Women's team statement & now two club statements (page 33&76 -16 June)

[greenking]

The target was promotion, with so much more money then becoming available. Marie Hourihan was brought aboard to get us promoted. The opportunity was there because of the availability of the second promotion spot. She chose her team, she chose her players.

She failed, so the thinking was that in order to get promoted next season we would have had to win the league, and looking at the amount of money set aside by other clubs for that opportunity it was not worth having another go at it. It may have been just a waste of money, so we go back to the basics again, knowing that we would lose about £200,000 each season, and not more than double that, that last season cost.

The womens team will still be in existence, but will not cost as much as last season.

I highly doubt it will exist to the same level for a very very very long time now after the way the club has handled this change.
They will provide next to nothing for new players and arrangements.
They'll be out of sight, out of mind at the white elephant project at Brickfields.

And eventually they will probably fall back under the Community Trust or fold completely and Paul Berne wont have to worry about it anymore.

 

[jimsing]

I highly doubt it will exist to the same level for a very very very long time now after the way the club has handled this change.
They will provide next to nothing for new players and arrangements.
They'll be out of sight, out of mind at the white elephant project at Brickfields.

And eventually they will probably fall back under the Community Trust or fold completely and Paul Berne wont have to worry about it anymore.

Sounds as if that is what you want to happen, GK.

We'll see.

 

[greenking]

Sounds as if that is what you want to happen, GK.

We'll see.

I very much dont.
I'm being a bit cynical i appreciate, but this scorched earth approach by Paul Berne has the potential to set them back to almost the very begining.

I attended all but 1 womens home match this season with my daughter. To see these players who we have grown to admire as much as Tolly, Bim or Edwards be cast aside with such disregard is heart-breaking.

 

[PL2 3DQ]

I highly doubt it will exist to the same level for a very very very long time now after the way the club has handled this change.
They will provide next to nothing for new players and arrangements.
They'll be out of sight, out of mind at the white elephant project at Brickfields.

And eventually they will probably fall back under the Community Trust or fold completely and Paul Berne wont have to worry about it anymore.

Well Berne is a director at the Plymouth Argyle Football in the Community Trust, as well as Plymouth Argyle Women's Football Club Limited and of course the main limited company.
All roads lead to him.

 

[Plastic Janner]

Sorry, we should all be good little PAFC apparatchiks?
The Party is our helm.
You don't think this would have made the press anyway?! You don't think any of those departing players, given how shoddily they've been 'processed and dissolved' should have posted anything on their socials that the press would have picked up on?!

You can clutch your pearls, but not renewing a contract is not processed and dissolved, is it?

 

[Dazzy3000]

Does show how far women’s football has come. Would there have been the same outcry 10 years ago?

 

[Steve Rhodes]

Whilst I understand everyone is entitled to an opinion... if, like some on here, their opinion is that the right decision was made, or that Marie shouldve passed on information, or that we should just move on and trust Paul Berne to do the best for the club....

I am struggling to believe that you should be entitled to an opinion!

This whole saga stinks, its been handled appaulingly by Paul Berne and the club. They have clearly lied at Fans Forums.
Got players to model kits before telling them to leave.
Expected a resigned employee who has been thoroughly let down by the club to do their dirty work.
Sent cowardly emails with cold bluntness that I do not believe would ever happen to a member of the mens team.

Why should we "trust the process".
I remember people like Risdale, Synon and Gardner saying similar things... should we have just let them get on with it believing they have the best interests of pafc at heart?

I'm not sure i will ever trust or like Paul Berne again after this episode and as far as i'm concerned he can pack his bags.

I own up not to being the brightest star in the sky. I am really struggling to understand your opening sentences. You start with "I understand that everyone is entitled to an opinion" then go on to say in the next paragraph "I'm struggling to believe that you should be entitled to an opinion."

As ever, I am not looking to argue with or nit-pick at what you say. I genuinely don't understand what you mean. I read it as saying that everyone is entitled to an opnion, except when its one they express on this topic that you disagree with?

Have I got this wrong?

 

[cheshiregreen]

Mr Errington's comments.

