Argyle 2 Watford 1
By: Jim |
Add Comments
A first home win since Boxing Day was greeted by the Home Park faithful with roars of delight and no little relief. Like Saturday, the results of the teams around us meant that the three points were vital just to stay out of the drop zone: and the beating of a team with relegation worries of their own was thus doubly vital. But the bare statistics aside, Argyle and the ‘Orns played out an entertaining encounter in far from ideal conditions which, in the end, Argyle deservedly won. Before the match, Bob The Pessimist, who sits behind me, informed us all that his mother-in-law had called the last three games correctly and had told him before he set off that, “You’ll win - it’ll be a bit tense, but you’ll be OK”. So it proved.
Sturrock opted for just one change - the ‘other’ on-loan Blackburnite Alan Judge in for Chris Clark. The bigger surprises were sprung by Rodgers, whose decision to leave out McAnuff, Cork and most bizarrely of all Tommy Smith was mystifying to say the least. But Watford had the early pressure, with both Hoskins and Cowie whipping in dangerous crosses from the right in the first three minutes leaving the Argyle defence statuesque. By this time Mike Williamson, the former Wycombe centre-back, whom Argyle had once been rumoured to be on the point of bringing in, was in the book for a walloping challenge on Barnes and as the half wore on Argyle grew in confidence and - heavens preserve us - actually began playing some football. Barnes was giving Williamson a torrid time: his low centre of gravity and speed of turn (sic) making him a real handful. Carl Fletcher was dominating Lee Williamson and Jenkins in midfield. Alan Judge was pacy and committed and Mackie had the beating of Jon Harley every single time. In short, we were all over them. Barnes hit the bar with a stunning turn and shot from the edge of the area: and then did it again five minutes later with a header from a Gallagher free-kick. In between, the howls of protest from the Green Army reached fever pitch as Williamson flattened Gallagher but was given, instead of the second yellow and red he undoubtedly deserved, an absolutely final final warning by referee Nigel Miller. It looked, for all the world, as if it was going to be one of *those evenings again.
Just as the conspiracy theorists were dusting down their evidence, though, Judge burst through on the left. His powerful run took him into the box: and just when he seemed to have run out of room, Gavin Hoyte inexplicably decided to slice him in two, leaving Miller with no option but to point to the spot. Gally grabbed the ball and, after waiting for the whistle with his back to goal, slammed it into the top right hand corner. It was the very least we deserved. Malky Mackay was sent from the dugout for reasons not immediately clear and Argyle played out the last ten minutes of the half in some comfort.
Unsurprisingly, Rodgers chose to replace the willing but limited Hoskins with the talismanic and talented Smith. Immediately Watford looked a different proposition: we always struggle against genuine pace, and while Smith has that in abundance, he is also one of the League’s most skillful and tricky players. Jamie Mackie could learn plenty from him. The pitch also seemed to be taking its toll: suddenly the youthful Jenkins was quicker to the ball than the aging Fletcher and Duguid and Argyle were being forced on to the back foot, with the ball coming straight back at us every time we cleared our lines. And then, right on cue, one of those calamitous defensive errors which we really ought to be down at the Patent Office protecting our copyright on. Cathcart dithered; Seip slipped; Cathcart looked at the ball and Smith, with almost literally a cheery wave of thanks, dived in, rounded Larrieu and fired home. The crowd slumped into that far-too-familiar attitude of heartbreak and resignation and you could see the confidence and the belief drain out of the men in green. All Watford now: surely only a matter of time before they scored again.
With Mackie increasingly isolated on the right hand side and Williamson now winning his battles against Barnes, mainly because the balls being played to him were above his head rather than at his chest, Sturrock made a positional switch. Mackie up front, Judge to the right, Gallagher to the left. Within a minute the magic had worked. Judge came inside, slid the ball across, Mackie dummied exquisitely and there was Gallagher to take a stride and sidefoot home past a despairing Loach. Surely this time, we could hold on. Rodgers, to my despair, threw on Rasiak: in a fit of superstition I bit my tongue and refused to say out loud, “He always scores against us”. And in all truth, bar one almighty scramble at the end with Cathcart doing his utmost to turn the ball into his own net and the Watford players and bench screaming for a penalty (for what precisely none seem able to divine but they), it was a relatively panic-free last fifteen. It sure didn’t feel like it though.
