One Game at a Time: Sky’re Only Here for the Champions/Runners Up/Play Off Hopefuls (delete as applicable)
Leicester City (H) April 12th
Friday Night Lights (Part 2)
So far, so undefeated, under the second spell of what more than one poster on Pasoti has termed Nanceskip. The euphoria of the third (count them) away win of the season on Friday Night Lights (part the First) against the team in bottom goes full circle this evening with the opposite end of the table, and the visit of Leicester City.
A game which, when selected by the overlords of football finance Sky, looked to be a potential coronation of the Divisions runaway champions, has become intrinsically important at both ends of the table, largely due to the inability at the key part of the season of teams at either end of the League to string two wins together.
Argyle, for example, on the back of a vital away win at the one fixture even the jaded travellers in Green recognised was their best chance of three points on the road in the run-in, followed that up with a lack lustre performance against QPR in the first of the tranches of mid-week Championship fixtures.
An unchanged side, itself a small victory, started brightly, but with no sign of a goal after five successive home blanks, it was QPR who looked the most threatening. Well, right up until the point they had to shoot, at which point you could see why their entire squad had scored a combined total of only six more then Hardie and Whittaker.
With a decent run of away performances, and the reality that another away win would effectively render themselves safe, Marti Cifuentes branded the match a cup final for Rangers. Given this is a side that has the worst FA Cup record in the EFL for 3rd round cup exits, that might not have been the best way of motivating an impressive Tuesday night away following in what was Argyles best crowd of the season.
After the huffing and puffing of the first half, Rangers took a degree of control, and it was only the profligacy of Paul Smyth and Chair that meant Argyle stayed in the game. That and a goal-line clearance by a rejuvenated Dan Scarr, paying in part for his dismissal at Loftus Road with a man of the match performance.
Then from a corner, came the sucker punch. A header by Dunne, brilliantly saved by Cooper. Dykes then managed to loop the ball back towards goal, and Cooper once again managed to get glove on the ball. Unfortunately, his save took the ball away from Sorinola’s attempted clearance and sat perfectly for Sam Field to give himself half a chance to be Rangers top scorer this season. It’s his third goal.
It was no less than Rangers deserved and as the clock ticked onwards towards a sixth successive goalless ninety-five minutes, it looked like Whittaker’s clever near post free kick that a scrambling Begovic pushed around the post was as close to scoring as we were going to get.
Begovic, an Ainsworth signing who has not endeared himself to the Rangers faithful was however to play now more crucial part in the game. With subs hands played by the coaches on either side and momentum shifting as Argyle chased a game they simply could not lose, Argyle forced another of those non-productive set plays, a corner. I don’t know, in the heat of battle, if the stats led analyses of the game flashes across a player’s mind. If they did then I can only assume that Nanceskip subliminally sent to Randell that Begovic is the third worst keeper in the division. He is ahead of only Allsopp, our ex Whycome buddy remarkably holding down a place at Hull, and Gavin Bazunu, twelve million quid flushed down the St Mary’s loo, whose stats make striker Ross Stewarts ten million pound, truncated two game spell at Saints look an absolute steal. Apparently, Manchester City have a forty million pound buy back clause in the agreement with Southampton for Bazunu. I’ll bet Russ Martin has already tried and failed to cash that at Barclays.
In swung the corner, and Begovic, doing a passable impression of Beaker from the Muppets on the end of a Bunsen Honeydew experiment, came, flapped and if he got any touch at all, only succeeded in guiding the ball onto the knees of the second least popular player in the Rangers squad.
“Uncle Albert” Adomah, on for Chair to help shore up the rear-guard action with his undoubted experience, was on the back post side of the six-yard box, and as The Moose closed in, managed to knee the ball into the unguarded net, kissing the inside of the post on the way. Given the fact Cifuentes had other options on the bench, such as on loan Wolves midfielder Hodge or American international Reggie Cannon, as well as recently reassembled Jake Clarke-Salter, one can only assume there has been some kind of weird Whatsapp scandal involving those players and Cifuentes wife for the virtually pensionable Adomah to get the nod for the last few minutes.
Argyle still had one final chance from a Whittaker free kick, but this one stayed in the grasp of Begovic. Enough for a point, not enough to stop some Rangers fans wondering if they could make a cheeky emergency keeper loan for the Argyle stalwart stopper, who once again kept a clean sheet at half time, against young Abigail. Hands off Pilgrim Pete, boys.
What looked like an opportunity and two points missed by the close of Tuesday evening, with Millwall’s win over tonight’s opponents and a two goal recovery by the Wendies at home to Norwich taking the gloss off the point gained, looked like a point gained and a step forward after a Wednesday evening clean sweep of scores you would have wished for.
Blackburn, having crushed a Black Cat defence, found the flip side of the bad luck that inevitably brought when Bristol City decided to stop browsing “On The Beach” holidays and smash five past the disarrayed, rather than wild, Rovers.
Stoke were brushed aside by Swansea, aided by the amusing disallowing of a Niall Ennis goal after the Swans keeper contrived to throw it into the back of his head and then do that desperate appeal wave as Ennis scored. Where is Keith Stroud and his guide dog when you need him? Fortunately for Swansea, and Argyle, right there blowing up for the non-existent foul.
