My Left Foot
Winger
I remember everyone shouting at the Swindon fans that they wouldn't be going up any way after the final whistle. I think quite a few knew they were right in the shit,
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It must have been a Saturday it was announced, because big Des Lynam telted me by words of breaking news on BBC sport. Me & me mates were on the local climbing frame making bellends of ourselves within minutes Fantastic day, at the time as a 15 year old, it was probably the best day of my life.
That may well of been me, I was 15 and rat-arsed, they served us at the Tesco's at the bottom of Great Central Way, Strongbow 1080, about 12 bottles of it. I could barely find the coach after the match.
All started when, under Lou Macari's management, it was found that he'd bet on his side to lose at Newcastle in an FA Cup tie, which they duly lost 5-0. He claimed it was to cover travelling costs for the weekend, although FA rules stipulate that is always covered by the home team.
The Sunday People reporter Bill Bradshaw, ironically a Sunderland supporter, investigated this and other irregularities, and found things such as Phil Cornwell's wedding and reception being paid by a supporters club donation, as well as other illegal payments relating to tax and national insurance. This had gone on since their 4th Division days.
The Football League had obviously hoped that Swindon wouldn't win the play-offs as they had fudged the issue as it was ongoing. The club duly won the play-offs whilst also admitting guilt to a number of irregular and illegal payments - and asked for another 155 to be taken into consideration.
The Football League decided that the only team that had been directly cost a place in the First Division by Swindon's off-the-field cheating was Sunderland.
Newcastle and Blackburn, who had finished above Sunderland, lost in the play-off semi-finals. The team in seventh place would still have had the play-offs to negotiate.
Sheffield Wednesday felt they should have stayed up, having finished 3rd bottom of the First Division. The rules were clear though. Three down from the First Division.
That left Sunderland as the only choice to replace Swindon in the top flight.
I thought Swindon were lucky not to have been drummed out of the Football League altogether. Lou Macari summed it up when he heard the verdict. "I'm shocked but I'm not surprised."
(By the way, this is all from memory. Feel free to google and correct me where it's my memory playing tricks on me).
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.
It was a Thursday evening when it was announced i was working in Scotland and the son of my landlady came up and told me to put BBC2 on,they were live outside Roker Park and when it was official i went fkn mental,got changed went out and got fkn ratted.
I was at that one,we could have lost in the end,did Dean Saunders get a hat trick in that one?
i have to declare an interest here...i was personally involved in the sunday people investigation so you don't have to be holmes to work out my identity.... It took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did i believe the work i was doing would eventually result in sunderland (yes, my team, i'm a county durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved lou macari betting against his own side in the fa cup (against newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as swindon were riding high and newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for swindon outside the official contracts lodged with the football league.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So swindon would agree a contract back then with player "x" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the league or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: The player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, brian hillier, is jailed and lou macari, who had left swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club west ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, i was down the white hart pub in fleet street's new fetter lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the lads.
Happy days? I'll say.
We were completely outplayed - failed to score again
I have to declare an interest here...
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club...
That may well of been me, I was 15 and rat-arsed, they served us at the Tesco's at the bottom of Great Central Way, Strongbow 1080, about 12 bottles of it. I could barely find the coach after the match.
I have to declare an interest here...I was personally involved in the Sunday People investigation so you don't have to be Holmes to work out my identity.... it took 10 months of solo slog on a fairly routine tip-off before we ran the first story. And then it snowballed....
I was helped by two very brave (and concerned) Swindon employees who were horrified by what was going on inside their own club. They wanted the truth to come out but it took a lot of ferreting and cajoling to turn their tip and assistance into hard evidence.
Never in a million years did I believe the work I was doing would eventually result in Sunderland (yes, my team, I'm a County Durham boy) winning promotion by default!
The first story, as already correctly indicated, involved Lou Macari betting against his own side in the FA Cup (against Newcastle) - he and the chairman picked up five grand when they lost 5-0...an interesting scoreline as Swindon were riding high and Newcastle were struggling in the same (second) division.
That was dramatic and emotive but what really did for them was the second part of my investigation which involved irregular (and illegal) inducements for players to sign for Swindon OUTSIDE the official contracts lodged with the Football League.
What made this especially dodgy was the fact that Swindon would often use the then tribunal system which used the players' wages as a key part of the "multiplyer" equation to settle on fees when the buying and selling clubs could not agree terms.
So Swindon would agree a contract back then with Player "X" for £500 a week but agree a secret side agreement (not seen by the League or taxman) for an additional £250 a week. Result: the player is valued at, say, £200,000 instead of £350,000 so Swindon can build a team in this way on the cheap, gaining an unfair advantage on all others in the league. Oh, and the taxman is defrauded as well! They signed and paid many players this way.
Ultimate result? Swindon are relegated two divisions after their Wembley promotion - commuted to just one division on appeal - and Sunderland are promoted instead; their chairman, Brian Hillier, is jailed and Lou Macari, who had left Swindon by this point, is sacked by his new club West Ham.
I was delighted, professionally, by the campaign we ran and, personally, I was down the White Hart pub in Fleet Street's New Fetter Lane raising a glass and a secret smile to the Lads.
Happy Days? I'll say.
Good read Bill.
I remember meeting up with a few mates in Ikenham who'd traveled down for the match.
We went through to Wembley on the tube with loads of Swindon supporters. They told us before the game that irrespective of the score, we were up.
Thanks for that... yes, their fans knew the evidence was overwhelming but I confess I was on tenterhooks as football authorities have a habit of looking after their own. Not this time... I think they knew that they had to act.
But I did feel for the Swindon fans. It was a shock for them and very much 'non football' reasons on the face of it. But, in truth, the club's shenanigans allowed them to build a decent team they could not have otherwise afforded.
As for betting against your own side.... don't get me started!
Just a shame Bob Murray & co pretty much looked this gift horse in the mouth. We all know what happened next.
we didn't spend a bean after going up...... AGAIN !
Thanks for that... yes, their fans knew the evidence was overwhelming but I confess I was on tenterhooks as football authorities have a habit of looking after their own. Not this time... I think they knew that they had to act.
But I did feel for the Swindon fans... snipped