The club, Pasoti and the Superfans

Looking back over the last decade, this is my take on how and why the current sorry state of affairs has been reached.
But first we must go back a little further......................
A decade plus ago, a group of mainly Argyle fans of no great personal wealth, took over the club from Dan McCauley. The club was at a very low ebb and in the 4th tier of English football. Very poor for the nation's 14th largest city and not territory it was accustomed to frequenting. Having said that, throughout the last century and despite enjoying support at least on a par with clubs of a similar crowd potential and little or no top flight exposure, it had failed to grasp any of the opportunities to achieve Division One/ Premier League status. It always seemed to sell its best players at crucial moments and generations of Argyle people could be heard muttering, 'Same old Argo' and 'They don't want to go up'.
Other, similarly placed clubs, made the step up in the 60's/70's, like Ipswich, Norwich and Southampton and as a direct result now enjoy great support even when in the lower leagues, because the generations of fans have 'been there' and have pride and belief in their clubs.
The defining factor, in my opinion, why we failed and they succeeded ,was probably boardroom wealth , or the lack of it.Or maybe it was just bad luck ?
Fast forward to the Stapleton Chairmanship........................
Crucially, they employed one of the best ever lower league managers in Paul Sturrock. A man in his prime who knew the sort of players and direct style needed to be successful in Divs 3 & 4. He didn't have a lot of money to spend initially but once the results started to flow, the 'sleeping giant' began to stir. Just a few short years previously, the Warnock inspired team had reached Wembley in the 4th tier play off final and beat Darlington 1 - 0. I didn't think I would ever go to Wembley to watch Argyle, let alone see them win ! My mate and I , along with my three young sons, all raised 200 miles from Plymouth but who 'had the bug' thanks to Dad, were elated. I am not too proud to admit that I wept like a baby that day.
I think about 35,000 turned out at the Argyle end and about 10,000 from Darlington. I remember feeling a bit sorry for the smaller club.
I had a letter printed in the Herald , pleading with the club to build on the moment, back Warnock and unleash the potential so visibly demonstrated at Wembley.
I digress.............Under Sturrock, the attendance figures increased from an average of 5,000 in the preceding seasons to just under 9,000 as we won the 4th Div title and then consolidated in 8th place in the 3rd tier. The following season over 12,500 was the average as we won promotion to the Championship and despite losing Sturrock an average of 16,500 turned up at Home Park as we finished 17th.
Much needed stability on a shoestring was provided next by Pulis but it wasn't pretty. I remember Larrieu wasting time after 10 mins at Watford and attendances dropped to just under 14,000 as we finished 14th.
Throughout this time I had feared the inevitable decline if more wealth was not sought out to either buy the club outright and inspire the potential fanbase with a bit of cash backed ambition, or at the very least to bring in investors. I still went to some games but always with a sense of dread. As we began the sllde, the inevitability of trips to places like Leicester, Coventry and WBA became a chore and ultimately a depressing waste of time and money. Nothing has changed since then. IMO Stapes and co got greedy and the problems increased despite the breath of fresh air/ buffoonery, call it what you like, it was fun and Holloway got us , himself and his players noticed. The attendances now averaged 13,000and we finished upper mid table for two years. But it soon became clear that all was not well and I joined a few other dissenting voices online for the first time. I even received messages of support and snippets of information from a current director who had left the board with Foot and someone else ?
He warned that Holloway had asked for financial backing to support a play-off push and when, despite positive assurances, he found out nothing had been done, the game was up and he and his players departed. It made the books look good and attracted the Japs and the big time Charlies but the rot had set in. It was now about property and personal financial gain for the men in suits.
My style on Pasoti was provocative to say the least but not against site rules. I and others were told to 'Trust in Stapes', 'Enjoy the ride' and that we were making year on year progress. Sturrock could rebuild the side and we'd move on again by developing more good players to sell at a profit, again, until we were ready to 'go for it'. The Pasoti party line became further entrenched, dissenters were ridiculed, spuriously and gleefully banned and the emerging Napoleon's Farm told its people that we were now an established Championship club and that, 'I'll never hear a bad word said against that man [Stapes] and his lovely family'.
Those who had been removed by the Politburo, self included, sought out other forums to continue not only their warnings of where all this was leading, but also to poke fun at the controllers who were now untouchables on their farm.
The unpleasantness escalated as even our new 'naughty steps' were attacked in attempts to silence us.