The emergence - utterly unexpected - of Barnes as a starting striker is probably the biggest plus point of our season to date. Our bloated squad clearly needs culling, and up until last Friday I would guess that he would have been high on people’s lists to be out the door. No longer - at least on the evidence of last night. That may be bad news for MacLean and Easter - but it is great news for us. He needs a longer contract NOW. As far as the relegation picture is concerned, it just gets murkier by the week. Only Blackpool, Barnsley and Charlton failed to win either of their games Saturday and Tuesday and us, Saints and Forest won both. Watford showed plenty to suggest they will still be here next season: if we are to join them, we need 11 more points. Three wins, two draws. Ten games. Come on. COME ON.
Category: Team News
Argyle v Watford - preview
By: Jim | 1 Comment
Well well well. A long-overdue and unexpected triumph at Molineux (and necessary, given the fact that no few than FIVE of the bottom seven won on Saturday) has lifted the atmosphere around Home Park and injected just a little more belief into the beleaguered Pilgrims. Saturday’s performance was, so they say, solid and committed, with Ashley Barnes a revelation on his full debut, Gallagher back to close to his best and Chris Barker a stand-out in his battle with the much-lauded Kightly. From the bare stats - a 1-0 win after a goal in the opening 40 seconds - you might imagine it was a case of backs-to-the-wall from there on in, but apparently we had several chances to extend our lead and Wolves rarely threatened, a couple of Ebanks-Blake misses and dubious penalty shouts aside. At the final whistle, we celebrated as though we had won promotion: that and the recent innovation of the post-match huddle ought to have settled any doubts about the strength of unity within the team.
Tomorrow’s game is massive, no question. Watford have been among the strugglers all season and having taken a while to adjust to Brendan Rodgers now, frustratingly for us, have found some form at the crucial time - three wins on the bounce, the latest being a routine disposal of virtually the same Palace side that stuffed us at HP a fortnight ago. I have here for you the lowdown on the ‘Orns courteousy of Watford fan (and author) Matt Rowson:
“Scoring goals hasn’t really been a problem all season, but we’ve been awful defensively and as you’ll be aware that just mashes a team’s confidence after a while.
One of Rodgers’ first signings was Mike Williamson from Wycombe. Despite our reputation as a big ugly team, we actually didn’t have a six footer in the back four before his arrival. Now… he’s six foot four, wins every bloody thing in the air and isn’t bad on the deck. He’s brought the best out of Demerit, who always looked better alongside a “senior” partner and suddenly we’ve kept four clean sheets in five league games since Williamson’s arrival (the other away at Wolves, coincidentally).
So…Loach in goal, a good stopper but doesn’t command his area enough. Mariappa probably right back, a very good defender, consistently impressive despite chaos around him this season. Doyley at left back - our longest serving player, terrific defensively and would have been at a higher level had he been able to pass water. But Rodgers seems to have instilled some confidence in that regard, hence the new “Lloydinho” nickname. Doubt over Demerit… if he’s not fit Mariappa will play CB, Doyley (who is right footed) to RB and your mate Jon Harley at LB. He’s a nasty bugger, but he’s our nasty bugger…. alternatively, with Doyley impressing on the left, solid but unspectacular Arsenal loanee Gavin Hoyte in at RB.
Midfield… another Rodgers signing, Jack Cork is the main man in the centre. He looks like a real player, and there’s as much chance of us signig him permanently as there is of me swimming to the moon. Alongsside him… Ross Jenkins (no relation, but WHAT a name for a Watford youngster) who IS our player and looks magnificent. Cork is nineteen, Jenkins eighteen, Colin tried to rough them up on Saturday predictably enough with little effect.
On the right… Don Cowie, another recent signing from Inverness. Not an out-and-out winger, he times his runs well and gets through a lot of work. On the left, McAnuff who was a boo boy a couple of months ago but - again - has been rejuvenated by Rodgers and looks like the player we thought we’d signed eighteen months ago.
Tommy Smith will play just off the main striker; Player of the Year last year and probably this, he may well be off in the summer but we’re surprised and delighted to have held onto him this long. Tamas Priskin will probably come in after suspension and replace Rasiak, a great finisher, terrific touch, doesn’t impose himself enough but another who has improved enormously under Rodgers.
And for the first time in ages we have strength on the bench… probably Lee (GK), Hoyte, Lee Williamson, Hoskins and either Rasiak or Mat Sadler.”
