If you pay peanuts......

I rarely look at Pasoti anymore because I had felt that any unrest was quickly pounced upon by the mods and other prominent posters who won't hear a word said against the club, but just lately there has seemed to have been a few posts that are more critical of James Brent's Argyle than in the past.

One that I read earlier relates to the problems with the club shop and replica shirts, that originally I was thinking how big a problem is the shop not having XXL shirts, but then if you read the whole thread it seems as though the XXL would be around the size of an XL shirt, and let's face it an awful lot of football fans would not fit in a medium!

I'm not a huge bloke by any means, but I usually wear L or XL shirts, t-shirts etc, depending on where you get the clothes, so if I were to order one I would possibly need XXL and I know a lot of people who would need this size or even larger. These shirts appear to have sold out, maybe due to the sizing not being the same as in past seasons, but it is also a case of the wrong information or confusing information being given out by staff.

As the thread continues, there are more complaints about other things at the club that are extremely amateurish, and the reason I am linking a Pasoti thread is because if the subject was brought up on ATD, there would be cries of this site moaning for moanings sake, but because it is a major issue on Pasoti then it must be a problem.

Green+ members pay that little bit more for the full package which includes a replica shirt, so how would you feel if you had shelled out for a Green+ membership and the only shirt the club could offer you was 2 sizes too small? If this affects only 10% of Green+ members that's still a large number, or even an XXL number, but if you think of all the replica shirts sold in a year that becomes a very large, or XXXL number!

That's piss poor. From a guy who we are told is the consumate professional in business, who doesn't do failure, who runs another successful clothing company nevermind the highly successful hotel business.

To me it is further proof that the football club is being neglected compared with his other business interests and the club has just been used as a vehicle for making money out of property deals. I don't believe for one minute that Saltrock or Akkeron staff are as poor with their customer service skills, and I'm damned sure that Saltrock would not have the issues with stock that the club shop is having, or that Akkeron hotels would only have flannels available as towels for their guests.

Having not been to Home Park in a while I wasn't aware that half of the advertising boards are not taken, which has got to be disastrous in terms of income, and again I couldn't see any of his other businesses operating in the same way. Don't bother advertising Saltrock, people will still buy their products? Don't bother advertising Akkeron Hotels, people will automatically want to stay at them compared to all the others out there? Wouldn't happen so how come Plymouth Argyle isn't receiving the same amount of professionalism from it's owner?

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Even X-Isle is getting facked off with Brent there.

What's the betting on Nikkk sponsoring a few more advertising boards?

In fact, without him, PASOTI & us loyal ATDers on here, just how bare would the cupboards be?

So far Brent's acted the asset stripper role rather well...I hope he enjoys his land.

Oh, and the reason that's been allowed to stay is because it doesn't criticise messiah Brent, instead it criticises the club employees who deferred 10 months pay to save the club, and, generally, do a decent job with what resources they have.

I went into the club shop on Saturday to get a shirt. The largest size available for a green shirt was XL. I tried it on and could barely get it over my shoulders. I asked if there was a larger size and was pointed towards an XXL yellow shirt. I tried that on and despite it going over my shoulders it was also too small. I'm not exactly small but have had no problems getting a shirt that fitted before and I haven't suddenly gained a few stone. This really is basic stuff and running out of stock before the end of August shows incredibly poor planning by somebody somewhere. Maybe the Trust could make noises about this? It is a high profile issue that would show them to be actively representing the fans and the club could hardly grumble about them rabble-rousing because Saltrock is hardly likely to run out of hoodies that fit 15 year olds is it?

I'm thrilled so many people have joined my XXL gang

That would be more than XX in the club shop,

come on all you XXL people,walk past the cake shop instead of going in,problem solved,

Just for the record, everyone, I'm an M.

Though there is no way I'd buy this season's shirt.

EDIT: In fact, if any of you wideloads cant get one to fit yourself but have one free with your package, I'll have it. Size M, I'll pay you for postage.

Hey, I'm with you guys and PROUD of it!


