Argyle's Weekus Horribilis

My last blog predicted Sylvan Ebanks-Blake would be sold in the summer if Plymouth Argyle did not reach the Premiership this season. It’s a horrible cliché for a horrible seven days, but a week is a long time in football. SEB’s sharp finishing in the Hull game clearly focussed minds at Wolverhampton Wanderers and moneybags QPR, who both tabled bids of £1.5million.

It is my belief, despite much conjecture to the contrary on Argyle supporters messageboards, that the PAFC board would not have accepted this figure had it not triggered a release clause in Ebanks-Blake’s contract, meaning he was free to talk to any club who offered that amount. This clause, supposedly, was key to Argyle signing SEB from Manchester United in the first place, with Watford offering a similar deal. In the event, it seems the 21-year-old Cambridge-born striker couldn’t get out of Home Park fast enough. He had a miserable start to his Wolves career though, missing a good chance as his new side lost 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace. My heart bleeds for him, of course.

In a last-ditch attempt to hold on to Sylvan, Argyle proposed a new deal to make him the highest paid player in the club’s history. However, why did this not happen earlier? The board knew the release clause was present in the contract, and there was reported interest from Derby in September. It was obvious, from a fairly early stage of the season, that Ebanks-Blake would be an important player for the Pilgrims – so why was no attempt made to agree new terms, with the release fee increased or removed?

I am sure that if attempts such as this had been made, we would have heard about it, as the Argyle press relations department is always quick to justify announcements which disappoint the Green Army. As it is, despite much hysteria, Ebanks-Blake is Argyle’s only major loss of the transfer window thus far. Akos Buzsaky never really delivered for Plymouth and was nearing the end of his contract. Dan Gosling has great potential but was not a first team regular and there was no guarantee he would ever become one. And Barry Hayles fading ability to cope with the demands of this level has been apparent for some time now (although he did score for Leicester yesterday).

But what we are now left with is a paper-thin squad with more departures threatened. And a pile of money in the bank but no indication that enough of it will be spent on the fees, and more importantly wages, which will attract the necessary calibre of player for a real play-off push.

Yesterday’s gutless 1-0 defeat at Burnley, who had not won any of their previous nine home games, summed up the problems Paul Sturrock faces. Argyle had two untried, 18-year-old first-year professionals, Jake Moult and Dan Smith, on the bench, the latter appearing as substitute. And Lukas Jutkiewicz, the same age and in his first start on loan from Everton, must be wondering what he has let himself in for – forced to lead the line with Jermaine Easter on the right wing. Luggy must take some of the blame for this; while Ian Holloway was sometimes lacking tactically, he was usually less cautious away from home.

But the meagre resources the manager was left him with few options. Sturrock has promised that the players who lacked passion at Turf Moor, obviously deflated by SEB’s sale, will be whipped back into shape, and no one is better at this job that Luggy. But with Peter Halmosi a target for Wigan, with a £2.5million bid allegedly already turned down, David Norris attracting attention at around £1.5million, Argyle’s more talented players will be getting restless if the squad cannot be sufficiently bolstered.

Argyle need a real replacement for Ebanks-Blake – Derek Riordan from Celtic, Billy Sharp from Sheffield United, Freddy Eastwood of Wolves, that kind of player. He won’t come cheap, particularly wage-wise, but, for many greens, this week represents a crossroads in the club’s history.

We’ve been here before – both Tony Waiters in ‘75 and Dave Smith in ‘87 built sides which could have made a real challenge for elevation to the top flight, but neither received adequate support from the Argyle money-men. Now, in our best season in 20 years, Plymouth have a similar chance – and the same things seem to be happening.

So let me suggest something. We have just made more than £3.5million in transfer money – let’s reinvest it in the playing side, spending say just over £1million more than we would have done over the next three years. That means new signings, three-year-contracts – and upgrading the wage structure to give us a real shout of going up. Gates will increase if the fans see Argyle challenging to reach the Premiership for the first time. And if, in three years, we don’t make it, the ‘organic growth’ lobby can say "I told you so" and the rest of us will shut up.

One thing’s for certain though – like the teams of Waiters and Smith, without serious investment, the only way is down.

RICH PARTINGTON

Swindon saved

The new year could have been rung in by the sound of the gates slamming shut for good at the County Ground.

Recent testing times in the boardroom of Swindon Town FC led many fans believing the club was nearing extinction. In 2007, the extent of debt owed to the Inland Revenue became more frighteningly apparent, reportedly amassing to £18 million. The club was on the brink of being pronounced dead; its obituary virtually written. "S.T.F.C R.I.P." was declared on many supporters’ placards.

Remarkably, the club has been reincarnated with fresh optimism thanks to Andrew Fitton’s consortium, whose wealth has a combined value of over a billion pounds.

Just before Christmas, on Thursday 20th December, I was glancing at the Swindon Advertiser website with a tear in my eye. It was reported that the IR was about to enact winding up orders. Scrolling down to the readers’ comments, I noticed that a protest gathering had been organised for 7pm outside the Arkells Stand.

It was at this point I realised it was make or break, and that I had an obligation to attend. So I drove down to the stadium car park, and gathered amongst the small crowd of 25-30 people in the freezing cold. Bearing in mind that this was organised at the last minute on the internet I was quite impressed with the turn out. Fans were patient considering the circumstances, that after months of delays a signature still had not been placed on the dotted line to buy the club.

In what I still think of as a miracle, just before 8pm a spokesman for S.T.F.C came down and announced that the deal had finally been done after so many agonising months. Crowds cheered, cars honked and it was a fantastic moment; just days before Christmas the future of Swindon Town Football Club had been secured.

I was also ecstatic to shake hands with millionaire James Wills shortly after the deal was done, when he stepped out to introduce himself to fans. He gave us photocopies of the press release, which read:

"Swindon Football holdings limited announces that at 7pm on Thursday 20th December 2007, it entered into a conditional agreement to purchase 75% of the issued share capital of Swindon Town Football Company Limited.

"The agreement is conditional on the vendors satisfying the purchasers on certain conditions (including matters relating to Shaw Park Develoments and HR Revenue & Customs) not later than 11th January, 2008.

"The purchasers will have an active involvement in the management of the Club with immediate effect."

Commenting, Fitton said: "I am pleased that we are nearly there. The hard work of reorganising the club will start immediately."

As part of the reorganisation plans, Fitton wants to establish Swindon as a Championship club within three years.

He has said: "Our plan for this club is that we think it has a place in the Championship.

"If in three years time we are in the Championship I will have succeeded, if not I will have failed."

He added: "I don't think it is ever wise to say we'll be in the Premier League in five years time. Those are absurd ideas.

"Where this club should rightly be is a well established Championship club and once we get to that stage maybe other things can happen.

"Our objective now is to make this into one of the best run and managed clubs in the country."

So, a dark era in Swindon Town FC’s history has now passed and can finally move forward with fresh new owners, rebuilding it so that it can climb back up the ranks to where it used to, and so rightly belongs. New Year, New Swindon. Come on you Reds!!!

NEIL ROBINSON