WMN interview with James Brent (23rd November)

[monkeywrench]

I think graham means underestimate?

 

[Josh Pope]

Well it seems unlikely that we'll either get into the Prem, or build a new stand with James Brent at the helm. I don't doubt his ambition or even commitment, he just doesn't appear to have the support or the funds to make us one of those clubs.

 

[Greenskin]

This is the same Stapes that told us 'not to worry' is it? :greensmile:

Joking apart, I think it's amazing that nearly a quarter of our fan base comes from a different County.

Must admit that it goes against the grain for me to quote Stapes as a support for an argument but I saw no reason to disbelieve him on that one. Don't think it is that amazing that there is a reasonable degree of support from another county or indeed from other areas of your own county-why should it be? I've still got the programme from the game at Norwich in the Holloway days [Buzz 2 free kicks,Halmosi and Gosling debut] in which there's an article from their club secretary about the structure of their support-70% of their season ticket holders come from outside Norwich itself, which was quite an eye opening figure. That was the point of the earlier posts, to emphasise that it isn't just a question of the crowd potential of Plymouth itself but also the as yet untapped hinterland.

 

[crownhill pilgrim]

This is the same Stapes that told us 'not to worry' is it? :greensmile:

Joking apart, I think it's amazing that nearly a quarter of our fan base comes from a different County.

In John Lloyd's 2014 Close Season survey the total number of supporters from Devon (excluding Plymouth)and a Cornwall was just under 30%. The Plymouth total was 40%

It may be that 23% for Cornwall was an overestimate.

This is true... when you add the exiles and the cornish together, they'd outweigh fans living in Plymouth.

Poster above was right though - Plymouth isn't a football city.

 

[The Grumpy Loyal]

This is the same Stapes that told us 'not to worry' is it? :greensmile:

Joking apart, I think it's amazing that nearly a quarter of our fan base comes from a different County.

Why? It's not as if we have the Great Wall of ChinaDebn/Cornwall as a physical boundary. West of Plymouth there's no football team. Argyle is the most westerly club. Who else are the Cornish going to follow, if not their nearest club? If anything I'd say it's more impressive to have Argyle fans from Newton Abbot than from Bodmin - at least they have a three-way decision to make. The Cornish don't really have that option.

As for Plymouth not being a football hotbed, well yes obviously but that is purely down to missed opportunities in the 60's and 70's which resulted in the school playgrounds of the 70's 80's and 90's being swamped with Liverpool or Man United shirts. If it isn't in your blood from an early age then not many get the bug late in life. You can bet that a very small percentage of those kids in the playground in the 70's and 80's in their Liverpool and Man U shirts, will bring their kids of today up to be hardened Argyle fans. Therein lies the problem, dunnit?

The Southampton comparison earlier on illustrates perfectly how we went in different directions from an almost identical starting point.

What we (Argyle) reap today was in fact sowed decades ago.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

It blows nothing out of the water at all. It's nowhere near the water. It's lying in a desert with no dynamite. Talk about grabbing hold of a few numbers, nailing them together and trying to make a point out of them

Plymouth is the 50th largest district in England by population. In the top 25 we find...

5) Bradford
6) County Durham (contains Darlington and Hartlepool)
8) Wiltshire (Swindon)
11) Kirklees (Huddersfield)
12) Cheshire East (Macclesfield)
14) Barnet (Barnet)
15) Ealing (no league teams)
18) Cheshire West and Chester (Chester)
19) Wakefield (no league teams)
22) Wirral (no league teams)
23) Northumberland (Berwick-on-Tweed!)
24) Enfield (no teams)
25) Dudley (no teams)

All of these districts have a population of at least 60000 higher than Plymouth

So by your reckoning, these districts should build a massive stadium because it is inevitable that they will reach the Premier League?

White Hart Lane is only 500 yards from the border of Haringey and Enfield.

Just saying

 

[Greenskin]

This is the same Stapes that told us 'not to worry' is it? :greensmile:

Joking apart, I think it's amazing that nearly a quarter of our fan base comes from a different County.

Why? It's not as if we have the Great Wall of ChinaDebn/Cornwall as a physical boundary. West of Plymouth there's no football team. Argyle is the most westerly club. Who else are the Cornish going to follow, if not their nearest club? If anything I'd say it's more impressive to have Argyle fans from Newton Abbot than from Bodmin - at least they have a three-way decision to make. The Cornish don't really have that option.

