Our location a problem? I don't think so.

[EyeOpener]

I attended most of Ryan Lowe QA , the question came up in the meetings “is our location a problem” he said “ no I have players phoning me all the time wanting to play down here”

So you dont sign up to the thinking that he just says what you want to hear then.

In fairness, what he says may well be true but it wouldn't surprise me if these players are either way outside of what we're able to pay and/or simply not good enough.

Then again, looking at the number of loanees we had which weren't really up to standard suggests that there may not be that many phoning after all. I'm inclined to believe that he is just telling another lie.

 

[Keyham Pilgrim]

Quite often our location is not so much a problem for players but it is for their families. You can play for numerous clubs in the north , Midlands or South east without moving home.

 

[memory man]

I' feel the second sentence of your title rather makes it look as if you believe you are right and anyone who disagrees is wrong. I don't think it is that cut and dried. There are players who moved here and came to love the place but there are many who came here to play - but without their families. They may have liked it but their families must have seen it as an outpost. And we have had players who came here and hated it.
The fact remains that young free transferees from the big Lancashire/Merseyside clubs have at least a dozen League 1 and 2 clubs on their doorstep most of which will pay what we do. No disruption, no loss of mstes/social activity. Okay, there are some who will look for the adventure but I don't think you should rule it out so forcibly.

 

[Sideline Sam]

Our location is an absolute problem! I remember being in the Tribute lounge talking to David Fox mates and they were waiting for him after the game to get a lift as he was driving home for a night to see his family! He came in and said ime not going home now as the gaffer wants us in tomorrow!
That’s one example, then there’s being away from your wife and kids plus your own immediate family, mum/dad/gran/grandad etc!
Then there’s the wife/wag who can’t find any decent shops etc down here! There’s hundreds of reasons why we can’t attract a lot of our targets unless we pay over the top!
Plymouth is like a village to a lot of them!
We pay premiums for decent players and it can quite easily go mammaries up!

 

[mervyn]

I' feel the second sentence of your title rather makes it look as if you believe you are right and anyone who disagrees is wrong. I don't think it is that cut and dried. There are players who moved here and came to love the place but there are many who came here to play - but without their families. They may have liked it but their families must have seen it as an outpost. And we have had players who came here and hated it.
The fact remains that young free transferees from the big Lancashire/Merseyside clubs have at least a dozen League 1 and 2 clubs on their doorstep most of which will pay what we do. No disruption, no loss of mstes/social activity. Okay, there are some who will look for the adventure but I don't think you should rule it out so forcibly.

You’re right memory man. I regret that title.

 

[IJN]

Well change it then Mervyn.

The OP can always change his title.

 

[Gary S]

Location is probably our major obstacle to success.
There is only one league club within 100 miles of Plymouth.
To a young man who is concerned with family or with the possibilities
of mating and creating a family, Plymouth has to seem like a distant outpost.
While it is true that some who come here will come to appreciate the attractions
of the area, to others it will seem impossibly far away (remembering that our target
is young men. not pensioners). If our fair city was located 100 miles or so farther north,
I feel sure that we would have experienced top level football at some point.
This is why we need to put ever more emphasis on developing local talent that will
feel at home representing Argyle.

 

[JannerinCardiff]

It doesn't seem to be a problem for Exeter chiefs

I'd argue that there are more north based football clubs than the equivalent main Rugby Union clubs.

 

[Biggs]

If our location isn't a problem then we must be the unluckiest club on planet Earth. Sixty-five teams have played in the top flight of English football but the country's 17th largest football city isn't one of them? That must be some gypsy curse.

Totally agree. There's a reason we have chronically under-achieved, and this is the main one. Not just the crow flies distance but the lack of high speed and reliable rail, no airport, and motorway ending at Exeter. I don't know why Exeter Chiefs are relevant as Exeter is... a different place. And more connected than Plymouth.

I remain incredibly surprised we haven't based our teams on 1) local, youth products, and 2) foreign or non-British imports, which may admittedly be difficult post-Brexit.

The majority of my favourite players have been from those two groups and the former players stayed for a while. Carey, Larrieu, Buszaky, Friio, Nalis, Coughlan, Halmosi, Wotton, Jephcott etc etc.

 

[mervyn]

Well change it then Mervyn.

The OP can always change his title.

I’ve tried and failed. Which icon do I press?

 

[Biggs]

Well change it then Mervyn.

The OP can always change his title.

I’ve tried and failed. Which icon do I press?

The orange 'edit post' pencil on your original post, and edit the 'subject' field.

I just changed it to something very boring because I felt like it :lol: , but you can edit and update it.

 

[Biggs]

I attended most of Ryan Lowe QA , the question came up in the meetings “is our location a problem” he said “ no I have players phoning me all the time wanting to play down here”

There's no question there are hundreds and thousands of players that would kill to play for Plymouth Argyle or any professional football club, but it's whether they're any good in League One. And if they are, would they pick us ahead of other clubs nearer their home?

The infrastructure improvements are massive in this respect though. I don't think the location is enough to dissuade players, if they visit Home Park and think it's a fantastic club to be at. If it's a nightmare to get to AND they get to Home Park pre-2020 and it's a rotting concrete dump... then it's a really hard sell :lol:

 

[The Doctor]

Our location is obviously a problem and to think otherwise seems somewhat inexplicable to me. Even Exeter is much better connected than Plymouth - it is an hour closer to almost everywhere else in the country whether you are travelling by road or by rail and it has an airport. But it is not just travel time and ease that is the issue, it is also the knock-on effects of this for infrastructure and the kinds of entertainments that most young people would want - music venues, shopping experiences, clubs and nightlife etc. There just isn't really a 'scene' down here. Also, there are simply not the jobs down here that would make it an attractive location for many partners of footballers - the evidence for this is the extent to which young people leave Plymouth in their search for interesting and well-paid employment. I think that anyone who thinks Plymouth doesn't have a location problem doesn't really know much about what makes most young people tick these days.

None of this is to say that Plymouth and the surrounding area doesn't have its own attractions, it does, but these tend to appeal more to people later in life or on a temporary (i.e. summer) basis only and not to the demographic/personality type etc that supplies the majority of professional footballers in the country.

 

[Biggs]

Yep good points. For some reason, there are certain 'premium' city things that Plymouth doesn't have, though I do think it's getting better and better all the time.

E.g. a really great music/entertainment venue, both medium-scale and large-scale (though the Hoe is pretty good!). That also feeds into sport, because it lack of a decent arena could be the reason Raiders basketball team leave the city. Though I know that situation is not quite as simple as that...

 

[ghost of hughie reed]

I have always assumed it is a problem, though it would be nice to have clarification from SH. Managers have to be wary of what they say.

Re the OP Norwich is about 80 miles from London, is vaguely near Peterborough Ipswich and Cambridge. So in theory you could do your career at Norwich and know that as you get older there are commutable other clubs, not so much need to move the Mrs. every 2 years.

Swansea is near Cardiff and Newport and on the motorway with decent rail connections. Once a club gets in the Prem I think geography doesn't matter so long as you are paying the big dosh.

Carlisle is a bit far up from the Lancs clubs but is on the motorway and may seem a viable option for Scottish players. Is it about 80 mile to the Geordie and Mackem clubs ?

Dont know about Hull, but maybe if you are a Tyke it does not seem remote.