Southward Ho! Plymouth’s Narrow Escape

Whatever Plymouth Argyle chairman and owner James Brent is, and opinions vary passionately among Pilgrims fans on that, he is no “football man.” Nor is he a “philanthropist,” “benefactor” or “particularly nice.” Brent regularly admits to mistakes in his running of the...

With many English and Scottish League titles already won or all-but-won, tight season-finishes have had to be sought elsewhere, such as the bottom of League Two. Wimbledon took only nine years to get back their Football League place but it might only take them two to...

It looks as if the battle to avoid relegation from League Two is going to go to the wire. With eleven games of the season still to play, just six points separate Dagenham & Redbridge in sixteenth place in the table at Wimbledon, who sit at its foot, and in such a...

Clever man, that James Brent, the (drum roll)… new owner of Plymouth Argyle. In the past week he has revealed himself to be far from the philanthropic ‘saviour’ many fans have keenly labelled him, while displaying a sure political touch, to protect his financial...

It is never helpful if, while writing about a situation, one of its main protagonists pipes up just before the proof-reading stage to issue a statement claiming the equivalent of “the earth is flat, the moon is made of cheese, and I’m taking my ball home if anyone...

Yesterday in Plymouth, some people with lots of money demanded more money, some people with much less money were told they were getting no more money, until the people with lots of money got more money. This was morally indefensible. Doubtless, there will be people on...

Organisation is the key to many of life’s success, and this has been ably demonstrated than by Plymouth Argyle fans over recent days, in dealing with two potential obstacles to the club’s exit from administration. The starkest issue was highlighted by Ian King on this...

So near, yet so far. The future of Plymouth Argyle seems likely to be thrown into fresh turmoil if rumours that started circulating late yesterday afternoon regarding an attempt on the part of three former directors of the club to buy the mortgage held over its Home...

Yesterday in Plymouth, shortly before noon, the BBC 'understood' that, Peter Ridsdale “is to step down from involvement with Plymouth Argyle.” I smiled. The statement seemed to explain an odd occurrence earlier that morning. A Plymouth article on the BBC website at...

They lost again yesterday, of course, a two-nil reverse at Southend United which left them anchored to the bottom of the entire Football League and this morning, in an act entirely at odds with the slow, long, drawn out procedure of the take-over of Plymouth Argyle,...

Yesterday in Plymouth, 'Cornish-based property developer' Kevin Heaney appeared to finally disappear from contention as the part-saviour of the Argyle Football Club, as he should have done months ago in Plymouth. And, it would seem, 'Devon-based entrepreneur' James...

Yesterday in Plymouth, 'Cornish-based property developer' Kevin Heaney appeared to have a bluff called, 'Devon- based entrepreneur' James Brent appeared to be a favourite once again to buy Argyle Football Club, and the Football League, on whose board most attention...

Yesterday in Plymouth, it nearly all kicked off, or rather it nearly didn't. Lead administrator Brendan Guilfoyle “all-but-vanished” and somebody paid for acting chairman Peter Ridsdale to jet to the South of France, while staff at Home Park remained resolutely...

Earlier this evening, we wrote on the extraordinary impromptu press briefing given by two Plymouth Argyle players and their manager, Peter Reid. This evening, in the second part of a double-bill, a little more background about why professional footballers should be...

Sometimes, help can come from the most unexpected of sources. Last Friday, it was announced to a mixture of joy and relief - probably more of the latter than the former, considering the shenanigans of the last few months - that Plymouth Argyle Football Club had been...

Yesterday in Plymouth, Argyle Football Club was saved from extinction's brink. Lead administrator Brendan Guilfoyle said he was “satisfied that Bishop International Limited has secured the necessary funding and everything is agreed between the numerous parties.” And...

Yesterday in Plymouth, Argyle's lead administrator Brendan Guilfoyle said an incredible thing… no, wait, I know he's been saying incredible things since the start of Argyle's spell in administration in March (and some Luton and Crystal Palace fans might be prepared to...

What better way to continue a mini-series of articles on Plymouth Argyle than to miss a deadline. Today's words of distinctly finite wisdom from the South-West were actually spoken four days ago and published the day before the day before yesterday. So I'm late...

Years of trade union negotiating experience taught me the value of reading things very carefully. The English language's propensity for nuance is part of both its charm and its devil.  But however carefully I read what has been written about and said by the main...

One takeover has happened. One is due to happen by the end of the month. One is on-and-on-going. And one might not now happen at all. But however far down the takeover line Plymouth Argyle, Stockport County and Port Vale are – and even Rangers, who have nominally...

This is not a transaction that I sought or contemplated but, if it is the only route to guarantee a future for Plymouth Argyle Football Club, it is a route that I am prepared to take. After seven months of claiming that he was a mere consultant to Plymouth Argyle...

Brendan Ambrose Guilfoyle has a ‘complex’ track record in football club administrations - a reputation to which he is living down as ‘lead’ administrator at Plymouth Argyle, it appears. Argyle’s current situation was neatly, if inadvertently, summed up by adjacent...

In this morning's edition of The Guardian, the unsurpassable David Conn brought the wider world of football up to date with the latest situation from Plymouth Argyle, a club that have featured on the pages of this website several times over the last few months. The...

It has taken until nearly March, but the first ten point deduction of the season in the Football League is now finally upon us with the news that Plymouth Argyle have lodged a "notice of intention" to enter into administration. The notice of intention - the date of...

We have touched on the subject of the serial football club chairman on this site before, and there are none quite as prolific as Peter Ridsdale. Like the Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare On Elm Street film series, every time we think that he has finally been slayed,...

If you believed the hype which surrounded the club over the previous two close seasons, the big surprise about Japan’s relatively successful World Cup squad was the lack of Plymouth Argyle players in it. If you believe the hype now, Plymouth’s Home Park ground – or at...