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Green Army Expanding!

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AussieGreen

Guest
I have just joined the site after 40 years of supporting Argyle from Adelaide, Australia.

It has been amazing to witness the ups and downs of Argyle during that period from so far away. It started with anxiously waiting for the Saturday results in the Monday newspaper in the 70s and 80s, to listening to BBC radio giving around the grounds scores (highlighted by the news of the 2nd goal against QPR sealing promotion in 2004), to accessing the internet and PASOTI to monitor live scores (highlighted by somehow surviving in the Football League in recent years) before the joy this season of being able to watch amazing performances at Liverpool, Doncaster and Portsmouth live on television!

My first recollection of watching Argyle on television was on the Big Match in about 1978 or 1979 and I am hoping someone can clarify the date of the featured match to settle a discussion with my brother (Man Utd supporter). Host Bryan Moore "justified" that the cameras were at Home Park because most of the matches in Div 1 and Div 2 had been postponed due to weather. I am almost certain the opponent was Colchester United and the match finished 1-1. The BBC several times showed Malcolm Allison smoking cigars and looking unimpressed with Argyle's performance. I have found two matches in that period which finished Plymouth 1 Colchester 1 but they do not coincide with Allison being "officially" manager. Those matches were on February 4 1978 and March 17 1979 but I have checked that he was"officially" manager from March 16 1978 to January 5 1979. Either Allison wasn't the manager at the time or the opponent wasn't Colchester? I would appreciate any help! Until receiving videos many years later of the 84 FA Cup run and the 2002 and 2004 promotion seasons it was my only sight of Argyle in action.

I hope that you all enjoy the game and celebrations on Saturday. I am delighted that my Australian nephew, his Canadian wife and young child are driving from London to be part of the Green Army. My nephew is easily recognisable at about 200 cm with an Aussie accent and is really looking forward to the game - he would love a beer before and afterwards as well. Where is the best meeting place?

COYG
 
May 5, 2006
257
79
Welcome. I remember a game against Colchester being on tv and finishing 1-1, but I think it was on Match of the Day. I vaguely remember Jimmy Hill questioning the point of such a game as less than 5000 were in attendance.
 

memory man

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Nov 28, 2011
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Romsey
There was not a full programme in either Div 1 or Div 2 on 04 February 1978, though Spurs and Fulham played in a Second Division derby.

Saturday 04-Feb-1978

League Division Three

Home Park, Plymouth

Plymouth Argyle 1 Colchester Utd 1

Taylor Rowles

Att: 4,639

Manager Mike Kelly

1 Paul Barron
2 Chris Harrison
3 John Uzzell
4 Brian Bason
(Mickey Horswill)
5 Geoff Banton
6 George Foster
7 Brian Taylor
8 Gary Megson
9 Terry Austin
10 John Craven
11 John Delve

Manager Bobby Roberts

1 Mike Walker
2 Micky Cook
3 Steve Wignall
4 Steve Leslie
5 Mike Packer
6 Steve Dowman
7 Steve Foley
8 Bobby Gough
9 Eddie Rowles
10 Ian Allinson
11 Paul Dyer
 

memory man

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Nov 28, 2011
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Romsey
Very few matches in any of the divisions on this day. At Wembley Forest beat Southampton 3-2 in the League Cup final.

Saturday 17-Mar-1979

League Division Three

Home Park, Plymouth

Plymouth Argyle 1 Colchester Utd 1

Binney Dyer

Att: 5,342


Manager Bobby Saxton


1 Martin Hodge
2 Brian McNeill
3 John Uzzell
4 Tyrone James
5 Colin Clarke
6 Brian Johnson
7 Gary Megson
8 Chris Harrison
(Keith Fear)
9 Fred Binney
10 Mike Trusson
11 Alan Rogers

Manager Bobby Roberts
1 Mike Walker
2 Micky Cook
3 Steve Wright
4 Bobby Hodge
5 Steve Wignall
6 Bobby Gough
7 Mike Packer
8 Steve Foley
9 Paul Dyer
10 Trevor Lee
11 Ian Allinson
 
A

AussieGreen

Guest
Thanks BM and MM!

In Australia at the time the ABC showed, for some reason, either the Big Match hosted by Bryan Moore (for League matches) or Match of the Day hosted by Jimmy Hill (for FA Cup matches) each Monday. It could have been either of these matches (more likely a late season match in March 1979) - both fit with my recollection of the opponent, the score and the lack of DIv 1 or Div 2 matches. My brother and I watched the the program independently and only discussed it thirty years later. Our most vivid memory was recalling the fixation of the cameras on Allison smoking cigars on the sidelines and have assumed he was manager on that day. Did he have another administrative role (director?) at Argyle just before or after his official period as manager? If so, perhaps he was interim manager for the day if Mike Kelly or Bobby Saxton were unwell, which might explain why the BBC cameras were there.
 
May 22, 2006
2,712
1,003
Argyle never had much to coverage in the old days. I remember Blackpool v Argyle on MOTD in the early seventies. League match, quite late in the season. It was to compare our forwards with (Rafferty /Mariner) with the Blackpool starlet, whose name eludes me (Walsh or Stewart? ). Score was 2-0.

Dave Burnside was featured doing keeps ups on The Big Match but that was earlier.

Vaguely think Fulham v Argyle was on The Big Match, but The Big Match was London Weekend Tv, so they would not have travelled the country to film matches.

Surely GoS will know.
 
Feb 2, 2007
4,091
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Welcome to the site! Great to hear of interest from so far afield.

It's easy to forget how "impoverished" the football coverage was in the 80s compared to the wall to wall coverage we get access to now (if you can afford it). At times you were lucky to get one live game a week.

Btw, I love Adelaide- went there in 89 to stay with family friends living in Brighton and I fell in love with it. Can't wait to return one day; my parents toyed with emigrating but chose to stay in cold Britain in the end. It's an amazing place!
 
Hi Aussie Green,

Here's an annoying co-incidence. Literally as I started reading your post, my mail arrived, including a 230 dollar speeding fine from my visit to Adelaide back in February. It was the day I arrived, so I'm now on tenterhooks to see if I collected any more over the following ten days. However, great city, beaches and people.
 
Aug 10, 2015
2
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Another pasoti regular and old-time janner living in Adelaide ; the rural one in South Africa where people will not be familiar with the likes of Jumbo Chisholm.Congratulations on a wonderful site!!!