Death of a football club

[Saracen10]

Moving back to Plymouth after 10 years away. It really excites me as its a wonderful location and I have a lot of great friends and family here. It is also the home of what used to be my passion in life Plymouth Argyle football club.

I say used to as I still follow them on the radio and look out fur their results but I will not go to the games anymore because they depress me so much. Not for the reasons you might think either. Watching Argyle lose has never been an issue for me. I would go and support my team and know that they were out there wanting to win as much as the fans wanted them to win, and that the background staff were doing what they could to put them in a position to be successful.

I just couldn't stand the average Plymouth Argyle fan which is epitomised by this site. Grumpy, pessimistic, glass empty!, just at the game to vent their own frustrations of their own unhappy lives (my conclusion - rightly or wrongly).

Home Park and PASOTI is a depressing place to be and since I took myself away from both - it may be a coincidence - but my life has felt and been so much better.

A very negative post but just want to conclude by saying when you have a young child and it's trying to walk for the first time do you encourage, or do you criticise and vent your frustrations? If you want to watch your friends run a marathon would you encourage or would you criticise and vent your frustrations? If your child came home from school and were having difficulty with their home work, would you encourage or would you criticise and vent your frustrations?

Why would you encourage? Because you want them to succeed.

Every boo, every negative word, every criticism has an impact on this club. Maybe some people want the club to be as unsuccessful as their lives to add that consistency?

But for those that want a club that they can be proud of have a think before you write your next post on here or follow the charmless brigade in their torrents of misery on a Saturday afternoon.

Some people have lost what the meaning of 'support' means. If you do not support your club like you would support your child or support your friend when they are going through difficult times then maybe it's time to do just that.

Whilst I can appreciate many of your points in a very well articulated post I have two major observations;

1) You maintain the child encouragement comparison throughout ........ and it appears that as things have got too tough for you then you have not encouraged or supported .... you have walked away and not seen your commitment through

2) Your topic heading "Death of a Football Club" is way way out of line - this club is far from dead - recovering from a life saving operation with a period of rehab required but dead - never Argyle will never die. It may drop through leagues or even go out of business but the soul of PAFC will live forever.

What a speech but nothing to say about the rubbish on the pitch.

Strange for you I know but I thought I'd stick to the topic :sigh: Plenty of other posts referring to the quality of football.

 

[jollygreenjohn]

But what has changed? I can remember negativity from the support going way back. Getting into random arguments on The Lyndhurst when trying to defend Jimmy Hinch and that's probably 40 years ago.

It's just that things really are dire now and have been for such a long time that we are all feeling totally frustrated. Staying away is not the answer, ignore the over critical ones and try to drown out their moans with positive encouragement. One day things will pick up and the support will be as one again.

 

[pepilgrim]

Most of the preceeding arguments highlight the urgent need for the manager to explain to the "fans" how he plans to achieve success. We seem to be "rudderless" but many would no doubt accept a reasonable statement of where we are, and how we get to the next level. The answer may even convert some "stay aways"

I fear it may be too late and judging the quality of recent utterings with plenty of "you knows" , I'm sorry but I don't know and would like to be informed.

 

[Greenblooded1]

I say used to as I still follow them on the radio and look out fur their results but I will not go to the games anymore...
Some people have lost what the meaning of 'support' means.

Err... :roll:

:funny:

 

[Greenblooded1]

Moving back to Plymouth after 10 years away. It really excites me as its a wonderful location and I have a lot of great friends and family here. It is also the home of what used to be my passion in life Plymouth Argyle football club.

I say used to as I still follow them on the radio and look out fur their results but I will not go to the games anymore because they depress me so much. Not for the reasons you might think either. Watching Argyle lose has never been an issue for me. I would go and support my team and know that they were out there wanting to win as much as the fans wanted them to win, and that the background staff were doing what they could to put them in a position to be successful.

I just couldn't stand the average Plymouth Argyle fan which is epitomised by this site. Grumpy, pessimistic, glass empty!, just at the game to vent their own frustrations of their own unhappy lives (my conclusion - rightly or wrongly).

Home Park and PASOTI is a depressing place to be and since I took myself away from both - it may be a coincidence - but my life has felt and been so much better.

