preparing for a better future

Plymouth Argyle has been mis-managed over the last couple of seasons and in all fairness, there is an argument we remained in the championship by over spending and paying extreme wages, Mpenza to name one.

However, over the last few years the situation has declined at a rapid pace both on and off the pitch, you just have to look at the fact that last year we were playing against Newcastle United in the league and this year we will prepare to face the likes of AFC Wimbledon and Crawley Town, not to even given a thought to the faded "friendly" rivals of Torquay.

The club was managed in a poor fashion by indeed seven gentlemen, of which some may not be responsible but it is almost a certainty, Mr Stapleton, Mr Todd and Sir Roy must be labelled with the downfall of Plymouth Argyle football club on the whole. These men should be under investigation for mis-management of a business, but for some reason, football appears to be different and apart from not getting there stake [mastpoint] back, those men can walk away fairly clean and with a sigh of relief, ready to dust down their shoulders and start again, hopefully not in football.

Its a matter in which you have to feel for the staff, players, and indeed ourselves in these troubled times in the history of a proud football club.

This simply has to be the worst time period in which Plymouth Argyle football club has ever experienced, which is strange considering it comes straight after what has been the best period, and the highest the club has been, on the verge of the premier league at one stage, oh dreams cannot describe it.

In this situation, we all must stick together to ensure a stable future in which this sleeping giant can prosper and rebuild for a hopefully, trouble free period, and I think it has to be said, we deserve it.

To see Plymouth Argyle promoted from league 2 to begin a future would be a dream come true however its going to take a little bit more than Peter Reid to achieve that, it needs guts, determination and most of all spirit, something we have all shown towards the end of last season, and for that, we deserve a pat on the back.

It is essential that for there to be a clear light at the end of a very dark tunnel, we need to keep the faith and support Plymouth Argyle football club both on and off the pitch. We need to welcome future owners to the football club and support them in the decisions they make because they are the ones with the authority an the right to shape the club for a better time.

Nice one Cobi

That's all very well if the owners have any interest in football.

But you gotta admire the heart felt sentiment.

Another excellent and well thought out post from Cobi, could this become habit?

cobipafc wrote:

In this situation, we all must stick together to ensure a stable future in which this sleeping giant can prosper and rebuild for a hopefully,

That's all very fine Cobi. I think we're all happy with the green flag, so we can tick that one off.
All we have to do now is agree what set of principles we can all get behind ..... or are you just suggesting we accept the authority of the first owner that pops up regardless of their intentions. Are you ready to get behind my ideas for a stable football club ?

pepsipete wrote:

Another excellent and well thought out post from Cobi, could this become habit?

If your lucky mate

I don't agree that overspending on players brought on the current crisis as such.It was the timing of the increase and Sturrock's rather faulty judgement in some cases [Mpenza,Marin,Walton,Stack etc] that was the problem,coupled with the fruitless spending on the freehold and ground/world cup development plans.If the money allocated to Sturrock [although to be fair to him,much of that cash was raised through the sale of quality players] had been used to back Pulis or Holloway adequately,then its a good bet that we would not be in the position we are now,either football or financial wise,far from it.And it's going to take more than the Dunkirk spirit, or whatever you wish to call it,to kickstart Argyle and start to propel the club back up the leagues.It will need the current off the field shenanigans to be sorted out before any hope of a manager,no matter who he is,building a successful team can be entertained.The wounds and splits caused by the disasters of the past 4 years will take a long time to heal and many fans will feel that any trust which existed between them and the powers that be has been extinguished forever,which is not a good basis for progress.

Sorry to be pessimistic,but a thought provoking post,anyway.

A well written piece there young Cobi...quite a change in the style and grammar from the usual Cobi, are you sure you are not cutting and pasting from somewhere .Still, im not one to bang on about grammar, that is oh so Pasoti like
All this has dragged on so long now that i barely read the back pages of the Herald now let alone the 20 page read a thons over on Pasoti based on utter crap ,I think that whoever takes over eventually will be a property man with the interests of the club secondary to development and I do not buy into the old mantra of "we must get behind the new owners whoever they are".
Of course new owners will arrive in due course and maybe re-brand the club slightly but deep down the old school types will still be lurking in the shadows telling us that were not proper supporters and to trust in the current regime (whoever that may be)
Leopards never change their spots Cobi.

