Brief Synopsis (Oxford) sponsored by Bromleigh House Ltd

[Metal Green Mickey]

l want to expand on yesterday with what l said about control. So that if l mention it over the coming months, people won’t get annoyed thinking it’s only because we lost a game.

I still think the best teams in the leagues control a football match.
That’s doesn’t mean dominate matches, it just means that the opposition aren’t hurting them for large spells.

There is no doubt we are better at best at both ends.

However, there is a glaringly obvious issue with this team. We lack an inability to control the tempo of a game. We seem to play well, like yesterday, but then go off the boil in such a manner that teams create and should score. Meanwhile Argyle become frantic in their thought process.

We played ever so well against Burton at HP in first half. Yet we gave away possession so easily that we lost the foot hold in the game second half.

Personally, l think we will start to get punished soon by teams if this pattern keeps repeating itself.

It’s a puzzle to me. We have good players on the ball, like Houghton, but for some reason we go from this calm team to a frantic side who look to boot clear with hurried abandonment.

With Sturrock‘s team we got promotion by being drilled and well organised. With Lowe’s team we always going to be more open so it means we can’t be as sloppy because a mistake leads more easily to a good chance.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that we are playing badly. We have made huge improvements following last season. Yet that next step has to be us looking after the ball a bit better, when we aren’t on top in a game. Slowing the tempo down. Making the opposition have to work hard to regain the ball. If you have chance to watch the game from yesterday look at the first 25 mins of second half. Look at the chances Oxford created. A number were from us being very sloppy. Bad decisions, in bad areas of the pitch. Your winning the match and we tried to force situations for openings that were not a possibility. That allowed Oxford, just like Burton the previous week, to gain momentum.

l think this is the area that unfortunately will cause us the greatest issue for the rest of this season in terms of maintaining this terrific start.

 

[Graham Clark]

l want to expand on yesterday with what l said about control. So that if l mention it over the coming months, people won’t get annoyed thinking it’s only because we lost a game.

I still think the best teams in the leagues control a football match.
That’s doesn’t mean dominate matches, it just means that the opposition aren’t hurting them for large spells.

There is no doubt we are better at best at both ends.

However, there is a glaringly obvious issue with this team. We lack an inability to control the tempo of a game. We seem to play well, like yesterday, but then go off the boil in such a manner that teams create and should score. Meanwhile Argyle become frantic in their thought process.

We played ever so well against Burton at HP in first half. Yet we gave away possession so easily that we lost the foot hold in the game second half.

Personally, l think we will start to get punished soon by teams if this pattern keeps repeating itself.

It’s a puzzle to me. We have good players on the ball, like Houghton, but for some reason we go from this calm team to a frantic side who look to boot clear with hurried abandonment.

With Sturrock‘s team we got promotion by being drilled and well organised. With Lowe’s team we always going to be more open so it means we can’t be as sloppy because a mistake leads more easily to a good chance.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that we are playing badly. We have made huge improvements following last season. Yet that next step has to be us looking after the ball a bit better, when we aren’t on top in a game. Slowing the tempo down. Making the opposition have to work hard to regain the ball. If you have chance to watch the game from yesterday look at the first 25 mins of second half. Look at the chances Oxford created. A number were from us being very sloppy. Bad decisions, in bad areas of the pitch. Your winning the match and we tried to force situations for openings that were not a possibility. That allowed Oxford, just like Burton the previous week, to gain momentum.

l think this is the area that unfortunately will cause us the greatest issue for the rest of this season in terms of maintaining this terrific start.

Even the best teams lose possession. The issue is how quickly they regain possession. On MoTD on Saturday this was very well illustrated in the comparison between Liverpool and Manchester United and how they pressed to regain possession. I think one of the features of our performances this season is the energy of the press and the ability to win second balls. Broom and Pan have been instrumental in this with the prodigious distances they cover (up to 20% above average) but it starts from the front and we shouldn't underestimate how hard Ryan and Luke work the back three / four each game.

It is simply not possible to maintain these high energy levels for 90 minutes plus but reduce the misplaced passes, win the second balls and continue with the way we press from the front then I am confident that we will maintain our rate of progress.