A very negative post but just want to conclude by saying when you have a young child and it's trying to walk for the first time do you encourage, or do you criticise and vent your frustrations? If you want to watch your friends run a marathon would you encourage or would you criticise and vent your frustrations? If your child came home from school and were having difficulty with their home work, would you encourage or would you criticise and vent your frustrations?

Why would you encourage? Because you want them to succeed.

Every boo, every negative word, every criticism has an impact on this club. Maybe some people want the club to be as unsuccessful as their lives to add that consistency?

But for those that want a club that they can be proud of have a think before you write your next post on here or follow the charmless brigade in their torrents of misery on a Saturday afternoon.

Some people have lost what the meaning of 'support' means. If you do not support your club like you would support your child or support your friend when they are going through difficult times then maybe it's time to do just that.

Whilst I can appreciate many of your points in a very well articulated post I have two major observations;

1) You maintain the child encouragement comparison throughout ........ and it appears that as things have got too tough for you then you have not encouraged or supported .... you have walked away and not seen your commitment through

2) Your topic heading "Death of a Football Club" is way way out of line - this club is far from dead - recovering from a life saving operation with a period of rehab required but dead - never Argyle will never die. It may drop through leagues or even go out of business but the soul of PAFC will live forever.

Maybe I shall start rearing my ugly head once more when I'm back next month

Maybe if you'd paid to watch the past 5 years matches, not just listening to the radio & looking out for results you'd understand our "real fans" perspectives. It's easy to sit in an Ivory tower & not having paid hard earned money to endure the poo from the past 3 seasons.

 

[Green_blooded_pilgrim]

Moving back to Plymouth after 10 years away. It really excites me as its a wonderful location and I have a lot of great friends and family here. It is also the home of what used to be my passion in life Plymouth Argyle football club.

I say used to as I still follow them on the radio and look out fur their results but I will not go to the games anymore because they depress me so much. Not for the reasons you might think either. Watching Argyle lose has never been an issue for me. I would go and support my team and know that they were out there wanting to win as much as the fans wanted them to win, and that the background staff were doing what they could to put them in a position to be successful.

I just couldn't stand the average Plymouth Argyle fan which is epitomised by this site. Grumpy, pessimistic, glass empty!, just at the game to vent their own frustrations of their own unhappy lives (my conclusion - rightly or wrongly).

Home Park and PASOTI is a depressing place to be and since I took myself away from both - it may be a coincidence - but my life has felt and been so much better.

A very negative post but just want to conclude by saying when you have a young child and it's trying to walk for the first time do you encourage, or do you criticise and vent your frustrations? If you want to watch your friends run a marathon would you encourage or would you criticise and vent your frustrations? If your child came home from school and were having difficulty with their home work, would you encourage or would you criticise and vent your frustrations?

Why would you encourage? Because you want them to succeed.

Every boo, every negative word, every criticism has an impact on this club. Maybe some people want the club to be as unsuccessful as their lives to add that consistency?

But for those that want a club that they can be proud of have a think before you write your next post on here or follow the charmless brigade in their torrents of misery on a Saturday afternoon.

Some people have lost what the meaning of 'support' means. If you do not support your club like you would support your child or support your friend when they are going through difficult times then maybe it's time to do just that.

Whilst I can appreciate many of your points in a very well articulated post I have two major observations;

1) You maintain the child encouragement comparison throughout ........ and it appears that as things have got too tough for you then you have not encouraged or supported .... you have walked away and not seen your commitment through

2) Your topic heading "Death of a Football Club" is way way out of line - this club is far from dead - recovering from a life saving operation with a period of rehab required but dead - never Argyle will never die. It may drop through leagues or even go out of business but the soul of PAFC will live forever.

Maybe I shall start rearing my ugly head once more when I'm back next month

Maybe if you'd paid to watch the past 5 years matches, not just listening to the radio & looking out for results you'd understand our "real fans" perspectives. It's easy to sit in an Ivory tower & not having paid hard earned money to endure the poo from the past 3 seasons.

