Discontent growing in Plymouth

On Saturday afternoon, the Plymouth public gave an early indication of how they felt about the January player sales at Home Park. Only 11,011, a figure pleasing only for its palindromic qualities, were willing to fork out and watch Paul Sturrock’s new-look team take on Hull. Their reward was to witness Plymouth Argyle’s play-off hopes take a decisive hit with a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat.

Had we won – against a side who have been the highest ranked of Yorkshire’s nine football league clubs for most of the season, but who we had already beaten twice in 2007-8 – Argyle would now be just two points off the top six going into next Saturday’s grudge match at former manager Ian Holloway’s Leicester City.

As it is, the gap is five, and we are four behind yesterday’s very limited visitors, who are still relying on that old warhorse Dean Windass, soon to reach pensionable age and with semi-automatic limbs. He’s still managed four goals in three games against Argyle’s backline this season, including the Tigers’ winner on Saturday.

While five points is, on the face of it, not insurmountable, the manner of recent performances has left more and more fans looking the other way – at the relegation places. I think that any fears of this happening are unfounded this season, but the horrible sense hanging around is that this era at Home Park has reached its zenith with the play-off flirtations and FA Cup Quarter-Final under Holloway. I’m not going to resign myself to that just yet; Paul Sturrock is a top manager, and could still mould a promotion-chasing team, but this has not happened as yet, and at this level he cannot survive on the shoestring budget which took us through the lower divisions.

And the reality is that over the last couple of years attendances have dwindled at Home Park, with the momentum of previous years slowing and the sense of excitement and anticipation of success among the fanbase giving away to grim ‘consolidation’. This is something that could have happened to Bristol City this season, but Gary Johnson’s side has taken the bull by the spiky bits and rode it, chortling heartily, into real contention for a second consecutive promotion. Its heartbreaking to see the Turnips overtake us as the Westcountry’s premier team quite so easily, but after five years in our shadow, this is the position they now undoubtedly occupy.

Personally, I’ll keep supporting the team, getting to as many games as I can from exile, because I’ve got the bug. Although, like anyone, I’ll make even more effort to attend matches if we’re doing well, I’ll never stop going completely because I need my Argyle fix every so often, and the club just means too much to me; it defines my adolescence, and that history will always be with me. But the club have clearly failed to keep hold of those fans who came back into the fold when we reached the Championship and enjoyed the novelty of big games against the likes of Leeds and Sunderland.

The much-maligned ‘Janner apathy’ does exist, but only because the people of Plymouth have never seen their club make a serious attempt to give the city the Premiership club it deserves. It’s a case of making them believe before they’ll come, and they’ve been let down so many times before that cynicism reigns, particularly among the older ones. But Argyle had a whole new generation they could convince of their ambition, and that has not happened.

Still, even if this season is over, (and I find it easier to just accept that now than have my hopes dashed again) I’ll still be here, attempting to pick apart the essence of the Green dream. Life goes on.

RICH PARTINGTON