………..whilst others point to the repeated shambles over ticketing and general lack of anything approaching co-ordination of the commercial department.

I thought it’d be worthwhile to break down the major good and bad aspects of their time in charge to see just how much they’ve managed to achieve.

THE GOOD

• There’s no doubt that the club is in its healthiest financial position in decades, possibly in its entire history. From a time when we were operating under a CVA and hemorrhaging hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, to making a declared six-figure profit for 2004 and the prospect of a lot more to come in 2005. The turnaround has been little short of a fiscal miracle.
• They’ve finally convinced the Council to construct the White Rock stadium. For 20 years a succession of individuals at the clubs helm have tried to build (and exploit) a new home for Swansea City. The current board managed to convince those in power that building it would be a good thing to do, and we’re seeing huge dividends as a result. Who would have thought four years ago that we’d end up playing Yeovil in front of a crowd of nearly 20,000?
• The supporters trust has been encouraged to increase its shareholding in the club, and for the first time ever a supporters representative is on the board. This has enhanced (in my view) a sense of ownership amongst the city and the fans, and the gates have skyrocketed at games as the people of the city can now feel that the club belongs to us again.
• The appointment of Kenny Jackett. All of the off the pitch stuff has been a worthwhile enterprise, but without a winning team on it then the impact wouldn’t be anywhere near as telling. After the near miss of Brian Flynn’s tenure (including a ballsy decision to call it quits with him), the fans were demanding a big name to take the club forward. Instead, (after much consultation and rumour mongering), we got Kenny. The board took a lot of heat over that decision, and especially so in the early days of last season. Luckily they persevered with a manager finding his feet, and the rest, as they say, is history.

THE BAD

• Huw Jenkins has been a somewhat controversial figurehead. At one stage this summer it looked like he was on a one-man mission to royally piss off every single other Chairman in the Football League. In the end it became almost comical as gaffe after gaffe was committed because he simply couldn’t keep his mouth shut, and we probably lost out on a player or two as a result. Sit down, shut up, and just sign the cheques Huw.
• We have not fought our corner against the Rugby Mafia within Stadco nearly enough in my opinion. We all know the score. Without the input of the Swans the stadium would be financially unviable. The Ospreys can barely fill a third of it, and one or two concerts within a few short weeks during the summer won’t make much of a difference. It’s time to make both our presence felt, and our contribution to the grounds upkeep mean something in terms of influence.
• The commercial department is still a complete shambles. Stock either not available or long delayed, opening hours unsuited for the casual shopper, that bloody ridiculous queuing system after matches, and a hundred other assorted gripes and groans. Considering the commercial department is a major source of income for the club, it needs sorting, and fast. If heads must roll, then so be it. Another city centre outlet (purely Swans related) would be nice too.
• Sacking Colin Addison. It’s going back a ways I know, but the dismissal of Colin & Peter Nicholas was a panicky measure that probably led to an awful lot of instability. I’ve heard rumours and stories as to why it was done, but as it led to Nick Cusacks reign as boss, it has to go down as a boo-boo.

AND IN CONCLUSION………

Overall, I think they’ve done far more good than bad. Sure, there have been problems that should have been ironed out in time for the move to White Rock, but our current position in the league table, attendance table, bank balance and the prospect of even more to come all largely point to a job well done. I’d still prefer that they hire a quality chief executive to come in and handle the day-to-day running of things (transfers, commercial activities etc), but on the whole, good work fellas!