Plymouth (a)

[TheBigDog]

Up to the end of September we have four league games:

Grimsby Town H

Scunthorpe United A

Morecambe H

Carlisle United A

 

When we go to Carlisle we will have hit that ‘meaningful’ ten game total that some believe is the time to judge how the rest of the season pans out. Though the above fixtures are not the most eye catching, they are all winnable. Let’s hope that we continue to build on the recent promising form.

 

Slowly slowly..

 

[GlossopLatic]

Highlights

 

Have to say thats a very good result at Plymouth.

 

I do believe we should be near the top of this league challenging them. Even if we were I would still see a point down there as a good result.

 

Good to see that a few people who went have said we played well.

[Dave_Og]

12 hours ago, Worcester Owl said:

Yep, I defer to your superior morality. We can’t all be perfect unfortunately.

 

Nothing to do with morality.  He had the ability to be playing at least Championship football.  He;s now making minimal impact in L2.  If he hadn't had his first spell with us, showing his ability, he'd barely get a mention on here - that's six years ago.

[Dave_Og]

49 minutes ago, GlossopLatic said:

Highlights

 

Have to say thats a very good result at Plymouth.

 

I do believe we should be near the top of this league challenging them. Even if we were I would still see a point down there as a good result.

 

Good to see that a few people who went have said we played well.

 

No team without a single credible striker is likely to be challenging at the top of a league.

[GlossopLatic]

6 minutes ago, Dave_Og said:

 

No team without a single credible striker is likely to be challenging at the top of a league.

 

Ofcourse not, my point is that had we done our recruitment properly we could easily be challenging at the top of the league.

 

A league currently being led by Exeter City, Newport County and Crewe Alexandra.

 

Even so I would still regard a point away at Plymouth as a good result.

[kowenicki]

1 hour ago, oafc1955 said:

My mistake, I meant Colchester, but I still maintain that with better composure in the box from Maouche we would be comfortably mid table!!

 

Ha. 4 points.

 

You cant be COMFORTABLY mid table in September... any of the teams mid table now could be bottom 3 by end of September. 

 

 

 

 

[Dave_Og]

26 minutes ago, GlossopLatic said:

 

Ofcourse not, my point is that had we done our recruitment properly we could easily be challenging at the top of the league.

 

 

 

 

And if my Auntie.....

[LightDN123]

1 hour ago, Dave_Og said:

 

Nothing to do with morality.  He had the ability to be playing at least Championship football.  He;s now making minimal impact in L2.  If he hadn't had his first spell with us, showing his ability, he'd barely get a mention on here - that's six years ago.

Exactly, nothing to do with morality at all. He had chances, in fact he failed that drugs test on two separate occasions at Sheffield. 

[oafc1955]

1 hour ago, kowenicki said:

 

Ha. 4 points.

 

You cant be COMFORTABLY mid table in September... any of the teams mid table now could be bottom 3 by end of September. 

 

 

 

 

 

We’d be 8 points off top and 8 points off bottom....Using that logic any of the teams mid table could be top. 

We would be a damn site more comfortable than 3rd bottom!

[JoeP]

1 hour ago, Dave_Og said:

 

No team without a single credible striker is likely to be challenging at the top of a league.

 

Was it Joe Royle who said "you can never have enough strikers"?

 

[Dave_Og]

15 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

Was it Joe Royle who said "you can never have enough strikers"?

 

 

If he didn't actually say it his actions suggested he meant it!

[disjointed]

14 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

Was it Joe Royle who said "you can never have enough strikers"?

 

They should have engraved this on the walls of the JR stand, but I suppose the Clown doesn't go in there anyway. 

[maddog]

2 minutes ago, disjointed said:

They should have engraved this on the walls of the JR stand, but I suppose the Clown doesn't go in there anyway. 

 

No but he should have a great view of it from his ‘new’ executive facilities . 

 

(Its all a bit Idiot Abroad, in the cave looking at the palace...)

[perfectOzblue]

59 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

Was it Joe Royle who said "you can never have enough strikers"?

 

Neil Warnock I think? When he signed Luke Beckett for Sheff U even though he had at least five other decent ones to pick from....

[kowenicki]

1 hour ago, oafc1955 said:

 

We’d be 8 points off top and 8 points off bottom....Using that logic any of the teams mid table could be top. 

We would be a damn site more comfortable than 3rd bottom!

 

...and it would still be September and there would still be 85% of the season left and 117 points to play for. 

[JoeP]

41 minutes ago, perfectOzblue said:

Neil Warnock I think?

 

Loses a bit of credibility, then..

