Plymouth Argyle: Still waiting on Football League
South-west businessman Kevin Heaney's offer has raised question marks from some regarding how the £3million of outstanding debt will be offloaded.
And Peter Ridsdale, yes him, who would become the club's owner for £1 should Mr Heaney's deal go through, said negotiations were ongoing.
He told www.thisisplymouth.co.uk: "I am still working my backside off to find a solution. This club is in real danger of disappearing. I'm still optimistic that we'll have a football club at the end of it, but I couldn't call who is going to own it at the moment."
Following last Thursday's meeting of the Football League Board of Directors, a League spokesman said: "At its meeting today the Board of the Football League received an update on the situation at Plymouth Argyle. Based on the information available to it, the Board was unable to consider a transfer of the club's share in the Football league to the proposed purchaser at this point in time. Discussions with the administrator and proposed purchaser will continue."
Meanwhile, the BBC have reported that acting chairman Peter Ridsdale, he's still here, and rival James Brent, are speaking to the Professional Footballers Associationon Monday, as the Pilgrims latest wage deferral runs out on Thursday and players have once again threatened to strike if they don't receive their dosh.
However, the latest bidder to take over Argyle, Paul Buttivant, believes he would make Argyle a success if he took over.
Surrey-based businessman Buttivant told BBC Radio Devon: "Football at the heart of our business plans."
I bet it is!
http://news.bbc.co.uk wrote: 'The only bidders to have an offer for the club go before the Football League, Gibraltar-based consortium Bishop International, are still no closer to knowing if their plans will be accepted.'
Their representative Heaney, told BBC South West on Monday that he is "just waiting to find out what's going on" from the club's administrators.
Mr. Buttivant claims his deal would be better for the club than that of James Brent: 'It would be terrible to drop into the conference, but the realistic approach is that if that does happen then we want to build the business that can sustain the football club so that it can get promotion back into the Football League at the earliest opportunity. We understand football, and at James's own admission, very early on when he threw his hat in the ring, he indicated that he didn't understand the business and didn't really follow football. A football club in any state is a challenge, but we believe that the demographics of Plymouth make it work for our business model."
Very reassuring!
Buttivant added that making the business work was more important than getting the club promoted straight away.
He continued:"Our interest is to take this club forward and build a sustainable business that can play football in the league. It would be terrible to drop into the Conference, but the realistic approach is that if that does happen then we want to build the business that can sustain the football club so that it can get promotion back into the Football League at the earliest opportunity."
Worrying times for the Pilgrims faithful, while Plymouth Herald man Chris Errington tells the tale of a club on the financial brink, words that will chill the heart of Southend fans who have been through similar times, though in all honesty, not as bad as those facing the Devon based outfit.
Errington said: "There has been a lot of talk, from a variety of sources, about the goodwill of the players and staff at Argyle during the club's administration process. And, without a doubt, the only reason the Pilgrims are still playing, and have not been liquidated, is because those people have worked for hardly any wages throughout 2011. It is incredible what sacrifices they have been called upon, and have agreed, to make for the survival of debt-ridden Argyle. But, having visited Home Park a couple of times last week for interviews with manager Peter Reid, there was a palpable sense of despair behind the scenes."
I'm sure it is, see the form guides below, as he continues to write about how not being paid can affect results.
Then again, I'm sure Shrimpers supremo Ron Martin would be telling the Plymouth squad that shouldn't be the case, money is on it's way, they are professionals, and should play for the love of it!
Errington continued: "The financial hardships are really starting to bite deep and impact on people's lives in a way which should shame those whose mismanagement put the Pilgrims in this predicament. Good, hard-working employees of Argyle have shown remarkable loyalty to the club and they have my total admiration, and I know that of the Green Army as well. However, that will be of scant consolation to them as their bank accounts continue to take a hit. The players and staff received 40 per cent of their wages for September, on the condition they continued working up to and including this Thursday. The rest of the money they are owed for this month was waived until then. And, remember, the 40 per cent was only forthcoming from the club's administrators, The P&A Partnership, after the players threatened to take strike action."
Stong stuff, and good luck lads, though I'm afraid we still want three points come Saturday afternoon!
For the full Errington article: www.thisisplymouth.co.uk
Form Guides
What a shame we're not playing Plymouth away! (They have now lost a club record seven consequtive home games! Former boss Paul Sturrock, who took them into the Championship, as well as son Blair and our present skipper Chris Barker, both ex-players, must be feeling sad at the team's present position.)
However, wherever they turn up it's not looking good for our weekend opponents, and you can take a look at how Gillingham, who we face at Roots Hall on Tuesday evening, are going as well, because we're nice people.
| Home matches only | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| Crawley Town | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 16 |
| Shrewsbury Tn. | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 14 |
| AFC Wimbledon | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 9 | 13 |
| Rotherham U. | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 13 |
| Crewe Alex. | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 12 |
| Cheltenham T. | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 12 |
| Dag. & Red. | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 10 |
| Torquay Utd. | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 9 |
| Swindon Town | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Oxford Utd. | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| Southend Utd. | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 9 |
| Barnet | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Accrington S. | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Morecambe | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 8 |
| Aldershot Tn. | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| Port Vale | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 14 | 7 |
| Macclesfield | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| Burton Albion | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
| Bristol Rvs. | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Gillingham | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
| Hereford Utd. | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 7 |
| Bradford City | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 5 |
| Northampton | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 2 |
| Plymouth Arg. | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Away matches only | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| Morecambe | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 12 |
| Northampton | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 11 |
| Aldershot Tn. | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 10 |
| AFC Wimbledon | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 10 |
| Rotherham U. | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 10 | 9 |
| Port Vale | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| Torquay Utd. | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| Crewe Alex. | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| Cheltenham T. | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Barnet | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 7 |
| Shrewsbury Tn. | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
| Gillingham | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 7 |
| Southend Utd. | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 7 |
| Dag. & Red. | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 7 |
| Macclesfield | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 6 |
| Swindon Town | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Burton Albion | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 6 |
| Plymouth Arg. | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 5 |
| Bristol Rvs. | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 5 |
| Oxford Utd. | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
| Accrington S. | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
| Crawley Town | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 4 |
| Bradford City | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
| Hereford Utd. | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 2 |
| Current league table | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| Morecambe | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 16 |
| Rotherham U. | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 8 | 16 |
| Shrewsbury Tn. | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 14 |
| Crawley Town | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 13 | 13 |
| Cheltenham T. | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 12 |
| Torquay Utd. | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 12 |
| Port Vale | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 11 | 11 |
| Gillingham | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 11 |
| AFC Wimbledon | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Burton Albion | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 10 |
| Dag. & Red. | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| Southend Utd. | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
| Swindon Town | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Oxford Utd. | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Bristol Rvs. | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 9 |
| Crewe Alex. | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 9 |
| Accrington S. | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
| Aldershot Tn. | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Macclesfield | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Bradford City | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 6 |
| Northampton | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| Barnet | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 6 |
| Hereford Utd. | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 5 |
| Plymouth Arg. | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 1 |