"These men should be under investigation for mis-management of a business, but for some reason, football appears to be different"

White collar crime is virtually unpunished in the UK, look at Farepak no prosecutions or suspensions of Directors only lots of money lost.

Apart from the 'innocent' losing money...

I have to admit to quite enjoying it all really!

Greenskin wrote:

I don't agree that overspending on players brought on the current crisis as such.It was the timing of the increase and Sturrock's rather faulty judgement in some cases [Mpenza,Marin,Walton,Stack etc] that was the problem,coupled with the fruitless spending on the freehold and ground/world cup development plans.If the money allocated to Sturrock [although to be fair to him,much of that cash was raised through the sale of quality players] had been used to back Pulis or Holloway adequately,then its a good bet that we would not be in the position we are now,either football or financial wise,far from it.And it's going to take more than the Dunkirk spirit, or whatever you wish to call it,to kickstart Argyle and start to propel the club back up the leagues.It will need the current off the field shenanigans to be sorted out before any hope of a manager,no matter who he is,building a successful team can be entertained.The wounds and splits caused by the disasters of the past 4 years will take a long time to heal and many fans will feel that any trust which existed between them and the powers that be has been extinguished forever,which is not a good basis for progress.

Sorry to be pessimistic,but a thought provoking post,anyway.

This...........

Greenskin wrote:

I don't agree that overspending on players brought on the current crisis as such.It was the timing of the increase and Sturrock's rather faulty judgement in some cases [Mpenza,Marin,Walton,Stack etc] that was the problem,coupled with the fruitless spending on the freehold and ground/world cup development plans.If the money allocated to Sturrock [although to be fair to him,much of that cash was raised through the sale of quality players] had been used to back Pulis or Holloway adequately,then its a good bet that we would not be in the position we are now,either football or financial wise,far from it.And it's going to take more than the Dunkirk spirit, or whatever you wish to call it,to kickstart Argyle and start to propel the club back up the leagues.It will need the current off the field shenanigans to be sorted out before any hope of a manager,no matter who he is,building a successful team can be entertained.The wounds and splits caused by the disasters of the past 4 years will take a long time to heal and many fans will feel that any trust which existed between them and the powers that be has been extinguished forever,which is not a good basis for progress.

Sorry to be pessimistic,but a thought provoking post,anyway.

Agreed!

For a decade the club has suffered appalling leadership with the values of a snake that has forced the club to become divided. The Jones and Stapleton split in the boardroom, the players and the Seip split in the changing room and the split that we're most aware of in the fan base. We've witnessed Home Park legends humiliated, top class managers leave us one after the other and one of the best squads to ever take to the pitch at Home Park sold off on the cheap to raise money for the purchase of the white elephant of Home Park. We've made the national news on many occasions over that past decade that have nearly always been for the wrong reasons until finally the existence of PAFC is now being questioned.

Now we have fans stalking potential owners in hotels to assist in breaking legal agreements, a Trust that has backed horses that are in a different race and without checking out the form and the stigmatising of potential owners and the stigmatising of fans that are putting over an alternative view on PB's. - Why, what can be gained?

No club can have a decade like we have had and come through it without at the very least, serious damage, yet still, what has been learnt? We deserve exactly what we are getting for allowing this to continue for year after year, now it's pay back time!

Well put Gob, it's karma, and no matter how much some squeal, it's going to come out sooner or later.

What is amplifying the pain for the club as a whole however, is the attempt by those at the top to escape their part in it with their stake intact while others less connected lose big time. The chief architect and divisive angel in this great escape is the employed Ridsdale who was drafted in a long time ago to build an escape from the boardroom. What we are seeing now is the fruition of his detailed engineering as the tunnel is completed under Home Park away from the gaze of the press and fans. It is this boardroom selfish desire to escape their punishment for their crimes that leaves us in such a pickle, and that's even before anyone discovers just how much the future of the club is to be mortgaged to pay off Wrathall, Todd, Kagami etc in some future Hammamesque deal. The noise around the property thing is secondary ... the Park action plan is rightly what it is, and will remain so, despite amateur night threats of doom and gloom.

Above ground, the factions are left to fight it out amongst themselves in what has sadly become the Home Park culture. A divided community just doesn't all of a sudden glue itself back together just because the inhabitants wish it... there is momentum and nature to run it's course.
Short of a miracle, I am one that sees a totally new club as the best chance of a future football club in Plymouth without the division that has wrecked this club since the Foot departure. Who cares a jot about a peice of paper at Companies House ? ...I don't ... a club is it's community, nothing else. A fudged outcome will result in a huge decline in the support. Few people support something inherently unhealthy.