I understand what you are saying and in one respect I don't have a leg to stand on with my attendance and the money that a lot of you guys are putting into the football club. But my thoughts whether they are listened to or not is that its a bit like saying that my car isn't working very well, so I took sledge hammer to it. There are a lot of people that are not helping this club with their comments and negative thoughts.

When it comes to these people I'm sure the club are happy that they are paying their money and attending but I would also stick my neck out to say that the players would rather that these players did not turn up. There is a big distinction between supporting the club and supporting the team.

I realise that at this moment in time it could be argued that I do neither. But this is not about me, its a bit bigger than that

 

[David Fisher]

Using your car analogy, if your car doesn't work you complain to the garage.

You don't just put up with it so why should Argyle fans put up with a cr@p product?

 

[The Doctor]

Using your car analogy, if your car doesn't work you complain to the garage.

You don't just put up with it so why should Argyle fans put up with a cr@p product?

Because when you go to Argyle you are paying for an experience not for a product. However badly the team performs on the pitch you still get to experience the performance and interact with it and others who are there. If you don't enjoy the experience then you don't have to pay for it, but I still enjoy going to Home Park to watch Argyle even when the on-pitch performances are disappointing. I guess that some will argue that people like me are part of the problem. I'd argue that I am part of a solution.

 

[Graham Evans]

While i respect you opinion Doctor how are you part of the solution?

 

[Greenrod]

Using your car analogy, if your car doesn't work you complain to the garage.

You don't just put up with it so why should Argyle fans put up with a cr@p product?

Because when you go to Argyle you are paying for an experience not for a product. However badly the team performs on the pitch you still get to experience the performance and interact with it and others who are there. If you don't enjoy the experience then you don't have to pay for it, but I still enjoy going to Home Park to watch Argyle even when the on-pitch performances are disappointing. I guess that some will argue that people like me are part of the problem. I'd argue that I am part of a solution.

I support this analogy - well put Doc, you just need to come up with a total cure.

 

[Balham Green]

One of the dumbest postings on here. Complains about not supporting the team then doesn't even turn up himself. And doesn't see the irony!

 

[The Doctor]

While i respect you opinion Doctor how are you part of the solution?

By continuing to encourage the team towards an improved position and by helping to maintain the club's financial stability. I can see there are other possible paths to solutions which is why I deliberately wrote 'a'.

 

[David Fisher]

Using your car analogy, if your car doesn't work you complain to the garage.

You don't just put up with it so why should Argyle fans put up with a cr@p product?

Because when you go to Argyle you are paying for an experience not for a product. However badly the team performs on the pitch you still get to experience the performance and interact with it and others who are there. If you don't enjoy the experience then you don't have to pay for it, but I still enjoy going to Home Park to watch Argyle even when the on-pitch performances are disappointing. I guess that some will argue that people like me are part of the problem. I'd argue that I am part of a solution.

Sorry but you are part of the problem.

Too many supporters are prepared to accept mediocrity and until that changes the football will not improve.

Call me old-fashioned but I go to HP to watch a football match, not for an "experience".

 

[argobenz]

Unfortunately the decline from the promotion years up to the Championship standard has been fast and traumatic. Terrible miss management, and terrible on field displays have worn down the majority of the fan-base's patience.

I admit I am often critical, but I see it as a way of showing my unhappiness at the last five years, including bad leadership, mismanagement and the poor performances. The alternative is the lobotomized happy clapping which has got us into this mess in the first place. Life shows us many examples of when people just went with the flow until they were hit with the reality of what they had let happen.

I want, expect and will continue to look for a Plymouth Argyle that is performing as it should, not propping up the professional leagues on a knife-edge between mediocrity of mid table and relegation from the professional game.

 

[Greenblooded1]

I think as a club we've got such great fans, fans who've gone far beyond the call of duty over the past 3 seasons, some making exceptionally great contributions.

If we got 18,000 fans at Home Park booing, would we be pleased? Even with 6,000 be pleased ffs, otherwise we'll be down to 1,500 clapping politely at the end of a Blue Square game.

The facts are:

1. Those fans wouldn't boo if we were winning, or the football was good & we looked like scoring, they only boo bad performances. The only way to stop fans booing is giving better performances, that's down to the players, manager & club management. Simple as.

2. The club won't change if fans; keep turning up &/or don't express displeasure.