[leeslover]

The games changed with split strikers and full backs coming forward, it's midfielders you need dozens of now

[oafc1955]

6 hours ago, kowenicki said:

 

...and it would still be September and there would still be 85% of the season left and 117 points to play for. 

 

You’d argue black is white...give it a rest!

[kowenicki]

1 hour ago, oafc1955 said:

 

You’d argue black is white...give it a rest!

 

Ha. Yeah... quoting some facts is arguing black is white...

 

No. 

 

 

[singe]

3 hours ago, leeslover said:

The games changed with split strikers and full backs coming forward, it's midfielders you need dozens of now

We're ahead of the game then.

[Worcester Owl]

12 hours ago, Dave_Og said:

 

Nothing to do with morality.  He had the ability to be playing at least Championship football.  He;s now making minimal impact in L2.  If he hadn't had his first spell with us, showing his ability, he'd barely get a mention on here - that's six years ago.

Whoosh.

[the_mighty_bosh]

An interesting game and a point more than I expected us to get at the start of play, but on the balance of play I'd say we just about deserved it.  Both teams have flaws but also have enough to build on as well.  

 

Our first was a really good finish by Branger after an excellent flick by Maouche, their equaliser was poor defending by someone at the corner as one of their centre backs was left completely unmarked to head across goal and another was able to power the ball just over the line.  Their 2nd came immediately after Maouche had missed a great chance and it was a very quick and skilful move down the left by Mayor and McFadzean which Moore finished clinically, but credit to our lads, their heads didn't drop and Branger's drifted corner was met with a bullet header by Wheater.

Woods - can't be blamed for the two goals and made some very good saves in the 2nd half to keep us in the match.  He also comes across as a calming presence to the defence.  I have no complaints having a keeper like him on a 2 year deal.

Hamer – he did OK, won a lot of headers and got forward to help the attack well.  A lot of Plymouth's attack came down his side, but when you've got quality like Mayor and McFadzean on that side it's not surprising.  Morais in front of him helped and it's easy to forget that he's not even 20 yet.
Wheater – my dad’s verdict: he's a shoe-in for OAFC player of the year and League 2 player of the year already.  On the two occasions I've seen him I honestly don't think I've seen a player who's so comfortably better than the level he's playing at.  We're so lucky to have him and I hope to God that he stays fit this season.  Our owner's definitely exceeded expectations when getting a Peter Clarke replacement.
Iacovitti – taking into account that any of our Centre Backs would look decent alongside Wheater (even Sefil) I thought Iacovitti did well.  All things being equal I'd prefer Stott to play instead of him but he's not been a liability on the occasions I've seen him play and is still young and developing himself.  EDIT: Extra brownie points to him for running and diving straight into the crowd after Wheater's goal!
Fage - he's clearly a very good footballer.  Quick, quite intelligent, tidy on the ball and disciplined positionally.  He's also clear as day not a left back.  A left back trying to pass the ball out of defence cutely with solely his right foot is a recipe for disaster.  He should be in the starting XI but with Nepomuceno, Iacovitti, Stott and (despite bad reviews) Smith-Brown able to play that role more comfortably he shouldn't be put in as a square peg in a round hole.

Missilou - wasn't overly noticeable but was his usual busy self when we didn't have the ball and was often our most advanced player when we were breaking.  Sadly the latter point is more of a damning indictment of the rest of the team.
Sylla – part of the reason that Missilou isn't as noticeable is that it's hard not to notice Sylla!  He's an absolute tank!  Sometimes he looks as though he's drifting when other teams are in possession but he doesn't get exposed positionally and is good in the tackle to stop any attacks through the middle.  I also like that he has the ability and confidence to bring the ball forward from defence, in that respect he's definitely an upgrade on Fane.  In the formation we play Missilou and Sylla are absolutely fine as a combination.

Morais – any doubts as to whether he's a good or necessary signing that I had have been put to rest with that performance.  I think he suits the way that Mo and Banide want to play to a tee.  He may not have pace but he's quick with the ball at his feet, much smarter with his passing and disciplined defensively.
Maouche - I'll qualify that I didn't realise it was his excellent flick for the goal at first, but sadly he was our weak link on Saturday.  Maybe he's a bit low on confidence but he slows play down when we're trying to build an attack and isn't clinical enough in such an important area of the team.  It's clear from the Mansfield game last year that he possesses great technical quality but I think we have more than enough options in his position that his inconsistency shouldn't be tolerated.  Morais showed him the level that he has to reach in order to start imo.

Branger - definitely the best performance I've seen from him.  In the past I've seen a player who has tried too hard to be skilful and not done very much or has put in a shift for the team, today he scored with a great finish and drifted over an excellent corner for Wheater's header.  A bit like Maouche, I have no problem with him starting for us IF he's able to produce that quality more consistently.

