Argyle chief executive reassures fans after job cuts

Plymouth Argyle chief executive Paul Berne says there is no reason for fans to worry about the future of the club despite the Pilgrims looking to cut jobs.

Around 18 roles could be cut as the club consults with staff as part of cost-saving measures following relegation from the Championship in May.

Owner Simon Hallett lent the club £9.8m following their relegation, according to Argyle's most recent accounts.

Hallett has loaned the club more than £12m since June 2024, on top of millions more he has invested in infrastructure and funding since taking over as owner in 2018.

"My job is to try and manage the football club as sensibly as possible and that's why we're undertaking some of this activity," Berne told BBC Spotlight.

"We're not at a stage where administration is a challenge because Simon's there to support us.

"Like many football clubs in this country, without an ownership who are going to support the financials of the club, the finances are perilous, but we do have Simon there.

"So what I've got to try and do is try and be as sensible as possible with the financials, and Simon's supportive of the club overall."

Hallett is seeking outside investment for the club - a proposed deal to sell a stake in the Pilgrims with unnamed investors collapsed last May.

He has paid to reconstruct the Mayflower grandstand at Home Park and the development of the new Foulston Park training base.

His aim in 2019 was to make Argyle a sustainable Championship club, able to meet its costs by its own earning rather than rely on owner help.

But, as costs have spiralled in English football, Berne admits that target has become more difficult to achieve.

"We're trying to be as sustainable as we can and be as competitive as we can, and trying to make those two things come together is the challenge for us," he added.

"Simon has said that he's happy to take the club to a certain level, but beyond that it's going to need external investment.

"So I don't think that the core of that really changes, we try and be as sustainable as we can and this activity that we're undertaking today is part of that equation.

"But looking for external investment so we can we can move on even further is still the plan."

After Argyle were promoted to the Championship in 2023 fans were critical of poor decision-making by the club's hierarchy.

The ill-fated appointment of Ian Foster to succeed Steven Schumacher as head coach in January 2024 almost cost the club its place in the division in its first season.

There was further criticism of the decision to appoint Wayne Rooney as boss in the summer of 2024 after his ill-fated spell at Birmingham City, and the club did not recover from their poor form under him which led to his departure at the end of December that year.

There was also unhappiness at recruitment as the Pilgrims struggled to score goals and a number of attacking signings, such as Michael Baidoo, Rami Al Hajj and Muhamed Tijani, failed to have an impact last season.

"Not every decision has been a good one and I think the club is circumspect about looking at those things and thinking, 'okay, we could have done this and this differently'," added Berne, who was named as chief executive in October and took charge in January.

"I'm not going to identify individual things, but I think as a club we try and learn from those things, both as a board and staff who are there every day, and on the footballing side as well.

"We're stronger because we are learning from the things that have happened to us, both good and bad.

"We had two seasons in the Championship and there was a lot to like there.

"We had some really great games at Home Park, the stadium was full every weekend, of course it's disappointing to come down, but it was good to have two seasons in the Championship, so we want to get back there really.

"I think the really big challenge though is that football is more and more difficult financially across the board, and it's not just Argyle that are feeling that."