Latest news with #IanHolloway
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Swindon 'considering' further appointments following staff departures
Swindon Town are considering further appointments within their staff following a year of multiple departures from the club. The 12 months have seen many key behind-the-scenes figures leave Swindon, with Jamie Russell and Danny Rose moving to Salford City, Alex Pike to Brentford, Jamie White to Eastleigh, Baillie Coupland to Burton Albion, and Sean Wood to Reading. Some of these people have been replaced: Mark Moss came in as Academy Manager, Kirk McGinn was promoted to Under-18s manager, and Alisha Henry has arrived as Club Secretary. Whilst there has been an internal restructuring, including Ian Holloway taking on many of the responsibilities that Russell had undertaken as Head of Football, it has left many fans concerned that there are holes remaining in the club. During the meeting of the Advisory Board, a monthly meeting between the club hierarchy and stakeholder groups, the topic was broached during the fan question-and-answer portion. As part of this, a fan asked whether there was a plan to recruit more administrative staff to replace those who have departed, as their roles were now being performed by fewer people. Read more: Swindon 'no intention' of letting Smith leave as League Two rival bid rejected Town target two more players this summer to complete squad Munroe creates intriguing battle in Swindon's 'most important area' The minutes said: 'The club acknowledges the recent changes within its football administration structure over the past nine months. While it is true that several key personnel have departed, the club has acted swiftly to ensure continuity and stability by appointing highly capable replacements in key roles. 'We have recently welcomed a very experienced Club Secretary, Alisha Henry, who brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the position. She will work closely with senior figures within the football department, ensuring smooth coordination across all areas of football operations. "Additionally, the appointment of a new Academy Manager—who is a like-for-like replacement—ensures that the development pathway for our young players remains a core focus and is in safe hands. 'While the backroom team has experienced change, it is by no means diminished. "Under the leadership of Ian Holloway, who continues to play an integral role in shaping the club's footballing direction, we are constantly reviewing our staffing structure to ensure it remains fit for purpose. "As part of this ongoing review, the club is actively considering whether further recruitment in football administration is necessary to strengthen support across all departments. 'We remain fully committed to ensuring the club is properly resourced, both on and off the pitch, to meet the demands of a professional football environment.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pitch improvements underway at the Nigel Eady County Ground
Preparations are underway at the Nigel Eady County Ground to get the pitch ready for the start of Swindon Town's season. In April, it was confirmed that Swindon would be going ahead with Head Groundsman Matt Povey's proposal to stitch the pitch this summer, to create a more durable and quicker surface, preventing the difficulties of the past few seasons with the field struggling to cope with the number of games and poor weather. The work is costing an additional £160,000 on top of regular maintenance costs, but it is seen by Ian Holloway and Povey as a necessary price to pay for helping the players. Read more: Holloway's 'brutally honest' assessment of where Town are with learning style 'Someone always comes out of the pack' - Two players surprising Holloway Ripley's absence from Melksham friendly explained The Adver was allowed access this week to see the pitch stitching in progress to get an idea of how the work was going. SIS Pitches are undertaking the work, which was delayed from the initially expected start date of July 1 due to their renovations of multiple pitches at Chelsea's Cobham training ground, a delay which meant Povey has been forced to postpone his honeymoon. After their work at Swindon is completed, which is anticipated by the end of the week, they will move on to Wycombe Wanderers, Millwall, and Wrexham before the start of the season, and they also have projects on in Mexico and Czechia, before heading to the United States ahead of next summer's World Cup. The stitching is now underway with four specialist machines, two of which have 40 pins and two larger ones having almost double that, taking to the pitch at the County Ground to apply the plastic fibres. The process works by the machines using the sharp pins to insert the plastic fibres into the ground, allowing the grass to grow around them, leaving a consistent layer underneath the grass to reduce the degradation. Each machine goes up and down the field, with it taking between two and three hours to go from one end to the other. The team operating the machines will work in shifts, 24 hours a day, to get it all completed in time. Once the pitch is stitched this summer, it will keep the turf in excellent condition for at least five years before the process would need to be done again. The work began Tuesday afternoon, and it is expected to be completed by the end of the week, before it takes around a week to two weeks to properly bed in, leaving it to be in perfect condition by the time Swindon host Cambridge United on August 9.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-Championship player among pre-season trialists at Swindon Town