 

[jerryatricjanner]

Several times this season I have voted for Houghton as man of the match. He is integral to how we play I think and a lot of his work goes unnoticed. The likes of Broom with his free running and fair hair making him more noticeable often take the plaudits but for me Houghton is every bit as valuable. Randell must have eyed up a more regular starting slot this season but Houghton has raised the bar and he has to work even harder to improve now and make the breakthrough.
It is easy to say he was unwanted by MK and I guess the same could be said for Edwards and Scarr not exactly pulling up trees at Walsall but Argyle identified them as crucial components in the system that we play.

 

[memory man]

Even the best teams lose possession. The issue is how quickly they regain possession. On MoTD on Saturday this was very well illustrated in the comparison between Liverpool and Manchester United and how they pressed to regain possession. I think one of the features of our performances this season is the energy of the press and the ability to win second balls. Broom and Pan have been instrumental in this with the prodigious distances they cover (up to 20% above average) but it starts from the front and we shouldn't underestimate how hard Ryan and Luke work the back three / four each game.

It is simply not possible to maintain these high energy levels for 90 minutes plus but reduce the misplaced passes, win the second balls and continue with the way we press from the front then I am confident that we will maintain our rate of progress.

Agree with this. Teams rarely dominate for 90 minutes. We went to a team undefeated at home and beat them 3-1. I would have expected Oxford to dominate for longer spells than they did.

 

[Mark Pedlar]

The opposition are also allowed to change their tactics too. Last season we struggled to respond to that. This year it appears different. As well as bringing Mayor on to hold onto the ball and help control the pace of the game - Camara and Broom are all about quick flicks and passes which were being gobbled up by Oxford, we also pushed Wilson wide on our goal kicks which gave a better target than our front 2 (who were easily beaten by their centre-back) or Edwards.

 

[Biggs]

Just listening to the Radio Devon commentary on GOS after listening to Argyle TV live. Wow that was lively

Reminded me of one of my all time favourite funny commentaries... not the same bloke is it?

 

[greenpilled]

Just listened to Karl Robinson's post match interview

"The better team lost" 🥱

He's wrong but it's not the worst take I've ever heard from an opposition manager.

They had tonnes of chances and the fact we didn't concede in the 15 minutes at the start of the second half when they were coming at us in waves was extraordinary, and probably won't be repeated if we're under that kind of pressure again.

Equally though, Argyle also created loads of chances. We were far more positive and attack-minded in our approach than a typical away side, which made for an entertaining, end-to-end game with lots of goalscoring opportunities for both teams. We found the moments of quality/composure with our final pass/finish and they didn't.

 

[Green Flash]

We have only played one current top 6 team and we lost that. We have the other 4 in a row in late November early December. After that run we will know if we are automatic promotion contenders or just play off contenders. My instinct is that we are probably destined to be fighting for play offs rather than automatic promotion but would love to be wrong

 

[fawlty]

We clearly need the full squad available for selection for those future games to cover injuries and possible suspensions. RL needs to name his strongest team for each match which is when he needs a fit, hungry and united group who will play for each other and the club. It could be exciting and also edge of seats watching.
COYGs.
Fawlty

 

[The Doctor]

We have only played one current top 6 team and we lost that. We have the other 4 in a row in late November early December. After that run we will know if we are automatic promotion contenders or just play off contenders. My instinct is that we are probably destined to be fighting for play offs rather than automatic promotion but would love to be wrong

That'll certainly be a very interesting run of fixtures and it will be fascinating to see how things pan out.

 

[PL2 3DQ]

It's just like watching Brazil! Count the passes for the third goal.

https://twitter.com/Voodoov21/status/1450054462446391299?t=FJMXfeyLczzceoHxLFAzqw&s=19

 

[Metal Green Mickey]

Agree with this. Teams rarely dominate for 90 minutes. We went to a team undefeated at home and beat them 3-1. I would have expected Oxford to dominate for longer spells than they did.

That to me is dominating the game.

Playing in the opposition half. Pressing the opponent to win the ball back. You can’t do that for 90 mins.

To me though control of the game is different. It’s when you are in possession. The game situation. The tempo of the match.

Oxford we’re always going to have a spell in the game. However, Argyle we’re frantic In that second half. Gave the ball away too easily. By which l mean, literally gave them the opportunities to score by our own unforced mistakes. Don’t get me wrong, Oxford created some decent chances by some quality wing play. Argyle though presented them with chances too. One in particular l remember by Camara losing the ball, in no real danger just inside our half, and literally by not taking more care of the ball they were in.

We haven’t really been punished so far this season. We play really decent football for spells. Yet we go badly off the boil for spells, so much so, we are clinging on. Winning games but taking the sting out of the game is an art. To Argyle’s credit the last 20 mins at Oxford was much better. However, given the chances Oxford had before this meant the game situation should have been different.

l don’t see how eventually if we keep having those type of spells this won’t effect the consistency of our results. Against Burton we were clinging on.

Personally, l think Argyle can have a season battling for a playoff spot. Ennis will be back, and l think he add even more quality to the forward line. Houghton is a great player on the ball for us. l just think our inability to take the sting out of a game & keep the ball better when the opposition are having a spell maybe our undoing.

 

[NLG]

From the point Mayor came on this changed (a brave decision given the state of the game). This was the manager taking action and changing the game, I think this was another point you used to criticise Lowe for. So what are you generally thinking at the moment wrt the system we play, the managers in game tactics and the season outcome ?

 

[Metal Green Mickey]

From the point Mayor came on this changed (a brave decision given the state of the game). This was the manager taking action and changing the game, I think this was another point you used to criticise Lowe for. So what are you generally thinking at the moment wrt the system we play, the managers in game tactics and the season outcome ?

All lm saying is wait and see. Maybe we can keep getting away with these spells because we are so good in other areas.

What lm thinking is we have had a great start. That we have played some beautiful football. That we give the opportunities to the opposition with some sloppy moments that will eventually get punished.

Tactically, people don’t seem to think playing 3-1-4-2 for the whole 90 mins is an issue. That’s what l criticised him for. l just think in certain game/match situations, around 60 mins in, you sometimes need to change systems. Be more adaptable. Whether it’s to see a game out or to wrestle momentum back. I don’t see this from Lowe from the past few seasons. It’s my concern about him.

I still think this system is about your wing backs. We have creative players like Broom or Mayor who can drive to the byline. What we don’t have is wing backs who can do this. I also think we need a physical no9 to help us up front, from time to time.

l know people will say we are top of the league, your being too harsh. Maybe l am. It’s just what l see. Built on watching league one and two football throughout my Argyle life and watching what made promotion teams in this league.

As for the outcome of this season, maybe just sneak into playoffs if we can cover up our 20 - 30 minutes lapses of sloppy ness in games. For this to happen, the midfield of Broom, Camara & Mayor (which ever 2 of the 3 he plays will need to score on a consistent basis.

 

[NLG]

All lm saying is wait and see. Maybe we can keep getting away with these spells because we are so good in other areas.

What lm thinking is we have had a great start. That we have played some beautiful football. That we give the opportunities to the opposition with some sloppy moments that will eventually get punished.

Tactically, people don’t seem to think playing 3-1-4-2 for the whole 90 mins is an issue. That’s what l criticised him for. l just think in certain game/match situations, around 60 mins in, you sometimes need to change systems. Be more adaptable. Whether it’s to see a game out or to wrestle momentum back. I don’t see this from Lowe from the past few seasons. It’s my concern about him.

I still think this system is about your wing backs. We have creative players like Broom or Mayor who can drive to the byline. What we don’t have is wing backs who can do this. I also think we need a physical no9 to help us up front, from time to time.

l know people will say we are top of the league, your being too harsh. Maybe l am. It’s just what l see. Built on watching league one and two football throughout my Argyle life and watching what made promotion teams in this league.

As for the outcome of this season, maybe just sneak into playoffs if we can cover up our 20 - 30 minutes lapses of sloppy ness in games. For this to happen, the midfield of Broom, Camara & Mayor (which ever 2 of the 3 he plays will need to score on a consistent basis.

Thanks for this, I think Lowe is also using the speed of the forwards (Hardie) to run the lines rather than simply adding Broom/Camara/Mayor to the wing interchange. I personally don't think a physical No 9 is needed in this formation, surely the game at Oxford showed this. A clever player like Mayor can hold the ball and take control if/when this is needed. Agree, it will be interesting to see how many goals the midfield contribute, it looks to me like they are really up for this, and are starting to deliver, as are some of the defenders.

I think the thing we need to worry about are winter conditions, this may make our style of play more difficult to execute and maintain on the heavier pitches.