Thanks Matt. As for the Greens, I expect Luggy to make changes - four games in 11 days is not clever, and we have been poor this season at coping with games coming thick and fast. So, despite his plaudits, expect to see Fallon in for Barnes and possibly Noone for Mackie. The back four should stay the same, assuming no new injuries. That would mean a side looking like:
Larrieu
Gray
Seip
Cathcart
Barker
Clark
Duguid
Fletcher
Noone
Gallagher
Fallon
————
Barnes
Easter
Sawyer
Summerfield
Mackie
As I said, four games in 11 days. Assuming 53 points to be guaranteed safety (no team has ever gone down on 53), Argyle are 14 away. Two wins and two draws over the next four games would do an awful lot to calm everybody’s nerves and settle us down. Tomorrow night could be a real rip-roarer, both teams going for it in an attempt to put some clear blue water between them and the dogfight below. We *really need to build on Saturday. Don’t let us down, boys.
Category: Team NewsI know I am, I’m sure I am….
By: Jim | 2 Comments
The vultures are circling. Sky expected Sturrock to be sacked last night, following another home defeat, this time to Neil Warnock’s Palace. And sure, one win in 15 is sackable form. Maybe he will go. Maybe he will be given Saturday’s game at home to Sheffield Utd to try to pull something out of the fire. I haven’t been since the 2-0 defeat at home to Bristol City - not out of protest, you understand, but because of a couple of cracked ribs making it impossible for me to move, much less cheer. But if I possibly can, I will be there on Saturday, doing my bit for my team.
You see, this isn’t a piece debating the merits or otherwise of a change of manager. It isn’t even a debate on who should take over the reins, should Stapleton decide a change is needed. Nor - unusually - is it a trenchant critique of the financial restrictions under which the manager has had to operate. It’s simply a statement of fact. I’m Argyle till I die. Come what may. Regardless of the quality of the football, regardless of the league we play in, regardless of who is in charge, I’m a Pilgrim and for me, that means turning up. That’s what it means to be a fan. Logic, sense, even sanity don’t come into it. For better or worse, I’m Argyle. And being an Argyle fan has affected everything about who I am: where I choose to live; the work I choose to do; how I bring up my kids; what I spend my money on; everything. This club means something to me. Yes, it lets me down. Yes, it is unbearably painful to watch at the moment, as years of progress and hard work slide down the toilet. But that is football, and that is Argyle. I’ve experienced relegation before: I expect to experience it again. If we go down, it won’t change how I feel about my team; won’t change my desire for going to watch them; won’t change my passion.
Now, some would say that that attitude is deluded. Some might say that there comes a point when it just isn’t worth putting yourself through the misery and frustration, the heartache and the disappointment, just to be let down time and time again. Some might draw clumsy analogies with failing personal relationships, likening Argyle to a partner who repeatedly cheats on you, lets you down and still you stay with them. To all of those, I say, Yes, you’re probably right. But being a football fan is precisely about the pain and the heartache, the disappointment and the sheer blind delusory behaviour of continuing to go, come what may. And to all those now publically announcing they are through with Argyle, I say simply this. Bye then. But when you come back, when times are better and we are actually winning a game or two, remember this. The ecstasy and the delight that you may feel at our success will *always be tarnished for you by the knowledge that when times were hard you packed it in. You can’t, in your heart of hearts, enjoy it as much because you know you aren’t a fan. Just a good time girl with the same loyalty and commitment.
It saddens me, that people who sat through the Hodges years, the Kemp years, the Kelly years are saying that they have *now had enough. Saddens, and mystifies me. If we go down, we go down. But even if we don’t win another game this season, we have still seen worse - far worse - days than this. Why bail now - when our fate is *far from certain, when with a change in fortune we can still pull ourselves out of this? It doesn’t make any sense to me. But then, the number of people with “second teams” has always been a mystery to me too - perhaps the two things are related in some strange way…
Whatever happens over the next 13 games, I will be living and dying every minute of it - in the flesh as much as possible. I’m MORE likely to go to away games I’d previously ruled out for financial reasons than I was before our predicament got so severe. And I will be there in League 1 if that’s where we end up next season. Even if I’m there on my own. Sane or not; reasonable or not; come what may, I’m Argyle till I die. And I’m not doing a runner because of one shitty season.