As we slipped further down the leagues and into administration, we couldn't even do that like other clubs and I still don't believe the club was marketed properly by the administrators in concert with Ridsdale and gawd knows who else !
Cue the emergence of the local activists self styled superfans rattling buckets and threatening to unleash the dogs. I cannot condemn all of these people but a central element, no pun intended, seemed to latch onto the proposed now owner with great gusto. My take on it all remains that certain individuals were offered leading roles at the club for their assistance in getting the fans onside and supporting his bid.
What we have witnessed over the last year has been shocking. The behaviours of those in control of Pasoti have been exposed as devious, controlling and often vindictive to individuals and groups not agreeing with their every whim. Pasoti has become the mouthpiece of the club and the group of only a few hundred superfans and their fringe followers/wannabes, so clearly enjoying their hour in the sun at Home Park , have mixed their seemingly selfless willingness to raise money and whip up support, with equal doses of poison against anyone questioning them.

I really don't know where this will all end but until honesty, integriy and transparency are evident, I cannot bring myself to do anything other than oppose them.
I'm sorry if some find it all so boring but to me , 'talking football' is pointless while the club is the way it is.

Good post Tring, but we played Darlo in the playoff final ( but the attendance figures are right).

Pasoti has done a lot of good for the club, even before the admin period. Issues such as racism (where Peggy was the driving force), charity donations (hinches legs and his tutu) and Q&As.

But there has always been a sneering attitude towards smaller Argyle sites from certain individuals. Rub of the Greens was always known as the cesspit of bile, during Postey's 'Cold War years' Vital was much maligned and AT (the old version of ATD) was (and still is) known to be frequented by non-Argyle attending Freaks and Weirdos.

Pasoti is the biggest Argyle fan site, and I imagine is a hard beast to run, but this shouldn't provide reason for the deceitful and cowardly way the mods have allowed attacks on the Trust and Individuals. The site will not move on until those inividuals have been named- they should be anned according to the pasoti agreement. I hardly think cowards who have not come forward in 9 months are going to admit to multi accounts now.

The individuals behind Windsor Boy were not only out to cause trouble for the trust, but are very low, cowardly scum. A poster who uses this site (and pasoti) has a terminal illness and Windsor Boy thought they'd be clever by saying they had a terminal illness too, in order to win an argument and make the poster with the terminal illness feel low about themselves. The inividual(s) behind Windsor Boy are complete scumbags and should in no way be protected by the pasoti mods. I'm surprised that NO pasoti mod has an ounce of decency and allows the vile individual(s) protection.

I thought Pasoti site was improving, but there are now new issues developing, which suggest that Pasoti still needs to replace a few of the Mods with particular issues.

Sir Francis Drake wrote:

<cough> Darlington </cough>

Chemical Ali wrote:

Good post Tring, but we played Darlo in the playoff final ( but the attendance figures are right).

Pasoti has done a lot of good for the club, even before the admin period. Issues such as racism (where Peggy was the driving force), charity donations (hinches legs and his tutu) and Q&As.

But there has always been a sneering attitude towards smaller Argyle sites from certain individuals. Rub of the Greens was always known as the cesspit of bile, during Postey's 'Cold War years' Vital was much maligned and AT (the old version of ATD) was (and still is) known to be frequented by non-Argyle attending Freaks and Weirdos.

Pasoti is the biggest Argyle fan site, and I imagine is a hard beast to run, but this shouldn't provide reason for the deceitful and cowardly way the mods have allowed attacks on the Trust and Individuals. The site will not move on until those inividuals have been named- they should be anned according to the pasoti agreement. I hardly think cowards who have not come forward in 9 months are going to admit to multi accounts now.

The individuals behind Windsor Boy were not only out to cause trouble for the trust, but are very low, cowardly scum. A poster who uses this site (and pasoti) has a terminal illness and Windsor Boy thought they'd be clever by saying they had a terminal illness too, in order to win an argument and make the poster with the terminal illness feel low about themselves. The inividual(s) behind Windsor Boy are complete scumbags and should in no way be protected by the pasoti mods. I'm surprised that NO pasoti mod has an ounce of decency and allows the vile individual(s) protection.

I thought Pasoti site was improving, but there are now new issues developing, which suggest that Pasoti still needs to replace a few of the Mods with particular issues.

