club is pretty impressive. 

Town will continue to churn out talented youngsters and they need to be given a chance to impress, something I worry will never happen under this management.

As for Miles Storey, he is evidently a very capable player but when you have the likes of Paul Benson, Adam Rooney, Andy Williams and James Collins in front of you, you are always likely to have limited opportunity.

For his sake I hope he starts getting gametime quickly, be it here or out on loan.

1:19pm

The vibes of most clubs are positive when a team is winning, as Town have been doing for some time. Different people react differently to different regimes, but generally the mood is good.

1:18pm

I believe it is around £170,000 - roughly half of the £340,000 that was owed to Shrewsbury and Exeter up front for the purchases of James Collins and Troy Archibald-Henville, but I have not been told officially how much it is.

What is needed to help reduce the expenditure within the 65 per cent of turnover maximum is increased revenue - this obviously does not include cash injection from investors.

On that basis, a sell-out against Sheffield United would help but would not overhaul it completely as the 66.5 per cent spending is based on a projection made by the club month-on-month.

That projection would have taken into account a certain number of people attending the game against Sheffield United. I am not sure of what the board would expect for a fixture of that magnitude, but I imagine around 9,000-10,000.

1:15pm

I think he is a reasoned man behind the fiery exterior. He will give the new set-up time to see whether the dynamic is what he, as an individual, wants to work with.

He said in his statement that he was encouraged by the vibes of the club with a new chairman on board.

On the flipside, he is now without the man he held an incredibly close relationship with on the board and that is bound to be slightly unsettling.

I don't think there is an immediate risk of his walking away from the club, but it would not surprise me if the thought has crossed his mind.

1:12pm

I have not heard anything of this. When senior members of the club talk about this issue, they refer to "redevelopment". That would not suggest anything of what you have heard.

1:10pm

To clear this up, I have the list of directors of the holding company in front of me now. Sir Martyn Arbib is not a director.

It would be impossible for me to guess who, if anyone would come onto the board in the near future.

In his interview yesterday, Jeremy Wray told me that several palns had been "resubmitted" and that Nick Watkins continues to liaise with the council regarding the process. I'd expect some movement on this in the next few months.

1:07pm

It is my understanding that Sir Martyn Arbib still invests in the general infrastracture of the club - ie stadium plans and the like. He is nto a major benefactor when it comes to wages and fees, that is where Andrew Black comes in. Therefore Mr Black is not the sole benefactor, he is the majority shareholder.

Sir Martyn has never been a director of the club. When he was brought in it was said he was to keep "a close eye" on the runnings of the club.

Sir William Patey has been brought in at the request of Mr Black, for reasons which have yet to be fully explained on his end but which are believed to be a desire to tighten up the commerical side of the club with the fooballing side.

Jeremy Wray was offered a position on the board of directors after being asked to stand down, but he turned the opportunity down.

1:04pm

I am currently trying to set up an interview with Mr Black. He is generally quite media-shy, although if you view his Twitter feed from last night you will see some of his reasons behind what has happened recently.

His username is @bertthebold.

1:03pm

It's just me I'm afraid, we plan to make this a regular opportunity for those of you who comment daily on our articles to have the chance to have some one-on-one interaction with the people who write them.

1:02pm

Right then everyone, hello and welcome to our live webchat.

Any questions you may have for me post them in the ways listed above and we'll see how much we can get through in the next hour and a half.

Please note the house rules - not many of them but quite imporant.

I look forward to hearing from you all.

10:30am

Join Sam Morshead from 1pm for a question and answer webchat, tackling all topics of life at Swindon Town.