Wilson – interestingly my Argyle-supporting friend at the other end of the ground thought that he was our best player in the first half.  He did well and looks like a good player but I really feel like we haven't built an attacking unit around him that plays to his strengths, which considering that he showed last year that he's a good finisher doesn't make much sense!  Hopefully this will change as the team gels but the jury's still out on that one.

Subs:
Azankpo – again he impressed.  I wouldn't go as far as to say that he's suited to playing as the lone striker as he isn't particularly strong, but he ran the channels better than Wilson did and was very effective on the counter attack.  A good signing and a useful part of the squad.
Mills and McHale – neither had enough time to impress so I'll reserve judgement.  I feel for Mills as our scattergun recruitment has left him battling it out with our most saleable asset for a starting place.

Lowe has definitely got Argyle playing a similar style to how Bury played last year and they get a lot of players forward when attacking, but their team didn't look like it had fully clicked just yet and I think they'll be a late bloomer this season.

Credit to Mo and Banide, we are certainly developing a clear counter-attacking style of play.  It worked well against a Plymouth formation that left a lot of gaps when they attacked and we have some quick players in attack who could prove useful in this strategy.  I still have a lot of doubts that it's the smartest way to go about things at this level and not signing a striker that fits into our strategy seems really naive and risky, but we've had worse squads than what we currently have and I can see how we're going to improve.  Banide does seem to be making an impact on the training ground (which I still believe is the only place he's allowed to).

The fan altercation – I don't know how it started and I can't say for sure that our fans were innocent at first, but it was definitely dying down before the arsehole steward threw that punch which led to all hell breaking loose.  If he doesn't get sacked then Plymouth aren't doing enough to keep fans safe.

That was a blip in what was a good away day.  I feel much more confident about the direction we're likely to be heading in because despite having a bloated squad with some shit players and some unnecessary players, we also do have some quality at this level and a style of play that, while it is flawed, will improve as time goes on.  Sadly I can't predict that we’ll do any more than survive relegation as I don't trust the competence and decision making of the upper management at the club and hopefully that won't dwarf any positives on the pitch that the club has.

Essay over.
 

[disjointed]

Fair assessment that Bosh, have a word with someone at Latics because they could do with something like this for the official.

[Londonboy]

1 hour ago, the_mighty_bosh said:

An interesting game and a point more than I expected us to get at the start of play, but on the balance of play I'd say we just about deserved it.  Both teams have flaws but also have enough to build on as well.  

 

Our first was a really good finish by Branger after an excellent flick by Maouche, their equaliser was poor defending by someone at the corner as one of their centre backs was left completely unmarked to head across goal and another was able to power the ball just over the line.  Their 2nd came immediately after Maouche had missed a great chance and it was a very quick and skilful move down the left by Mayor and McFadzean which Moore finished clinically, but credit to our lads, their heads didn't drop and Branger's drifted corner was met with a bullet header by Wheater.

Woods - can't be blamed for the two goals and made some very good saves in the 2nd half to keep us in the match.  He also comes across as a calming presence to the defence.  I have no complaints having a keeper like him on a 2 year deal.

Hamer – he did OK, won a lot of headers and got forward to help the attack well.  A lot of Plymouth's attack came down his side, but when you've got quality like Mayor and McFadzean on that side it's not surprising.  Morais in front of him helped and it's easy to forget that he's not even 20 yet.
Wheater – my dad’s verdict: he's a shoe-in for OAFC player of the year and League 2 player of the year already.  On the two occasions I've seen him I honestly don't think I've seen a player who's so comfortably better than the level he's playing at.  We're so lucky to have him and I hope to God that he stays fit this season.  Our owner's definitely exceeded expectations when getting a Peter Clarke replacement.
Iacovitti – taking into account that any of our Centre Backs would look decent alongside Wheater (even Sefil) I thought Iacovitti did well.  All things being equal I'd prefer Stott to play instead of him but he's not been a liability on the occasions I've seen him play and is still young and developing himself.
Fage - he's clearly a very good footballer.  Quick, quite intelligent, tidy on the ball and disciplined positionally.  He's also clear as day not a left back.  A left back trying to pass the ball out of defence cutely with solely his right foot is a recipe for disaster.  He should be in the starting XI but with Nepomuceno, Iacovitti, Stott and (despite bad reviews) Smith-Brown able to play that role more comfortably he shouldn't be put in as a square peg in a round hole.

