Luggy's Book

[SWTT]

Not sure where it's at now, but I'm sure when Blackpool were in the Prem there was a lot of talk of the "smaller" prem clubs and the wages they pay. I read an article that found if you take the top 6 out of the equation, the average Prem wage was 10k a week. So for us to be paying that in the Championship does appear somewhat excessive, and, well we've got hindsight which proves that...

The league in its current state however, with the likes of Bristol City offering just shy of 10 million for players like Gayle, or that Gray that went from Brentford to Burnley for something like 12 million (?), it does make you wonder how/if we could compete there again.

 

[jespafc]

Not sure where it's at now, but I'm sure when Blackpool were in the Prem there was a lot of talk of the "smaller" prem clubs and the wages they pay. I read an article that found if you take the top 6 out of the equation, the average Prem wage was 10k a week. So for us to be paying that in the Championship does appear somewhat excessive, and, well we've got hindsight which proves that...

The league in its current state however, with the likes of Bristol City offering just shy of 10 million for players like Gayle, or that Gray that went from Brentford to Burnley for something like 12 million (?), it does make you wonder how/if we could compete there again.

I've been wondering exactly the same thing.

The fact that Bristol City are already struggling is a bad sign. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when we went up to the Championship we didn't actually spend that much money in our first season. It seems now though that even to survive in the Championship a certain amount of cash is needed.

 

[IJN]

The Championship was fifth in the World for transfer fees in the window just past.

We may pop into the 2nd tier now and again, but I can't see any team surviving for more than a few years without some rich owner.

Our attendances won't support any sort of massive spend, and as you say multi millions being spent on players doesn't augur well for the future does it?

 

[GreenArmy1984]

Just arrived in the post !!!!

Interesting Read this will be :thumbs:

 

[InterYerMam]

A decent enough read but I was expecting more of his thoughts on the Todd, Gardiner, Kagami disaster than we got.
Most of the shocks came from Stapleton and Wrathalls responses.
Total respect for Tony Wrathall and anyone who criticised his return to attending games and then the board really ought to give his account a read.

I was hoping for a little more too. I was also hoping for a little more about James Beattie whilst he was at Southampton. Still, it's worth a read if you're into your football autobiographies (or generally interested in any form of Argyle related literature).

I Loved Mpenza's excuse for missing training as well!!!!!!!!!

Imagine if he had got it stuck in his throat. Poor chap would have had a stiff neck for hours! :shocked:

 

[Green as Grass]

Just read the book. I found it an interesting read. It was refreshingly honest with regard to the mistakes he made during his second spell with us. It appears (and this is borne out by comments from Sloop and Summers) that his medication at that time affected his normal sound judgement with regard to players. i.e. MacLean, Walton, Marin and Mpenza with lack of homework being cited in the case of the former two.
On the personal side he refers to living with his partner of several years Andrea. I had no idea he had split from his wife Barbara.
Overall well worth a read giving you an insight into the life of a man who transformed Plymouth Argyle in 2001 when they were at one of their lowest points in their history into a team ready to take its place in the Championship. Still gutted and disappointed he left us for Southampton.

 

[memory man]

A decent enough read but I was expecting more of his thoughts on the Todd, Gardiner, kagami disaster than we got.
Most of the shocks came from Stapleton and Wrathalls responses.
Total respect for Tony Wrathall and anyone who criticised his return to attending games and then the board really ought to give his account a read.
I Loved Mpensa's excuse for missing training as well!!!!!!!!!

Totally agree with your viewpoint on the Tony Wrathall piece (and the Mpenza story). Perhaps what the Wrathall piece emphasises is that more openness at the time would have helped the fans understand. Unfortunately football clubs in crisis tend to keep information in-house. Overall it is an enjoyable read but more shallow than I had hoped.

 

[Biggs]

The thing that stands out the most for me is the eye watering salaries we were paying out for players then - Mpenza 10k per week Seip 6k per week - FFS! No wonder we got into the poo big time!