Category: Team NewsArgyle v Derby - preview
By: Jim | 3 Comments
Following two creditable away points, at Ipswich and PNE, expectation levels have risen to, oh at least cautious optimism. Described - as so many of our games now are - as a ‘must win’, tomorrow’s clash at Home Park with the Rams will undoubtedly have a nervous edge to it. Derby are, perhaps a little surprisingly, down among the relegation candidates and the new regime under Nigel Clough has yet to bed in properly. But Pilgrims beware: Derby are a team with quality players, if not yet a quality team; and they will have been hugely buoyed from their come-from-behind Cup win over the annoying Billy Davies and his upwardly mobile Forest side. In Kris Commons, Rob Hulse and Paul Green they have players capable of winning a match on their own and with Nathan Ellington, Luke Varney and new capture Chris Porter plenty of options in attack. It’s at the back where they look vulnerable - former Argyle booboy Paul Connolly was always good for one moment of madness per game during his time here; Jordan Stewart similarly so at Watford and I’ve never been totally convinced by Lewin Nyatanga or Dean Leacock, either.
Argyle are injury-ravaged, with Gray and McNamee definitely out, Seip, Cathcart, Barker and Gallagher doubtful. The new formation, with Mackie and Fallon up top, appears to be working though and it’s hard to see Sturrock changing that too much. Walton appears to be being given an extended run in the side, which is no bad thing: but he needs to deliver on his undoubted potential an above all, CALM DOWN DEAR. Some are seeing the partnering of two ‘combative’ midfielders in Walton and Duguid as an essentially negative approach - for me, it’s more Luggy returning to his roots and placing the emphasis for creativity on the wide men. During his previous spell here, he invariably played Frio with Adams or Hodges: and only those who never saw him play could describe Frio as a playmaker. Walton can certainly do the box-to-box thing (though he is overdue a goal). Meanwhile, at this level, width is increasingly dependent on fullbacks getting forward to support wide midfield players - and there’s no doubt that (eg) Clark at RB and Sawyer at left back would be better options than Doumbe/Barker.
Even with everybody fit, I can see Timar retaining his place and being detailed to look after Hulse. Other key battles will be Green and Walton in the midfield and the extent to which our fullbacks, whoever they may be, being able to cope with Commons and Teale. Above all, we need to take the game to Derby early on: if we give them time and space they will kill us. All this then points to a squad something like:
Larrieu
Clark
Doumbe
Timar
Sawyer
Gallagher/Judge
Walton
Duguid
Noone
Mackie
Fallon
—————–
MacLean
Mpenza/Barnes
Summerfield
Paterson
Folly
There remains some residual doubt about the game being on - apparently Derby have had to alter their plans to fly down and come by coach. Some forecasts also have heavy snow in the Plymouth area overnight. The groundstaff are apparently confident of being able to cope. Let’s see.
Category: Team NewsThe Champions’ League Is Killing Football
By: Jim | 1 Comment
(Note - this article was first published in Rub Of The Greens 101)
Soon, it will begin again. The twice-weekly orgy of “top European football” will once again dominate our screens (thrice-weekly if you include the devalued UEFA Cup or whatever it’s going to be ‘rebranded’ as) and we will have to endure, again, the hyperbole and hysteria on our television screens, in our newspapers and in our workplaces. We will be fed pat lines about European glory (by which, of course, is meant wealth beyond the dreams of Croesus – or Sheikh Mansur as his modern incarnation is) and sit through two-legged matches of unbelievable tedium, largely because they are they same dour Big Four Showdowns that coincide in the Premiership by some fluke of scheduling year after year.
It didn’t use to be like this. European nights used to know their place. They were an exotic diversion on a Wednesday, with live coverage on Radio 2’s European Soccer Special and highlights on both terrestrial main channels. European Cup, Cup-Winners’-Cup, UEFA Cup all on the one night. And none of this group stage nonsense: a straightforward, unseeded draw for a straight knockout Cup competition over two legs (except the final). Perfect. Qualification was straightforward. Only the Champions could qualify for the European Cup – which, given that its full name was the European Champions’ Cup, is as it should be. The only concession was that the holders qualified as of right – a concession which led to England having two representatives on a handful of occasions, most notably in 1978-9, when Liverpool (holders) and Nottingham Forest (Division One Champions) were drawn against each other in the First Round. For the (now defunct – why?) Cup Winners’ Cup, again as the name suggests, only the winners of each European domestic Cup competition could qualify, exceptions being made only for the holders and in those cases were the Cup winners automatically qualified for the European Cup, in which case the runners-up took their place. And the UEFA Cup took four qualifiers from the top four finishers in each domestic league who hadn’t already qualified for another European competition. Simple.