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Sir Francis Drake wrote:

I went into the club shop on Saturday to get a shirt. The largest size available for a green shirt was XL. I tried it on and could barely get it over my shoulders. I asked if there was a larger size and was pointed towards an XXL yellow shirt. I tried that on and despite it going over my shoulders it was also too small. I'm not exactly small but have had no problems getting a shirt that fitted before and I haven't suddenly gained a few stone. This really is basic stuff and running out of stock before the end of August shows incredibly poor planning by somebody somewhere. Maybe the Trust could make noises about this? It is a high profile issue that would show them to be actively representing the fans and the club could hardly grumble about them rabble-rousing because Saltrock is hardly likely to run out of hoodies that fit 15 year olds is it?

Or the PASB eventually

Good point though SFD.

tcm wrote:

come on all you XXL people,walk past the cake shop instead of going in,problem solved,

I am 6' 3" tall and weigh the best part of 15 stone of which about 4lbs of that is fat, what do you want me to do, chop bits off me to fit an XXL?

Iggy wrote:

tcm wrote:

come on all you XXL people,walk past the cake shop instead of going in,problem solved,

I am 6' 3" tall and weigh the best part of 15 stone of which about 4lbs of that is fat, what do you want me to do, chop bits off me to fit an XXL?

I'm 6ft and weigh 13st of which about 14st is fat.

And this brings me nicely to something that I forgot all about, recently in Tavistock I met an ex player and total legend in the pub. We started to talk about Argyle, I said how frustrated I was with the signings we were making and he said; "Trouble is at the moment we are going no where, we have no money, we have no AMBITION and this is common knowledge, if I were a player looking for a club now I hate to say it but both Torquay and Exeter are a better bet than Argyle, I know it, so does every player out there." He was really gutted.
I have said that I have had misgivings about Brent since the off, I was told to give it time, well I have and everything I was worried about has come true, so please Mr. Brent, you saved us from liquidation now f u c k off and let someone who is at least interested in the club have a go.

Care to divulge who the player was Iggy?

LondonGreen wrote:

Care to divulge who the player was Iggy?

Following on from the XXXL chat, my guess would be Sean Mcarthy.

Iggy wrote:

And this brings me nicely to something that I forgot all about, recently in Tavistock I met an ex player and total legend in the pub. We started to talk about Argyle, I said how frustrated I was with the signings we were making and he said; "Trouble is at the moment we are going no where, we have no money, we have no AMBITION and this is common knowledge, if I were a player looking for a club now I hate to say it but both Torquay and Exeter are a better bet than Argyle, I know it, so does every player out there." He was really gutted.
I have said that I have had misgivings about Brent since the off, I was told to give it time, well I have and everything I was worried about has come true, so please Mr. Brent, you saved us from liquidation now f u c k off and let someone who is at least interested in the club have a go.

id

only if he sales us the car park back for the same money he paid

Iggy wrote:

tcm wrote:

come on all you XXL people,walk past the cake shop instead of going in,problem solved,

I am 6' 3" tall and weigh the best part of 15 stone of which about 4lbs of that is fat, what do you want me to do, chop bits off me to fit an XXL?

yes that would be a start

Chingers wrote:

LondonGreen wrote:

Care to divulge who the player was Iggy?

Following on from the XXXL chat, my guess would be Sean Mcarthy.

A little more recent, I wouldn't like to name him, he is a friend of a friend and I am sure he wouldn't go public with that, and like me he is genuinely worried about the future of Argyle, whatever some people may infer, we do love Plymouth and the club, we just would like to see it run better.

Steve MacLean

Iggy wrote:

Chingers wrote:

LondonGreen wrote:

Care to divulge who the player was Iggy?

Following on from the XXXL chat, my guess would be Sean Mcarthy.

A little more recent, I wouldn't like to name him, he is a friend of a friend and I am sure he wouldn't go public with that, and like me he is genuinely worried about the future of Argyle, whatever some people may infer, we do love Plymouth and the club, we just would like to see it run better.

Trigger. FACT, or possibly.