A former Cardiff city wing-back was among the new faces to be given an outing in Swindon Town's latest fixture. Four trialists were included in Town's squad for their behind-closed-doors friendly against Reading on Tuesday, one of whom was Raheem Conte as reported by The Moonraker. The 22-year-old made five appearances for Cardiff in the Championship and EFL Cup, and spent the first half of last season out on loan at National League side Woking last season. He has played at both wing-back and full-back in his career so far, while also being utilised in midfield during his time at Woking. Southall defender Cerny Ando also featured against Reading, having already made a brief appearance for Town in the 4-0 win at Melksham Town last weekend. The other two trialists in Tuesday's squad, a striker and a left-back, are understood to have been part of the side that played against Swindon's first-team squad in training last week. Swindon were defeated 2-1 by Reading in the extended 120-minute match as Ian Holloway looks to increase the workload on his players in preparation for their League Two campaign, which gets underway in less than three weeks.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Town fans on what squad needs to be competitive this season
Swindon Town supporters think that their squad could still do with some more additions in the transfer market ahead of the season starting. With three weeks until the start of the season at the Bescot Stadium against Walsall, Swindon will be hoping to get their squad ready as soon as possible. Advertisement Town have been active to this point, signing multiple key players up to new contracts, on top of signing seven new players to add to the group. Last week, Ian Holloway said of signings: 'It is really too early to say [how active I might be], but I have got some funds that I am ready to use if I need anything. 'We have already identified where I think that I might need something, but if some of the young ones step in and do really, really well, which I saw them do today, then I might not fill that space up. I might just use them.' This week, The Adver asked Swindon supporters on social media what areas they would be looking to target if they were in control of transfers. The general consensus among people on X and Facebook was that defenders, specifically a centre-back and left-back, and a winger would be important in helping Swindon to compete towards the top end of the league. Advertisement Although Christian Kostiuk said on X that he thought the squad was 'ready to roll' already, and Paul Francombe said on Facebook that it was important to see how the new players fit in before thinking about adding more. Gareth White said on Facebook: 'I think we might still be a short at the back, beyond that I guess it's about who is available, wants to come, or we can afford. It is maybe worth holding out for someone who is a clear improvement on who we have. 'It feels like we have the makings of a good squad. We finished last year relatively strong (certainly compared to the awful first half of the season), so hopefully we can build and make some sort of promotion challenge. Fingers crossed. Probably what every lower league team's fans feel pre-season though, especially when they've made a few signings!' Rona Lancaster added on X: 'Defenders. With one or two injuries, we're into the academy players or midfielders in defence.' Advertisement David Hulme was specific on Facebook, and said he wanted John Swift, who played for the PFA training camp team this week after leaving West Bromwich Albion.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Changes to our coverage of Swindon for the coming season
We would like to let you know about some changes to our coverage of Swindon Town for next season. Following a request by the club, we will no longer be providing live updates of pre-match press conferences with Ian Holloway and the playing squad. Advertisement We were informed earlier this week that Swindon had decided that they did not want press conferences to be live blogged, as they believe it can misrepresent what is being said, and as a result, we will no longer be able to concurrently report the pre-match messages of Holloway and the players. This will not stop our reporting from the press conferences, and we will instead look to put the information out afterwards, where we can provide the exact wording of what has been said to ensure that there are no simplifications within the transcript, so that a complete picture can be provided. Whilst the old live blogs were an accurate representation of what has been said, this will enable us to take time to provide every single detail. There will also be no further changes to other coverage of matches and news, with every kick and word covered next season, through our regular matchday live blogs, match reports, and reaction. Advertisement As ever, we endeavour to provide the most comprehensive and in-depth coverage of Swindon as they look to earn promotion to League One to give fellow supporters the best possible way of staying up to date with the happenings on and off the pitch at the Nigel Eady County Ground. Read more: 'For four weeks we were his' - Inside Lou Macari's punishing pre-seasons Swindon demanding near record fee to let Ameen leave this window Conquistadors - The story of Swindon's undefeated tour of South America This will see detailed analysis of performances and style, all the latest news and rumours, opinion pieces from our columnists, as well as long reads about moments in the club's history. Advertisement You can presently get unlimited access to all of this content, as well as the news in the local area, reduced adverts on the website, a digital version of the newspaper, and access to the app, all for £6 for the next six months. This will also give you access to all of our previous content, like the search for Milan Misun, the story of the end of the Paolo Di Canio era, and the account of Town's 1912 tour of Argentina and Uruguay. We will also be working to continue to expand our offering, so that our readers get the best picture of what is going on at the club and make it more than worthy of the £1 per month it costs.