Back in the days, people had a sense of perspective about Europe. Failing to qualify, or being knocked out at an early stage, did not produce the outpouring of wailing and gnashing of teeth we are now subjected to. Over and over again the mantra is repeated: nothing is more important than European qualification. Eyebrows are raised when managers are seen to be taking, for example, the FA Cup more seriously than finishing in a Champions’ League qualifying spot. This is, surely, incontrovertible evidence of a football world gone mad. Finishing fourth is more important than winning a trophy. It’s the FA Cup, for crying out loud, not the Zenith Data Systems Lost In Translation Irrelevance Vase. Yet fans of the so-called Big Four nod sagely and buy into this bullshit. What happened to glory? What happened to honour? What happened to winning a trophy? But no – nowadays, to misquote Matt Johnson, we can’t see the trophies for the dollar signs in our eyes. What’s football got left to fight for when its bought its success?
The massive, massive injection of TV revenue into a tiny handful of already successful European clubs through the Champions League has had a catastrophic distorting effect on the worldwide game. Previously, it has been just possible for well-managed and astutely coached teams to win a Championship – Forest 78, Villa 81, Leeds 92 for example. This is now no longer the case. Massive sugardaddy subsidy aside, the door of Premiership success is now firmly closed to all but the elite. The same clubs qualify for the Champions’ League; the same clubs reap the groaning cashcow benefits, by means of which their position is protected. And this is true across Europe. And thanks to football’s Cosa Nostra, the G18, the qualification regime for European competition – and access to the money – is weighted to ludicrous extent in favour of themselves. Missed out on winning the title? We’ll just “expand” the competition to include second, third, fourth placed teams – in elite leagues only, of course. Worried about a tough first-round draw or a freak result knocking you out? Let’s move to a group stage, giving everyone extra TV games (and money) oh and making it harder for smaller clubs to get through as the groups are – natch – seeded. Drawn in a tricky group and worried you’ll only come third? Let’s give you the safety net of automatically being entered into the UEFA Cup should you somehow manage to screw up your safe passage out of the CL group stage. Everything is geared towards the progress of the G18 clubs, at the expense of anyone else. Domestic leagues are less competitive so the same clubs always qualify. The same clubs always progress through from the group stages. And the same clubs reap the financial benefits that allow them to buy and pay the wages for the best players. It’s a self-perpetuating cartel of monstrous proportions – more unfair than a global trade agreement. Even the name is a lie, sick joke. The Champions’ League – not a League, not for Champions.
Time was, I’d cheer for every English club in Europe. Hell, I even cheered on Aberdeen when they won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1983. Liverpool, Forest, Villa, Ipswich, Everton, Spurs – all these were roared on to victory. No longer. Now my fervent prayer is that *all the English clubs will be knocked out of the CL as soon as possible, in the vain hope that their precious finances will be damaged beyond repair and they will all, the whole slavering Mr Creosote crew, “do a Leeds” and capitulate into oblivion. Alas, credit crunch or no credit crunch there seems little sign of that happening. I await the end of season CL final or the Biggest Night In Football History Ever number 17 with unremitted gloom, boredom and fury. Football used to be great. Now it’s a ketchup stain on the shirt of a corporate whore. Mainly thanks to the Champions’ League.
Category: Team NewsPNE v Argyle - Preview
By: Jim | Add Comments
Assuming it goes ahead, of course. A number of hardy souls are braving the conditions and making the trip up from the South West to take in the delights of Deepdale: and while there is no indication yet that tonight’s fixture is in danger, the weather patterns are not encouraging. If they were being completely honest, Argyle would I am sure be less than disappointed with a postponement. North End are on a good run and we are not and this would be our third game in a week, with a crucial home game against Derby on Saturday. We could certainly do with a break.
Still, there’s also something to be said for momentum. By all accounts we were getting back to our fighting best on Saturday - not many people, me included, had us getting anything from Portman Road so a gritty 0-0 after four straight defeats is welcome. The problem remains scoring goals - four goals in ten games is not the sort of ratio that can continue much longer, and it is frustrating that we were unable or unwilling to address it during the transfer window. It’s one thing to say that players have to leave before others can arrive, but if there aren’t any takers for our surplus to requirements stock, then surely the financial hit has to be taken, at least temporarily. The arrival of Alan Judge on loan from Blackburn is cautiously welcomed, though not having seen him, or indeed heard of him before, it’s a bit hard to take a definitive view yet. And it’s noticeable that the other clubs around us - Norwich and Blackpool in particular - have taken steps to reinforce their squads. Not for the first time, Stapleton has put the balance sheet ahead of the team and from a fan’s perspective that’s hard to take.
