Plymouth Argyle staff and stars 'have not been paid' as financial woes deepen

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Tuesday, November 30, 2010
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This is Devon

PLAYERS and staff at Plymouth Argyle have not been paid this month as the Pilgrims' financial woes deepen, The Herald understands.

The cash-strapped football club faces the risk of being wound up next week as it goes to London's High Court for the third time in a year over unpaid tax bills.

It is understood bosses have been unable to pay any members of staff for November after Plymouth Argyle Football Company Limited's bank account was frozen.

Nobody from Argyle was available for comment last night, but it is understood all first-team players are missing their monthly wages, which are now three days late.

It is not the first time there have been problems paying staff at Home Park.

Last month, Argyle executive director Keith Todd admitted there had been 'a couple of delays' in paying wages, and called the situation 'embarrassing and unfortunate'.

Mr Todd was unavailable for comment last night.

Both the football club and the company created by Argyle's board of directors to take ownership of the Home Park stadium will find themselves before a High Court judge next Wednesday, December 8.

HM Revenue and Customs has brought winding-up petitions against both the Plymouth Argyle Football Company Limited and Home Park Properties Limited.

In cases such as this, a company's bank account is often frozen, while it is Football League policy to impose a transfer embargo on the club in question until its tax bill has been settled.

The court appearance will come just nine days after the decisive vote on whether England will host the 2018 football World Cup.

Plymouth is on the list of potential host cities and Argyle has plans for large-scale commercial development around the ground, including turning Home Park into a 46,000-seater stadium.

The Pilgrims are due to travel to Milton Keynes Dons for their next League One clash on Saturday, with manager Peter Reid insisting it is business as usual.

The club is actively seeking investors and has been in talks with high-profile former Leeds United and Cardiff City chairman Peter Ridsdale.

Argyle is not the only football club to have faced an HMRC winding-up order in the past year.

Rochdale, Southend United, Notts County, Cardiff City, Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth have also been served with them.

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  • Profile image for This is Devon

    by Richard, Bristol

    Wednesday, December 01 2010, 12:04PM

    “From Matt Lanson

    Richard, we regularly got gates of 16,000 under Ollie and averaged 14,000!

    Considering where we were in the league that is a pretty shocking gate. certainly we had some of the lowest crowds in the Championship. For Holloway's last home game I think the crowd was 12,000, whereas at his first game for Leicester it was nearer to £30,000. That¿s the difference. We are a small club and I¿m not knocking the fans because I¿m one of them and in reality there are only about £8,000 of us with a few hangers on in the good times.

    The majority of people in Plymouth in apathetic to Argyle and would rather follow Man Utd, Liverpool etc on Sky”

  • Profile image for This is Devon

    by Waraqah, London

    Wednesday, December 01 2010, 10:21AM

    “@ Peter, Exeter "Even if we get the World cup, Argyle aren't guaranteed to be involved anyway." If you look at the FA's wbsite, www.thefa.com, you'll see that Plymouth is listed as one of twelve Host Cities. It's the stadiums in Host Cities with two or more potential venues which will be facing the cut.”

  • Profile image for This is Devon

    by Happyzone, Plymouth

    Wednesday, December 01 2010, 2:28AM

    “Good riddance Argyle. Run by those interested in filling their own boots (why else create a property company? Seems as though the rot at the top in FIFA has worked its way down..) living in cloud cuckoo land (a 46,000 capacity stadium, in Plymouth...! Who are they kidding and who's going to pay?!). And yes, it's a sweet revenge for the unsolicited beating I received from your brave TCE boys 14 years ago. Oh, believe me, revenge is SWEET... :) RIP.”

  • Profile image for This is Devon

    by Bengie, St Budeaux

    Wednesday, December 01 2010, 12:08AM

    “"I'm not a Gordon Gekko but I know that if you spend more than what's coming in, your business goes up the spout Mick, Barbican"

    And the proof of that is to look at what Gordon Brown did to the country.”

  • Profile image for This is Devon

    by Brian, Plymouth

    Tuesday, November 30 2010, 10:29PM

    “Agree, that the fans must turn up in large numbers to save the club despite who's in charge. It's money thru the turnstiles that count and if we want a professional football team in Plymouth, Argyle are the only choice and frankly they are the only choice I want.
    I've supported the greens since I was at school (the Mariner/Rafferty years) and we've always had crap chairmen (anyone remember Daniels??). It's the survival of the club that counts, it's all very well saying we will vote wiv our feet and stay away, but ur just putting at risk the future of the club.
    I tell you a fans co-operative wont come to the clubs rescue, we've already seen how faithful many fans are when the going gets rough, you don't see them 4 dust.
    In an opinion poll argyle fans come pretty close to the top of the list when it comes to lack of support for their club. Let's prove them wrong and support the Greens...loudly

    C O Y G's !”

  • Profile image for This is Devon

    by Pilgrim Peter, Plymouth

    Tuesday, November 30 2010, 8:44PM

    “I bought my Exeter ticket. I guess its time to pull together for the greater good of the club.”

  • Profile image for This is Devon

    by John Ruskin, Plymouth

    Tuesday, November 30 2010, 8:18PM

    “Plymouth Argyle has not paid their taxes, have not paid their Players, have not paid their staff. I wonder if they have paid their local taxes and their rent on the training pitches they hold on lease?
    I just have this feeling that they are not only screwing the taxman but they are also screwing the people of Plymouth who are probably subsidising them out of our own taxes!.
    I wonder how the club and our council justify their decision to invest the £19 million of our taxes Vivian Pengelly has already committed to getting the World Cup to Plymouth and helping the club build a new stadium for the tournament.
    When these money men start to think about what is good for Plymouth and not their own bank balances then perhaps they will deserve our support, until then I, and I hope the rest of Plymouth, will treat them with caution and give them no more than they have given us ¿ Nothing !.”

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    by Terry, Tavistock

    Tuesday, November 30 2010, 8:02PM

    “I'm nervous about Ridsale, not for his reputation which for all I know may be unwarranted. I'm worried that he may come in and secure the positions of Gardner, Todd and Stapleton. And that really would be crazy, lunatic, absurd not to mention plain catastrophic.

    Let's say Argyle go into administration. In that case let's hope that whoever buys the club has more than a passing interest in football. Even better let's hope that some of them care about Argyle.

    That would rule out the three buffoons.”

  • Profile image for This is Devon

    by B A Grudge, 1 Better Place, Plymouth, Devon

    Tuesday, November 30 2010, 7:44PM

    “There is a saying what goes around comes around.......

    The curse on them started the day they dumped (unfairly dismissed) one of my family from the staff. The subsequent relegation and what is happening now is just what they deserve.

    Bear A Grudge?... oh yes certainly!”

  • Profile image for This is Devon

    by St.George, England

    Tuesday, November 30 2010, 7:11PM

    “bah humbug where the auto spell thingy when ya need it :-) little bit tooo much brandy and wskey in the pudding mix me thinks.”

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