Missilou - wasn't overly noticeable but was his usual busy self when we didn't have the ball and was often our most advanced player when we were breaking.  Sadly the latter point is more of a damning indictment of the rest of the team.
Sylla – part of the reason that Missilou isn't as noticeable is that it's hard not to notice Sylla!  He's an absolute tank!  Sometimes he looks as though he's drifting when other teams are in possession but he doesn't get exposed positionally and is good in the tackle to stop any attacks through the middle.  I also like that he has the ability and confidence to bring the ball forward from defence, in that respect he's definitely an upgrade on Fane.  In the formation we play Missilou and Sylla are absolutely fine as a combination.

Morais – any doubts as to whether he's a good or necessary signing that I had have been put to rest with that performance.  I think he suits the way that Mo and Banide want to play to a tee.  He may not have pace but he's quick with the ball at his feet, much smarter with his passing and disciplined defensively.
Maouche - I'll qualify that I didn't realise it was his excellent flick for the goal at first, but sadly he was our weak link on Saturday.  Maybe he's a bit low on confidence but he slows play down when we're trying to build an attack and isn't clinical enough in such an important area of the team.  It's clear from the Mansfield game last year that he possesses great technical quality but I think we have more than enough options in his position that his inconsistency shouldn't be tolerated.  Morais showed him the level that he has to reach in order to start imo.

Branger - definitely the best performance I've seen from him.  In the past I've seen a player who has tried too hard to be skilful and not done very much or has put in a shift for the team, today he scored with a great finish and drifted over an excellent corner for Wheater's header.  A bit like Maouche, I have no problem with him starting for us IF he's able to produce that quality more consistently.

Wilson – interestingly my Argyle-supporting friend at the other end of the ground thought that he was our best player in the first half.  He did well and looks like a good player but I really feel like we haven't built an attacking unit around him that plays to his strengths, which considering that he showed last year that he's a good finisher doesn't make much sense!  Hopefully this will change as the team gels but the jury's still out on that one.

Subs:
Azankpo – again he impressed.  I wouldn't go as far as to say that he's suited to playing as the lone striker as he isn't particularly strong, but he ran the channels better than Wilson did and was very effective on the counter attack.  A good signing and a useful part of the squad.
Mills and McHale – neither had enough time to impress so I'll reserve judgement.  I feel for Mills as our scattergun recruitment has left him battling it out with our most saleable asset for a starting place.

Lowe has definitely got Argyle playing a similar style to how Bury played last year and they get a lot of players forward when attacking, but their team didn't look like it had fully clicked just yet and I think they'll be a late bloomer this season.

Credit to Mo and Banide, we are certainly developing a clear counter-attacking style of play.  It worked well against a Plymouth formation that left a lot of gaps when they attacked and we have some quick players in attack who could prove useful in this strategy.  I still have a lot of doubts that it's the smartest way to go about things at this level and not signing a striker that fits into our strategy seems really naive and risky, but we've had worse squads than what we currently have and I can see how we're going to improve.  Banide does seem to be making an impact on the training ground (which I still believe is the only place he's allowed to).

The fan altercation – I don't know how it started and I can't say for sure that our fans were innocent at first, but it was definitely dying down before the arsehole steward threw that punch which led to all hell breaking loose.  If he doesn't get sacked then Plymouth aren't doing enough to keep fans safe.

That was a blip in what was a good away day.  I feel much more confident about the direction we're likely to be heading in because despite having a bloated squad with some shit players and some unnecessary players, we also do have some quality at this level and a style of play that, while it is flawed, will improve as time goes on.  Sadly I can't predict that we’ll do any more than survive relegation as I don't trust the competence and decision making of the upper management at the club and hopefully that won't dwarf any positives on the pitch that the club has.

Essay over.
 

 

Cheers Bosh. Didn't go on Saturday but sounds like we are improving and an honest and informative summary.

 

I would question though but we've had worse squads than what we currently have...

 

I cant remember in the 40 years I've been watching us, when we have had a worse squad than we have today as our league position confirms...but slowly slowly!!

 

[the_mighty_bosh]

5 minutes ago, Londonboy said:

 

Cheers Bosh. Didn't go on Saturday but sounds like we are improving and an honest and informative summary.

 

I would question though but we've had worse squads than what we currently have...

 

I cant remember in the 40 years I've been watching us, when we have had a worse squad than we have today as our league position confirms...but slowly slowly!!

 

 

A fair point, I suppose the worst squad of players I can think of is the 2016/17 squad with Robinson in charge and while there are similarities between the two (Ripley and Clarke = Woods and Wheater) I genuinely believe we have more talent in this squad than that one.

 

I also believe that the owner/management structure is a lot less competent, which is why I can't see us progressing too far up the table.