We almost never win at Deepdale. Not since 1st November 1997, and only four times in our history. North End are a good side with a good manager: Alan Irvine has built a squad of genuine quality who will be in and around the fringes of the play-off challenge this year. Sean St Ledger is an objectionable player, but a darn fine centre back and in Chris Brown, Neil Mellor and Ross Wallace they have players of real quality capable of winning games single-handedly. As on Saturday, a point is a great result for us. We’ve done well in most of our away games at the stronger clubs and assuming Gally’s future is now more secure, at least till the end of the season, perhaps there will be less uncertainty around. So I envisage a line-up something of the order of:
Larrieu;
McNamee
Seip
Cathcart (if fit - otherwise Timar)
Barker
Clark
Walton
Duguid
Gallagher
Mackie
Fallon
—————————-
Judge
MacLean
Doumbe
Noone
Summerfield.
Although, having just read the official site, Luggy seems to be hinting that he might start with Judge tonight - we’ll see….
COYG!
Category: Team NewsPanic on the streets of Mutley
By: Jim | 3 Comments
If you believe what you read on the internet, anyway. The lemmings are running round in ever-decreasing circles, screaming in their shrill voices “Relegation” and “Sturrock out”. Neither of these make much, if any sense.
Admittedly, one win in ten is far from ideal. And Arsenal aside, most of the performances have been pretty lack-lustre. The squad is long on personnel but desperately short of quality and confidence and team spirit have been drained away - dating probably from the Blackpool debacle where we managed to turn a winning position with ten minutes to go into a catastrophic defeat. Several of the teams below us - Forest, Doncaster and alarmingly Norwich have found their form. From having been twelve points clear of relegation before Christmas, we are now only six points off 22nd place. Huddersfield - Huddersfield! - are apparently in for Gallager. Otherwise, transfer news is thin on the ground. We have a tough series of games coming up: Bristol City home; Ipswich away; Preston away; Derby home; Charlton away; Palace home.
Take a breath. We currently stand on 33 points - 19 or 20 light of what would normally be regarded as safety. Six wins and a couple of draws, in other words. Let’s see: Derby home, Charlton away, Watford home, Burnley home, Blackpool away, Coventry home, Doncaster home, Barnsley home. Eight wins. Bristol City home, Sheff Utd home, Swansea away, Norwich away, QPR away. Five draws. 62 points. Leaving an 9 or 10 point safety margin. Can we all relax now.
Even if your prognosis is significantly worse than mine, sacking Sturrock at this stage makes no sense. Firstly, as I’ve said before, who replaces him? The only realistic candidates out there are the failed and the unproven - neither of which you need in a dogfight. Secondly, any new manager coming in now has no time to assess the squad and make his own determination as to what is needed, as the transfer window is about to slam shut. As history shows us time and time again, its the clubs who change managers too quickly who invariably go down. Look at Leicester. Look at Saints. If things are critical,, then what is needed, above all else, is stability.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the internet has been an aggravating factor in the increasingly short average tenure of the Championship manager. Patience is not an internet virtue: indeed, its very raison d’etre is founded on immediacy, on getting instantaneous answers. Add football fans into the mix, and you have a lethal combination of hysteria, wild rumour, impatience and dissatisfaction. Chick Young’s BBC blog talks intelligently about this in Scotland.
Increasingly, criticisms have been raised about Sturrock’s direct playing style - often coupled bizarrely with a desire to “get a scrapper like Pulis in”. Whilst Sturrock’s style and preference for a big target man to hold the ball up may not be as free-flowingly purist as some of us, myself included, would like, to sit patiently through a season of Pulis and then complain about Sturrock is risible. I have yet to see under Sturrock any performances that rivalled the sort of dross we had to suffer under Pulis. Sturrock is doing the best he can given the limited funds available. If ire is deserved, it should first and foremost be directed at those who hold the purse strings, for their repeated and dogged refusal to seek additional investment to at least allow us to compete.
All this was blowing around at the start of the season. People needed then, and they need now, to calm down. I simply repeat what I said at the end of July when considering our prospects for the season. It’ll be a bit bumpy. But we won’t go down. Now can everyone please take a chill pill?
