Q & A With Plymouth Fans

Over the long summer months Plymouth Vital is continuing our popular Question and Answer sessions, but this time it’s the Argyle fans that we speak to.

In recent months Plymouth Vital has had exclusive interviews with Argyle personalities including former managers, players and directors and now it’s the turn of the supporters to be put under the spotlight.

We get to know each individual fan and find out their opinions on all things Green.
Neil Johnstone started the ball rolling on Monday and now it’s the turn of Emma.


Hi ya, my name is Emma – otherwise known as Norris’No1fan, I am 30 years old (a memorable one at that as the club totally messed up the message in the programme, putting my mum’s name in and not mine, however I did get a signed ball and an apology so I actually did quite well out of them!). I am back living in Cornwall following moving around the country with my job (children’s nurse) and since this time I have started to go back to Home Park.

I play in the military band that played at half time at last season’s last home match v Ipswich, that was a brilliant experience and I didn’t play a note because I was so excited! On the pub front I guess it’s the pre-match day routine – The Brit. Pasty. Game!

Anyway on to the questions I guess……….

Q: What are your thoughts on the 2006 -2007 season?

A: What a season it’s been, if anyone had said to me that Ollie would transform the club and get us into 11th spot and the quarter finals of the Cup I would have laughed in their face! The players we have brought in have been excellent and hopefully we can keep some of them for next season. Not 100% sure about Rory Fallon at the moment but I am coming round to everyone else’s thinking about Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and he is actually working harder and improving with every game.

It’s just a shame that we are all still up-in-the-air about the stadium being finished and it seems to be dragging on into next season now, but I am sure that it will get done eventually and we can carry on playing the way we did this season, to start filling it!

I have met loads of new mates through the club websites and forums as well this season so that’s always a bonus and there have been times this season that I couldn’t have been without them – so thanks guys for being there.


Q: Have you ever met any players?

A: Well funny you should mention that, I have in fact met most of them but most importantly have met David Norris (yes I do have a photo), and I also met Tony Capaldi and Luke McCormick when I was out the other evening, but meeting David was most definitely the highlight of 2005 for me!

Q: Do you think Ian Holloway can lead Argyle into the Premiership?

A: Maybe in the next couple of seasons but not quite yet, I don’t think we have the players or the ground for Premiership football at the moment, but I will keep my fingers crossed.

Q: Who is the most important player in the Argyle squad?

A: Is there one really important player? Football is a team sport as every player has proved this season and worked as a team. Last season when the results were going against us, heads used to go down and there was no fight back, this year they have fought to the end. I don’t think that you can pick one individual player to be honest.

Q: What has been your most proudest moment and worst moment as an Argyle fan?

A: I have two proudest moments, one was winning the League a couple of seasons ago and being there when the trophy was presented, what a fantastic day, David Friio got sent off but no-one cared, the sun was shining, the mexican wave was in full swing and it was brilliant.

The other was the FA Cup QF this season, just sitting at home watching the draw as well and in shock that we were in the draw, it was unbelievable and for ‘Little Plymouth’ to be flying the Championship flag was great. The game was brilliant, the atmosphere during and after the match was electric and the boys did everyone proud!

The worst moments for me have to be the loss to Leeds on New Years Day last season (at home) and this seasons loss away at Birmingham, we were poor. Oh and the injury to Hasney Aljofree at Southampton this season, so worrying when he didn’t move and was stretchered off, but luckily all was ok, but a horrible moment to sit there and watch the physio and medical team on the pitch.

Oh and probably the most annoying moment was the programme fiasco on my 30th (see above) a nightmare but really I did ok out of the club, everyone sang to me in the pub (wrongly I know) and I had a birthday kiss from a very nice young man – so it wasn’t all bad!

Q: Who do you think will be Argyle’s top scorer for next season?

A: I think it will be between SEB and Barry Hayles again in all fairness.

Q: Do you think that the Argyle board of directors were wrong to reject an offer of £5 million from a consortium of Argyle fans?

A: I don’t know, I think there was more to that than we know about, there was a reason why the board wouldn’t have accepted that offer.

Q: If you could invite three past or present Argyle players or managers to dinner, who would they be and what would you ask them?

A: Well the first one would have be David Norris – the reason is obvious, the lad is my favourite player and I have met him before. I don’t know what I would ask him. I think I would be all tongue-tied and choke on my food!

I would have to invite Ollie as I am intrigued to know where he gets all those quotes and sayings from – the man is a legend!

I went to school with Danny O’Hagan who played for Argyle about 15 or so years ago and I guess we would catch up on the school days and reminisce and all that sort of stuff and found out why he left Argyle.

Q: Away from the pitch what annoys or pleases you most about Argyle?

A: The poster that someone put up at work of the boys – to keep me happy in times of stress I think!

People who acknowledge you when you are in an Argyle kit and beep their car horns on a Sunday after the good games on a Saturday and the way that Argyle fans are with other sets of supporters. For example, we were walking from the Brit to Home Park with the Preston fans the other week, chatting away, no animosity or anything and that’s the way it should be, nice to not have a reputation like other clubs!

The players come to my work place every Christmas and they are all really nice and friendly – I am normally a blithering wreck when they come in – but they are a cracking set of lads and not a bad looking bunch either!

What annoys me are the fans who pitched up for the Watford cup game and we haven’t seen them at Home Park since, funny how an attendance falls by 10,000 in a week! People who refer to us as ‘Just Little Plymouth’, ‘teams like Plymouth’ etc. that’s very annoying! TV Programmes that focus on the ‘big clubs’ in the Championship and we have 2 seconds slots. Rant over!

Q: Will you be buying the new home or away shirt?

A: Probably not. I don’t really like round collars so won’t be getting the home one and I really don’t want to look like a Norwich fan so won’t be buying the yellow one.

Q: Where do see Argyle being in 5 years time?

A: In a brilliant improved stadium I hope! League wise I think that we will be in the Championship for a couple of seasons, you never know, we may have a trophy somewhere but we will have to wait and see!


Thanks to Emma for taking part.

You can chat to Emma and many other Argyle fans on our messageboard by clicking ‘Club Forums’ at the top of this page.

If you would like to take part in our supporters’ interviews over the summer, then contact me by email on plymouth@vitalfootball.co.uk