There are too many back of the grandstand types that are too close to the club and don't get the wider appraisal of what's going on. The club isn't popular. I see the Taverners are pleading for more takers for the Marquee Pasoti fund raising Summer party this week ... they've only sold a dozen tickets to the usual suspects... obviously there's only so much elegance a man can take ... still, it should be the height of the season for Mr rapson and his 'Mrs'.

penzancepirate wrote:

Well put Gob, it's karma, and no matter how much some squeal, it's going to come out sooner or later.

What is amplifying the pain for the club as a whole however, is the attempt by those at the top to escape their part in it with their stake intact while others less connected lose big time. The chief architect and divisive angel in this great escape is the employed Ridsdale who was drafted in a long time ago to build an escape from the boardroom. What we are seeing now is the fruition of his detailed engineering as the tunnel is completed under Home Park away from the gaze of the press and fans. It is this boardroom selfish desire to escape their punishment for their crimes that leaves us in such a pickle, and that's even before anyone discovers just how much the future of the club is to be mortgaged to pay off Wrathall, Todd, Kagami etc in some future Hammamesque deal. The noise around the property thing is secondary ... the Park action plan is rightly what it is, and will remain so, despite amateur night threats of doom and gloom.

Above ground, the factions are left to fight it out amongst themselves in what has sadly become the Home Park culture. A divided community just doesn't all of a sudden glue itself back together just because the inhabitants wish it... there is momentum and nature to run it's course.
Short of a miracle, I am one that sees a totally new club as the best chance of a future football club in Plymouth without the division that has wrecked this club since the Foot departure. Who cares a jot about a peice of paper at Companies House ? ...I don't ... a club is it's community, nothing else. A fudged outcome will result in a huge decline in the support. Few people support something inherently unhealthy.

There are too many back of the grandstand types that are too close to the club and don't get the wider appraisal of what's going on. The club isn't popular. I see the Taverners are pleading for more takers for the Marquee Pasoti fund raising Summer party this week ... they've only sold a dozen tickets to the usual suspects... obviously there's only so much elegance a man can take ... still, it should be the height of the season for Mr rapson and his 'Mrs'.

What an elegant , swelegant party it will be !

My feelings exactly. Let the bloody club die and take all the suits and parasites with it .

Tringreen wrote:

penzancepirate wrote:

Well put Gob, it's karma, and no matter how much some squeal, it's going to come out sooner or later.

What is amplifying the pain for the club as a whole however, is the attempt by those at the top to escape their part in it with their stake intact while others less connected lose big time. The chief architect and divisive angel in this great escape is the employed Ridsdale who was drafted in a long time ago to build an escape from the boardroom. What we are seeing now is the fruition of his detailed engineering as the tunnel is completed under Home Park away from the gaze of the press and fans. It is this boardroom selfish desire to escape their punishment for their crimes that leaves us in such a pickle, and that's even before anyone discovers just how much the future of the club is to be mortgaged to pay off Wrathall, Todd, Kagami etc in some future Hammamesque deal. The noise around the property thing is secondary ... the Park action plan is rightly what it is, and will remain so, despite amateur night threats of doom and gloom.

Above ground, the factions are left to fight it out amongst themselves in what has sadly become the Home Park culture. A divided community just doesn't all of a sudden glue itself back together just because the inhabitants wish it... there is momentum and nature to run it's course.
Short of a miracle, I am one that sees a totally new club as the best chance of a future football club in Plymouth without the division that has wrecked this club since the Foot departure. Who cares a jot about a peice of paper at Companies House ? ...I don't ... a club is it's community, nothing else. A fudged outcome will result in a huge decline in the support. Few people support something inherently unhealthy.

There are too many back of the grandstand types that are too close to the club and don't get the wider appraisal of what's going on. The club isn't popular. I see the Taverners are pleading for more takers for the Marquee Pasoti fund raising Summer party this week ... they've only sold a dozen tickets to the usual suspects... obviously there's only so much elegance a man can take ... still, it should be the height of the season for Mr rapson and his 'Mrs'.

What an elegant , swelegant party it will be !

My feelings exactly. Let the bloody club die and take all the suits and parasites with it .

That's how I see it!

The club is rotten from the boardroom to the basic fans website, it needs a death and a rebirth.