As for Plymouth not being a football hotbed, well yes obviously but that is purely down to missed opportunities in the 60's and 70's which resulted in the school playgrounds of the 70's 80's and 90's being swamped with Liverpool or Man United shirts. If it isn't in your blood from an early age then not many get the bug late in life. You can bet that a very small percentage of those kids in the playground in the 70's and 80's in their Liverpool and Man U shirts, will bring their kids of today up to be hardened Argyle fans. Therein lies the problem, dunnit?

The Southampton comparison earlier on illustrates perfectly how we went in different directions from an almost identical starting point.

What we (Argyle) reap today was in fact sowed decades ago.

:nworthy:

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

Rather irrelevant to the issue though surely? I see Cornwall is fourth in the district league table for population-would Cornwall not be seen as a potentially productive area when it comes to attracting crowds and therefore to be taken into account along with the Unitary authorities of Plymouth and other diverse parts of Devon when it comes to ascertaining a potential catchment area?

It most certainly should, we get fantastic support from Cornwall and the potential for even more is always there in relation to Argyle's progress. Some of Quizmike's stats seem a touch bizarre, many of the districts/cities on his list are in close proximity to many other clubs, some of them giants, surely that would have an affect their potential attendances?

The population withing a 15 mile radius of Selhurst Park is greater than the total population of Devon and Cornwall (including the three Unitary Authorities). More importantly the transport links that we have down here are not anywhere comparable to what they have up there. Not even within the City of Plymouth.

Of course there are a lot more clubs to give competition but London clubs share and draw supporters from a catchment area circling right down to the south coast, the East Coast, as far north as Northampton and Cambridge and also half way down the M4 corridor. That is a massive amount of potential support even if it is shared amongst a lot of clubs. In that context, the potential of Devon and Cornwall is not even close in comparison, if indeed it is comparable at all.

 

[Greenskin]

Rather irrelevant to the issue though surely? I see Cornwall is fourth in the district league table for population-would Cornwall not be seen as a potentially productive area when it comes to attracting crowds and therefore to be taken into account along with the Unitary authorities of Plymouth and other diverse parts of Devon when it comes to ascertaining a potential catchment area?

It most certainly should, we get fantastic support from Cornwall and the potential for even more is always there in relation to Argyle's progress. Some of Quizmike's stats seem a touch bizarre, many of the districts/cities on his list are in close proximity to many other clubs, some of them giants, surely that would have an affect their potential attendances?

The population withing a 15 mile radius of Selhurst Park is greater than the total population of Devon and Cornwall (including the three Unitary Authorities). More importantly the transport links that we have down here are not anywhere comparable to what they have up there. Not even within the City of Plymouth.

Of course there are a lot more clubs to give competition but London clubs share and draw supporters from a catchment area circling right down to the south coast, the East Coast, as far north as Northampton and Cambridge and also half way down the M4 corridor. That is a massive amount of potential support even if it is shared amongst a lot of clubs. In that context, the potential of Devon and Cornwall is not even close in comparison, if indeed it is comparable at all.

So what?

 

[Fergy]

Then again, most people 'support' Premier League teams. Catchment areas are irrelevant when you have John the Man United fan living in Dover, or Steve the Chelsea fan living in Grimsby.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

Then again, most people 'support' Premier League teams. Catchment areas are irrelevant when you have John the Man United fan living in Dover, or Steve the Chelsea fan living in Grimsby.

And Plymouth. I come across more Liverpool fans in my cab than anyone else although if this season continues like it is, they will soon be keeping a low profile. :greensmile:

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

Rather irrelevant to the issue though surely? I see Cornwall is fourth in the district league table for population-would Cornwall not be seen as a potentially productive area when it comes to attracting crowds and therefore to be taken into account along with the Unitary authorities of Plymouth and other diverse parts of Devon when it comes to ascertaining a potential catchment area?

It most certainly should, we get fantastic support from Cornwall and the potential for even more is always there in relation to Argyle's progress. Some of Quizmike's stats seem a touch bizarre, many of the districts/cities on his list are in close proximity to many other clubs, some of them giants, surely that would have an affect their potential attendances?

