With the season just six games old and a long haul ahead of us it is disappointing we haven't been able to secure more points in our opening games.
I will be honest and agree with most of you that the performances are not good enough but, with a little more luck, we could quite easily have another five points or so and we are not playing well!On the field, the players have to deliver and the manager has to ensure they can deliver, which is proving a stumbling block at the moment. However, I have faith in the management and players to correct this and start to move the Iron up the table in the coming weeks. I must take full responsibility for the team and the management, as I have employed them, so that rests squarely on my shoulders and I will take that.
It is important we support and push the players to their potential. They know it just is not working currently, but they are working so hard to correct that in training. Let’s hope they come good soon.
All the doom and gloom merchants - who want us to fail, want a new manager after six games into a 46-game season and cannot wait for me to fail as a chairman - look at what we are trying to achieve and give us all a chance.
I will never be able to please all of the fans, but the majority - who have seen us pick the club up from League Two, consolidate in League One and now try to make a mark and become competitive - know we will achieve it.
I will be judged on my overall tenure here, as will my family, who have taken the club to our hearts and that is what will be important as we develop the club.
I cannot remember many people coming forward and offering millions to secure its future when the previous chairman left, so what do you really want?
Scunthorpe United need a stable financial base and that is why I secure the funds to build a squad and these funds are our commitment to you the fans. I own just under 80% of the shares now and that means our investment has been just that, an investment in the club.
No monies are coming back, we will not put the club in debt or take loans back or make redundancies because of financial issues, as in the previous tenure.
We picked up a club with no systems in place, it was run as a hobby and that is what we have cleared up. There were no records in several departments, no invoices, no purchase ledger, no structure and certainly no leadership at key levels and it has been a huge job to try and achieve.
I will not continually hear the bleating on about how we used to do this and how good we used to be and why we should have this person back or that person back. It was not good structurally and it was not a business, that is what I am changing and that is what we will do.
I have made changes and I am happy we can deliver this as we move into a new era here at Scunthorpe United.
It is a huge responsibility and I am very proud to be here, but I understand I cannot keep all of you happy - that is life I am afraid. The one thing that does gripe with me is that I am committed 100% and try and attend when I can, put my money where my mouth is and as a family we give our time free. So when you hear fans saying I won’t attend until it gets better, that hurts because I can’t do that can I? It is so easy for those so-called fans to knock the club and go somewhere else, rather than stick with us and it is down to a responsibility I have taken on and one I will finish. Let’s drive this team on with cheers, rather than boos, it might just work you know!
Here, the Iron’s chief executive officer James Rodwell will explain where we are commercially:
We have made significant changes to the business structure over recent months which we felt were essential for the long term benefit of Scunthorpe United Football Club and the impending move to the new multi-use arena.
It may appear to some supporters that we have taken a backwards step off the pitch, with a number of visible sponsorship opportunities that have yet to be taken in this early part of the season. However, being transparent about the situation, if you take the main shirt sponsorship out of the equation, which we have donated to Prostate Cancer UK this season, commercial revenue is actually up on last season already. On top of this we have conducted a thorough audit of the stadium advertising and sponsorship and what you will see are all businesses, that as existing sponsors, are paying market rates to support Scunthorpe United. Many boards you will have seen last season had not been invoiced, let alone paid for, and several companies had not even been in existence for many years. I’m sure you will agree that is no way to run a 21st century football club.
There are many improvements being implemented and we are progressing very well with the development of an electronic, all-in-one, commercial, hospitality and events technology system that links in to the club’s central database and will help keep track of sales. This will improve the transferable knowledge of customers and clients between all departments of the football club, as well as the marketing and communication opportunities to supporters and commercial clients.
Some people may have seen that we have recently announced a “save the date” for the inaugural “Iron in Business” Networking Event which will see numerous local businesses invited down to Glanford Park to meet with other businesses, making Scunthorpe United a focus for businesses in the local area and showcasing the facilities at Glanford Park. The business networking event will occur quarterly and will see us reaching out further into the local community, forming part of an improved calendar of commercial events revolving around Scunthorpe United Football Club and Glanford Park.
While we are in a period of significant change in terms of staff personnel and facilities, one thing that will remain constant is the support of Scunthorpe United’s loyal supporters. Throughout this process you remain the core of the football club and that will not be forgotten. Your feedback on how we are progressing is vital to the continued improvement and I would encourage any supporter to contribute constructive comments and feedback to the club as they see fit, whether good or bad.
It won’t happen overnight, but I can already see we are making big strides in the right direction and we need you to stick with us during these exciting times.
We are building the football club off the pitch so that we have the best chance of not only returning to the Championship but giving Scunthorpe United the best chance to compete once we get there, along with a team and a stadium for the town to be proud of.
I can update you on the stadium. We have been in extensive talks with legal departments, the council and Lucents regarding the stadium and that means there is not always a lot to say and that can be frustrating.
All three of us are totally committed to delivering the new stadium and to try and do that as quickly as possible, but it is not easy as many things need to be completed.
There is no risk to the club, the fans are not paying for it, we are working on developing major anchor tenants to finance the move and it will happen.
Most of the work at this stage is commercially sensitive, so we cannot talk about it, but please have patience and trust me.
We have made huge steps in the last week and I hope that within the next two weeks I can discuss a few more things with you.
Your Chairman
Peter Swann
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