Former BBC Wiltshire match commentator Vic Morgan writes his weekly blog…

Happy new year! Well we can but hope. I think, and most will agree, that 2016 has been a year to forget for Swindon Town fans. There aren’t many good memories to take from the past twelve months to store in the “glad I was there” bank. In fact, if you think about it, there were some to put in the “Town horror show” department.

That’s why we all welcome 2017 with open arms and hope that from now onwards we can look forward to better times. After all, isn’t that what this time of the year is all about?

As I wrote last week, this month is crucial to our season. With the defeat at MK Dons adding to the team’s travel sickness, it’s imperative that we get a good result against Southend to at least hope that things will get better. This next few weeks will prove just how much ambition the club has.

As I’ve said many times, being financially secure is paramount and it’s plainly ridiculous to throw silly money around risking the future of Swindon Town. However, we as fans need to know that there is a feeling of positivity around the place, rather than the gloom which easily settles around the County Ground when things aren’t going in the right direction.

You could say, “You should support the club through thick and thin”. Well, quite frankly, I do. With that though comes something we all need, that dreadful word, hope. Yes I know, it’s the hope that kills. Without it though, it makes the long dreary motorway miles a meaningless trudge with no expectancy and the realisation that you’re heading for another poor result and another depressing weekend.

So then, I’m hoping that this month will see signs that the last twelve months will go down as the low point and that things will move forward.

There’s talk of new signings and a fresh look to a squad that seems to be struggling in terms of fitness and confidence. Quite frankly it needs leaders on and off the pitch. Someone who’ll grab things by the scruff of the neck and say in simple terms what it means to wear the red and white of Swindon Town.

We need more people like Nathan Thompson and Rafa Rossi-Branco. While Nathan has his injury worries and Branco sometimes struggles with form, you can never doubt their commitment. The same can be said of our goalkeeper. Lawrence Vigouroux looks to me like he’s about to explode with frustration at any moment because he cares.

I’m sure everyone does at the County Ground in their own way. We as fans though want to see that. Passion goes a long way to helping us through bad times. We don’t see that too much, we need to see it to maintain our faith in what’s happening.

How did you feel when you saw Paolo Di Canio smack the plexi glass on the dug out? Or, for those of an older disposition, Frank Burrows get in a players face because he wasn’t giving his all. You need to know they care the same as you do.

My one wish for the new year, is that at least we have a go at burying the memory of the first half of this miserable depressing season. So let’s hear some passion from the top to the bottom. Swindon Town Football Club means a hell of a lot to a hell of a lot of people. Time to roar rather than whimper!

Keep it loud keep it proud keep it SWINDON!