Now let's get this right, once and for all.
Lowe has said that recruitment is an ongoing thing and they would have started their preparations for this season well in advance, even right after the January window closed.
Enquiries would have been made regarding the players Argyle deemed suitable, but may have been surplus to requirements by their Clubs in the Championship. Changes in management is always a good area of possible recruitment, and changes in playing style could also make players surplus to requirements.
Lowe's targets would have been identified at a very early stage and Lowe stated that he was starting from the back of the team and working forward, and no-one can suggest that this was not the priority that was certainly required, after last season.
Prior to the summer break, our defence was the first and most important part of the team to get together. The Club identified its targets and got them in, under contract, before the season started.
Work identifying the midfielders and strikers would also have been on-going when the season finished, but the budget would mean that these would be on loan deals, as he wasn't having any more kids from Premiership Clubs, and this has restricted his dealings with players.
From what Lowe has said, two strikers and a midfielder were the required loanees. There is no problem with fitness as they would have done a pre-season with their own Club. He obviously couldn't get the players, or the Clubs, to agree a loan deal at that time, but was working on the possibility of the deals still coming off before the window closed.
Other football clubs had their own priorities, and were not going to release players without getting in replacements first, a sensible and not unusual outcome.
Players will always look for their best loan deal and will make late decisions in order to ensure they don't miss out.
I suggest that one Championship player (who had not played much for his Club), after agreeing to move clubs, changed his mind as the window closed, as he then decided that he wanted to still try to get into his Club's first team. Watch this space in January if this doesn't happen.
I also suggest that another player (Div 1 player) had agreed terms, but his Club denied him the opportunity to move as his replacement was not forthcoming and the player remains with his Club. Again watch this space in January.
Unfortunate for Argyle but that is the way the cookie crumbles, especially with strikers who are the most sought after footballers in the world. There is no point in getting in players just to make up the numbers, but the budget dictates what can be offered.
That doesn't mean that Lowe has no chance of getting his preferred players, unless they have moved to another club. We will have to see if things work out for the players and their Clubs come January, but Lowe and his team will be looking at alternatives from here on in.
It does leave us short of out and out strikers, but the squad has been prepared with players being able to slot into differing positions. It remains to be seen whether this will be successful or not, but Lowe will be able to move players around. This is not ideal but should not be discounted as being unsuccessful, it may prove fruitful.
As always, injuries, suspensions and now Covid will play a large part in how Lowe can put a team out, but we do have our youth development who can also play their part, however inexperienced they are now. If they continue to get game time as they have done, we may be surprised at their outcome.
Please don't compare us with the bigger teams in our league, we cannot compete financially with teams who have twice and even three times as many supporters through the gate. Fortunately money does not always give outright success, but it can help.
We have a five year plan. We, as a Club, are not prepared to get promoted just yet, but we have to make strides towards improvement, year on year, and that is all we can expect at the moment.
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