Geograhical Location Excuses....

[philevs]

The simple answer is to focus on singing overseas players. I don't think we have had one in our squad this season, if you exclude O'Connor and McHugh.

And also to really concentrate on developing our young players, who won't so easily want to move off elsewhere, at least not for a year or two like Jo Mason eventually did.

A previous poster said - "Having a manager in charge who doesn't even commit himself to living in the area is not a good way to promote the club or the area. This team's location between Devon & Cornwall makes our club unique. The reason people don't take to him, is because we have this vision of a man who for him, home will be forever 'up north. He doesn't show the same level or passion or pride for this city that the fans seem to. He doesn't grasp when wearing that shirt you representing all the proud Plymouth people in this city and the local people who had to move away and settled elsewhere. That's why we have such a great away following because even those people who moved away still love to be associated with Plymouth. Its just a shame at most opportunities he appears not to want to fall in love with this club and the city like most have. He just doesn't talk about "us" with any real passion and there is no really belief coming through that this is nothing more than just a stop-gap."
- and this reminded me of JS's classic line in his pre-Wycombe interview, when he said along the lines of "it'll be a tough match against Plymouth" ! The interviewer had to correct him when he said it a second time later on. Committed, or not fully?!

 

[jerryatricjanner]

Well all I can say as an exile is it wasn't until I moved away that I realised just how cut off it is from most of the centres of population and just how limited the transport infrastructure is.

 

[Steve Evans]

our geographical position never bothered friio,larrieu,lee hodges,nisbet,matthews,tynan,sturrock,nelson,kevin summerfield or david kemp and countless others.we are a genuine 4th division club these days and it shows in our abysmal season. :furious:

 

[pilgrimage]

The simple answer is to focus on singing overseas players. I don't think we have had one in our squad this season, if you exclude O'Connor and McHugh.

Do you know any players who can sing?

 

[FordGreen]

How on earth do teams like Tenerife and Palma in the Spanish league ever cope with the distance/location thing? Just saying.

 

[Trev501]

How on earth do teams like Tenerife and Palma in the Spanish league ever cope with the distance/location thing? Just saying.

They all have airports?

 

[Quinny]

Geography is part of the problem - us being in league two is also a problem. By the nature of us being in the basement (professional) league, we (like most other clubs) are only likely to offer one or two year contracts. That may not be so much of a problem for a single guy in his early 20s, but roll on a few more years, throw in a wife and a kid or two, then you get a whole host of headaches. Why upheave your child from school if you've got no guarantee of being at the club for no more than a year or two? What if the missus has a job? Should she be forced to quit and look for a new one in Plymouth? Even the younger blokes could be in relationships with their partners having a career of her own. And how do you sell a shopping experience in Drake Circus to an aspiring WAG?

Who here, if head-hunted by a new employer, would sell their home, and move to Madchester (for instance) with wife and children for a hundred quid more a week, but only on a one-year fixed-term contract. I bloody wouldn't.

 

[philevs]

Geography is part of the problem - us being in league two is also a problem. By the nature of us being in the basement (professional) league, we (like most other clubs) are only likely to offer one or two year contracts. That may not be so much of a problem for a single guy in his early 20s, but roll on a few more years, throw in a wife and a kid or two, then you get a whole host of headaches. Why upheave your child from school if you've got no guarantee of being at the club for no more than a year or two? What if the missus has a job? Should she be forced to quit and look for a new one in Plymouth? Even the younger blokes could be in relationships with their partners having a career of her own. And how do you sell a shopping experience in Drake Circus to an aspiring WAG?

Who here, if head-hunted by a new employer, would sell their home, and move to Madchester (for instance) with wife and children for a hundred quid more a week, but only on a one-year fixed-term contract. I bloody wouldn't.

…which is why we need to concentrate on developing local talent, who won't have any moving down to do…
Unbelievable to me that JS considers our home-grown youngsters (Bentley, Harvey, Purrington, Allen) good enough to be on the bench, but only worthy of about half a match each on the pitch over the whole season. If they're good enough for the bench, then give them a fair crack on the pitch

 

[mervyn]

Here's an interesting take on geography. I'm currently in Alveira, south of Porto, in Northern Portugal. yesterday evening Benfica of Lisbon won the league title. Immediately the streets of Alveira were filled with about 2000, at least, Benfica supporters, all with their red shirts, scarves etc. The celebrations were amazing, with hooters, fireworks, chanting, the lot.

this is rather like Plymouth becoming a sea of red immediately after say, Man U or Arsenal had just won the title.

Given that FC Porto are just up the road, my wife and I were amazed at all this Benfica support in a small northern town several hundred miles away.

Our hotel owner explained that Benfica is now the best supported club in the world, with over 300,000 registered members, the highest per capita support of any team in any nation. What we were witnessing would be happening in every town throughout Portugal!

So, given the right circumstances, geography need not mean a thing, and apparently any Portugese player will give anything to play for Benfica.

 

[FordGreen]

Surprising, given how mediocre they are in European footballing terms atm.

 

[Bermudian Green]

Why doesn't Plymouth and Exeter join forces as regards the airport? It's no different to "London" Gatwick, takes the same amount of time to travel between there and London as it does between Exeter and Plymouth. Get a decent transport link sorted out (i.e. buses or frequent shuttle trains), problem solved.

 

[Mark Pedlar]

Why doesn't Plymouth and Exeter join forces as regards the airport? It's no different to "London" Gatwick, takes the same amount of time to travel between there and London as it does between Exeter and Plymouth. Get a decent transport link sorted out (i.e. buses or frequent shuttle trains), problem solved.

Massive cost and little demand.

 

[Bermudian Green]

Massive cost and little demand.

I don't know the answer, but have studies been done to determine demand? Obviously the flights between London & Plymouth were stopped which would indicate little demand, but has PCC ever commissioned a study?

I just got get the whole "Plymouth doesn't have an airport and will therefore always struggle" argument, when a). There is one just up the road, and b). accepting a), why does no-one use it?

Either Plymouth forges closer links with Exeter, or it accepts that no-one actually wants to come to Plymouth.

I find it very difficult to get from Gatwick to Plymouth, used to love the convenience of the flight, which was considerably cheaper than the train and a whole lot quicker. If I could fly to Exeter and then just hop on a shuttle bus or train to Britain's Ocean City, it would be huge. I have a reason to go there - others don't. That reason needs to be created or Plymouth will continue to wither.

 

[Quinny]

Why doesn't Plymouth and Exeter join forces as regards the airport? It's no different to "London" Gatwick, takes the same amount of time to travel between there and London as it does between Exeter and Plymouth. Get a decent transport link sorted out (i.e. buses or frequent shuttle trains), problem solved.

The distance is such that it's just as easy to hop in the car and drive from home to Exeter Airport, rather than make you way to Plymouth Central, spend an hour on the mainline to get to Exeter, change at St David's for the link to Exeter Central/St David's for the train to Cranbrook station (which hasn't been built yet) ... and then you'd need a bus or taxi from there (once it's built) to the airport, about a mile or two away. The fastest link from Plymouth to Whimple (next station 3 miles down the line from Cranbrook) I can see is an hour 42 mins. You can drive to it in around 50 minutes from Plymouth.

 

[loyal1970]

it's the same with any job some people will move some wont and notice that excuse is mainly used when the manager can't for some other reason sign the player.