A whole 24 hours and no comment? Have you all gone off somewhere else with Scunner and left me on my own or are you so happy with PAFC's current performance that you have fallen back in love with James Brent? http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25746112
Sorry notDistant....your starting to feel lonely. Yes I have read it already,not too much to disagree with, John Sheridan has now completed his first year in charge....I would give him 9 out of 10....a difficult job to come into after recent administration and over a year of Carl Fletcher. There will be posters in another place that will rip it to shreds as they despise everything that is PAFC....nothing less than James Brent selling up and taking various pasoti henchmen with him will satisfy some of them. Talking football has long been forgotten for some....they might have a few good points to share but it disappears into oblivion with their continual ranting. A shame that the team didn't finish the job against Port Vale....they certainly had the chances....lets hope they learn from it and surprise us all at Rochdale on Saturday.
Some people will no doubt disagree with me (as they have before) but for me JBs fairly candid comments just demonstrate how committed he is to success- both at PAFC and in his other business interests. I just hope he can sort the remaining pieces in the Grandstand knocking down jigsaw out and perhaps his detractors might start to give a little credit where it is due.
Sorry notdistant I've been away from the keyboard for the weekend. It's difficult to argue with some of the stuff to be fair but I'm still far from convinced about Brent. He says the right things and a lot of it is there for people to see but for me there is a lot of PR machine about it. I still don't think we are getting what was alluded to. Nothing said in black and white that you can point at and say "he said that and isn't doing it" but I still say people were sort of led to believe we would get more out of the development than is reality. By we I mean Argyle of course. I just cannot see where Argyle itself is going to benefit from this build. We have no proof that Sheridan asked for X budget and was given Xx2 except for Brent saying so. Would Sheridan argue against it? Don't know. It all kind of says look at me I'm a good kid.
There are differences of opinion obviously, some in favour of rational management of football clubs as businesses (including me) and those that believe there's no alternative to the tradition of wealthy owners buying success. The likes of Manchester City and Chelsea and their lower league equivalents do provide an argument for the second group but Cardiff and Hull show what can go wrong when owners run clubs for their own benefit and not the fans. The acid test will be where we are in 1 and 2 years. At present progress seems to be being made but as they say, football is a funny old game.
I do believe in living within ones means and I don't much like the loaded lopsided way that league titles can be bought rather than earned. But with Argyle it's knowing what exactly Brent has done for us. He says things which are more politician speak than what ordinary folk would say if meaning the same thing. By spinning stuff it comes across as a lie in the end. Tell the truth, as it is, and shame the Devil is what I want and would do myself. I don't do spinning and I don't admire anyone who does it. We were never it seems going to get a large stand with facilities for the club thrown in but however you dress it up, this was hinted at at the very least and never corrected when people started to assume that's what was meant. Brent still doesn't seem to be spending anything yet does seem to be signing contracts and attracting work he is going to benefit from. He is landing us with a small capacity which isn't able to be increased ever according to some experts so if success came then we would be stuck. I don't go along with a lot of the name calling at him because there didn't seem to be much choice it being him or probably nothing at Administration. It doesn't add to the discussion anyway. I wish I could trust him a bit more but I'm afraid I just don't.
You clearly not an aficionado of business speak Sensible. Brent comes across to me as being very straightforward. I make this comment largely to tell a funny story, or at least my colleagues and I thought it was hilarious at the time. We were trying to sell a troubled business, well carp in ordinary terms. The banker that was advising us suggested it should be described as "having considerable upside potential" i.e. it was certainly carp and so the only way must be up, right? Now that IS torturing the English language. How we laughed when we remembered that he was earning 10 times what we were.
And that nondistant is exactly why Brent and Co. shouldn't do what they do. If things do go the right way then you can get away with it up to a point, but, if it doesn't then the baying masses will rip you apart because they don't do business speak and therefore just think you are a plain liar. Also there is so much distrust of the man given what happened to Argyle previously that there are one or two who do business speak and they aren't very silent about it.
I've just read an article about our Mr Brent which is very interesting indeed. I can't do links. If you put in Twohundredpercent it will come up with the site you need to read it. You may care to take a gander.
Mmmm interesting article...some good journalism done there....with James Brent totally in charge of everything that happens....who knows what the truth is....a hand picked directors box without any influence financially to direct how PAFC develop in the future. A local paper that doesn't seem to have a view of it's own other than what they are fed from PAFC. Plymouth Council seemingly very favourable to everything that James Brent seems to want. Akkeron involved in various developments at HHP and nothing really happening......very worrying......please tell me it ain't looking bleak....on or off the field of play.
Good journalism is surely about telling you stuff you didn't know before isn't? Not just rehashing old news and personality clashes. The truth is usually the obvious ungarnished by conspiracy theories. The Council granted planning permission because the development was in the interests of the city, building on the Life Centre development, not because brown envelopes have been passed. In the absence of good journalism, news media do merely reprint press releases and businesses do employ PR consultants to make sure that happens. We see that all the way up to national newspapers and even the TV who regularly churn out news items fed to them by pressure groups if not commercial organisations. The problem lies not with those who successfully manipulate the news but the lazy journalists that allow it. The situation at Home Park is a damn sight less bleak than it was 2 and a bit years ago although there's still a long way to go before anyone can feel satisfied. This is an amateur blog not Woodward & Bernstein.....
Steady joe. I think the piece confirms more than anything my opinion that our Mr Brent isn't the cuddly teddy bear with a quiverring lip that some would have you believe. It points out his controlling traits and ruthless streak. Also says how he likes to control what is let out there for the great unwashed to swallow. Personally I think it's quite accurate.
I didn't say most of it wasn't accurate I merely said it wasn't new! Of course MD's and CEO's are as you describe. How do you think they got where they are? Whilst nobody wants a dictator in charge, neither do you want to work for someone who doesn't give clear leadership. One thing I failed to mention is that 90% of PR people are ex journalists BTW, usually quite senior ones who have seen the opportunity to prey on their weaker colleagues left behind in the media in order to manage the news. You'd be a fool not to use them. Similarly, the majority of people devising tax avoidance schemes were originally.... guess what? Yes, tax inspectors from HMRC. The world (not pop) will eat itself.
At the end of the day I think we got a Ronseal deal, it does what it says on the tin, although the health warnings were in very small print. As there was no viable other options not much else we could do. For me Brent is not a monster but no Saint either, he kept us alive but not for the love of the club but to increase his net worth. I must admit I am disappointed in his commitment to the clubs progression and feel he wlll just rely on the fact that our fan base income will eventually lift us out of this league rather than investing in the clubs revival.
Brents commitment to the success of the club will become more clear when we have some real worthy talent coming through. Will he cash talent in for the money....or will he say no sale at any cost....because he wants to see the results on the pitch improve. If it's the money that comes first.......then all we will achieve is paying Brent back the money he has ONLY lent his club. That will be a case of....please will the last one out turn the lights off.....and throw the keys in the Tamar,it ain't worth continuing.
