City PFA Loan

[Scott Brehaut]

Yes I know Scott, I wasn't referring to that but just the irony that we are gloating that they are a mess when in fact it is us who also have no cash, no direction and have the added bonus of being a league below.

I'd rather put it down as living within our means.

Put it this way, would you rather be a league 2 team with no money and paying players through PFA loans and little to no chance of getting any money back, or a conference side that has a bit of money, is prudent with it but with the knowledge that the "boss" has the capacity to "flash the cash" if absolutely needed.

Times are hard, and I wish we hadn't been relegated, but I'd still rather be in our position than the Greeks.

[Behind-the-Gulls]

Think the crunch might come soon for them-the Supporters' Trust may now have to tighten the purse strings even further and Steve Perryman,Director of Football is saying such moves will be counter-productive,reducing the ability of the club to produce a successful team and attract bigger attendances/season ticket sales etc.

[PlainmoorRoar]

Yes I know Scott, I wasn't referring to that but just the irony that we are gloating that they are a mess when in fact it is us who also have no cash, no direction and have the added bonus of being a league below.

Don't think many people are even gloating, there's 2 pages on here and most is just general discussion.

Most TUFC fans know the situation we are in

[cambgull]

This is the trouble for us. Whereas many clubs can show a little ambition and the next thing you know, their fan base has doubled. We can't do that, any signs of success improve the attendance figures by a few hundred on a good day, it certainly doesn't increase to 4/5k.

Exeter, Plymouth and many other clubs can do that. In this case, I think Steve Perryman is right. They need to push ahead because they'll just end up as the next Stockport. It's a difficult position to be in, gamble and if it goes well, you sustain the club at a higher level for the foreseeable future. Fail, and you send the club into administration and free fall. Your third choice is try to sustain yourself and that just ends up in a gradual decline which loses you fans over time and eventually you'll find your level. 2 out of 3 ways, you end up in probably the same lower league. The other way, you end up reaching the peak you can possibly get to, giving a thrilling ride to the fans along the way. I can completely see the wish to take the gamble. It's whether the ethics are really there, but the long and the short of it is that you end up with more regular fans and more potential to sustain a higher level of football.

Actually, that makes trudging your way through League 2 year on year and then getting relegated seem pretty dull...

[ferrarilover]

It is dull, by comparison to the journey that Yeovil have been on, but it's much less dull than the torture endured by many dozens of clubs who splashed the cash and had a couple of years of L1 football and who are now playing in the pub leagues as AFC Nobody Cares.

I'd rather have 20 years of sometimes successful, sometimes not L2 football than 3 years of giving it all the mouth about promotion straight up to the Championship, then 17 years of playing in front of 9 people at the local park.

Matt.

[Dutchgull]

Spending money on jollies to Brazil doesn't help !!!

[tomogull]

if i rember rightly city spent loads of money on the training ground and youth system 'investing for the future'. things like a car park at the traing ground etc

It's easy and good fun at times to come on here and bitch about other clubs but the fact is Argyle, City and us need each other. Next season, we miss out on four local derbies and Argyle and City miss out on two each. This affects the clubs' income of course. As for comparisons with City, as EDDUK has posted, they have invested heavily in their youth structure and it is proving successful as shown by the number of players last season who had come up through their youth ranks. They tailed off after Christmas but with that experience, they will come back stronger next season. Steve Perryman is a good guy and has been great for them - I wish we had a Steve Perryman-type at Plainmoor.

As for comparisons between their ground and Plainmoor - I have been told by a former professional that the playing surface at St James Park is one of the best, if not the best, in Div 2. They have seating on two sides of the ground (okay, the Grandstand on one side is past it's sell by date), their Big Bank is much better than our Family Stand with its cramped seating and I know this is sacrilege, but in my view their 'new' stand (several years old now) is a better design than our Bristow's Bench. For a league side, their away end is appalling of course, but if you aint got the money ...... it comes down to do you spend on the team, or the ground? There are those who would say that's where our Board went wrong last season.

As for Bristow's Bench, although I've never sat in it, I don't like it. There, I've said it ! I thought I would get used to it but I haven't. In my view, it's too high and seems to overshadow and dominate the whole ground. A stand like Exeter's or Cheltenham's would have been more appropriate at Plainmoor I think. There - I've opened a whole new can of worms !!!!

[taxilady]

Living in East Devon, I encounter City fans all the time, including amongst my own family ( ); feeling sorry for them at the moment, actually. As Tomogull says, they won't have the derbies with Rovers or us next season, could be a major problem for their gates. However, have to disagree with Tomogull about the Bench..it's amazing ! Even AustrianAndy/DerbyshireGull likes it there, & he can be very hard to please about anything to do with TUFC at times! The views are incredible (good of the pitch as well, but just had to avert my gaze at times in recent seasons!);one of the major drawbacks is the lack of a quick exit, but hey, practise patience, it's good for the soul !

[taxilady]

Living in East Devon, I encounter City fans all the time, including amongst my own family ( ); feeling sorry for them at the moment, actually. As Tomogull says, they won't have the derbies with Rovers or us next season, could be a major problem for their gates. However, have to disagree with Tomogull about the Bench..it's amazing ! Even AustrianAndy/DerbyshireGull likes it there, & he can be very hard to please about anything to do with TUFC at times! The views are incredible (good of the pitch as well, but just had to avert my gaze at times in recent seasons!);one of the major drawbacks is the lack of a quick exit, but hey, practise patience, it's good for the soul !

[eastmoorgull]

I sat in the BB for the first time for the last game. The view of Dartmoor up there is stunning.............nuff said

[PhilGull]

See, Thea knows her stuff. At least if the football is unwatchable she's given us a nice view to distract from the torment.

[Neal]

Bristows Bench is fantastico! I love it. A view I didn't think I would ever get at plainmoor.

As for EFC, f@cking disgrace! Should have been kicked out years ago when they couldn't pay there way. Hope they go f king bust, bunch of f king cheats!

[tomogull]

Bristows Bench is fantastico! I love it. A view I didn't think I would ever get at plainmoor.

As for EFC, f@cking disgrace! Should have been kicked out years ago when they couldn't pay there way. Hope they go f king bust, bunch of f king cheats!

I view Bristow's Bench from the Pop side and from there it seems to somehow dominate the whole ground. However, I can appreciate what Phil and Taxilady are saying - with the cr*p football that was served up last season, it must have been nice to sit back and admire the views of Haytor and beyond.

Re EFC - I suspect, Neal, but for the grace of Paul and Thea, we would have followed the same road ......

[taxilady]

meanwhile, back on topic...the plot thickens ...
http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Gre ... story.html

[tomogull]

[quote="taxilady"]meanwhile, back on topic...the plot thickens ...
http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Gre ... html/quote


Hmmm ........ and a transfer embargo into the bargain ! Presumably, that doesn't stop the club signing out of contract players? But any players, or agents, with a minimum of common sense who read about this would surely be on their guard against signing for a team with potential financial difficulties? The plot does indeed thicken.