Charlie Austin says Swindon Town's future is on a knife edge

The prolific striker, who netted more than 50 times across two spells at the County Ground, told the Swindon Advertiser that at times he felt that the management of the team was "unprofessional" as Town plummeted to their worst-ever Football League finish in 2023/24.

Austin referenced the turnover of managers and the number of behind-the-scenes voices and opinions as being detrimental to Swindon’s chances on the pitch, and shared his thoughts on what needs to happen going forward.

Here is the full interview in full

Let’s talk about your return, how did you end up back at Swindon, what was it like and what happened afterwards? 

“I was looking to move back to the UK," said Austin. "I had spoken to Clem [Morfuni] before I came back and he told me what the scenario was.

“I had spoken to a friend of mine who was in charge of another club at the time, but eventually I thought let’s just give it a crack at Swindon. I came back and signed intending to help the club get into League One. 

“But then not soon after that, Scott [Lindsey] was leaving. I found it very surprising when Lindsay left, Swindon was fifth, maybe sixth at the time, But I had spoken to Scott and he told me he had to leave, he couldn’t work at the football club anymore. 

“After that, I had five managers in 14 months.”

Read More: How Swindon Town managed to complete signing Charlie Austin

What was it like playing for a team with such a big turnaround of managers? 

“Yeah, we had Gav (Gunning) coming in after Scott, and then we had Jody (Morris) come in, and I think he saw the game differently to me. 

“From that January to the end of the season, Jody didn’t get his footprint on the club and we ended the season poorly. 

“Then came Flynny – and I liked Michael, he was good for the football club, but we couldn’t get off the losing train for a long period of time. 

“At that time, all of a sudden, a lot of people had a lot to say, when they hadn’t batted an eyelid in the previous 10 games. There were opinions not brought to Flynny at the time, but people were happy to do it in their own little groups, passing the buck. 

“Then Flynn goes and I’m thinking ‘What’s going on here?’ because these changes were starting to happen a little too often, there was definitely too much changing of manager and too much changing of players in the squad.”

It sounds like a lot of the issues were happening off the pitch, but do you think the squad was better than the club’s finishing place in the league?

“On paper, the squad was better than that finish. On paper, I felt we were strong, but then all these opinions started coming up.

“They were saying people can’t play two games in a week, they were mixing it and matching it, making four or five changes, which was far from ideal because the team couldn’t gel or find a rhythm. 

“But did the club deserve to finish where they did? In the end, you get what you sew, we were good for about nine games in the season and that was really it.”

How was that initial return though because it seemed really well received, and on the other side, how was it leaving in the way you did? 

“When I arrived it was really nice, I couldn’t have asked for a better reception. And at the time, the direction the club was going in was up. 

“Fast forward two years and I knew the club wasn’t trying to get in that direction.

“It was nice to be captain and get my 200th (career) goal at Swindon, but that chapter’s done now, although I have no interest in retiring. 

“The day players were told they were being released was heartbreaking, the director of football was pulling them in one-by-one. 

“How he treated the players that day was unprofessional, one was going in and being released, another was going in and being kept on, and they were all put back together. 

“I couldn’t believe what was going on that certain afternoon, it was really poor, poor man management of team members."

Is that when you were told?

“I’ll be honest with you. I went in and said I was unhappy with how things had taken place and that I would speak to the chairman. 

“That conversation never happened.”

How much did the reports and speculation about the behind-the-scenes goings on at the club, particularly with owner Clem Morfuni have an impact on the team? 

“What is written in the media, it does have an impact, I know that the paper backs the football club when it’s going well and it’s critical when it’s not, but sometimes we get caught in those moments and it’s not nice. 

“We were aware of bits what was being reported and we were hearing stuff, the players were sometimes having these conversations, and it did make us worry, we could see that other teams were getting points deductions and were thinking ‘is this going to happen to us?’

“It’s not really a player’s place to be having those conversations about how the club is run, but they were happening. 

“Clem is the owner, he’s not the ultimate football guy, and the people that are below him are not football people or not the right people, he needs football people to be running that club, it’s hard to run a club from the other side of the world especially when people aren’t telling  you what you want to hear.”

“But look, he’s the owner and he does have to take some responsibility for what has happened.”

And what does the future hold for Swindon do you think? 

“I think that at the moment Swindon is on a knife edge and this coming summer will be massive for the club. 

“If they don’t get this window right, and if they don’t get the right management structure in place, it could be a huge problem. 

“But I’ve said it before, the whole football club, including the fans and the ownership need to realise that at the moment it is a League Two club. Yes, it used to be a big club, but it’s just a League Two club now.

"If you want to get promoted then try and have a right go, if you don’t just stay in League Two trying to be mid-table, but don’t overpromise.

“The backroom team needs to be a massive change, Hats (Wayne Hatswell) and Flynny left, Liam and Gav took over, but Swindon really need to get the manager right, and then a good coach in there well.”

Do you have any regrets about your second time around at Swindon? 

“It was different, the club I came back to was completely different, am I glad I came back? A small part of it was nice, the kids could watch me play football, for example. 

“But I am disappointed with the way it’s gone, any player that has five managers in that time is going to be disappointed.

"I thought the club was trying to get promotion and I really thought we were going to get there in September, but it didn’t go right and it just sort of petered out.”

What does the future hold for Charlie Austin?

“I’m speaking to a few clubs, but at the moment I am enjoying the time with my wife and kids, then I’ll see, I’m still going to play, and enjoy football, so I’ll see what happens."