Getting back on subject, this is just another poor piece of customer service in what is becoming quite common place at Home Park. We've been getting all the rhetoric from JB and the superfans that the club is going to improve and be more fan friendly but it is seemingly getting worse.

How hard is it to run a shop FFS? Ok demand for kits will vary, but surely something could have been sent in the membership packs which detailed an email address for potential kit buyers who could list their size (or even a question asked when memberships were purchased?)? The club would then have some idea about orders and satisfy demand?

I have fears that this board will make Todd's New World look positively professional

Mock Cuncher wrote:

Even X-Isle is getting facked off with Brent there.

What's the betting on Nikkk sponsoring a few more advertising boards?

In fact, without him, PASOTI & us loyal ATDers on here, just how bare would the cupboards be?

So far Brent's acted the asset stripper role rather well...I hope he enjoys his land.

Nikkkkkkkk has already put his hand in his deep deep pockets again to sponsor Macdonald and Pasoti our sponsoring a FanFest or PaytheemployeedebtsobrentdoesnthavetoFest

At least Brent is prepared to pay for the not needed not wanted GasBoard. Bonkers when you think about it.

Chemical Ali wrote:

Getting back on subject, this is just another poor piece of customer service in what is becoming quite common place at Home Park. We've been getting all the rhetoric from JB and the superfans that the club is going to improve and be more fan friendly but it is seemingly getting worse.

How hard is it to run a shop FFS? Ok demand for kits will vary, but surely something could have been sent in the membership packs which detailed an email address for potential kit buyers who could list their size (or even a question asked when memberships were purchased?)? The club would then have some idea about orders and satisfy demand?

I have fears that this board will make Todd's New World look positively professional

There is a shop manager in place, but just how much control over stock and ordering she has is up for debate. The big problem on the sales and marketing side of things at HP as far as I can see is that Andy Budge has never been adequately replaced. Think about it - as Marketing Manager his job, presumably, was to increase revenue coming into the club, so things like the retail operation would have come under his remit , as would things like sponsorship and advertising. And all of those areas are now underperforming, imho.

Player sponsorship has relied heavily on fans groups, whether us, pasoti, or various regional/sectional supporters groups, which is all well and good, but shouldn't some of those players being sponsored by pasoti actually have been touted to local businesses, with all the benefits to a company being set out clearly, even as part of a drive to re-engage with those firms who lost out during administration. And even now, with the season fully under way, there are still players un-sponsored.

The same applies to ground and programme advertising. Someone should be out and about, touting the benefits of advertising to local and national firms. Check the number of gaps in the advertising hoardings at the next home game. It's a substantial amount of lost revenue.

And it's surely not beyond the wit of someone at HP to analyse the best that other clubs' shops have to offer. The best must make huge amounts for their clubs, and I'm sure there are plenty of items sold by other clubs that would be well received at Argyle. A small investment in some market research their could pay big dividends. And if I can be a bit more detailed in my criticisms (which I hope are being viewed as constructive) , small things like the advertising of the new kit really should have had more thought put into them. The glossies featured Messrs Young and Nelson posing uncomfortably in the new kits. As the bulk of the fanbase is male, why not have the kits modelled by a couple of young ladies? Far easier on the eye for most blokes, and maybe a way of deflecting from some of the criticism of the design. A bit of imagination could have seen a launch day booked in, say, Drakes Circus, with the kit being modelled, meet the players/autograph sessions and the kit on sale at an open area of the Mall. Good publicity, raisining the profile, and increasing awareness of the club. All things that an imaginative Sales and Marketing Manager would have thought to do, surely?

And the range of products needs to be looked at; obviously the licensing agreement with Puma means that a certain amount of space has to be devoted to their products, but again, a bit of imagination and all sorts of new products could be brought in. We're not in administration any longer, we are allowed to stock the shelves again.

So my view is that what's lacking is three things - A figurehead (Sales and Marketing Manager) with whom the buck stops; some imagination regarding products; and finally someone with the drive to broaden the sponsorship and advertising amongst companies both local and national. The club is losing out on a lot of potential revenue that a decent Sales and Marketing guy, on a respectable salary could bring in.