Those kind of wages are loose change in the Championship now. And probably back then for lots of clubs too.

 

[jollygreenjohn]

Yep just finished the book, it didn't take long but a very interesting read all the same and very much struck by his honesty about mistakes he made second time around.

Purposefully stayed away from this thread so any revelations were new to me as I read the book.

 

[L G]

A decent enough read but I was expecting more of his thoughts on the Todd, Gardiner, kagami disaster than we got.
Most of the shocks came from Stapleton and Wrathalls responses.
Total respect for Tony Wrathall and anyone who criticised his return to attending games and then the board really ought to give his account a read.
I Loved Mpensa's excuse for missing training as well!!!!!!!!!

Totally agree with your viewpoint on the Tony Wrathall piece (and the Mpenza story). Perhaps what the Wrathall piece emphasises is that more openness at the time would have helped the fans understand. Unfortunately football clubs in crisis tend to keep information in-house. Overall it is an enjoyable read but more shallow than I had hoped.

Agree with you about the clubs in crisis bit MM.
Would things have turned out differently if Tony (and Paul Stapleton) had turned whistleblowers at the time? If they had come out in the Herald and said 'this is the poo we've got ourselves in as a club', could we as supporters done anything to help?
As an aside, has anyone seen anything recently of the lifelong Argyle fan Keith Todd?

 

[Tony Campbell]

Don't think there needs to be Phil.

MS was the Son in Law of the Chairman, that can be the only reason that he got paid that much surely.

A good player in his day, but £6k a week?????!!!!

Nepotism at its very worst I would say, wouldn't you?

Got to pick you up on the nepotism point Ian. Paul deliberately stayed out of the negotiations when it came to Marcel's contract.....for that very reason. £6k a week was about the average for the first team squad at that time, our wage budget that season was £6.5m so you could have had 21 players on the same wage as Marcel.

Also to put our £6.5m budget in context, when I was at the Newcastle game I spoke with Mike Ashley who said their wage budget for the same season was £45m - Coloccini was reportedly on £80k a week.

 

[IJN]

Tony you and I both know that saying 'I'll stay out of this, I'll pass it to .............' can be a clever way of ducking the issue.

Let me ask you this if I may, what was Marcel paid before that? I'd guess at £3k.

In what other industry does someone wages get doubled? If you chuck in the fact that his FiL was the Chairman, people can and will draw their own conclusions.

I'm sure 'football logic' can explain away some of the mismanagement, but taking on Mariner?? Paying 100,000 Euros for the loan arrangement to bring that donkey Kenny Cooper to us then pay him £6k per week??? The Johnson for what was it, £8k a week for a 2 year deal?????

This isn't hindsight either, it was obvious from about one week after these happened that they were stupid and rash decisions made by the 'leaders' of our Football Club.

 

[Tony Campbell]

Ian, I was addressing the assertion that Marcel got £6k a week because his father in law was chairman, this was not the reason. As I have indicated this was pretty much the average wage for the first team squad, he was on the same as players like Walton and Maclean.....which player do you think gave better value?

I agree with your statement that there was serious mismanagement of salaries but all 3 of the examples you have given were deals agreed by Todd after Paul Stapleton had been replaced as chairman. I can also tell you for a fact that Paul did not agree with the deal given to Johnson but it made no difference as at the time as Todd had the final say on everything.

Shame a book isn't being released about the Todd takeover.....that would be a good read.

 

[IJN]

I've heard differently Tony, but let's leave it at that. He certainly was the best of the two others you mentioned, but that's certainly not an indicator of what they should have been paid. Madness, pure madness.

The club's leaders lost their heads, presumably because of the lure of the Yen, but in so many ways it's all water under the bridge.

I know one thing, if Todd ever came near Home Park, even to watch, it would be a serious mistake.

 

[GreenArmy1984]

Enjoyed Reading about when Luggy joined in 2000 and the successful Champions 2002

Luggy Book :thumbs: