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Brief Synopsis

Mar 14, 2009
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Well it was a treat to be back at HP.

We do look solid at the back. However, we have to be honest. After conceding 80 league goals we were always going to be more impressed.

We scored direct from a corner. That surely has to be a positive.

I do believe we can link the ball up better from defence to Houghton. And from here build a better foundation to start from. I also believe after watching Ennis tonight we have a brilliant, back to play, forward in Ennis. At times he is absolutely outstanding.

I couldn’t get a handle on what it is though we are missing, until tonight. In the final third we are ponderous and slow. Countless times in the first half Grant gets down the touchline into space. Stops. Goes backwards. You see a Middlesbrough wide player knock the ball forward and be direct. Why? Because they have pace to exploit the gaps. Their first goal is made by a player who uses his pace to get to the byline and crosses it back. The reason people love Mayor is that even though his end product is not good he can exploit the space out wide. Our wing backs simply aren’t quick enough to exploit the space on the wing. Countless times we get to a good position and waste it. So many times instead of trying to get to the byline it gets recycled across the pitch 25-30 yards out.

The other issue is composure. We get to the penalty box and we simply don’t have that player to make the right decision, at the right time on the edge of the area. It’s all nice and solid but when it gets to the business end there you watch the different Argyle players simply not sure what to do. By the time we make a decision the opposition are too well organised.

If people tell me it’s a PSF, then fine. Or that’s it a new team, then fine. However, it’s the same central midfield, the same forwards and the same wing backs as last season. If people want to tell me it’s championship opposition then that’s fine too. Maybe lm being way too harsh.

However, it’s the same issues in terms of attacking play as last season. For me we simply can‘t hurt teams enough from wide positions with this personnel, playing this system.

The other thing that was noticeable was the defence trying to play it into the midfield and Middlesbrough, creating their best chances time after time in that second half, picking off some really badly chosen passes. Where have we seen this before?

I just felt we are seeing a better organised defence playing pretty football but with a lack of penetration. I really can’t recall the Middlesbrough keeper doing anything but for our goal from the corner.

Just a little thing about the mask wearing. It’s seemed so few people wearing masks. Plymouth Covid-19 rate is rising. You can’t really complain if we have another lockdown come the autumn which I suspect we might. Yet people’s mindset seems to be its all behind us.
 

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Oct 31, 2010
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Argyle 1 - 2 Middlesbrough
Gillesphey.
Attn: 4,204

Another enjoyable game which at times felt like a proper league game with the fans chanting and getting behind the team.

The new floodlights made their first appearance and the dark area in front of the dug-outs has finally gone.

Burton was missing so I presume he was injured.

The game was the exact opposite of most league games last season in that we played better in the second half and we scored from a corner - remember those?

In a league game the Middlesbrough players would have picked up several yellow cards such were the amount of fouls they committed but the Hux just awarded free-kicks with no further punishment.

We tried a lot of low balls into the feet of Ennis who either tried to spin off or lay the ball off.

Houghton didn't get into the game and wasn't as good as Randell was against Swansea.
Grant at left wing-back has a habit of stopping and passing backwards or sideways instead of pushing forward into the space ahead of him. That said, he did combine well with Mayor.

The back three were solid, this time it was Gillesphey on the left and it was him who scored our equaliser when he headed in a Grant corner. We should at least score 10 goals from corners this season with the players we now have.
It's just so good to see an experienced back 3, men not boys.

We have to take into consideration the team we were playing against but we didn't offer much of a goal threat. Our build up play is very good and then we reach the penalty area and it's a struggle to create anything.

With a host of subs and youngsters coming on Cooper was the only player to complete the whole game.

With Burton, Bolton and Cooper out the squad looks very lightweight and it showed tonight with only Hardie, Randell, Galloway and Law (and possibly McCormick) on the bench who could be regarded as first team options.

The airport style over the top security checks were still in place for the Lyndhurst side which created long queues. All contents of pockets had to be emptied onto a table, bags were checked and a scanner was used around the body. Male security staff were using the scanner on female fans which is totally wrong.
Expect chaos if this continues for league games.
 
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Penlee

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Huxtable seemed scared of Warnock he gave them a lot of dodgy free kicks and refused to card some over zealous challenges particularly from their no.5. he got his yellow card out on one occasion then put it away again.
 

