Whats in a name?

[11thFoot]

If Argiggle go out of business and have to start again, they may well have to change their name, but to what?
Plym**th City or Green Phlegm, Green Yuk, endless possibilites me thinks.

 

[plymuffer]

Plymuff Argo,its obvious :S

 

[On_The_Beach]

Argyle won't go out of business. they will get relegated of course and City fans, quite rightly, should make hay while the sun shines but anyone thinking this represents a shift in the balance of power is heading for a big disappointment.

They won't go as far down as the BSP, they will be taken over and they will fairly quickly rise again. This is because they have something that Torquay and even big old Exeter don't: potential. It may never have been properly realised, but will always attract investors (and make trust ownership a highly unlikely scenario - this only happens when no-one else is willing to step in)

It's a harsh and irritating reality greeks, but all this nonsense about becoming the biggest club in Devon is just a wet dream too far I'm afraid.

 

[jmgull]

Spot on OTB.....

Why is it that the only sense spoken on these boards come from a yellow perspective.

.....the key word here is potential and sadly for you greeks, Argyle's trumps yours easily, they have a much bigger "potential" fanbase, so they will aways generate more money.....and money is king in football, once debt free, they will attract the kind of investment that the greeks and gulls can only dream of.

If you look at each of the Devons clubs gates at their MOST succesful time in recent history it tells it own story.

Plymouth were attracting 15,000+ (home fans) when they were at their historic peak in the CCC a couple of seasons ago.
Exeter are attracting approx 5000 (home fans) now at their current historic peak.
Torquay were attracting 3500-4000 (home fans) when they were at their historic peak in L1 7/8 years ago.

Plymouth historically have always been the biggest and most succesful club in Devon because they can generate the money to compete higher in the football pyramid than ECFC and TUFC.

Neither Exeter or Torquay could sustain domination over Argyle for any reasonable period of time because of this.......

As OTB rightly says, sorry Greeks.....best enjoy it while you can

In fact, its something of a mystery why Exeter have historically been only virtually neck and neck TUFC.....with success (or rather lack of it) on the pitch, despite their bigger potential.
Under achievement by the greeks or over achievement by the Gulls?

a bit of both i reckon

 

[Dobley]

I'd never for a second seriously argue that City could become a permanently bigger fish than Argyle - they'd have to bust for that - but I think even the green tints on Pasoti are starting to realise that this "sleeping giant/potential" myth is just that.

It also makes Trust ownership a hugely unlikely scenerio when supporters of a club of whatever size still cling on to the blind belief that they can become bigger than what they are in reality, and with-hold from taking the bull by the horns and safe-guarding their club themselves because one day, one of these nice men might actually come in and keep their promises, do it for us, share our passion, bleed for the good of the club and make us proper big.

Keep believing Turks and Gargs. Your Saudi Arabian shiek will be along one day soon I'm sure.

 

[Dobley]

JM, its nice to know you fully appreciate that our historic habbit os slumming it out with you at the bottom of the 4th tier isn't where a club such as ours should be.

And rather strangely is more than you should be achieving.

But who am I to argue with the one who actually posts sense on Exeweb?

 

[Phil Sayers]

Is this a natural levels discussion?

Argyle - bottom of the Championship / top of League One

Us - bottom of League One / top of the League Two

Gulls - lower half of L2.

I readily concede that we have under-achieved (we are not a 'big' club but we are bigger than our usual, for most of my time, status of dodging relegation out of the league) but I'm not sure that the Gulls or Gargs have over-achieved. I think they have been about where they 'ought' to be.

The sad thing is that looking at the population and lack of competition in our respective catchment areas we should all be pretty much exactly a league above our 'natural' levels.

 

[ramone]

Plymuff Argos,its obvious :S

Edited for incoming superstore

 

[StroudGrecian]

Argyle won't go out of business. they will get relegated of course and City fans, quite rightly, should make hay while the sun shines but anyone thinking this represents a shift in the balance of power is heading for a big disappointment.

They won't go as far down as the BSP, they will be taken over and they will fairly quickly rise again. This is because they have something that Torquay and even big old Exeter don't: potential. It may never have been properly realised, but will always attract investors (and make trust ownership a highly unlikely scenario - this only happens when no-one else is willing to step in)

It's a harsh and irritating reality greeks, but all this nonsense about becoming the biggest club in Devon is just a wet dream too far I'm afraid.

While only a fool would deny there is a clear shift in the balance of power in Devon's football happening right now, I agree it is likely to be temporary, sadly, although it took them a fair few seasons to escape the 4th tier last time round.

At least JM recognises we have greater potential than Torquay, on that issue you are certainly wrong.

 

[Dobley]

Ok, lets suspend the banter for just one post, but I dont really think I can agree with your last line Phil.

This population/competition-lack-there-of stuff is poppycock. I dont feel you can compare clubs in different areas of the country purely on such numbers. Football is very much a cultural thing, and we really are a backwater in this area.
Is it coincidence that alot of clubs in the North East, North West, London, the South Coast and the South West were formed at roughly the same time - and any time disparency has been yielded virtually insignificant given the amount of times all clubs have been in existence - yet those in the North and in London have enjoyed far greater historical success than those on the South Coast, who have themselves enjoyed greater success than those in the South West?

Football's origins as a working man's game means that, without wishing to generalise too greatly, its been these harder 'city' clubs which have succeeded. Youngsters have for the last 100 years naturally sought the more major conurbations to live and work, and therefore their support bases have been more hardy than those based in more rural areas where populations are de-centralised and other pastimes and pursuits have been more prominent.

Argyle comparing themselves to say Preston as a benchmark is fool-hardy as no matter what you say about population numbers, its the culture of said population. Preston is actually not much bigger than Exeter & East Devon if I remember rightly, and have two Manchester clubs, two Everton clubs, Bolton, Blackburn etc etc in close proximity, so why aren't we an established 2nd tier club getting 15-20,000 historically? We are exactly where our relative culture bases have desired us to be.

Or to put it another way, although they were late bloomers, the Unites States by now should be the world super power in football.