Funnily enough Budgie is an old mate of mine (yes a REAL friend ) is all he had to say about Argyle when I had a pint with him recently was, "glad I'm out of it."

Andy_Symons wrote:

Chemical Ali wrote:

Getting back on subject, this is just another poor piece of customer service in what is becoming quite common place at Home Park. We've been getting all the rhetoric from JB and the superfans that the club is going to improve and be more fan friendly but it is seemingly getting worse.

How hard is it to run a shop FFS? Ok demand for kits will vary, but surely something could have been sent in the membership packs which detailed an email address for potential kit buyers who could list their size (or even a question asked when memberships were purchased?)? The club would then have some idea about orders and satisfy demand?

I have fears that this board will make Todd's New World look positively professional

There is a shop manager in place, but just how much control over stock and ordering she has is up for debate. The big problem on the sales and marketing side of things at HP as far as I can see is that Andy Budge has never been adequately replaced. Think about it - as Marketing Manager his job, presumably, was to increase revenue coming into the club, so things like the retail operation would have come under his remit , as would things like sponsorship and advertising. And all of those areas are now underperforming, imho.

Player sponsorship has relied heavily on fans groups, whether us, pasoti, or various regional/sectional supporters groups, which is all well and good, but shouldn't some of those players being sponsored by pasoti actually have been touted to local businesses, with all the benefits to a company being set out clearly, even as part of a drive to re-engage with those firms who lost out during administration. And even now, with the season fully under way, there are still players un-sponsored.

The same applies to ground and programme advertising. Someone should be out and about, touting the benefits of advertising to local and national firms. Check the number of gaps in the advertising hoardings at the next home game. It's a substantial amount of lost revenue.

And it's surely not beyond the wit of someone at HP to analyse the best that other clubs' shops have to offer. The best must make huge amounts for their clubs, and I'm sure there are plenty of items sold by other clubs that would be well received at Argyle. A small investment in some market research their could pay big dividends. And if I can be a bit more detailed in my criticisms (which I hope are being viewed as constructive) , small things like the advertising of the new kit really should have had more thought put into them. The glossies featured Messrs Young and Nelson posing uncomfortably in the new kits. As the bulk of the fanbase is male, why not have the kits modelled by a couple of young ladies? Far easier on the eye for most blokes, and maybe a way of deflecting from some of the criticism of the design. A bit of imagination could have seen a launch day booked in, say, Drakes Circus, with the kit being modelled, meet the players/autograph sessions and the kit on sale at an open area of the Mall. Good publicity, raisining the profile, and increasing awareness of the club. All things that an imaginative Sales and Marketing Manager would have thought to do, surely?

And the range of products needs to be looked at; obviously the licensing agreement with Puma means that a certain amount of space has to be devoted to their products, but again, a bit of imagination and all sorts of new products could be brought in. We're not in administration any longer, we are allowed to stock the shelves again.

So my view is that what's lacking is three things - A figurehead (Sales and Marketing Manager) with whom the buck stops; some imagination regarding products; and finally someone with the drive to broaden the sponsorship and advertising amongst companies both local and national. The club is losing out on a lot of potential revenue that a decent Sales and Marketing guy, on a respectable salary could bring in.

No no no Andy. That would make sense, and would take a minimal amount of investment, possibly utilising a local recruitment business like Dane's? I've said this before that the club could be compiling a databse of local useful business contacts amongst supporters in a kind of "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" kind of way. A free season ticket or match sponsorship package for providing a service perhaps?

This fairly basic piece of networking could provide an invaluable source of contacts which in the long run could turn a joke of a club store into a sleek operation with a huge increase in profits. The same could happen with other areas that at the moment are not professional enough.

There are so many people with good skills either in a job they can't stand or unemployed at the moment who could make such a difference at the club, but ideas like this are probably a bit too socialist to be put into practice.

James Brent has been in charge for nigh on a year now and yet the same old problems are still commonplace.