Argyle

[GeraintJones]

When did all the apathy towards a match against our bitterest rivals come to the fore??? I remember a time when playing the scum down the road would invoke such passion and excitement weeks before!

Now just 3 days before the match and its barely an afterthought - compounded by the lack of people going by the sound of it! Only 600 tickets sold by all accounts?

I know things were technically a lot worse back in the mid to late 90s for the club but the passion towards this match was great to be a part of and a highlight of the season!

Where did it all go?

Any truth in that figure? I hope not.

 

[John William]

Any truth in that figure? I hope not.

It was put at 900 on another thread earlier. Lots of people buy last minute, so I'd expect a bit over the thou.

 

[Dobley]

My own un-educated opinion.

For a rivalry to be relevant, there are two conditions with at least one needing to be met at bare-minimum.

Firstly, a deep sense of pride or worth in the 'loyal' entity.

Second, a large degree of fear or respect in the 'opposing' entity.

Right now, at least on these pages, neither is being achieved. After the short golden years, 'pride' in City is probably actually quite low. I mean yes, we're all still supporters, still go to games, still call ourselves Exeter City fans. But that intrinsic pride has gone. Perhaps its the three of four seasons of supposed decline on the field. Perhaps its allusions to off-field politics going awry. Perhaps its a feeling that the Trust model as executed has failed and we have been part of that. But the value is diminished.

Look around at the threads. I don't post here much anymore and read only slightly more often. But 'pride' isn't a word that immediately springs to mind when I read these threads.

Now look at Argyle. Traditionally the bigger fish, always that step ahead, perhaps subconsciously elevated above us. Now, we've been to Home Park and won. We've done the league double. They've been as neck deep in the shyte as we have. That air of 'invincibility' has gone. They are mortal.

The dynamics of the City-Argyle rivalry have always been borne on the basis of a David-Goliath relationship - whether we care to admit it or not. Those dynamics, at least for now, are gone. If Argyle were to stay down here with us for a decade, the nature of the rivalry will change and eventually regrow as an 'equal-partnership' rivalry. As is stands, the rivalry in its traditional form is dead until either Argyle re-assume the 'natural' position and become - in relation to us - successful again, in which case we go back to being David, or by some fluke we outgrow Argyle and the relationship gets flipped.

Interestingly, a fair few City friends who don't come onto Exeweb or the football internet at all, they don't keep up with the latest political news, aren't invested in the club to a massive extent, are quite 'up' for City-Argyle and are already talking about the home fixture in February.

I honestly think the buzz has gone from here (and places like PASOTI) purely because we are too over-exposed to the finer details of the clubs, and as has been said, threads of 'banter' and dreams of 'glory' have been done an excised.

Or I could be talking tripe. Who knows?

 

[Grecian O'Grecian]

There's no buzz because the game just feels as if it's happening too early. There feels as if there is little riding on this game as we're just two games in and neither side has any indication of how their season is going to pan out.

 

[STURTZ]

Me too, except mine's #buzzing.

Buzz city here.

 

[Grecian Max]

If you can't get excited for an Argyle game then....

Well let's just say I was glad it was down to the hardcore when we beat them last season away. Actually a decent atmosphere for once.

 

[Cerbera]

My own un-educated opinion.

For a rivalry to be relevant, there are two conditions with at least one needing to be met at bare-minimum.

Firstly, a deep sense of pride or worth in the 'loyal' entity.

Second, a large degree of fear or respect in the 'opposing' entity.

Right now, at least on these pages, neither is being achieved. After the short golden years, 'pride' in City is probably actually quite low. I mean yes, we're all still supporters, still go to games, still call ourselves Exeter City fans. But that intrinsic pride has gone. Perhaps its the three of four seasons of supposed decline on the field. Perhaps its allusions to off-field politics going awry. Perhaps its a feeling that the Trust model as executed has failed and we have been part of that. But the value is diminished.

Look around at the threads. I don't post here much anymore and read only slightly more often. But 'pride' isn't a word that immediately springs to mind when I read these threads.

Now look at Argyle. Traditionally the bigger fish, always that step ahead, perhaps subconsciously elevated above us. Now, we've been to Home Park and won. We've done the league double. They've been as neck deep in the shyte as we have. That air of 'invincibility' has gone. They are mortal.

The dynamics of the City-Argyle rivalry have always been borne on the basis of a David-Goliath relationship - whether we care to admit it or not. Those dynamics, at least for now, are gone. If Argyle were to stay down here with us for a decade, the nature of the rivalry will change and eventually regrow as an 'equal-partnership' rivalry. As is stands, the rivalry in its traditional form is dead until either Argyle re-assume the 'natural' position and become - in relation to us - successful again, in which case we go back to being David, or by some fluke we outgrow Argyle and the relationship gets flipped.

Interestingly, a fair few City friends who don't come onto Exeweb or the football internet at all, they don't keep up with the latest political news, aren't invested in the club to a massive extent, are quite 'up' for City-Argyle and are already talking about the home fixture in February.

I honestly think the buzz has gone from here (and places like PASOTI) purely because we are too over-exposed to the finer details of the clubs, and as has been said, threads of 'banter' and dreams of 'glory' have been done an excised.

Or I could be talking tripe. Who knows?

Not tripe. The feeling is exactly the same in Plymouth. Apathy. Yes, there are a few young Devonportenders and no doubt some Big Bankers that are all fired up for a bit of emotive rivalry. But the truth of it is things are far from well behind the scenes at SJP and we were expecting to be at least in the playoffs last season. The fact is, we are not used to being in the last tier of English football and having no money to get out of it. Yes, we've spent some this summer and brought in some good players, but as usual anything less that immediate promotion and straight through L1 to the Championship is abject failure.

This tie doesn't have the kudos that it did before. It was a David and Goliath scenario, can you beat us or will we (quite likely) slip on the banana skin?

 

[motorservices]

Not tripe. The feeling is exactly the same in Plymouth. Apathy. Yes, there are a few young Devonportenders and no doubt some Big Bankers that are all fired up for a bit of emotive rivalry. But the truth of it is things are far from well behind the scenes at SJP and we were expecting to be at least in the playoffs last season. The fact is, we are not used to being in the last tier of English football and having no money to get out of it. Yes, we've spent some this summer and brought in some good players, but as usual anything less that immediate promotion and straight through L1 to the Championship is abject failure.

This tie doesn't have the kudos that it did before. It was a David and Goliath scenario, can you beat us or will we (quite likely) slip on the banana skin?

LMFAO, you lot really are deluded!!!!!! you were never gonna make the play offs last season, you were just about mid table, and you were closer to the drop than the play offs, this is your 4th season in the basement (struggling) you have a season when you fell out of lg1 (we still laugh about that) the season before that you went down from the CCC and the season before that you missed the drop by ONE point, so get back in yer fecking box, you are a joke of a club, and you are in this league because you're ****E

 

[Cerbera]

Hmm, and you are only in the league because you took six points from us last season. Don't worry though, the Vanarama awaits you in May. Because you'll never recover from the 10 point deduction coming your way.

 

[Grecian O'Grecian]

Hmm, and you are only in the league because you took six points from us last season.

Isn't it the same the season before last? You took 4 points off us and if you hadn't, you would be in the conference.