When will the excuses stop?

We're now about 5 years into the steepest decline in the club's fortunes in its entire 125+ year history and we might not have bottomed out yet.

In that time we have had all sorts of excuses, some might prefer the word "reasons", for our decline and now we are where we are.

The biggest positive that I can see is the loyalty shown by our support. Quite how we have managed to maintain home crowds of around 7000 amazes me and our away support is just about as numerous as it ever was. It's a wonderful turnout and a tribute to the optimism and dedication of each and every one of them that makes the effort and spares the time and money with such little prospect of success at the end of it. The next positive is that at last we have a proper manager but after that I'm struggling to see positives beyond "we've still got a club". We certainly don't have much scope for expansion any more and we have been completely asset-stripped in terms of both talented players and land.

The last 5 years has seen the guts get ripped out of the club and losing has become deeply ingrained in our psyche. There's no confidence in the players and there's no genuine expectation amongst the fans that we'll get any better any time soon; Fortress Home Park is now a morgue haunted by the ghosts of the legends that bedeck its walls.

We have to face up to the fact that we have a very poor team filled with very poor players. That's not meant as a criticism of the players because I see plenty of effort from them and I'm sure that they're all top blokes and they all, at least, want to play for us. Despite their limitations I want to appreciate them for their qualities rather than denigrate them for their faults. Nor do I blame Sheridan for either signing them or picking them... Nobody else wanted to come here after all.

So when is somebody, somewhere going to give us the team our loyalty and dedication deserves? It's time now for something to done about it and for the excuses about why it isn't being done to stop.

Change the record boys, you've already got three wins this season and an easy three points coming up at Sid james next month from your cup final.

Do you think all the other teams in our division going into administration and being deducted 10 points would help?

Apologies for not researching enough in advance, but what has happened to our school boy academies that were set up a few years ago?
I recall a scouting policy being setup in Ireland but have not heard any news lately

its never ending im afraid, so many are 'grateful'.
7k are grateful, the missing 7k from the championship beg to differ.

The team is crap like it has been the entire time brent has owned the club, who else is there to blame?

Next home game there will be around 5,000 at the game unless there is a Presidential rallying cry  

I'm quite looking forward to the time when Brent has completed his asset strip development, the Club has been stripped to its bones and there's no flesh to rip from the carcass when the likes of the Newell's and Webb's are shown the door. At least then we may have an honest Club.

Elias wrote:

its never ending im afraid, so many are 'grateful'.
7k are grateful, the missing 7k from the championship beg to differ.

This hits the nail on the head, I am content to be in the beg to differ gang and I am quite definitely missing. My life is better for not having to watch the on field tripe and to let all the pricks who have circled their wagons around an owner whose motives for ownership are, at the very least, questionable enjoy their time in the sun. It must be dawning on even the very dimmest that the weather isn't actually all that fine.

The business model Brent has for running the club sustainably is flawed, if we are going to go tits up again I hope we get on with it so it impacts on Brents other projects, it would be so unfair if he was ends up quids in from asset stripping the club for huge rewards whilst we end up back at the starting line. How the feck does he get away with it?

GOB wrote:

I'm quite looking forward to the time when Brent has completed his asset strip development, the Club has been stripped to its bones and there's no flesh to rip from the carcass when the likes of the Newell's and Webb's are shown the door. At least then we may have an honest Club.

Oh no.. They will own the club.

Hugh Watt wrote:

GOB wrote:

I'm quite looking forward to the time when Brent has completed his asset strip development, the Club has been stripped to its bones and there's no flesh to rip from the carcass when the likes of the Newell's and Webb's are shown the door. At least then we may have an honest Club.

Oh no.. They will own the club.

A real possibility. Why else would they, their sponsors and the poison dwarf already in the boardroom, be so supportive of the reluctant bidder's self centred, money making actvities.
He'll leave them with a nice , little stadium and club. Fit only for small minded wannabes.

Hugh Watt wrote:

GOB wrote:

I'm quite looking forward to the time when Brent has completed his asset strip development, the Club has been stripped to its bones and there's no flesh to rip from the carcass when the likes of the Newell's and Webb's are shown the door. At least then we may have an honest Club.

Oh no.. They will own the club.

Highly probable with Nikkk pumping in enough cash as he can afford for a low positioned Conference Club. At least that's my guess.

Charlie Wood wrote:

Elias wrote:

its never ending im afraid, so many are 'grateful'.
7k are grateful, the missing 7k from the championship beg to differ.

This hits the nail on the head, I am content to be in the beg to differ gang and I am quite definitely missing. My life is better for not having to watch the on field tripe and to let all the pricks who have circled their wagons around an owner whose motives for ownership are, at the very least, questionable enjoy their time in the sun. It must be dawning on even the very dimmest that the weather isn't actually all that fine.

still cant get out of my head that stupid pitch invasion at Rochdale.
haven't been this season yet amazing how much money you have as a result.
may visit scunny on Saturday after all freathy is coming up to be an avviva with punchdrunk  

A promotion run/ successful Argyle, even in the lower leagues, will result in high attendance figures compared to what other clubs can achieve.

3rd/4th tier is what these people have settled for, with the odd flirtation with the 2nd tier, possibly enabling them to cash in. It'll be Stapes' all over again but this time, no possibility of developing the ground at all.

Tringreen wrote:

A promotion run/ successful Argyle, even in the lower leagues, will result in high attendance figures compared to what other clubs can achieve.

And still it goes on.

Pompey are averaging more than your capacity now Tring and they, like you, are below us. Even with the Mini Stand your new capacity will be more than it would have been without Brent's involvement, not to mention being far more presentable than that tip which runs the length of the pitch you never paid for.