JannerinCardiff

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Jul 16, 2018
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I think it was a good test against a team clearly better than us but I thought at times we gave a good account of ourselves.

The defence looks decent this year and I think our problem defending and attacking set pieces has been addressed.

Some general observations now we’re starting to think about the 1st XI for our opening league game…

1). I think we will be better if Grant plays in midfield and Law is used at LWB - certainly Law is better going forward to me in wide areas and think Conor Grant is better than Camara in the RM tposition and offers good dead ball and shooting from distance as we saw last season. I hope that George Cooper when fit is tried out at RM as I think this is our problem position.

2). I’m not yet convinced about Houghton, he gave slippy passes away today and doesn’t harass opposition players with the ball as well as Randell who I think also has a better eye for a pass than Houghton.

I’m interested in the line-up for Bristol city as I think this might be the first brake to give an indication of a likely starting team to play against Rotherham.
 
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We were far more threatening on Tuesday night, tonight was a bore fest.
Law had more attacking instincts than Grant at LWB, especially in the 2nd half v Swansea. Randell seems to be able to spot a forward pass better than Houghton who just recycled the ball sideways and back. Jephcott offered nothing tonight, but he needs decent service.
Positives- Defence looks more solid. Ennis will make things happen this season, he's so quick.
Boro were very well organised and were always chasing Argyle down. They forced our mistakes sometimes. They did keep fouling though, quite a dirty team for a friendly.
 
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Mar 14, 2009
5,148
277
I think it was a good test against a team clearly better than us but I thought at times we gave a good account of ourselves.

The defence looks decent this year and I think our problem defending and attacking set pieces has been addressed.

Some general observations now we’re starting to think about the 1st XI for our opening league game…

1). I think we will be better if Grant plays in midfield and Law is used at LWB - certainly Law is better going forward to me in wide areas and think Conor Grant is better than Camara in the RM tposition and offers good dead ball and shooting from distance as we saw last season. I hope that George Cooper when fit is tried out at RM as I think this is our problem position.

2). I’m not yet convinced about Houghton, he gave slippy passes away today and doesn’t harass opposition players with the ball as well as Randell who I think also has a better eye for a pass than Houghton.

I’m interested in the line-up for Bristol city as I think this might be the first brake to give an indication of a likely starting team to play against Rotherham.

l didn‘t like the way he defended their second goal if lm honest. Seem to dangle a leg out with any lack of effort.

He is better on the ball than Fornah. I think though he would be better with Randell alongside him and then push Camara further forward.

With Mayor you could play him just behind Ennis. Jephcott isn’t a league one player for me.

This system is going to cause us big headaches again next season I fear.
 
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Jul 19, 2006
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Personally think Dan Scarr has looked very impressive
Bradley esque but tbh I think he maybe a better footballer than Bradley at this stage he seems calmer on the ball and able to pick out a team mate if not as good certainly much better than Edwards.
I also thought Ennis was superb first half and I think Houghton played well
That commentator is so annoying and let's be honest mayor doesn't give the ball away he says after he played us into trouble at the back which he also did in the Swansea game
I also thought tbh mayor was at fault for the winner half heartedly closed man and then stopped as he surged into box
 
Dec 30, 2020
1,735
2,606
It's brilliant to hear people's accounts of being back in the stadium, and watching online you could feel there was a bit of an atmosphere there.

But I thought the football was unbelievably tedious, and being brutally honest, not untypical of how we often play under the current manager. Pretty much no chances created, nobody taking players on, attacking at snail's pace with hardly any players committed forward. We put the occasional slick passing move together, but always in our own half and it always ends up with someone checking backwards because they don't have runners in front of them.

I quite like Lowe and the results over the past couple of years have been ok. I just find the pretence that he plays entertaining, attacking football extremely weird. I think it's going to be similarly slow and cautious this season (though with better defenders it will hopefully yield better results)
 
Jun 16, 2021
68
13
Galloway for Gillespie and hardie for jephcott and you have our strongest XI for the first game.
We will be competitive in lge 1 but dont get too excited.
Mid table mediocrity unless we make some big loan signings.
At least we won't concede 80 goals this season
 
Aug 15, 2015
962
162
We look more solid overall and the recruitment looks far better. Other than for squad depth, we look a bit flat going forward though. Mayor's not making the most of his position in the team for me. Of the three central midfield players, he is the one who is given the license to attack and the one that is expected to drive play forward. But as we know with him, he has no end product.