Category: Team NewsPointing at planes
By: Jim | 1 Comment
Tomorrow morning will be a sight to behold. Upwards of 50 coaches, goodness knows how many minibuses and cars and at least two dedicated trains will be setting off from the South West, headed for That London and our Cup date with Arsenal. The procession of the Green Army will be unlike any seen for the past 12 years, when 35,000 went to Wembley, 30,000 of whom hadn’t been to a game all season. Like most other Argyle season-ticket holders and supporters, I have been plagued with requests about ‘whether you’re going to be using your ticket or not’: and even those only dimly aware of the significance of the game have brought it up in conversation.
The danger, of course, is that its significance gets overplayed both in our own minds and in that of the players. Karl Duguid got it right the other day when he described it as “just another football match”. After both the Watford quarter-final two years ago, and the Pompey 4th round game last season, our League form suffered a damaging slump, costing us a shot at the play-offs in both cases. That must not happen again. Equally, we need to avoid looking too much like benighted country cousins. We get patronised enough, frankly, by the Prem-obsessed media, on the occasions they can be bothered to mention us, without inviting it upon ourselves with comments like “just looking forward to the occasion, really”, “biggest game of my life” and similar tripe. I don’t want to sound too Scrooge-like: I *am excited and I *am looking forward to it. But, like many of you, I recall only too painfully the 6-1 stuffings we received at the hands of a considerably less talented Arsenal team than this one in the 1980s. I’d like for us to give an heroic account of ourselves, at least.
Much debate around team selection. Gray straight in at RB, I would imagine: and while Sawyer apparently offered a good account of himself at Cardiff, it was probably not enough to dislodge Luggy favourite Barker. Cathcart for Timar please. Craig Noone’s first start against Saints on Boxing Day was encouraging and he may be preferred to Mackie in midfield, with Chris Clark switched across to the right. Up front, it’s all about the fitness of Gallagher and Mpenza: if he starts with both, then expect to see Gally on the left in place of Noone; if he starts with one it’ll be Gally with (presumably) Fallon and Mpenza on the bench. So thus:
Larrieu
Gray
Seip
Cathcart
Barker
Clark
Summerfield
Duguid
Noone
Gallagher
Fallon
—————-
MacLean
Mpenza
Mackie
Timar
Folly
Sawyer
Stack
Everyone has written us off, which is encouraging. The third-round shocks are rarely seen coming. We have a point or two to prove. Above all, let us have a performance to be proud of. We have enough to give them a fright, if everyone plays to the top of their game. And if they do, who knows what dreams may come…..
Category: Team NewsArgyle 2 Southampton 0
By: Jim | 4 Comments
The sense of relief - both among the fans and the players - was palpable. Six games without a win, including four defeats, were now behind us. Leave aside the moderate and nervous nature of the performance; leave aside the fact that Southampton were abject, woeful and hapless, bound indisputably for League One: today was all about the result.
Sturrock made five changes from the defeat at Barnsley - Fallon for MacLean up front; Duguid and Noone (making his first start) in the midfield for the disgraced and suspended Walton and Mackie; McNamee and Cathcart replacing Timar and Folly. For Southampton, Wotton was not even in the 16, denied what surely would have been a rapturous reception from the crowd, and apparently on his way to Brighton on loan. Without Perry, Lallana and Wright-Phillips, the Saints’ side looked woefully short of quality and experience - and so it proved.
Poortvliet has an unenviable task. Committed to the Dutch principles of passing football, in charge at a club losing a reputed £800,000 a [b]week[/b], he is having to get by on a bunch of academy kids (albeit the most prolific academy in the country) and the odd loanee. With the vultures circling (again) for the cream of their crop - Drew Surman and Adam Lallana are both apparently off next month - relegation, with or without administration, looks a certainty.
The game itself rarely threatened to lift itself above the mundane. Summerfield and Fallon (twice) had superb chances to open the scoring - Fallon’s second chance was denied by a point-blank save from Kelvin Davis - while McGoldrick really should have scored for Saints when given the freedom of Home Park at the far post. Seven minutes before half-time, though, Argyle’s pressure finally told. Noone’s long throw cannoned off a Saints defender and was headed for a corner. Noone reacted quickly and rather than shepherd it out produced a superb first-time cross which Fallon powered past Davis. Four minutes after half-time, Gallagher wriggled though from the right hand edge of the box and laid it to Fallon, whose shot was blocked by Lancashire’s hand. Summerfield grabbed the ball, and once Fallon had been treated for the injury he sustained in the challenge, drilled it into the bottom left-hand corner of Davis’s goal.
