Check out some of the owners of the clubs you just mentioned.
Sheffield United - one of the most important people in Saudi Arabia
Brentford - Very well run but it helps that Matthew Benham has a net worth 4 times that of Simon Hallett.
Luton - the exception in that they haven't got an owner vastly wealthier than the Hallett's and probably the model the follow but even they significantly increased wages and spending to levels that would be unsustainable if they didn't get promoted:
Promised You A Miracle
swissramble.substack.com
I'm sure both Argyle and Rotherham would be more than happy to accept outside investment if it presented itself.
However, there seems to be an assumption from some people that there's a queue of rich people just willing to throw away millions at a football club. Plus any investment would likely come with some significant strings attached.
Likewise another assumption is that there's excellent players just out there in January that could have been signed by Argyle unopposed for reasonable cost.
Does running the club massively into debt, spending money on players for the sake of it (Kenny Cooper comes to mind) or accepting money from an investor who doesn't have the best interest of the club in mind mean a lack of ambition?
This is a brilliant post.
However, lm afraid their is a section of the fanbase who just don't get budget restrictions. If you mention it, they think your being defeatist.
Last season, Argyle had a budget that if you spilt the league in 3 groups of 8 teams. They were in the middle group. However, more near the bottom of that group of 8, than the top. So between 12th -15th.
So when you say to people you think it's a bloody good achievement that if we got in the playoffs, whilst we are in the top 2, it's not because you don't want the glory of automatic promotion but l try to be fair about my expectations. Last season to comfortably get in the playoffs given our level of budget would of been a magnificent achievement. Had we not got in the top 2, let alone win the championship, people would of seen it as failure. I just don't think things are ever that black & white.
What we achieved last year, on our budget, was a one of the best achievements you will see in terms of pounds for points in any of the four duvisions. In fact given what we spent, it might just be one of modern footballs best success stories.
People don't want to hear we are a small club. But we are. People don't want to face up to the overwhelming budgets these teams have over us.
It always comes back to money, because football is about money. It's about chasing a dream of a league where as fans you end up getting screwed over to watch your team play by silly kick off times & a transport network that can't support you. There are too many within football who don't care about it. And they certainly don't care about the fans. They just want to make money out of you. £90 to go & watch Fulham on a matchday. And that was against Burnley.
I know Simon Hallett is different. But it worries me the greater financial backing someone can give this club what their real motivation is. And whilst Simon Hallett does need further investment l do wonder at what price Argyle will pay in order to be a club that can just drift in the championship. I don't want to be a WBA or Bristol City that is in the Championship but just losing tens of millions for some outside shot to a league where we weren't ready to be in.
Some say that's defeatist, but look at Argyle fans reaction now to struggling in the Championship. It's more media scrutinised than its ever been. If you get it wrong, like a Sheffield Utd it's a painful 7 months after the first couple of months where its the "honeymoon period".
We may survive this season, then what? What do people think they will see different next year? Some better attacking football perhaps. Yet you still need the money to buy that quality of players to sustain that type of football. Look at our squad at this minute. You have Hardie. And the next in line is Ben Waine. You have Whittaker as attacking wide player. If he got injured you have some like Alfie Devine, Callum Wright or Bundu. These days football is a squad game & if you look at our squad, not just our first 11, would you hand on heart say that's a squad that is Championship ready?
Our future will be determined by how deep the next investors pockets are. Not only that, we have to find people with money who might not like getting dictate to, as to where their money goes.
Despite all this. I have to say l am a very happy Argyle fan. Not because l want to settle for mediocrity. More because l feel a great engagement with the club. I feel we made mistakes, but we trying our hardest to survive. Everyone looks at relegation will be some final chapter where we wont be back in the championship for another 10 years. Yet this club is run differently from the versions of the club that have been relegated before. I look beyond that & think how healthy our club is and that it will still be moving forward with projects like brickfields off the pitch. Maybe not enough for some. Maybe a lack of ambition for others.
Yet until we have a billionaire in place then lm going to try & be realistic with my expectations.
