Synan Q&A on Pasoti

He has given his answers-

-He claims Stapleton knew the financial issues at the club (despite recently denying he did).
-Thinks that Ridsdale stitched them up in order to get a bigger fees
-Wrathall was the only director who invested in the club to aid the debt problems
-It was clear (after they had invested) that Argyle could not sustain championship football without big player sales

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And my old bug bear - that the directors wanted a Gill-like amount for their shares.  In my mind it is what made them stick around way too long in the hope of a windfall

It also casts doubt of those REAL fan Ridsdale supporters who view him as a necessary evil but part time saviour of the club

It also calls into judgement those REAL fans who thought the Q&As were a waste of time. Light shone into a dark corner is always worthwhile.

A few of us did try to warn everyone that the board was out of its depth financially and that they should promote the club's potential and sell, or at the very least actively seek out investment. They got greedy. What happened to the 'run by fans, for fans' mantra ?
We were told to shut up and enjoy the ride by the emerging Pasoti Politburo and most were banned. 'I'll never hear a bad word spoken about that man and his lovely family'. Sound familiar ?  
A club with no top flight history will inevitably struggle to inspire greater numbers through the turnstyles unless it shows cash backed ambition, supports the manager, improves the stadium etc.
Holloway was told they'd look for investment. When he found out they'd done nothing, the game was over. All they did then was sell Holloway's team [they wanted to go anyway] to make the books look better for the Japs to buy in. Stapes and co cashed in. W@nkers.

Its all his fault and not mine!!! synan

its all his fault not mine!!! stapleton

and i guess if you asked the others they will say the same.

I thought that Synan was saying "It was OUR fault" - all the directors & others directly involved.

Tringreen wrote:

A few of us did try to warn everyone that the board was out of its depth financially and that they should promote the club's potential and sell, or at the very least actively seek out investment. They got greedy. What happened to the 'run by fans, for fans' mantra ?
We were told to shut up and enjoy the ride by the emerging Pasoti Politburo and most were banned. 'I'll never hear a bad word spoken about that man and his lovely family'. Sound familiar ?  
A club with no top flight history will inevitably struggle to inspire greater numbers through the turnstyles unless it shows cash backed ambition, supports the manager, improves the stadium etc.
Holloway was told they'd look for investment. When he found out they'd done nothing, the game was over. All they did then was sell Holloway's team [they wanted to go anyway] to make the books look better for the Japs to buy in. Stapes and co cashed in. W@nkers.

Just shows, as if we didn't already know, how short-termist and lacking in vision some people are.

That was the best chance this club ever had to make it to the top flight. If the current plans come to fruition, there will never be another opportunity.

Some people, of course, will be happy with that.  

it WILL happen again but this time its because the club wont be able to grow.

Tony Wrathall seems to emerge with credit once more.Didn't JB himself once make public his opinion that TW was the good guy after examining the previous few years accounts and associated paperwork? And there was Wrathallgate as well,of course.Interesting.

Atd should try and get the Stapleton version!!!

Paul Stapleton: MY STORY - 100% EXCLUSIVE

Tringreen wrote:

A few of us did try to warn everyone that the board was out of its depth financially and that they should promote the club's potential and sell, or at the very least actively seek out investment. They got greedy. What happened to the 'run by fans, for fans' mantra ?
We were told to shut up and enjoy the ride by the emerging Pasoti Politburo and most were banned. 'I'll never hear a bad word spoken about that man and his lovely family'. Sound familiar ?  
A club with no top flight history will inevitably struggle to inspire greater numbers through the turnstyles unless it shows cash backed ambition, supports the manager, improves the stadium etc.
Holloway was told they'd look for investment. When he found out they'd done nothing, the game was over. All they did then was sell Holloway's team [they wanted to go anyway] to make the books look better for the Japs to buy in. Stapes and co cashed in. W@nkers.

I suppose if you say it enough people believe it so once again I will say that the Board during my time serving did actively seek outside investment. I personally met with two seperate potential investors from the USA and know that Phil Gill met with football investment intermediaries. Tring I know we have had this conversation before but the facts are different to your mantra.

Damon.Lenszner wrote:

Tringreen wrote:

A few of us did try to warn everyone that the board was out of its depth financially and that they should promote the club's potential and sell, or at the very least actively seek out investment. They got greedy. What happened to the 'run by fans, for fans' mantra ?
We were told to shut up and enjoy the ride by the emerging Pasoti Politburo and most were banned. 'I'll never hear a bad word spoken about that man and his lovely family'. Sound familiar ?  
A club with no top flight history will inevitably struggle to inspire greater numbers through the turnstyles unless it shows cash backed ambition, supports the manager, improves the stadium etc.
Holloway was told they'd look for investment. When he found out they'd done nothing, the game was over. All they did then was sell Holloway's team [they wanted to go anyway] to make the books look better for the Japs to buy in. Stapes and co cashed in. W@nkers.