Argyle have scored own goal dealing with future of women's team

The club have confirmed they will not be renewing the contracts of any of their women's team players this summer

www.plymouthherald.co.uk

 

[greenking]

I own up not to being the brightest star in the sky. I am really struggling to understand your opening sentences. You start with "I understand that everyone is entitled to an opinion" then go on to say in the next paragraph "I'm struggling to believe that you should be entitled to an opinion."

As ever, I am not looking to argue with or nit-pick at what you say. I genuinely don't understand what you mean. I read it as saying that everyone is entitled to an opnion, except when its one they express on this topic that you disagree with?

Have I got this wrong?

Poorly worded by me probably.
I was trying to say that whilst everyone is entitled to an opinion, if your opinion is that this situation is ok... then maybe you shouldnt be entitled to an opinion!

Was a little tounge-in-cheek, but i am a little baffled how some can defend Paul Berne and the club over this situation.

 

[BSH]

If I were a big investor about to buy into the club, and my plans involved cutting the woman's team budget, it would make sense to get that done before I was announced, and for my arrival to be a morale boost rather than one that immediately cuts jobs. Just a thought.

 

[Green7001]

The target was promotion, with so much more money then becoming available. Marie Hourihan was brought aboard to get us promoted. The opportunity was there because of the availability of the second promotion spot. She chose her team, she chose her players.

She failed, so the thinking was that in order to get promoted next season we would have had to win the league, and looking at the amount of money set aside by other clubs for that opportunity it was not worth having another go at it. It may have been just a waste of money, so we go back to the basics again, knowing that we would lose about £200,000 each season, and not more than double that, that last season cost.

The womens team will still be in existence, but will not cost as much as last season.

Yes seems more and more that that must have been the thinking, give it a go for one year and see what happens. I guess that wasn't communicated to Marie and the players though, they would have been expecting at least a couple of goes.

Trouble is that after what has now happened, the women's team is in a worse position than it was before Marie came in. No manager, apparently no back room staff, hardly any players and a reputation and funding situation which will make it much harder to attract new players. Feels like women's football at Argyle will disappear without a trace, shame, why did we bother in the first place only to end up here?

 

[Boscombe Green]

Does show how far women’s football has come. Would there have been the same outcry 10 years ago?

More recently than that there was less attention when a previous team resigned on masse (some going up the road to Exeter) leading to us flirting with relegation the previous two seasons. That was never properly explained either...

 

[Bryan Tregunna]

If losses were significantly more than £200k, then that’s just as bad for the ownership / executive management.
It’s hard to see how any of the costs would have been unexpected or unplanned - it’s sheer, basic, fundamental incompetence; if not in budgeting then in governance.
No wonder our sustainable-aspiring football club is over £10 million in the mire.
Don’t forget what our 5-year plan (launched Nov ‘23) says:

“Our vision is for Argyle to be a successful football club supported or respected by everyone in the South West and beyond.
Our values are:

• Fan Focus;
• Community Focus and Environmental Responsibility;
• Honesty, Openness and Integrity;
• Respect, Diversity and Inclusion;
• Excellence;
• Financial Prudence, and
• Efficiency and Organisational Strength.”

Sheesh.

I agree. At the end of April the cost was £200k. A month later it was "higher than we thought". What expense came as a surprise?

I very much doubt that there was any such expense and that this had been on the cards for a while, and was almost certainly known at the Fans' Forum. While I understand that some things need to be kept confidential, what was said about the Women's team was disingenuous. If so, does this make the whole idea of a Fans' Forum redundant?

 

[IJN]

Just had this sent to me. Love footie humour.

 

[Greenscombe]

I agree. At the end of April the cost was £200k. A month later it was "higher than we thought". What expense came as a surprise?

I very much doubt that there was any such expense and that this had been on the cards for a while, and was almost certainly known at the Fans' Forum. While I understand that some things need to be kept confidential, what was said about the Women's team was disingenuous. If so, does this make the whole idea of a Fans' Forum redundant?

Probably 2 extra games - the cup final at QPR and the play-off final at Burton. Both involved travel, hotels etc and were extra games outside of the scheduled fixture list. While they were probably always the aim, I expect someone forgot to plan them into the forecast.