Poor Peter

We've now reached the point of the season when the first wave of panic traditionally sets in and any manager who hasn't chalked up at least two wins is reviewing his contract to see what the pay-off might be.

Was I the only person stunned though by Plymouth's sacking of Peter Reid given what he has had to contend with down there on the south coast?

I've been fortunate enough to cover a few Argyle games in the past and - even though it is located at the back end of beyond as far as most of the rest of the football world is concerned - it is a genuine sleeping giant. On support and passion alone the club belongs in the Championship, but years of  poor management have led to it propping up the other 91 professional league clubs.

But by 'poor management'  I don't necessarily mean by the football level of management at the club, but rather those suits who have given (or taken) stewardship of the club in the boardroom.

The latest suit is the publicity shy Peter Ridsdale - the man whose ego and bad judgment nearly saw off another great club in Leeds United.

After dismissing Reid, Risible cited that " football is a results business". Agreed, but to achieve results you need to be equipped to do the job.

The club's best players have been sold to keep the club alive (in fact around forty have been sold or released since the summer of last year), the squad has not been paid in full since the end of 2010 after the club went into administration (and these aren't highly paid superstars we're talking about) and the players are contemplating going on strike


Acting chairman Ridsdale said he left with "unreserved thanks for his contribution in helping keep the club alive during this turbulent period." He also admitted that: "Peter was sold a job that wasn’t at it was described." Given all of the above, surely it's better to stick with the man and all of his experience rather than effectively make him the scapegoat.


I suspect though that the Green Army won't forget Reid in a hurry - the man who sold his 1986 FA Cup runners-up medal to help ensure other staff members were paid and who forked out for the club's heating bill using his own cash.

And wasn't he the man who stuck by the club when he could have walked away as the going got tough last term?