Thereafter, Argyle contrived to make life as difficult as possible for themselves. The defence and midfield sat deeper and deeper, the confidence drained out of the team and simple tasks like passing the ball and clearing their lines became challenges too far, and Southampton really should have got one back when Smith sent McGoldrick through and Larrieu first came, then changed his mind, and could only watch while McGoldricks shot struck the outside of his left hand post. Mackie replaced Noone - who was playing with a virus and who had thrown up at half-time - and MacLean, unbooed this time, came on for Gallagher who had had a wallop on the ankle early on and thereafter had played well within himself, not helped by a fussy and frequently inaccurate linesman. The two subs combined for easily the best piece of play of the whole afternoon: MacLean brought the ball down, turned and played in Summerfield who hit an instant first time ball switching play to the right and to Mackie, who took the ball on, beat his full back and hit a glorious shot, which Davis tipped away at full stretch.
Four minutes of injury time (how?) failed to trouble the Greens and the three points were secure. While mistakes had been common place, the desire and togetherness was never in doubt. The whole team lived on their nerves for the last 15 minutes and there were times when I could swear Argyle were doing their best to make things as difficult as possible for themselves. Noone’s first start showed up the best and worst of him: going forward he was a threat and an excitement, defensively it was heart-in-mouth time every time he had the option of a simple clearance or running the ball out of defence. Duguid’s return, even though he ran out of steam towards the end and made some uncharacteristic errors, was almost certainly what won us the game: his commitment and anticipation of danger getting us out of trouble on several occasions. Craig Cathcart’s return was also welcome and he slipped back into the centre of defence as though he’d never been away.
33 points - 19 away from safety. 12th - and 12 points clear of the bottom three. Relegation, never a serious prospect is now a distant, far distant, fear - and I think those who take some sort of gloomy pleasure in predicting it need to take a reality check. Similarly, the play-offs are a fantasy. We are what we are - a moderate, mid-table side in a competitive, energetic and exciting league. The January window approaches and the word is there may be a lot of activity - in and out. We will have to see. In the meantime, we go to Cardiff on Sunday, where a point would be an excellent result. And then - next stop Arsenal!
Category: Team NewsThree defeats
By: Jim | 1 Comment
I should be feeling worse than I do, to be honest. But after the catastrophic performances against Blackpool and Doncaster, Argyle’s return to form against a very moderate Birmingham outfit has left me with an uncharacteristically optimistic frame of mind. Several people suggested it was our best performance of the season and while not wanting to go that far (we lost and we failed to score, so in one area of our game at least we were sorely lacking), it was certainly a good an attacking performance, bar the finishing, as I’ve seen in a while. However, there needs to be some perspective. We’ve now lost three on the bounce. Lose on Saturday against QPR and we will be looking nervously over our shoulders. If we needed a performance on Tuesday night, Saturday we need a performance *and* a result.
Positives to be taken out of Saturday included strong performances in midfield from Summerfield and Walton; both full backs (Barker and Clark) pushing much further forward and thus making life so much easier for the ball-carrier; a return to form from Fallon (lets hope he gets a bit more protection on Saturday than he did from Kevin Wright). Jamie Mackie made Franck Quedrue look like a League Two full back. But our finishing was woeful - Timar, Mackie, Gallagher, Summers, Walton -all guilty of shocking misses. We have not yet adequately replaced SEB and until we do, the play-offs are a distant dream.
Changes need to be made for Saturday: I’d return Cathcart to the defence in place of Timar, on the grounds that Cathcart’s anticipation is going to serve us better than Timar’s strength against Blackstock/Ageymang/Helguson. I’d try Marin at RW and move Mackie to the left - Paterson has been poor for the last couple of games and while he may be a better option than Barker at LB, he’s not a midfielder. So that’s a side that looks something like:
Larrieu
Clark
Seip
Cathcart
Barker
Marin
Summerfield
Walton
Mackie
Gallagher
Fallon
——————
MacLean
Noone
Folly
Timar
Paterson
QPR have been poor on their travels, and are kept in the mix by their excellent home record, including beating Wolves a week ago. With creative players like Martin Rowlands and Lee Cook, plus the evergreen Gavin Mahon in the centre of midfield though, I can see them causing us plenty of problems. We need a win: we might have to settle for a point.
Category: Team News
Home 
