A Chairman Elect?

It has to be the one big dilemma for the new owners of Swansea City FC at the moment, just who will be the first Chairman of the new era ? There are only a few real people who could carry the job forward but many are tied in to certain criteria that makes the position hard to fill. The main contender is Steve Hamer. Do I hear a gasp of disapproval ? I’m not on a mission for the man, but will try and give a pro’s and cons view of him in the first instance, and maybe it will help make or break some peoples views. First of all lets have a look at the negatives.

Steve Hamer is indeed a part of the old administration that talked utter nonsense for three years before he departed in October of 2000. I know many who will point to his silence when Neil Mcclure was talking of a Morfa move when he lined up those extreme and woefully pathetic press conferences from 1997 until 2000, all of which were proved to be total nonsense. I think the real frustration here is those supporters who went along with the nonsense, as much as Steve Hamers silence when everything around him was clearly wrong. He should have made a stand. And in fact his dismissive attitude towards the fans when John Hollins should have been given the boot ( in my view the man ? should never have been given the job – ever ) And his award of a three year contract to Hollins out of sheer spite when he got us promotion was a very misguided and foolish move. Even the players were stating his training methods were awful and seasoned professionals at the club were working together behind his back to compensate for this. Hollins was awful, and Hamer himself got so frustrated he had to make his own moves to bring in players like Walter Boyd, Gio Savarese, Fabiano and Verschave. So even with that evidence he awarded Hollins a contract which is still crippling the club and threatening our immediate survival.

Many debacles surrounded the club at the time, in fact the biggest debacle was the appointment of Mike Lewis, something which Hamer did based on recommendation from an old contact in the game. To be fair though it wasn’t as a club executive he was given the job, just a commercial manager. As proven this appointment is one of the reasons we are in so much trouble still. In fact in my opinion there was little achieved at Swansea City during the Silver Shield / Ninth Floor reign, that is when compared to what could have been done with a little more honesty and a little less arrogance. Can you imagine what they would have achieved if we all had been on board instead of banned or ignored ? I remember receiving an e mail at this time from a Hertfordshire police officer, clearly an intelligent man who referred to his studies and promotions as some form of credibility. He was a Swans fan, and lambasted me for having the gall to take on Mcclure and Hamer at the time stating they were the only option we had. I wrote back stating my points, and never heard from him again. It was such a shame that even intelligent people were being hoodwinked which only went to prove that the ” Thick Welshies ” tag of the time was actually being practised and not just referred to in the corridors of SCFC.

So yes, Steve Hamer with many Swansea City supporters has little if any credibility. I think the final negative has to be the time he came to speak to The Midlands Avon & Gloucester Swans in Cheltenham in 1997. He was very convincing. The next day he got on a coach leaving the town full of Swansea people heading towards Sunderland to see the structure of the new stadium. A good friend of mine on the coach heard the following conversation ” So Steve how did you get on with The MAGS ” The reply went ” I put up with three hours of bullshit and gave them three hours back ” That peeved me slightly and convinced me at the time that Silver Shield were worth fighting against, and yes, at times a good fight is good for the soul, and not just from behind a computer. I knew we would win, it just took too bloody long ! And I suppose the sacking of Jan Molby because he was a thorn in their sides, and a respected manager to boot was also good cause to campaign relentlessly against everything they said and did.

So are there any positives ?

Well yes there are quite a few. First of all you don’t have to be a big fan of someone to see their positive credentials. With little or no real chance of a seasoned football person at the helm as an alternative he can point to the following reasons, and so can I. Steve Hamer moves in the right circles, he knows many football people who talk the same talk as he does, lets call it networking. He has so many contacts in the game it is amazing. From the National Sporting Club offices in London he has built up a huge collection of phone numbers that would be of massive use to him and Swansea City FC. He is indeed a Swans fan who since leaving the club has learned a great deal. Lesson one being the way the whole sham was conducted from 1997 to 2000 when he left. Lesson two being never to underestimate the power and the passion of the Swansea support. But he has stated he made mistakes, and he surely does not have to cleanse himself every time he speaks does he ?

Does he ?

Hamer can rub shoulders with the people that matter, and to be honest the people that matter to him are not the sort of people you find wandering around the NB on a Saturday. These are the crombie coat brigade ( Sorry if I have upset you reader, or maybe I’m not ) but wearing a suit to football has never worked for me. These people know Hamer and he knows them. At Football League meetings his expertise in the workings of these peoples brains will be invaluable, and of course they know him too. His sources in the media are unequalled ( even by JACKARMY.NET but we are getting there ) and he has learned many things since he left in October of 2000, almost eighteen months ago. He has never been far away from the Swansea story since he left, indeed his brother actively works with the supporters trust ( draw from that what you will ) So his heart has always yearned to be back at Swansea City FC. Since he has gone I have spoken to him on a few occasions, and I suppose that’s a few more than when Silver Shield decided I and my cohorts were some form of vermin ( maybe ) And battle lines were drawn, but that’s in the past.

I look at what he can offer, and he can genuinely offer more than anyone on the new consortiums books bar maybe two people. Mel Nurse, who at this point cannot take up the challenge, and I think it’s fair to say he doesn’t want the role for any length of time. And I can’t mention the other chap, and anyway if he doesn’t want any publicity he hardly wants to be Chairman now does he ? David Morgan is no different to any of us, he will freely admit the role is totally beyond him, and the time needed to fill the position would seriously affect his work, maybe even put a stop to it. So like anyone who was standing on the NB two weeks ago as David was, it is out of his reach and sorry Dave you shouldn’t be in the running. The fact is there are no contenders for the job, some may say Martin Burgess, well certain things keep him out of it, and that’s for the consortium to talk about not me. And Martin for all the hard work he has done in the past few months will always have the same tag as Steve Hamer, old regime etc ….. I notice Alan Curtis has had a mention, Alan is a Swansea football legend, like Mel a piece of history whose treatment has been shambolic, but he has expertise in other areas, with youth development and the future, as a statesman perhaps, but not a Chairman. And again there is criteria with the new board that means he cannot be considered for the job. So I revert back to Steve Hamer.

I will put aside what has gone on before, I will keep it non personal, I will forget the failures of recent years and stick my neck out a bit, just for a change. I’m not advocating he be given the job for any reason other than he is the only alternative, and there is nobody with the club at heart with as much experience.

For his experience, his knowledge, his contacts, his approach and his handling of football matters for the best interests of Swansea City FC.

There is no alternative for now, the next Chairman of Swansea City FC should be Steve Hamer !