Don't give it that "need room for expansion" drivel, the only reason you would need to expand Gnome Park would be if you were in the Prem, ............................ sorry, nearly choked laughing when I typed that. Should that ever happen, which it wont, the Hundred Million plus might give the scope to raise the cap as required.

You guys are just blowing smoke out your collective arse, the fact that you have a shiite team isn't down to Brent, he may well have stuck with Fletch too long, Sherry may not now be the Messiah, but the club under Brent is spending more money on the squad than would have been available to whoever was running the Evo Stick outfit you would have been after you went bust.

I don't like the slimey *anker, but ascribing all your woes to him is just plain stupid. Do you really think it suits him better to be dragging the sorry Garg arse about in front of 6-7k at the foot of the 4th div rather than 10k+ in the 3rd, the premise and what little reasoning has been presented is plain daft.

You want a miracle, they don't come along often and I think you may well have blown your's already.

Sufferedsince68 wrote:

The team is crap like it has been the entire time brent has owned the club, who else is there to blame?

I blame Brent - why on earth should he have any real interest in getting promotion? That costs money for Christ's sake so easy to just keeping it ticking over and keep making friends on the council.
Despite what the Tisdale hater says it will be tricky getting 3pts at Sid James park given some of the recent garbage displays.

Lord Tisdale wrote:

Tringreen wrote:

A promotion run/ successful Argyle, even in the lower leagues, will result in high attendance figures compared to what other clubs can achieve.

And still it goes on.

Pompey are averaging more than your capacity now Tring and they, like you, are below us. Even with the Mini Stand your new capacity will be more than it would have been without Brent's involvement, not to mention being far more presentable than that tip which runs the length of the pitch you never paid for.

Don't give it that "need room for expansion" drivel, the only reason you would need to expand Gnome Park would be if you were in the Prem, ............................  sorry, nearly choked laughing when I typed that. Should that ever happen, which it wont, the Hundred Million plus might give the scope to raise the cap as required.

You guys are just blowing smoke out your collective arse, the fact that you have a shiite team isn't down to Brent, he may well have stuck with Fletch too long, Sherry may not now be the Messiah, but the club under Brent is spending more money on the squad than would have been available to whoever was running the Evo Stick outfit you would have been after you went bust.

I don't like the slimey *anker, but ascribing all your woes to him is just plain stupid. Do you really think it suits him better to be dragging the sorry Garg arse about in front of 6-7k at the foot of the 4th div rather than 10k+ in the 3rd, the premise and what little reasoning has been presented is plain daft.

You want a miracle, they don't come along often and I think you may well have blown your's already.  

So thought provoking to read the small club perspective from time to time.

Look at the title Tis, we are crap, we've been crap for two seasons under Brent and their is little or no progress, with our crowds we should easily be competing with teams like yours, as for you using Pompey as an example they have just come out of admin. I'll bet that they won't be where we are in two years time.

Lord Tisdale wrote:

Tringreen wrote:

A promotion run/ successful Argyle, even in the lower leagues, will result in high attendance figures compared to what other clubs can achieve.

And still it goes on.

Pompey are averaging more than your capacity now Tring and they, like you, are below us. Even with the Mini Stand your new capacity will be more than it would have been without Brent's involvement, not to mention being far more presentable than that tip which runs the length of the pitch you never paid for.

Don't give it that "need room for expansion" drivel, the only reason you would need to expand Gnome Park would be if you were in the Prem, ............................  sorry, nearly choked laughing when I typed that. Should that ever happen, which it wont, the Hundred Million plus might give the scope to raise the cap as required.

You guys are just blowing smoke out your collective arse, the fact that you have a shiite team isn't down to Brent, he may well have stuck with Fletch too long, Sherry may not now be the Messiah, but the club under Brent is spending more money on the squad than would have been available to whoever was running the Evo Stick outfit you would have been after you went bust.

I don't like the slimey *anker, but ascribing all your woes to him is just plain stupid. Do you really think it suits him better to be dragging the sorry Garg arse about in front of 6-7k at the foot of the 4th div rather than 10k+ in the 3rd, the premise and what little reasoning has been presented is plain daft.

You want a miracle, they don't come along often and I think you may well have blown your's already.  

I'm well aware that we are now down among the dead men for the foreseeable future but what you gleefully fail to acknowledge is the fact that a finished stadium, with a half decent grandstand[ as with the WG plans] and the ability to expand , is what is required to attract the potential fanbase, once the club gets on a run again. The feelgood factor that other clubs with a similar potential [ Cardiff, Brighton, Hull, Swansea, Reading] have enjoyed. Yes, they got new builds but the effect would have been similar imo.

You wouldn't understand, as City have always been lower/non league offal .

Lord Tisdale wrote:

Do you really think it suits him better to be dragging the sorry Garg arse about in front of 6-7k at the foot of the 4th div rather than 10k+ in the 3rd

Quite possibly.

Now now move up the league one place at time.. In 19 years we may achieve promotion to league 1

Iggy wrote:

The business model Brent has for running the club sustainably is flawed, if we are going to go tits up again I hope we get on with it so it impacts on Brents other projects, it would be so unfair if he was ends up quids in from asset stripping the club for huge rewards whilst we end up back at the starting line. How the feck does he get away with it?

This is the bit for me. Does Brent really think he is the first owner/chairman to come up with this idea? Surely every other chairman in the football league would run their club like this if they could.

Smaller crowds = less people to piss off and enemies to make

mcfry wrote:

Smaller crowds = less people to piss off and enemies to make

In a nutshell...yes