The population withing a 15 mile radius of Selhurst Park is greater than the total population of Devon and Cornwall (including the three Unitary Authorities). More importantly the transport links that we have down here are not anywhere comparable to what they have up there. Not even within the City of Plymouth.

Of course there are a lot more clubs to give competition but London clubs share and draw supporters from a catchment area circling right down to the south coast, the East Coast, as far north as Northampton and Cambridge and also half way down the M4 corridor. That is a massive amount of potential support even if it is shared amongst a lot of clubs. In that context, the potential of Devon and Cornwall is not even close in comparison, if indeed it is comparable at all.

So what?

That talk of this great catchment area down here is nothing but a myth.

 

[RNHGreen]

Rather irrelevant to the issue though surely? I see Cornwall is fourth in the district league table for population-would Cornwall not be seen as a potentially productive area when it comes to attracting crowds and therefore to be taken into account along with the Unitary authorities of Plymouth and other diverse parts of Devon when it comes to ascertaining a potential catchment area?

It most certainly should, we get fantastic support from Cornwall and the potential for even more is always there in relation to Argyle's progress. Some of Quizmike's stats seem a touch bizarre, many of the districts/cities on his list are in close proximity to many other clubs, some of them giants, surely that would have an affect their potential attendances?

The population withing a 15 mile radius of Selhurst Park is greater than the total population of Devon and Cornwall (including the three Unitary Authorities). More importantly the transport links that we have down here are not anywhere comparable to what they have up there. Not even within the City of Plymouth.

Of course there are a lot more clubs to give competition but London clubs share and draw supporters from a catchment area circling right down to the south coast, the East Coast, as far north as Northampton and Cambridge and also half way down the M4 corridor. That is a massive amount of potential support even if it is shared amongst a lot of clubs. In that context, the potential of Devon and Cornwall is not even close in comparison, if indeed it is comparable at all.

Where did I say it was comparable?

So from Quizmike's list I'll pick Barnet and using your theories on population and catchment area I presume you believe that they have the potential to be a bigger club than Argyle even though they have the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham on their doorstep.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

Rather irrelevant to the issue though surely? I see Cornwall is fourth in the district league table for population-would Cornwall not be seen as a potentially productive area when it comes to attracting crowds and therefore to be taken into account along with the Unitary authorities of Plymouth and other diverse parts of Devon when it comes to ascertaining a potential catchment area?

It most certainly should, we get fantastic support from Cornwall and the potential for even more is always there in relation to Argyle's progress. Some of Quizmike's stats seem a touch bizarre, many of the districts/cities on his list are in close proximity to many other clubs, some of them giants, surely that would have an affect their potential attendances?

The population withing a 15 mile radius of Selhurst Park is greater than the total population of Devon and Cornwall (including the three Unitary Authorities). More importantly the transport links that we have down here are not anywhere comparable to what they have up there. Not even within the City of Plymouth.

Of course there are a lot more clubs to give competition but London clubs share and draw supporters from a catchment area circling right down to the south coast, the East Coast, as far north as Northampton and Cambridge and also half way down the M4 corridor. That is a massive amount of potential support even if it is shared amongst a lot of clubs. In that context, the potential of Devon and Cornwall is not even close in comparison, if indeed it is comparable at all.

Where did I say it was comparable?

So from Quizmike's list I'll pick Barnet and using your theories on population and catchment area I presume you believe that they have the potential to be a bigger club than Argyle even though they have the likesof Arsenal an Tottenham o their doorstep.

I think you have misunderstood where I was heading with this. I was suggesting that clubs within these vast catchment areas DO NOT benefit with huge support due to this. Despite that population on Palace's doorstep and with the club currently riding an up by their historical standards, that catchment area hasn't delivered any massive increase in popularity of the club and likewise Argyle will not benefit in that area down here where, the numbers down here are lower anyway.

 

[gaspargomez]

You're a bit selective in your examples though.

Ipswich, Norwich, Cardiff, Swansea are just some clubs that have previously done well in the top flight and have similar catchments to Plymouth.

London has a huge population, but there are also a lot of teams to support there and high proportion of people have moved there from other places.

Plymouth definately has a catchment capable of sustaining a Prem team. Argyle will never be a Manchester United, but they could be Norwich City or a Swansea if really well run. We are not a Morecombe or a Torquay !