Peter Swann: Scunthorpe United owner makes fans apology after disappointing start

Peter Swann has said he hopes to improve dialogue with supporters in the future

Scunthorpe United chairman Peter Swann has apologised to fans and stated he must "interact better", after a disappointing start to the season.

Swann responded to concerns at being bottom of League Two by saying some fans were "waving a white flag" in a local BBC radio interview this month.

That, along with form and absence from games which he explained, frustrated sections of the club's support.

"I am disappointed in my approach," Swann said in a statement.

"[Also] the way it has been taken by the fans, but thought it was my responsibility to sort everything on my own.

"It's obvious my focus on the club has alienated some supporters and it was good to have honest and at times straightforward discussions in a more intimate surrounding with supporters.

"I apologise if you are one of those supporters I have let down."

Swann, who earlier this week stated he will be committed to Scunthorpe long term, confirmed he had to miss some games because of prior engagements and said his business interests offered further explanation for his absence.

"I am not a retired chairman and have to work on my hospitality business as we try to recover from the last 18 months and that continues to take a lot of my time up," he added.

"I have managed to come into the club on the weekdays to support where I can, but I can assure you I am as committed to the Iron as I have always been and will do my best to help the manager and the fans get through this challenging time."

'Supporters want some reassurance'

Analysis - Mike White, BBC Radio Humberside

Iron fans are concerned right now. For some, it's more than that - they're angry and even humiliated given the events of last weekend and the 6-1 embarrassment at Harrogate.

It appears many feel their club is crumbling in front of their eyes and will end up falling out of the EFL without so much as a whimper. Last week's loss may have been the final straw for a lot of them.

However, this apology and acknowledgment from Peter Swann may go a way towards appeasing some supporters who just want some reassurance right now that things will be okay with their football club. Of course, this gesture won't simply halt the slide on the field - a worrying run of one win in their last 24 games in all competitions tells you words alone won't cut it now.

What it may do though is change some of the focus away from a feeling of resentment towards the boardroom, with suggestions that this Saturday's game at home to league-leading Forest Green Rovers was to be met with a backdrop of a fan protest aimed at the current regime.

Nobody could ever question Swann's ambition as chairman since he took over in 2012 and at one stage everything seemed to be on the up in north Lincolnshire.

But when promotion to the Championship wasn't achieved and the team ultimately found itself in the bottom tier, the purse strings were eventually tightened and the days of big budgets for a playing squad became a thing of the past.

Right now though, with a bleak-looking league position, a squad of players not currently showing they're good enough to compete, questions about the manager's position at his hometown club and dwindling crowd numbers, fans have wanted to know the chairman is still in it for the long haul and these latest comments may, or may not, provide that.