They pretended to change that is all, the new pasoti agreement was to protect the fat controller and the Prez, that is all, the latest line that they can't out the fourth Deepthroater is not true either, if they don't want to out him they could just quietly ban him. The fact that you can't see banned members helps to "clean up" the membership of any dissenting voices, all of the people breaking the rules now are doing so in full view of the current mods. Their answer? To move threads to terraces and re name them so that you can't see what the subject is. People have compared pasoti to North Korea, this is a joke really but their are real parallels to be seen there. Any dictatorship always gets control of the television and radio stations, Brent has pulled a blinder by gaining control of pasoti and it is the official mouthpiece of the club, no doubt there. Personally I disagree with Tring about a deal being done with Brent, I think it is much sadder than that, I think all this has happened because Webb and Newell just want the public recognition and have their tummies tickled by our glorious leader. The fact that they both knew we were safe by judging the calibre of the man just by looking into his eyes spoke volumes to me, in the words of Punchie, bumlicking nonsense.

They would have promised him a compliant, Pasoti led activist fanbase and he jumped at the fund raising opportunities, thinking all football fans are as fick, or ficker than those two
What he didn't reckon for was just how unpopular they are outside the few hundred tent dwellers and their obvious self promotion and dictatorial attitudes, far outweighing their understanding of the club and football in general.

I have in my possession the team sheet that holloway used in the changing room the night in September 06 that we drew 3-3 with Cardiff . Comparing the names on that compared with the dross on a team sheet today is almost enough to make a grown man weep.

Budoboy wrote:

I have in my possession the team sheet that holloway used in the changing room the night in September 06 that we drew 3-3 with Cardiff . Comparing the names on that compared with the dross on a team sheet today is almost enough to make a grown man weep.

Yes........... but look how far we've come !............ The Windsor Boys that is

Remember those lovely photos of Nool and Where's Webby at Windsor Castle................... just before the Windsor Boy appeared on the farm ?

Bloody hell Tring, not only a post with hundreds of words but also a spot on post. I am very impressed and in complete agreement!

What was your name on pasoti BTW?

Budoboy wrote:

I have in my possession the team sheet that holloway used in the changing room the night in September 06 that we drew 3-3 with Cardiff . Comparing the names on that compared with the dross on a team sheet today is almost enough to make a grown man weep.

Yup, and a team that was very nearly Premier potentials, all lost for a chunk of land and a get rich quick deal.

GOB wrote:

Bloody hell Tring, not only a post with hundreds of words but also a spot on post. I am very impressed and in complete agreement!

What was your name on pasoti BTW?

Well thank you, my dear old thing.

I was Tringreen on Pasoti until they banned me because the mods were receiving so many complaints about my predictions

I was very temporarily 'Floodlight Failure' and years later made a few vain attempts at educating the Avivas as 'Oreston Something or other.'

They banned poor Oreston bloke as I wasn't clever enough to hide my IP and I haven't bothered since, as just looking in occasionally is more than I can BGB !

How many accounts have/do you have/had ?

Great post tring this is always the club that never makes it its been like that all my life and before, like you say the club now looks like its run by the joke that is nool, the money lender, and webb who jumped on the sinking ship in 2011, brent is not bothered about the club or what happens thats why he lets nools shite murals litter the place like a primary school hall full of little kids scribbles, i went to the arsenal stadium and i dont remember seeing the walls there covered in gash murals! until the toxic nool and his little gang of arse kissers are removed from the club by proper wealthy commited owners this club will stay fourth division crap at best.

Great OP and i agree with everything in it-but!

But, by directing our individual and collective venom against another web site, we are letting JB get away with football murder.

Since JB came on the scene, the club has been underfinanced, badly managed at all levels, denuded of all tangible assets, directors and other people closely connected with the club, are apparently free to do and say as they please, and PAFC has generally become a prime example of how not to run a football club. The blame for all of this can only rest with the man at the top.
Throughout this time the footfall through the turnstiles has held up remarkably well, and, if anything, the losses that were accepted that the club would incur post Administration, have been less than predicted.

Were any other club being so patently mismanaged, I am sure the supporters (and local media) would be far more vociferous in their opposition to those rresponsible, yet, as I say, there hasn't even been a downturn in attendances at Home Park.

The only real opposition to the situation at Home Park seems to be misdirected in my opinion, to focus on a website-and this is just what I suspect JB wants.

We wait! Plain and simple.

Grovehill wrote:

Great OP and i agree with everything in it-but!

But, by directing our individual and collective venom against another web site, we are letting JB get away with football murder.

