WMN interview with James Brent (23rd November)

[kernow19]

it wasn't until that second to last year in the Championship that we actually "struggled". Steady progression up through the division is how I remember it, sadly upwards progression was met with falling attendances as the one dayers got tired of seeing former Premier League teams at Home Park.

Wasn't it the proud boast back at the time that we had finished in a higher league position year on year for "X" seasons? (I forget now exactly how many it was.)

As Ollie says, that same cannot be applied to attendances, which had peaked and started to decline well before the team's performances on the pitch started to do likewise.

 

[Ollieargyle9]

it wasn't until that second to last year in the Championship that we actually "struggled". Steady progression up through the division is how I remember it, sadly upwards progression was met with falling attendances as the one dayers got tired of seeing former Premier League teams at Home Park.

Wasn't it the proud boast back at the time that we had finished in a higher league position year on year for "X" seasons? (I forget now exactly how many it was.)
As Ollie says, that same cannot be applied to attendances, which had peaked and started to decline well before the team's performances on the pitch started to do likewise.

When in doubt refer to GoS, 9 if we include 1 year where we finished in the same place or 8 if we don't :greensmile:
http://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/argyleh ... p?era=anx1

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

Was there really a sniff of the Premier League? Surely you can't say that unless you are seriously in the mix towards the end of March. How I remember, Argyle had sold key players and were out of the picture by the time it mattered.

I guess if you've never been there then that might have seemed close but in reality there was still a hell of a lot of ocean for that Mayflower to cross and it was up against a few modern liners too.

IMO, in those Championship years the club failed to bring itself to the level the players had taken it to. The then chairman would point out in the local paper frequently how the club had improved it's position year on year from the depths of League Two to the top half of tier two and that they were financially sound. Well of course they were because they were not addressing the infrastructure that had been out grown. The grandstand even back then was not fit for modern purposes even with fans being allowed to watch from the terrace in front and training facilities were way behind Championship standard.

Okay, it's not really my place to be critical but from the outside looking in, it never looked like the club had ambitions to go any further. The supporters definitely had that dream and Ollie probably did too but but did those who were at the tiller? I don't think so.

 

[Ollieargyle9]

Was there really a sniff of the Premier League? Surely you can't say that unless you are seriously in the mix towards the end of March. How I remember, Argyle had sold key players and were out of the picture by the time it mattered.

I guess if you've never been there then that might have seemed close but in reality there was still a hell of a lot of ocean for that Mayflower to cross and it was up against a few modern liners too.

IMO, in those Championship years the club failed to bring itself to the level the players had taken it to. The then chairman would point out in the local paper frequently how the club had improved it's position year on year from the depths of League Two to the top half of tier two and that they were financially sound. Well of course they were because they were not addressing the infrastructure that had been out grown. The grandstand even back then was not fit for modern purposes even with fans being allowed to watch from the terrace in front and training facilities were way behind Championship standard.

Okay, it's not really my place to be critical but from the outside looking in, it never looked like the club had ambitions to go any further. The supporters definitely had that dream and Ollie probably did too but but did those who were at the tiller? I don't think so.

Are we not allowed to enjoy anything with you around? :sad: :lol:

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

Was there really a sniff of the Premier League? Surely you can't say that unless you are seriously in the mix towards the end of March. How I remember, Argyle had sold key players and were out of the picture by the time it mattered.

I guess if you've never been there then that might have seemed close but in reality there was still a hell of a lot of ocean for that Mayflower to cross and it was up against a few modern liners too.

IMO, in those Championship years the club failed to bring itself to the level the players had taken it to. The then chairman would point out in the local paper frequently how the club had improved it's position year on year from the depths of League Two to the top half of tier two and that they were financially sound. Well of course they were because they were not addressing the infrastructure that had been out grown. The grandstand even back then was not fit for modern purposes even with fans being allowed to watch from the terrace in front and training facilities were way behind Championship standard.

Okay, it's not really my place to be critical but from the outside looking in, it never looked like the club had ambitions to go any further. The supporters definitely had that dream and Ollie probably did too but but did those who were at the tiller? I don't think so.

Are we not allowed to enjoy anything with you around? :sad: :lol:

Haha, I didn't say you wasn't enjoying it but sometimes you just don't see things for how they really are. It happens at my club too. We have a lot in common between the two clubs. Neither club have ever won anything but we will always dream.

 

[Womble]

Graham as usual has posted an extremely useful and wee thought out post. It has also highlighted what for me is one of the most annoying aspects of the entire thing.

The "existing capacity" of 16,388 only exists because the club previously stripped the seats out of the Mayflower and closed it down. In my view the club is currently operating below minimum capacity, and any requirement from PCC should have been for the new stand to give at least the same capacity as a fully open Mayflower and Grandstand.

