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Argyle chairman blames Holloway!


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Taken from the sportinglife.com

Very interesting!certainly spices things up for saturday.

Plymouth Argyle chairman Paul Stapleton insists the lion's share of the blame for last month's player sales lies with former boss Ian Holloway.

Stapleton has launched a fierce defence of his club's January transfer policy following criticism from some sections of the Argyle fanbase.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, David Norris, Dan Gosling and Barry Hayles - the latter linked up with Holloway at Leicester - all left the Championship outfit last month, while midfielder Akos Buzsaky completed a permanent move to QPR.

Holloway left Home Park in November to take over at the Foxes and, ahead of Argyle's weekend trip to face the Foxes at the Walkers Stadium, Stapleton has hit out at Holloway's influence in the departures.

In a six-part statement issued via the club's official website, he spoke frankly about the moves, and specifically the one which saw striker Ebanks-Blake leave for Wolves after the Molineux club met a release clause in his deal.

Stapleton said: "It has been well documented that the only way we could get Sylvan to sign for us from Manchester United (in summer 2006) was to agree to a clause that allowed him to leave if a club offered £1.5million for him.

"We knew that agreeing to that clause was the only way we could get Sylvan and Ian Holloway begged us to get him.

"What a lot of people do not know was that we tried to talk to his agent about a new contract which would have seen that clause removed for due financial consideration.

"But when the matter came up at a board meeting, Ian told us not to do it.

"Ian said he was not happy with Sylvan's level of fitness and sometimes questionable attitude and said that, if we received an offer for £1.5million, we should accept it.

"Exactly two weeks later, Ian left for Leicester."

Influential midfielder Norris left for Ipswich on deadline day after a month filled with speculation about his future and Stapleton hit out at his conduct - and again suggested Holloway was behind the move.

He continued: "The problem began because last summer he was told by Ian Holloway that he could leave the club in January.

"David got a bit confused, I think, and believed that the board had agreed he could leave in January.

"January 2 came, and he came to see me, saying he wanted to go. He saw me many more times in January, each time saying he wanted to go.

"At one point he said he would stay if we gave him £10,000 a week for the rest of the season and let him go in the summer for £500,000.

"He badgered us to death - I saw Norris more times in January than I saw my family.

"Two days before the transfer deadline, he told me he was never going to play for Argyle again.

"We had a player who categorically stated he wanted to go, that he didn't want to be at Argyle any more, wanted to safeguard his future, wanted to be near his family, and was adamant he'd been promised a move.

"I believe it was all down to this promise. Ian not only told him he would get his move at Christmas, but that he would get his wages increased in September.

"Ian came to the board and told us that, and we said we couldn't see the point of increasing his wages in September and then letting him leave in January. Where was the point of that?

"We wanted to look at his contract in January, to give him another year and more money.

"Ian got upset at that because he had already promised the player something different, something that he had not come to the board about."

Youngster Gosling moved to Everton and although Stapleton insisted the club "couldn't stand in his way", he again revealed the "seeds had already been sewn by Ian Holloway."

Buzsaky, meanwhile, departed for Loftus Road initially on loan in early November and Stapleton added: "I personally liked Akos. I don't think he particularly wanted to leave.

"We were talking about Buzsaky with Ian and agreed his wages for a new contract.

"Akos' agent wanted a chunk of money, which caused a bit of fuss. We were quite against paying that extra money because we felt it wasn't appropriate for a player who was already with us.

"Ian then said he was not fussed if Akos went. He said he was not universally liked in the dressing room.

"I told Ian that he didn't have to sell Akos. We would have kept him but you have got to back your manager."

Stapleton also revealed that new manager Paul Sturrock was happy for Hayles to join up with Holloway at Leicester because he "didn't think he could get the best out him" as it was felt he would leave in the summer regardless.

He also insisted that the timing of his statement had nothing to do with Saturday evening's upcoming fixture against Holloway's new side.

"All these things happened during Ian's tenure," Stapleton added.

"But we didn't want Ian to go - we wanted him to see things through with us.

"I know some people will think that the timing of this is not the best, seeing as we play Leicester at the weekend, but these things have been on my mind for some time now.

"I've got to say what I think and I've got to let the fans know something of what's been going on. These are the facts."

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Three cheers for Stapleton. It's about time chairman came out against the tricks managers get up to. escpeially Holloword. It was quite funny to hear |Hollowrd say something like: 'I'm leaving it to my legal team and then take action'. What action?. Does this man not realise he has not got a leg to stand on. Board meetings are minuted which means Stapleton must have had the backing of the board to write this as well as being given the go ahead by the clubs lawyers. I hope when this is over and Hollword puts his repuation (he!, he!) on the line then the big legal pay out by this man will go straight into Argyle's war chest.

Lets hope Argyle send the foxes scuttling back to whence they came

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Come on Leicester City win this one,Ollie took Argyle as far as he could and is getting the blame for making the club some money,Sturrock is a great manager and with a bit of money to spend next season from the players that Ollie made the Chairman sell? He can build a new squad.

Argyle will never be a Premier team because the support from Plymouth isnt good enough,take away the Cornish fans and it would be about 7000 average,but Leicester have been there and average 21000,Ollie did his best,but support your team or lose your best players and your manager,its called progress.

Watch this space,in a couple of years time the fans of Argyle will walk away and be wearing the shirts of Truro City and following them around the country,hopefully. ;0) :c::c: :c:

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Still think it will be a boring 0-0 Stalemate,one thing for sure is that there will be no animosity between Ollie and Sturrock,and no running around from Ollie if City score,just the fans baiting each other.

But deep down R and I i hope you are wrong and City win. ;0) :yahoo:

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