Saturday 30 April 2011

We'll Never Play you Again

How often words come back to bite you on the arse, especially those that sang the song at Exeter all those years ago. Well now it looks like the shoe'll be on the other foot as Argyle are teetering on the edge of League One, with one dainty push to send them plummeting down to oblivion. As it is the escape clause involves Argyle winning verses Southampton (who are still pushing for Championship promotion following Huddersfield's win) and Orient, and everyone else losing. Thus, relegation is odds on. The second Devon derby, Argyle lost 1-0, though the rumours doing round Exeter's home pub were that it was 1-1 just before full time, mean that Argyle may very well not being playing Exeter for a while, but the wrong way round. Following two impressive wins, the inconsistency of the team reared its head again, when the Greens could really show any fight in the last 5 minutes.

Meanwhile in Home Park, precious little is happening regarding finding an investor, with the Trust, Guilfoyle and others hedging their eggs in one basket of J Brent; though Buttivant has now offered a future that squares more with what the fans want his bid is being publicly derided by those with the sway. The list of PAFC creditors was published recently and is a telling one, if printed full size, it would have taken up 2-3 sides of a tabloid paper, meaning the debt is in the region of £17m. As Argyle look like they've buggered up survival in the league, will survival in the world end in the same fate?

Sunday 10 April 2011

Here come another one

Not 1 but now 2 new potential bidders for PAFC, making a total of 3 possible new owners - aren't we being spoilt(!?) Once you got settled with the idea of Brent taking the reins, along came Bullivant, and now an unnamed Irish consortium. However, so far only Brent has satisfied Guilfoyle he has the necessary funds, with Bullivant poised to make his swoop for the club this week. More delay, less public interest?

Thursday 7 April 2011

Was it Worth it?

Leyton Orient 2 - 0 Plymouth Argyle

Was the result worth the wait after weeks of no game? Argyle needed to win to give any hope of survival in League One, but now double relegation is almost nailed on. So with the problems of L1 still being in evident, the potential problems of L2 will soon be added - especially the 60% turnover cap on player wages. Potentially Torquay and Exeter will be the higher league playing clubs in the county, whilst the Pilgrims have drowned in the football pyramid. The 5 year plan is truly looking like a duck's ass now.

Sunday 3 April 2011

1%

All 220 creditors owed by Argyle are to be offered 1p for every £1 of their investment - or even less! 75% of those companies need to agree to this Company Voluntary Arrangement to stop Argyle from being liquidated. Wonder how many will tell 'em to poke it?

Dodgems

Just when you think Argyle are going in one direction, bang!, and off they go in another. The bid from Truro FC's Heaney has fallen through - much to the delight of many of the Green Army who publicly castigated the bid (on the premise that he was just a guise for Todd, Gardener and co). And incomes Brent. Not too sure who James is, except that he served on some Plymouth development board, and is interested in property - like all the other bids. A bit of digging (OK, nicking) reveals Brent formed Akkeron - a real estate/hotel/farming/regeneration-type-business - and is head of Citibank, which includes Ridsdale and involved in bids for Cardiff, Hull and Charlton. Brent was allegedly introduced to PAFC through Plymouth City Council. But even so, wait for the next bumper car to come along and the Pilgrims will go flying off in another direction, so don't get too happy or attached to any idea until something actually happens. However, what is most evident is that all this is so boring that people are starting to lose interest, including me.