Exeter City Yes or No

[Ade the green]

It's been a long held theory of mine that success of neighbouring/rival clubs can inspire your own to achieve more. And also if your neighbours /rivals are in the doldrums that only serves to set your own sights lower.

If you look at recent geographical examples, Cardiff getting to the Prem after Swansea achieved it. Celtic having the season of all seasons now Rangers are back in the top flight, the random promotions of numerous relatively small NW clubs to the Prem, like Blackpool, Blackburn, Burnley, Oldham, etc.

Obviously there are lots of other factors at play too but you can also look at regions failing together. Villa / Blues both in the Championship (Birmingham in particular struggling), Sheffield clubs years out of the top flight, Sunderland following Newcastle to relegation. You could certainly add decades of collective westcountry failure to this list too.

As much as it pains me to say it I think if SW football as a whole found a better level, for example Bristol City get to the Premier League, Rovers in the Championship, Exeter top half League One and Torquay pushing on in League Two then Argyle would be pulled along by this wave of success and would progress faster than being surrounded by failure.

Just my theory anyway!

Yeah, every thing was fine until you mentioned Exeter and Torquay BEFORE you said we'd be pulled along by success.

If anything, it's Argyle pushing and pulling the other South West teams along cos not one of them like being beaten by us.

 

[Adam R]

I always discount Bristol from these SW discussions as i think they are too far away from Plymouth to factor in. Within 2 hours of Birmingham you would capture god knows how many clubs.

However, on the Exeter/Torquay/Plymouth front, the higher up the leagues they all are the better in my eyes. It will help attract more players to the SW knowing they have options rather than the upheaval of relocation and if it fails with one club then you have to relocate again.

The better the three clubs do collectively can only be seen as a good thing. If that means Exeter are hanging onto our coat tails in L1 or the Championship, i honestly couldn't care. Providing we play them in the same league because they are exceeding expectation and not because we have failed then fair play to 'em.

 

[rawleyboy]

Personally I despise them and look forward to their inevitable play off cock up.
I don't see them as rivals just an irritating little club up the road

 

[Keepitgreen]

Their return leg with Carlisle is at 7.45 tonight on Sky Sports 2. Good luck to them.

 

[Ade the green]

Personally I despise them and look forward to their inevitable play off cock up.
I don't see them as rivals just an irritating little club up the road

I reckon the winners of the final will come from the other tie regardless of whether it's Luton or Blackpool.

 

[Argy1e]

Their return leg with Carlisle is at 7.45 tonight on Sky Sports 2. Good luck to them.

Think Luton v Blackpool is Sky Sports 2 with Exeter v Carlisle on the red button. I'm not certain though.

 

[lilcol]

Personally I despise them and look forward to their inevitable play off cock up.
I don't see them as rivals just an irritating little club up the road

How can you despise anything/anyone you know little about. It's people with that sort of attitude that help to cause incidents as reported in the local press recently. I am all for lording it over our neighbours and give and accept the banter that flows between our two clubs, but despise?, ridiculous.

The 2nd leg is on Sky 2 red button from 7.30 for those interested.

 

[rawleyboy]

Personally I despise them and look forward to their inevitable play off cock up.
I don't see them as rivals just an irritating little club up the road

How can you despise anything/anyone you know little about. It's people with that sort of attitude that help to cause incidents as reported in the local press recently. I am all for lording it over our neighbours and give and accept the banter that flows between our two clubs, but despise?, ridiculous.

The 2nd leg is on Sky 2 red button from 7.30 for those interested.

I only judge out of experience and until that changes this is my opinion of them.

 

[Manchesterlala]

Would much rather see Blackpool or Carlisle promoted than Exeter.

Ditto. I may be biased by my geography but we need to get away from this fascination with playing Exeter - the only reason they're a rival is because we've been unfortunate enough to have slumped to their level because of the mismanagement of the club when we went into admin. The sooner we can stop glamourising this fixture, the better. Its only a big game for them. We need to set our sights higher in my opinion.

It's a big fixture in the terms of attendance for us. ££££££
It might be easier for you to travel to Carlisle but I'd rather travel 40 miles and be home in an hour. I do enough travelling following Argyle so the closer the better for me.