 

[Quintrell Green]

I read GC's post with interest concerning the apparent double planning consent in place. I do however wonder with regard to the BARR mk.2 consent as to the date it were originally given. I am no expert in Planning Law but I always understood that consent ceased if a development had not commenced within 5 years of its' granting. It begs the question as to whether Argyle in its' various nomadic corporate ownership down the years has actually paid PCC for renewal of the Barr 2 approval, should that be relevant.

 

[Baby Face Johnson]

The difference being with Barr's original proposals is that we were told it would be very easy to "bolt" an additional tier onto the horse-shoe, when needed, thus the fan-base were more receptive to the initial 18600 capacity. We now know that was all a load of bluster.

 

[IJN]

I bet Mac666 still got his grant though.

 

[esmer]

Agree with some Richard but let's not re-write history eh? Which is it? Holloway's fantastic team were within a sniff of the Prem, or we struggled??

I didn't see a lot of struggling out of those six years if I'm honest, I also didn't see rampaging attacking football from the mastermind that is Holloway either.

What I did see though was a team far better than the support it got from sleepy old Plymouth.

Hollaway's team finished 10th, Ian, 2 places above halfway. Prior to that we had a season of disappointment with Williamson in charge and a season of dour Pulis football, both seasons operating in the bottom half of the table. We finished 12th (halfway) the season after Holloway and then two years of struggle before relegation. I know those times seem utopian compared to now and the traumatic events in between but we mustn't be blinded, we were for six season generally a poor Championship side.

 

[esmer]

Graham as usual has posted an extremely useful and wee thought out post. It has also highlighted what for me is one of the most annoying aspects of the entire thing.

The "existing capacity" of 16,388 only exists because the club previously stripped the seats out of the Mayflower and closed it down. In my view the club is currently operating below minimum capacity, and any requirement from PCC should have been for the new stand to give at least the same capacity as a fully open Mayflower and Grandstand.

Excactly, is was disingenuous of PCC to agree to that capacity limit.

 

[BallboyEGS1958]

Graham as usual has posted an extremely useful and wee thought out post. It has also highlighted what for me is one of the most annoying aspects of the entire thing.

The "existing capacity" of 16,388 only exists because the club previously stripped the seats out of the Mayflower and closed it down. In my view the club is currently operating below minimum capacity, and any requirement from PCC should have been for the new stand to give at least the same capacity as a fully open Mayflower and Grandstand.

Excactly, is was disingenuous of PCC to agree to that capacity limit.

That was because some clerical person in the PCC did not bother to notice that the Mayflower area was closed and the capacity available there was not added on to the current capacity.

 

[IJN]

Agree with some Richard but let's not re-write history eh? Which is it? Holloway's fantastic team were within a sniff of the Prem, or we struggled??

I didn't see a lot of struggling out of those six years if I'm honest, I also didn't see rampaging attacking football from the mastermind that is Holloway either.

What I did see though was a team far better than the support it got from sleepy old Plymouth.

Hollaway's team finished 10th, Ian, 2 places above halfway. Prior to that we had a season of disappointment with Williamson in charge and a season of dour Pulis football, both seasons operating in the bottom half of the table. We finished 12th (halfway) the season after Holloway and then two years of struggle before relegation. I know those times seem utopian compared to now and the traumatic events in between but we mustn't be blinded, we were for six season generally a poor Championship side.

Thing is Richard that we rose through the football pyramid for 9/10 years, including two Championships during that time.

I really don't understand what more people were waiting for.

If now, 'latent fans' are waiting for another Swansea or Blackpool, it isn't going to happen (probably) is it?

The fact that I can call upon those to examples so readily shows how very rare those events are.

 

[IJN]

That was because some clerical person in the PCC did not bother to notice that the Mayflower area was closed and the capacity available there was not added on to the current capacity.

Is that a fact? Or is that what you've heard?

If it is fact, that is an amazing oversight.

 

[BallboyEGS1958]

Here is some information regarding capacity, which is correct in detail

Freehold purchase and conversion to all seater
The club purchased the freehold of the ground from Plymouth City Council to become sole owners in December 2006 for £2.7m. It was hoped that work on a new Grandstand would begin the following year. It hosted its biggest crowd since the redevelopment in March 2007 when 20,652 were in attendance to watch Argyle play Watford in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. That summer the ground became all-seated as the club was forced to convert the Mayflower Terrace into seating by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. In the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 regulations were brought in, recommended by the Taylor report, that all stadiums in the top two divisions of English football must be all-seated unless there are exceptional circumstances. The club had been given three years grace after winning promotion back to the Football League Championship in 2004.
Three major summer initiatives were announced by the club just over a week later, which were carried out over the next month. The Mayflower Terrace was replaced by temporary, unreserved seating with a capacity of 3,500. A new state-of-the-art public address system was installed, and the last of ground's inconic floodlight towers were dismantled after 54 years of service, with a new system put in its place. The capacity of the ground was therefore reduced by roughly two thousand to 19,500 following these changes.