Swansea City : The Fall and Rise.

Yes you can watch BBC Wales on sky , it will be channel 990 something or other

 

If only I had it!

I've seen BBC Wales programmes come up on the front page of Iplayer for me before though, so maybe I'll be able to watch this later? Here's to hoping.

 

Surely its all stuff we've seen before though ??

 

"Football's Tower Colliery."
That was how producer Craig Withycombe and I sold the idea to the BBC Cymru Wales programme commissioners about making a documentary on Swansea City's incredible rise from the bottom of the Football League to the Premier League in the space of a decade.
Tower Colliery was the last deep pit in Wales, which was closed and brought back to life by a workers' buyout.
It may sound melodramatic, but the Swans' success is a tale which is so inspiring that they're talking about a Hollywood film being made about it.
It has been an idea which has lingered in the BBC Wales sport department for quite some time but the problem with all the club's success has been when to tell the story.
Not wishing to hope for a plateau in the Swans' success, but after the Capital One Cup final win and confirmation of a top 10 Premier League finish this term, it was felt by us that things couldn't get much better for the club.
Bearing in mind the past season marked Swansea City's centenary as well, the stars aligned and 'The Fall and Rise' idea was born.

"At a time when English football's Premier League is dominated by billionaires and oligarchs, there is a fan-owned club competing with the best"

In a personal capacity, working on the programme was a treat. As a football reporter for BBC Wales this past decade I've been as close as anyone in observing their success.
I was there for each of their last three promotions and the League Cup win. I was there for the dark times too - so remember first hand what the supporters had been through.
Of course, the football side to the story is rags to riches stuff in itself - club goes from near bankruptcy to the top league - but what we found when making the programme is that tells only half the tale.
In truth, this is a human interest story and an emotional rollercoaster ride for anyone with a nodding acquaintance with Swansea City.
In 2001, a group of local people and the newly-formed Swansea City Supporters Trust joined forces to take control of their beloved club from an owner whose decision to cut costs by sacking players met widespread dismay in Wales' second city and, for that matter, the wider football community.
Suffice to say quite a bit of progress has been made since the days of the unpopular Tony Petty and it's all down to the fans in the boardroom.
Learning to run a football club is one thing. Turning it in to a multi-million pound business is another, making the achievement a marvellous one.
There are glorious football tales to be told along the way - in the documentary you'll hear from James Thomas, the reluctant hat-trick hero whose goals saved Swansea from relegation to non-League football in a win or bust game
Thomas now watches from the stands of the Liberty Stadium as a season-ticket holder (his favourite pastime away from a job as an ambulance driver in Port Talbot).
Leon Britton - one of the first signings made by this board of supporters - still plays in midfield, choosing to be loyal to the club which took a chance on him. He told us his story at the club and his hilarious first impressions of it.
And what about the owners themselves? This eclectic group of builders, accountants and carpet salesmen currently deal with million-pound contracts and recruit world-class footballing talent.
Play media

Memories of Swansea City's fall and rise
Ten years ago, they were learning as they went along. As vice-chairman Leigh Dineen put it when they first bought the club: "Right, what do we do now then?"
Then there are the fans. They'd experienced years of mediocrity and farce (seasoned fans will remember the seven-day reign of former Cradley Town youth manager Kevin Cullis).
Each supporter we interviewed had a story, one man even losing his job not to miss a game. But, as the editing process went along, we found the story of married couple Anne and Nigel Gigg was compelling enough to, at times, drive the narrative of the programme.
From their joy over the glamorous 1980s football enjoyed at Swansea under then manager John Toshack, to the tears they shed when the club faced Hull City, where they had to win to stay in the Football League.
I've suggested to Anne and Nigel they record the programme as it's a small slice of their family history!
But don't worry you hardened football fans, there's plenty of goals and match action as well as all that sentimental stuff.
At a time when English football's Premier League is dominated by billionaires and oligarchs, there is a fan-owned club competing with the best of them.
Swansea City, football's 'Tower Colliery'. It was a privilege to help tell the triumphant story.


Just for the interloper, (who's so interested as a neutral ) one question , what type of programme will they make about your club

 

Double post

 

Piqued: Stimulate, interest.

I believe my club is in good hands so our future is fine, as is yours.

 

where did you get this rubbish from.....I was working at the club then and if we came back as a different company then nobody at the club knew this...

 

pique |pēk| noun
a feeling of irritation or resentment resulting from a slight, esp. to one's pride:
verb
1 stimulate (interest or curiosity):
2 ( be piqued ) feel irritated or resentful:
3 ( pique oneself ) pride oneself.

for the uneducated amongst us

 

Who knows, ask the producer and director, I'm sure there would be a positive slant for the home audience.

 

Malaysia ?

 

and it depends which context you choose to apply, as always Boney you look for the negative. I have no reason to be resentful or irritated by Swansea. I will watch the programme with interest nothing more.

 

They've already made a programme about the Malaysians. It starred people like Anus Abraham causing trouble in Euro 2000 when him and the other bellends were there supporting Ingerlund. The undercover filming at Onion park wasn't showing them as too bright either

 

What is the trading name of the company? Not the club name. Happy if you correct me if I am wrong.

 

Taff.

One question for you, are Cardiff going to pay back that £800k shortfall in tax now they have reached the promise land?

Are they ****.

 

Of course not, they made an agreement with HMRC, seriously do any of you know anything about how HMRC and big companies operate? Clearly not. But they got more than 5p in the pound.

 

Blue Prophet.

 

God the hypocrisy is spellbinding, yet you want us to pay non existent debts. Tell me how exactly can Swansea City quantify paying non existent debts to people or companies that may or may not exist now?

You know the ones that agreed the CVA to begin with, and got tax breaks from the inland revenue for this. As a limited company with shareholders they must account for money not just for them but for the accounts. Now you want the club to give money away with gay abandon so it seems!

Have you also considered that some of the people who lost money are now in the supporters trust? You know the ones who own 20% of our club.

 

I was thinking that myself, next it will be I lost rent money from a property I rented to the club

 

"Blue Prophet", sure as hell sounds like him,PGF. He was always on about The Swans' owing him some money.

 

It's too much of a coincidence Vetch