Devon Clubs

[Awayday]

Porkus is a good friend of mine Dave and while he does like to take the rise out of people he genuinely likes Torquay United and has been working tirelessly to raise money for the unpaid staff at Argyle. Don't take too much notice of what someone posts as banter, he's a top bloke.

Porkus is a gobby little argylian who spends most of his spare time in comic stores....

Obviously when I see him at the next 3G meeting I will back track and give the gorgeous young fellow a bit Hi5

[cosmic74]

As I am in Plymouth today, I thought I would pop down to Home Park. A dozen or so fans were outside the ground and appreciated a Torquay fan popping down to wish them luck. Had a chat with a few of them, they have been told that an anouncement on the future of the club will be made at 5 this afternoon. I do hope for their sakes that it is good news.

I then popped into the city centre and on royal parade by the civic centre there is a huge Arsenal soccer school stand. Talk about bad timing!!!

[Robiberto22]

yea me and a few mates went down to home park a couple of times last year and we had a very warm welcome both times even i as a torquay fan, they dont seem so bad realy lol, fingers crossed for em,

[Plymgull]

yea me and a few mates went down to home park a couple of times last year and we had a very warm welcome both times even i as a torquay fan, they dont seem so bad realy lol, fingers crossed for em,

Very different experience in my first visit to Home Park back in 2003 22nd of march, played Brentford. I was pushed down the flipping stairs in the Devonport end in case of mistaken identity i would gather as apparently i had said something to offend him yet i never even opened my mouth. Until after i had been pushed of course. Argyle won the league that year i think finishing top just above QPR.

How times have changed now. Still, i do hope Argyle stay afloat for the sake of Devon football more than anything.

[diamondgirl]

Hope they stay afloat (No pun intended) It's very sad to see any club go out of business (Unless it's creepy, of course). Good luck PAFC.

[yellowmonkey]

Would be sad to see them go but if you spend more than you earn, maybe a few footballers should have their wages capped.

[Robiberto22]

Very different experience in my first visit to Home Park back in 2003 22nd of march, played Brentford. I was pushed down the flipping stairs in the Devonport end in case of mistaken identity i would gather as apparently i had said something to offend him yet i never even opened my mouth. Until after i had been pushed of course. Argyle won the league that year i think finishing top just above QPR.

How times have changed now. Still, i do hope Argyle stay afloat for the sake of Devon football more than anything.[/quote]

that is poor form, i must say the second time we went last year they lost to southampton and came down to our level and we witnessed about 3 major scuffles, from were we were sitting/standing we ended up about 4 rows up at one point due to trying to avoid the rukus, the thing tht got me tho is when i saw some little kids get started on by fully grown men cus they thoght they was an exeter fans??? still treated us fine for the most part

it was like weston vs staines all over agin lol,

[Glostergull]

May be this is nothing other than he wants to find a club that pays him. If my job had not paid me for 8th months I would be long gone.

Don't be too sorry for him. He hasn't been there totaly unpaid. The PFA cover a lot of the wages with their insurance fund to make us for this sort of thing.
And don't forget that even at Torquay there are players on wages most of us would only dream about.
The talk of most players at leagues one and two level on salarys at the working mans level is total tosh. You will be very pushed to find even the average ones at only £350 to £400 a week. Most of them are on at least £700 to £1000 a week and many on far more. Thats £3600 to £52000.
Now I dont know about you but I would love to be on £30000 let alone 35k. and those of which there are many on 52k and above are way ahead of most of us. I get fed up with the continual moaning from players who claim they don't have much time to earn it. Oh yeah. well if you work hard at your game and go on to do 20 years in the league then you have earned far more in your lifetime than I will in my lifetime. even 15 years will give them money to set them up in their lifetime if used wisely. If you waste it then thats your fault. Don't come begging to us.
The players who get ( I don't use the word earn as they have it easy compared with us) 3k 0r 4k a week and there are several, might even be a few on more, Well think about it. Thats 150k to 200,00 a year. it takes the average guy 6 to 8 years to earn that. . we have 50 years service to get in before we retire if we don't do our uni now. 45 if many of us do, and that gets us on the average ladder now. 25k to 30k at best for most. x 45 gives 1.35 million. Football players will get close on 1million for a 15 year career and if they survive long then it's far more. and that assumes they retire from all work at 35. come on! they can get a job like the rest of us. it's not as if they have no options after football.
so all that tosh about having a short career doesn't wash with me. They get 2.5 to 3 times what I get on average plus expences, and that is without a career outside football. The games washed up and way over its head in expences. it should wake up to what we have to live with.

[cosmic74]

Good post Gloster. I completely agree especially with the 'we only work for 20 years', then have to survive. try telling that to the thousands in the Armed Forces, who only work for normally 22 years, and all exept that we have to embark on a new career at the end of it, normally for another bloody 20 odd years!!!

[Glostergull]

and the armed forces get shot at too not get to take pot shots with a goofy football. it makes my blood boil sometimes to see these whigers moan they got it hard.. A few months in afgan conditions or helping out at their own expence in Sudan or other poor nation would soon stop it.
I do remember a couple of years ago that loads of footballers pledged money to Children in need and it was reported afterward that most did not live up to thier pledge. Their like the sea food in Torquay. Shellfish

[kingsgull]

Glostergull...think you are a bit of the mark if you think TUFC are on that money...only perhaps Zebs was the exception but i can safely say that they are not on high wages...you maybe surprised...once you get to league 1 and championship then salaries get silly...
and to be fair they only get a 10-12 year proper playing career if you rule out apprenticeship period etc....

[Glostergull]

No I dont think so. remember the manager of Tiverton Town saying a while ago that he thought his players cared more about the money. what hairstyle they had and girls. They were on way too much money and I do know that they were not alone. I know one of the staff at Clevedon town. The players in the same league as Tivvy could not cope with the high demands of the players who could get as much if not more at their competitors. and many of their players were on £500 a week. Now I know the rescession has begun to bite but that was two years ago when the rescession had started. it won't be much less now and don't for one minute think that league clubs pay less. they don't. It's a shame that player power has ruined the game to a large extent. Money rules even at our level.

[Trojan 67]

Glostergull is bang on the money with his last couple of posts. I'm unsure at this moment in time as to whether that pun is intended or not.

[Southampton Gull]

Gloster is not on the money at all with regard to the wages being paid to our players. Some of the salaries being paid to our contracted players are less than those he quotes for Tiverton and Clevedon prima donnas.

[Trojan 67]

It never is itemised in the balance sheet who is on what.

Why is that ?