Without wanting to raise the Mayor vs Carey debate, we could do with someone like Carey in this team. Someone who is going to run at defenders, tease, and whip dangerous on the money crosses right onto the forwards' heads, someone who will pick passes out and play forwards in on goal, drive at defenders, ping curlers into the top corner etc. We're not getting any of that juice from our midfield. Mayor gets the ball and plays shape with Grant and the overlapping 3rd centre back, Gillesphey in last night's case.

Our poor forwards don't even get the service for us to judge them fairly. Ennis and Jephcott often have to live off scraps as all the play is with their backs to goal. They both have potential but they spend most of the game running towards our own goal to hold the ball up and link the play, when we should be picking them out in the box or with passes in behind.
 
Aug 21, 2008
1,590
42
Plymouth
Argyle 1 - 2 Middlesbrough
Gillesphey.
Attn: 4,204

Another enjoyable game which at times felt like a proper league game with the fans chanting and getting behind the team.

The new floodlights made their first appearance and the dark area in front of the dug-outs has finally gone.

Burton was missing so I presume he was injured.

The game was the exact opposite of most league games last season in that we played better in the second half and we scored from a corner - remember those?

In a league game the Middlesbrough players would have picked up several yellow cards such were the amount of fouls they committed but the Hux just awarded free-kicks with no further punishment.

We tried a lot of low balls into the feet of Ennis who either tried to spin off or lay the ball off.

Houghton didn't get into the game and wasn't as good as Randell was against Swansea.
Grant at left wing-back has a habit of stopping and passing backwards or sideways instead of pushing forward into the space ahead of him. That said, he did combine well with Mayor.

The back three were solid, this time it was Gillesphey on the left and it was him who scored our equaliser when he headed in a Grant corner. We should at least score 10 goals from corners this season with the players we now have.
It's just so good to see an experienced back 3, men not boys.

We have to take into consideration the team we were playing against but we didn't offer much of a goal threat. Our build up play is very good and then we reach the penalty area and it's a struggle to create anything.

With a host of subs and youngsters coming on Cooper was the only player to complete the whole game.

With Burton, Bolton and Cooper out the squad looks very lightweight and it showed tonight with only Hardie, Randell, Galloway and Law (and possibly McCormick) on the bench who could be regarded as first team options.

The airport style over the top security checks were still in place for the Lyndhurst side which created long queues. All contents of pockets had to be emptied onto a table, bags were checked and a scanner was used around the body. Male security staff were using the scanner on female fans which is totally wrong.
Expect chaos if this continues for league games.
Has there been any explanation from the club regarding this over the top security?

In my 54 years of supporting Argyle we've never had this before.

Is it just the Lyndhurst or are people in the Devonport & Mayflower being treated similarly?

What about the prawn sandwich brigade?

Treating law abiding citizens like criminals won't win any friends.
 

IJN

Site Owner
Nov 29, 2012
9,160
22,666
Nothing again in the Lower Mayflower. Straight in after a cursory glance. Saying that I haven’t got a man bag. Just Argyle top with a pair of golf shorts. No room for an AK47!
 

JannerinCardiff

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♣️ SWAG Member
Jul 16, 2018
7,835
3,607
Cardiff
We look more solid overall and the recruitment looks far better. Other than for squad depth, we look a bit flat going forward though. Mayor's not making the most of his position in the team for me. Of the three central midfield players, he is the one who is given the license to attack and the one that is expected to drive play forward. But as we know with him, he has no end product.

Without wanting to raise the Mayor vs Carey debate, we could do with someone like Carey in this team. Someone who is going to run at defenders, tease, and whip dangerous on the money crosses right onto the forwards' heads, someone who will pick passes out and play forwards in on goal, drive at defenders, ping curlers into the top corner etc. We're not getting any of that juice from our midfield. Mayor gets the ball and plays shape with Grant and the overlapping 3rd centre back, Gillesphey in last night's case.

Our poor forwards don't even get the service for us to judge them fairly. Ennis and Jephcott often have to live off scraps as all the play is with their backs to goal. They both have potential but they spend most of the game running towards our own goal to hold the ball up and link the play, when we should be picking them out in the box or with passes in behind.

you’ve got to remember we’ve just played 2 excellent teams, your average league 1 team won’t be as good so we’ll certainly have more of the ball and have more attacks in League 1 I’m sure.