Michael Reeves
The first blows in the saga that will no likely be the departure of Russell Martin from Swansea has started with Jake Silverstein using fans on Twitter as his way of getting the view across on what is becoming a pretty unsavoury exit.
It is clear from Silverstein’s comments that the two sides have clearly been some way apart on what should happen next and that relationships have become pretty soured with Silverstein claiming that “Russ doesn’t like being the bad guy” and that he will paint a story that makes it the owners fault.
With Martin seemingly all set to depart one coast for another and take on the challenge of taking Southampton back to the Premier League it was Silverstein that broke the silence from the club with a statement that was made via Twitter although quite whether the naivety of the owner expected it to reach such a wide audience is up for debate.
In the message Silvestein said “People don’t seem to understand that there’s nothing we can realistically do if/when a manager wants to go to a bigger club mate.
“It’s not indentured servitude, we can’t make him stay if he wants to leave and if the other club is willing to pay what they need to pay for his contractual buyout. He’sunder contract for another year and we’ve been negotiating a longer deal with him for a while but if he wants to go to a different club we can’t stop him leaving.
“Fans will blame us because that’s what Russ wants. He doesn’t want to look the bad guy by ditching us for a bigger club just like he did with MK when he came to Swansea. So he will continue telling a story that it’s somehow our fault. But in reality if he wants to go to a bigger club (which he very well may despite what he claims in all his pressers) there’s nothing we or anyone else could do.
“It’s just reality man”
It’s quite incredible that this is now the way that the ownership group communicate with the fans and is hot on the heels of Andy Coleman’s tweet a couple of weeks back – Coleman’s last interaction of any nature at all.
The whole incident – no matter what your thoughts on Martin – seems incredibly badly handled again and I guess given the track record this should not have surprised as at all.
It seems as if the search starts again…
Silverstein’s statement demonstrates once again just how out of touch and incompetent, these distant American owners are. Their lack of connection with the fans, the area, our culture, and their consistent inability to make correct decisions at the right time which benefit the club has led us into this situation.
There will now be a fire-sale of players and this time next year we will ‘looking forward’ to a new season in L1.
Jenkins, Morgan and co should never have sold to them in the first place – it was a disgraceful decision which is now coming home to roost.
It is really saying something when even an unproven manager like Martin sticks it to these arrogant, self-serving, and really thick owners.
Yes we’ll who else can we blame Silverstein is talking a load of bull it his him and his colleagues who are running the club and expect the fans to believe him with no investment coming in to the club them in charge run it on a shoes string while they make money out of it and then they expect the fans to pay for new season tickets to put money into thyere pockets worse thing ever happened to the Swans when Levien and Kaplan bought the club for thyere own benefit to use it as a money machine they are business men not football fans that is why they are both millionaires.
Completely agree with Huw .Silverstein’s language and tone smack of arrogance.The use of thrwaway terms like mate and man show how little regard he has for us .Where we go from here under this leadership I can’t imagine .
Forget the finances – the ownership dhow no empathy for the club and fans . We are simply another business venture .
Blah, blah, blah! The owners obviously hated Martin’s reaction to the January catastrophe. I’m not sure they want Martin to stay – in fact, some corporate manufacturing going in here. Having worked for one in the States, they are capable of anything, or in our case nothing! It seems they are hanging on for something – they definitely don’t want to invest in anything! We are probably a tax right off without investment… plus, Martin would only (He’d be a fool if not) stay if certain promises were made. I have a strong feeling of that ‘Here we go again Swansea City!” coming on!
Here we go again – stepping stone club for managers and players and who could blame anyone jumping ship once they taste the poor flavour of American support. As fans we can rant and rave and blame everyone but ourselves. WE THE ‘FAN’S have the power to hurt the owners, so don’t renew your season ticket, don’t buy the shirts, give your support to a local team and let them see the benefit. The owners will not want to dip back into their pocket and want out!!! – let’s just hope at the end of it there is a Club worth buying! – Mr Petty, get your Pound ready, I’m sure there will be a few training cones you could flog off! – Protest and hurt the owners the only we we can, sadly it seems every time the put a few quid in, the supporters shares go down! – say’s it all for me!
I’m really starting to like Silverstein.
Breath of fresh air in his honesty.
Jeff33: feck me ! ! !
Andy Swansea Jack
When has mr Silverstein ever been a owner he only supposedly
Invested a million pound and then he said it was a loan to get it back and why is Southampton a bigger club not the way to look at things as a Swansea supposed owner and for naming that bluebird scum as owner manager what an insult to supporters.