Welcome to The Gunner

WELCOME to the first of a new column dedicated to Albion and rugby union.
Older Albion supporters may remember the regular Gunner columns in the old Football Herald.
For decades The Gunner had a comment piece in the Saturday evening sports paper, alongside the likes of Flagstaff, who wrote on Devonport Services, and The Pilgrim, covering Argyle.
On a Saturday, The Gunner would look at topical issues relating to Albion, Devon and rugby in general, as well as occasionally taking a trip down memory lane.
We thought it was time The Gunner's regular rugby column was reborn - albeit in a new form.
Modern technology may be constantly moving forward, but why not use it to keep history alive?
Albion and The Herald have plenty of history and hopefully this column can be a link to that.
A search through The Gunner's columns between the war and the 1970s and you will see that certain issues constantly kept appearing - whether there should be competitive rugby, the impact of television, rugby union's battle to keep pace with football and rugby league, whether attractive rugby should be forsaken for winning rugby and how to improve club finances.
And when you look at it basically not too much has changed.
The rugby league issue may have virtually disappeared with the introduction of professional rugby union, but the others topics are still big talking points, albeit with the argument over whether there should be competitive rugby having been replaced with whether there should be promotion and relegation.
It is interesting to note that rugby league has once again decided to do away with promotion and relegation.
The Super League has opted to introduce a franchise system and earlier this week the 14 successful sides were confirmed. Those lucky 14 will now be guaranteed Super League rugby for three years.
Rugby league did away with promotion to the top flight for a short spell in the mid 1990s when they first launched the Sky-backed Super League and decided to have a team from London and Paris in it at the expense of the likes of long-standing and historical clubs like Widnes, Salford, Featherstone, Keighley and Batley.
Although the top flight clubs benefitted, it more or less killed the lower leagues. Supporters of national league sides lost interest because they knew their sides could never reach the top flight.
Hopefully, rugby union will not follow rugby league's example on the franchise system and get rid of promotion and relegation, although you would not bet against it.
It seems almost certain now that plans for two 12 team professional leagues will happen in rugby union, with a Premiership One and Premiership Two (didn't we have that once before!).
But all the current clubs in Division One are now panicking as they desperately don't want to be one of the four teams that are going to have to 'drop out'.
Which brings us back to the issue of finances.
There have been interesting stories coming out from both Albion and Exeter in the last few days in relation to finances.
Both Devon's leading two clubs, who have invested in new stadiums in the last few years, have been looking at ways to increase finances.
Exeter have announced a 'significant' rise in ticket prices (they are set to be the most expensive club to watch in Division One in 2008-09), whereas Albion have proposed a new share issue to raise extra funds.
Premiership rugby does not come cheap, especially with the strict ground criteria, but both Albion and Exeter have shown by investing in facilities, that they do want to be among the country's elite.
It will be interesting to see if Exeter's increase in prices has any affect on their attendances this coming season and whether many Albion supporters take up the club's offer to become a shareholder in the club.
However, far more interesting though will be how the pair get on this coming season.
The big kick-off is getting ever closer.
Supporters can now count down in days rather than weeks or months to the start of the National Division One season.
Every year it does seem like the summers get shorter.
At least rugby does have a longer break than football, although not much longer this year with the rugby season officially starting in August (can anyone else remember that happening before? They only used to be the odd trial match or pre-season friendlies in August)
But at least we have the Olympics before that.
Rugby may not be in it, but it is definitely worth watching, especially this year with so many Plymothians in it.
Some city success in Beijing may just offer inspiration to the rest of Plymouth's sporting fraternity.
Success does seem to breed success. Remember that year when Albion, Argyle and Raiders all won league titles in the same season?
What wouldn't all Plymothians give for another year like that?
Anyway, if you are interested in a nice little Albion Olympic-related story then look out for a future installment of The Gunner.