Trust Statement

Supporters Trust Statement

The departure of Brian Flynn and Kevin Reeves from Swansea City FC has seen many representations made to Trust Board members, by fans, on the matter itself and also in relation to the Trust’s own stance on these recent events.

The Board believes that it cannot realistically speak for all Trust members on this subject as many fans/members will have differing personal views on whether the club has made the correct decision or not, in parting company with Brian and Kevin. Indeed, the issue as such probably falls outside the scope of the Trust’s general remit, being primarily a club decision in relation to its employees.

It would be wrong to suggest however that members of the Trust Board do not have their own opinions on the matter because as ordinary fans, they do. These opinions are however personal and have no bearing on this statement although we can say that the Trust, as part owners of Swansea City FC, recognizes fully that the club’s actions here were only implemented after great consideration, deliberation and with the long term interest of this club and its supporters in mind.

The Trust Board was kept fully informed of developments in advance of the management changes and whilst all will no doubt understand that issues surrounding the matter remain confidential between the respective parties, we can say that based on our knowledge and understanding of the club’s views and concerns, we are confident in confirming our full support of the club’s actions.

The club has issued a statement and there has been much debate on the merits of the decision. We are sure that such debate will continue both within the media and throughout the fanbase. It may not be prudent for this Board to enter that debate fully but as the sole recognized supporter organization for the Swans, we nevertheless feel that we have to echo the long standing concerns of fans, be they members or non members, about the decline in the team’s league performances since the early part of this season.

The specific reasons for the management team’s departure should remain between the club and the individuals concerned. Such details are private, confidential and not for public consumption in our view. There are however many elements which are claimed as having contributed to final events. Oft quoted are: poor player fitness levels, poor training methods, unacceptable levels of ‘training injuries’, lack of management/player discipline, a reluctance by management to reside in Swansea to be constantly with/near players, and even a predictable game plan/approach. Supporters will of course have their views on these and others and it is not for us to pass comment on them.

However, one concern in particular highlighted by many fans relates to the many conflicting figures being bandied about relating to the current playing squad. This appears to have been of great concern to many, given the downturn in league form and to explain the matter we have turned to our own Supporter Director, Leigh Dineen for some clarification. He commented :

‘I can’t go into exact totals on what our player’s wages are for the year. However I can say that we laid down our budgets at the beginning of the season based on a set crowd figure and a minimum cup run. With the size of the budget we expected decent/average crowds based on the type of player we were bringing in.

In football things change almost daily and with budgeted income exceeded through gate receipts and the cup run we increased our wage budget accordingly and reinvested it in the team.

This is not seen necessarily through transfer fees but through

renegotiation of player contracts to secure them for a longer term as well as the signing of high calibre players during the past 3 months (Tate, Roberts and Connor – contrary to belief Stuart Roberts’ Wycombe contract has been taken over by us and he is not here on loan) and an increase in the loan player expenditure. We also paid a fee for a player for the first time in 5 years.

I am confident that our player budget this year is in the top three in this division. I would think that only Hull and Huddersfield have a bigger wage bill. Based on this we had designs on (at the very least) a top 5 finish. Anything below this will be seen as an under achievement.’

We hope that this helps fans understand that particular issue.

As a Trust we cannot comment other than generally upon an issue such as this management change. We will however endeavour to assist, wherever possible with fans’ concerns on any club related issue. As far as this particular matter is concerned, we firmly believe that the club Board has carried out actions with the express, long term interests of Swansea City FC and its fans at heart.

Brian Flynn and Kevin Reeves are to be thanked for the part they have played, especially last season, in helping to strengthen this club for the future. However, their era is now over and we hope that every fan will now direct his/her positive support towards the club, its Board, the players and to the eventual new management team.

We have at the core of this club local people with a driving ambition to take Swansea City FC to higher levels. The Trust with its part ownership of the club will always ensure that the fans interests are upheld. We hope that fans will help us do that for years to come. As always, we welcome any questions on any concerns. We may not have all the answers nor may the answers be the ones preferred by fans. We will however attempt to provide an answer, confidentialities, as always, allowing.

Why not check out the latest Vetch Verdict on the BBC site?