Argyle board has taken its eye off the ball

FORMER PRESIDENT CHRIS WEBB SAYS THE PILGRIMS HIERARCHY HAS LOST SIGHT OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR FANS - THE TEAM ON THE PITCH

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FOURTEEN years ago this week Argyle exited administration. A double relegation, stripped of all our best players and cut adrift at the bottom of the whole football league. Yet strangely, the whole club was unified. Players, staff and supporters together as one.

Fast forward to today and nothing could be further from the truth. When asked to write this piece I thought long and hard about it. I know what will come my way - “He’s just James Brent's mate”, “He's bitter” and more.

So let me start when an emphatic positive which dispels any motive from me. For large parts of his time at Home Park, Simon Hallett has been the best owner in Argyle's history.

He has invested more of his family's money than all the previous custodians in the history of the club put together. He has overseen significant growth in infrastructure and therefore income. Who can forget Burton at home, Port Vale away and so many great Home Park days in our first season back in the Championship. None of that was achieved without the leadership of the Argyle board. And they were rightly praised for it.

What every Argyle fan should have learned from nearly losing our club was praise when it is due but challenge when that's needed as well. And we have reached that moment.

And I'm not talking about the things nobody could predict like back luck on the pitch, a striker missing an open goal or a terrible refereeing call. I am talking about a club that has its priorities wrong.

Appointing Ian Foster when we desperately needed experience. Appointing Wayne Rooney when the evidence was so clear it would end in disaster. Giving neither a suitable backroom team.