I suppose if you say it enough people believe it so once again I will say that the Board during my time serving did actively seek outside investment. I personally met with two seperate potential investors from the USA and know that Phil Gill  met with football investment intermediaries. Tring I know we have had this conversation before but the facts are different to your mantra.

You may well have looked for investors Damon but were the board members prepared to sell up their interest for a Plymouth price ? The suspicion I have, based on what eventually occurred with the Japs and the big time Charlies , was that at least some of the directors were determined to keep their fingers in the pie, thus putting off any potential buyers. If a proper selling job had been done when promotion was achieved and average gates of 16k turned up, I'm fairly confident there would have been buyers with enough cash to ignite the potential fanbase.
The probable truth is, that certain directors didn't want to let go and blamed stay away fans. They're cut from the same cloth as brent's jamboys.

I agree that the stock of the club was at it's highest in the 1st Championship year. The Club was riding high on the crest of two promotions whilst behind the scenes the split between the Plymouth based and London based directors was growing. When the split happened and Tony and I came to the Board was probably the time to have some heavy hitters come to the table but after disharmony the Plymouth boys chose people they knew and trusted. 'Village' maybe, but I believe that should American money have been offered then a deal would have been struck.

The biggest mistake, and one which I was party to, was the purchase of the freehold. It must not be allowed to happen again and is a cause that the AFT must be prepared to fight for to the bitter end. Graham Clark has highlighted the potential disaster that could arise from losing this one. For a short time let's put multis, private dicks and all the other shite to one side and concentrate on a major issue for the football club.

To make the step up to the PL, a club with no history but potential, needs monied owners. These people don't tend to want to provide the cash for part ownership whilst the local directors cash in on their minimal investment. It was greed and at best naivety , pure and simple.

Even a Manderic type owning the club, would have made all the difference to fostering 'belief' in the potential fanbase. By the time the Japs were conned, the writing was well and truly on the wall that the club was entering freefall.

I agree with you with regard the freehold but unless the Trust leads the fight, brent and his friends have all the control of the airways they need, to do whatever he wants.

Damon..I dont know if you were on the board at the time,but wasn't there a London based consortium willing to invest in Argyle that got turned down outright by Paul Stapleton & Co... If you were on the board,what was the reason for that,bearing in mind the club as you say were actively seeking outside investment?

As a big supporter of that consortium and now with hindsight and consideration to Peter Jones 'true' ambitions, it would appear that no matter what path the Club took it was destined to be ruled by the greedy and selfish and destined for a future that has now become reality.

I was on the Board. The Consortium demands were that Rob, Phil and myself leave the Board but they were not willing to buy us out. That combined with announcements in public before any written correspondence to the Board left us with an easy decision to make.

Damon.Lenszner wrote:

I was on the Board. The Consortium demands were that Rob, Phil and myself leave the Board but they were not willing to buy us out. That combined with announcements in public before any written correspondence to the Board left us with an easy decision to make.

'The consortium demands' gives the wrong impression. A substantial offer was made to invest in the playing side of the football club, to build on what had been achieved, and hopefully to provide the base for the next step. The terms of the offer gave the existing board the opportunity to match that offer - if that wasn't possible then yes, directors would have been required to stand down - for the good of the football club, to allow new directors with available funding to try and take the club forward.

As for 'buying out' anyone leaving would have been paid what their shares were worth - I believe after an independent valuation was carried out.

The 'public announcements' were discussions on the other website - hardly a large audience and just a convenient excuse.

I really believe there was no coherent argument against accepting the Consortium offer - it was plain the club needed additional funding to move forward - and in Holloway, we had a manager who could have done that.

It certainly was an easy decision for a board who had put self interest above that of the football club and its' supporters.

Lets face it PP any consortium having a Jones involvement was doomed to failure.

History now. We have far more important matters

That sounds more like it and subsequent events would indicate that greed became the motivating factor for at least some of the directors, who had invested little but didn't want to let go of the train set.

I stick by my mantra and as for repeating things often enough that they become 'fact, that's what one trick ponies do best   

Damon, Who were the Americans?

Don't tell me it was the fella who was running a junior Chelsea team and did that soccer 'promotion' at the Rose Bowl?

I have no idea who that is Rickler. My first meet was with the CEO of Hard Rock Cafe - plans to build a Hotel (surprise). and music venue. The second was with the owner of an NBA franchise who was also a founding partner of a sports investment firm.

Damon.Lenszner wrote:

I have no idea who that is Rickler. My first meet was with the CEO of Hard Rock Cafe - plans to build a Hotel (surprise). and music venue. The second was with the owner of an NBA franchise who was also a founding partner of a sports investment firm.

KNowing our luck it would have been the utah jazz and not the la lakers lol

Damon.Lenszner wrote:

I have no idea who that is Rickler. My first meet was with the CEO of Hard Rock Cafe - plans to build a Hotel (surprise). and music venue.

Was that Peter Morton?