But wouldn't we also get £££ from fixtures against the likes of Bristol City/Rovers, Pompey and any of the other "big" clubs that the armchair fan typically comes out of the woodwork to watch Argyle to see? We don't need Exeter to be in the same league as us to attract crowds, we just need to be in a higher league regularly playing more attractive opposition. The Exeter match is a nice pay day in League 2 but it's the not the be all and end all.

And the attraction of only a 40 mile trip wouldn't be a selling point for me even if I did still live in Devon. It's still a trip to one of the worst grounds I've seen and it's not exactly a nice day out what with the police escorts and the unfriendly welcome from the home fans. They're a small club with small club syndrome as far as their relationship with us is concerned. Bitter, twisted and unworthy of our attention.

 

[Ade the green]

Would much rather see Blackpool or Carlisle promoted than Exeter.

Ditto. I may be biased by my geography but we need to get away from this fascination with playing Exeter - the only reason they're a rival is because we've been unfortunate enough to have slumped to their level because of the mismanagement of the club when we went into admin. The sooner we can stop glamourising this fixture, the better. Its only a big game for them. We need to set our sights higher in my opinion.

It's a big fixture in the terms of attendance for us. ££££££
It might be easier for you to travel to Carlisle but I'd rather travel 40 miles and be home in an hour. I do enough travelling following Argyle so the closer the better for me.

But wouldn't we also get £££ from fixtures against the likes of Bristol City/Rovers, Pompey and any of the other "big" clubs that the armchair fan typically comes out of the woodwork to watch Argyle to see? We don't need Exeter to be in the same league as us to attract crowds, we just need to be in a higher league regularly playing more attractive opposition. The Exeter match is a nice pay day in League 2 but it's the not the be all and end all.

And the attraction of only a 40 mile trip wouldn't be a selling point for me even if I did still live in Devon. It's still a trip to one of the worst grounds I've seen and it's not exactly a nice day out what with the police escorts and the unfriendly welcome from the home fans. They're a small club with small club syndrome as far as their relationship with us is concerned. Bitter, twisted and unworthy of our attention.

Absolutely love this post. Come on you blues (Carlisle)

 

[Keepitgreen]

Would much rather see Blackpool or Carlisle promoted than Exeter.

Ditto. I may be biased by my geography but we need to get away from this fascination with playing Exeter - the only reason they're a rival is because we've been unfortunate enough to have slumped to their level because of the mismanagement of the club when we went into admin. The sooner we can stop glamourising this fixture, the better. Its only a big game for them. We need to set our sights higher in my opinion.

It's a big fixture in the terms of attendance for us. ££££££
It might be easier for you to travel to Carlisle but I'd rather travel 40 miles and be home in an hour. I do enough travelling following Argyle so the closer the better for me.

But wouldn't we also get £££ from fixtures against the likes of Bristol City/Rovers, Pompey and any of the other "big" clubs that the armchair fan typically comes out of the woodwork to watch Argyle to see? We don't need Exeter to be in the same league as us to attract crowds, we just need to be in a higher league regularly playing more attractive opposition. The Exeter match is a nice pay day in League 2 but it's the not the be all and end all.

And the attraction of only a 40 mile trip wouldn't be a selling point for me even if I did still live in Devon. It's still a trip to one of the worst grounds I've seen and it's not exactly a nice day out what with the police escorts and the unfriendly welcome from the home fans. They're a small club with small club syndrome as far as their relationship with us is concerned. Bitter, twisted and unworthy of our attention.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

 

[Shankster]

I have managed to acquire 3 tickets for the Carlisle end this evening, I shall be hoping for an away win

I hate close season....

 

[green eyed monster]

I want them to get to the final and lose...

That said if they get through, it's 2 games I'll enjoy next year, I like the derby

 

[oddball]

I always enjoy my trips to Exeter as I expect do a thousand or more others. I shall be listening on BBC Radio Devon tonight and am hoping for an Exeter win.

 

[Bermudian Green]

I think I want them to go up, just for the $$$ and the 6 points. That said, whenever I watch a game as a neutral, I usually find out who I want to win by my reaction when the first goal goes in.