In life l think we can often look back at some sort of "sliding doors" moment.
After 5 fantastic years, where we only had to witness 3/4 months under Lowe stuttering his way to league one survival, we have had the most enjoyable, successful run as fans. Spoilt by incredible home park winning runs. Or by sheer brillance of individual moments of quality.
It would be wrong not to point out that not everything has been perfect. Like the seating issues in the Mayflower, but the club has mostly got everything spot on.
But l do wonder if relegation were to happen, does that change Simon Hallett's thinking in anyway? Even if we do survive, what are the lessons we can take both on & off the field.
It's been in the press, that we are talking to investors. People with alot of money generally want their opinion heard. I think this is why some members of Argyle Green decided investment wasn't for them as visions to move our club forward were not shared.
For me, this point here is bigger than a relegation. As unlike some l believe with the right investors on board, a good selection of a new manager and learning from the mistakes we made this year can actually put us in a good place to attack league one, if we don't survive.
My worry is if we survive, and then brush it off like this was a one-off, and we dust ourselves down to go again. To think we could just take on this league with not only youngsters, but inexperienced ones at this level, seems the biggest oversight. Especially, when starting a season with a manager who's never managed at this level & then hiring a head-coach with even less experience of league football.
Yet, what if our budget dictates this is the only path possible to us? That other options aren't viable without larger financial help? This is where l do wonder if Simon Hallett's own personal experiences from this season have changed his mind in anyway.
Make no mistake. I don't want a change in ownership. If we can't afford to compete in the championship l would rather we get relegated than change our ownership model. That is because l love how the club is run. Yet how many other fans would give up the dream of sustainable championship football in return for a investor with deeper pockets to take over?
And this is where l feel is our sliding doors moment. Bigger than whether we stay up. Bigger than who the next manager is. The biggest moment will be who Argyle can get onboard as an investor & whether that investor is happy to wait in the wings for a few years. I always believed the story with Simon Hallett was going to have a happy ending. Unfortunately, that story was going to be a long one with slow, but continued sustainable growth off the field whilst hitting a few bumps regarding onfield matters. This is one of those bumps.
Yet when this season is over, the really important part of Argyle's next chapter begins. Whilst many will be focused solely on the next manager believing its the answer to where this club is heading, and maybe this is true in the short term, the ownership solution will be the definitive answer to what direction this club heads in from here.
Our end game vision needs a partner for Simon Hallett so this club can finally have its moment to shine with the big boys. Is there somebody out there with deep pockets that can buy into Simon Halllet's vision & values. This is the 64 dollar question.
l never believed this journey wouldn't have set backs. And still believe we are in a favourable position to survive. Yet should the worse happen l still believe in the man that got us here. Should relegation happen we still are building brickfields. And we will still look to improve infrastructure around the club albeit in a slower fashion.
I don't quite see the negative outlook like some. Relegation won't stop be from being excited about our future. It just puts a spanner in the works. The club will still look to make improvements. And for a football club our size, the idea that your club is evolving even if it's not at the pace you want it to be can be very satisfying.
After 5 fantastic years, where we only had to witness 3/4 months under Lowe stuttering his way to league one survival, we have had the most enjoyable, successful run as fans. Spoilt by incredible home park winning runs. Or by sheer brillance of individual moments of quality.
It would be wrong not to point out that not everything has been perfect. Like the seating issues in the Mayflower, but the club has mostly got everything spot on.
But l do wonder if relegation were to happen, does that change Simon Hallett's thinking in anyway? Even if we do survive, what are the lessons we can take both on & off the field.
It's been in the press, that we are talking to investors. People with alot of money generally want their opinion heard. I think this is why some members of Argyle Green decided investment wasn't for them as visions to move our club forward were not shared.
For me, this point here is bigger than a relegation. As unlike some l believe with the right investors on board, a good selection of a new manager and learning from the mistakes we made this year can actually put us in a good place to attack league one, if we don't survive.
My worry is if we survive, and then brush it off like this was a one-off, and we dust ourselves down to go again. To think we could just take on this league with not only youngsters, but inexperienced ones at this level, seems the biggest oversight. Especially, when starting a season with a manager who's never managed at this level & then hiring a head-coach with even less experience of league football.
Yet, what if our budget dictates this is the only path possible to us? That other options aren't viable without larger financial help? This is where l do wonder if Simon Hallett's own personal experiences from this season have changed his mind in anyway.
Make no mistake. I don't want a change in ownership. If we can't afford to compete in the championship l would rather we get relegated than change our ownership model. That is because l love how the club is run. Yet how many other fans would give up the dream of sustainable championship football in return for a investor with deeper pockets to take over?
And this is where l feel is our sliding doors moment. Bigger than whether we stay up. Bigger than who the next manager is. The biggest moment will be who Argyle can get onboard as an investor & whether that investor is happy to wait in the wings for a few years. I always believed the story with Simon Hallett was going to have a happy ending. Unfortunately, that story was going to be a long one with slow, but continued sustainable growth off the field whilst hitting a few bumps regarding onfield matters. This is one of those bumps.
Yet when this season is over, the really important part of Argyle's next chapter begins. Whilst many will be focused solely on the next manager believing its the answer to where this club is heading, and maybe this is true in the short term, the ownership solution will be the definitive answer to what direction this club heads in from here.
Our end game vision needs a partner for Simon Hallett so this club can finally have its moment to shine with the big boys. Is there somebody out there with deep pockets that can buy into Simon Halllet's vision & values. This is the 64 dollar question.
l never believed this journey wouldn't have set backs. And still believe we are in a favourable position to survive. Yet should the worse happen l still believe in the man that got us here. Should relegation happen we still are building brickfields. And we will still look to improve infrastructure around the club albeit in a slower fashion.
I don't quite see the negative outlook like some. Relegation won't stop be from being excited about our future. It just puts a spanner in the works. The club will still look to make improvements. And for a football club our size, the idea that your club is evolving even if it's not at the pace you want it to be can be very satisfying.
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