Since JB came on the scene, the club has been underfinanced, badly managed at all levels, denuded of all tangible assets, directors and other people closely connected with the club, are apparently free to do and say as they please, and PAFC has generally become a prime example of how not to run a football club. The blame for all of this can only rest with the man at the top.
Throughout this time the footfall through the turnstiles has held up remarkably well, and, if anything, the losses that were accepted that the club would incur post Administration, have been less than predicted.

Were any other club being so patently mismanaged, I am sure the supporters (and local media) would be far more vociferous in their opposition to those rresponsible, yet, as I say, there hasn't even been a downturn in attendances at Home Park.

The only real opposition to the situation at Home Park seems to be misdirected in my opinion, to focus on a website-and this is just what I suspect JB wants.

It is indeed all intertwined. We know and understand the actions of the superfans and their Pasoti breeding ground. Just how clever, naive or plain disinterested Brent is, remains the $64,000 question.
Personally, I think he'll hand over the club and its debts to the superfans as soon as he can get away with it. He probably hoped the club would get on a roll and he could sell it for a profit but by listening to those clowns, that is unlikely to happen.

He was hoping to fleece the trust for £400,000. Thank goodness they did not fall for it.

taxi for tring

tcm wrote:

taxi for tring

Windsor lad Windsor lad, fly away home.

Your house is in fire, like the sacking of Rome !

interesting, wonder if brent was 'promised' the trust would way in with cash?

now the deal is 400k 'light'..............

Lord Aviva wrote:

interesting, wonder if brent was 'promised' the trust would way in with cash?

now the deal is 400k 'light'..............

I think the ridiculous offer was made in full knowledge that it was worthless, would be refused and would help in sidelining the trust in favour of the pasb.

Tringreen wrote:

tcm wrote:

taxi for tring

Windsor lad Windsor lad, fly away home.

Your house is in fire, like the sacking of Rome !

tringy boy tringy boy fly away home ,,,to sid james park your very own Rome

tcm wrote:

Tringreen wrote:

tcm wrote:

taxi for tring

Windsor lad Windsor lad, fly away home.

Your house is in fire, like the sacking of Rome !

tringy boy tringy boy fly away home ,,,to sid james park your very own Rome

Eeeee don't agrrrreeeeee wiv us. Eeeeeee don't go to games. Eeeeeee must be a scummer or a plaaaaaaaaaaaaastic !,,,,,,,,,

I just don't suffer fools and bullies gladly, my dear old thing. I'll be back when the club has been cleansed. Enjoy the ride

tcm wrote:

Tringreen wrote:

tcm wrote:

taxi for tring

Windsor lad Windsor lad, fly away home.

Your house is in fire, like the sacking of Rome !

tringy boy tringy boy fly away home ,,,to sid james park your very own Rome

Bloody hell the guy is a rhyming genius

Tringreen wrote:

tcm wrote:

Tringreen wrote:

tcm wrote:

taxi for tring

Windsor lad Windsor lad, fly away home.

Your house is in fire, like the sacking of Rome !

tringy boy tringy boy fly away home ,,,to sid james park your very own Rome

Eeeee don't agrrrreeeeee wiv us. Eeeeeee don't go to games. Eeeeeee must be a scummer or a plaaaaaaaaaaaaastic !,,,,,,,,,

I just don't suffer fools and bullies gladly, my dear old thing. I'll be back when the club has been cleansed. Enjoy the ride

Poor old Mike.

Tringreen wrote:

GOB wrote:

Bloody hell Tring, not only a post with hundreds of words but also a spot on post. I am very impressed and in complete agreement!

What was your name on pasoti BTW?

Well thank you, my dear old thing.

I was Tringreen on Pasoti until they banned me because the mods were receiving so many complaints about my predictions

I was very temporarily 'Floodlight Failure' and years later made a few vain attempts at educating the Avivas as 'Oreston Something or other.'

They banned poor Oreston bloke as I wasn't clever enough to hide my IP and I haven't bothered since, as just looking in occasionally is more than I can BGB !

How many accounts have/do you have/had ?

Jesus I have had dozens but only to get over Newell's ban and I have never really used them for more than one or two post for the same reasons as you really, you can only educate if someone is happy to be educated.

I don't think that pasoti will ever regain its credibility, it's lost all trust as well as Trust. Even if every single mod was replaced, who would believe it after the lies and abuse of the current mob apart from the 'straw between the ears' types? - Newell is now known for what he is, my betting is that one day he'll be the village idiot that goes from site to site trolling under different user names....oh, hang on.....