Birmingham contrived a one nil home defeat to Cardiff, and dearly departed Rotherham were somewhat unfortunate to concede a penalty to a ball that a) possibly didn’t hit the defenders’ hand and b) was about two yards outside the penalty area.
Which brings us to tonight and the arrival of a Leicester team, exhausted from their epic trip to East London (just a few miles short of out closest away fixture), for the match which Sky probably thought could seal their title aspirations. First season boss and ex-Guardiola assistant Maresco has declared a medical emergency at the inhuman treatment of his players by forcing them all the way to the Southwest to play for ninety whole minutes and change. We can only sympathise. Bless.
City started the season like a rocket, racing into what looked like an unassailable lead ahead of Ipswich, Leeds and Southampton, their closest pursuers. Unfortunately, especially for a City that is home the National Space Centre (a building designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, architect turned radio One DJ), it has transpired that said rocket, like the Space X Falcon, is prone to more than the occasional rapid unplanned disassembly. The latest of these was at The New Den, and it is only the sudden goal shyness of the previously rampant Ipswich in their last two games that has left the Filberts atop the table.
This has led to not a little concern amongst the previously supremely confident City fans and, having seen a seventeen-point advantage vanish before their eyes, the manager and his possession heavy patient build up style are coming in for criticism.
The club also have other difficulties. Any promotion is likely accompanied with a Premier League points deduction at the beginning of next season. The club is presently embargoed from registering new players, and six of the current squad, including Mr Leicester himself, Jamie Vardy, will be out of contract in the summer. Although they could renegotiate new contracts under the embargo for these existing players, Maresco has stated that is not likely to happen.
They are, however, still a potent threat, and whilst the turmoil of management changes at Birmingham City has meant that we won’t get any Wagatha Cristie inspired help from an under orders Jamie, to inflict vicarious damage to Colleen on behalf of Rebekah they carry plenty of other goal threat. We know this to our cost, when after a spirited first half at the King Power, where we could and perhaps should have led, City turned on the after burners in the second forty-five. Not even Tommy English could have inspired a comeback from that. The Leicester player who they swapped for Jim Melrose ( although it could have been one stage been Lineker) ended up at Argyle for four games after leaving City and his only Green goal was in the magical 6-4 comeback win over Preston.
Their season has been assisted, if that’s the right word, by the receiving of no less than a dozen penalties, or one every three games, which does seem a little excessive when their nearest contender, the Dan James tumbling inspired Leeds, only have eight (and they should have had nine after Onein’s handball in midweek). Scored them all too.
Given the fact Argyle have only received one (and a few apology letters from the Match Officials organisation) one would hope the football gods might start to begin the levelling up process on that stat. Tonight is as good a time as any for that to start.
It is a measure of the respective financial disparity that many Argyle fans see this game as one where restricting the damage to our goal difference, which may prove vital in three of four weeks’ time, is almost as important as winning a point or three.
Recent form however sees the two sides much closer together, and City have conceded goals to teams that press them hard and high, but also have struggled to break down teams that defend deeper than a dead King in a car-park. If only we knew someone who could coach those systems of play. IF only.
Much has been made of the renewed spirit and togetherness of the team. A second successive home game under the lights will evoke memories of past epic encounters. Colchester and Blackburn in 1975. Bristol City in 1986.
Friday Night Lights could lead to three vital points. The staple of Hollywood, the sports team inspired by their coach is writ large in this and also “Any Given Sunday”, where a five-minute Pacino speech is de riguer for a backs against the wall side.
Inch by inch is the mantra. The side that wins those individual inches will eventually triumph. The side whose teammates look in the eyes of their fellow players and sees that he will put himself on the line for his fellow player and vice versa. No quarter given.
Inch by Inch.
Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.
COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Leicester City (H) April 12th
Friday Night Lights (Part 2)
So far, so undefeated, under the second spell of what more than one poster on Pasoti has termed Nanceskip. The euphoria of the third (count them) away win of the season on Friday Night Lights (part the First) against the team in bottom goes full circle this evening with the opposite end of the table, and the visit of Leicester City.
A game which, when selected by the overlords of football finance Sky, looked to be a potential coronation of the Divisions runaway champions, has become intrinsically important at both ends of the table, largely due to the inability at the key part of the season of teams at either end of the League to string two wins together.
Argyle, for example, on the back of a vital away win at the one fixture even the jaded travellers in Green recognised was their best chance of three points on the road in the run-in, followed that up with a lack lustre performance against QPR in the first of the tranches of mid-week Championship fixtures.
An unchanged side, itself a small victory, started brightly, but with no sign of a goal after five successive home blanks, it was QPR who looked the most threatening. Well, right up until the point they had to shoot, at which point you could see why their entire squad had scored a combined total of only six more then Hardie and Whittaker.
With a decent run of away performances, and the reality that another away win would effectively render themselves safe, Marti Cifuentes branded the match a cup final for Rangers. Given this is a side that has the worst FA Cup record in the EFL for 3rd round cup exits, that might not have been the best way of motivating an impressive Tuesday night away following in what was Argyles best crowd of the season.
After the huffing and puffing of the first half, Rangers took a degree of control, and it was only the profligacy of Paul Smyth and Chair that meant Argyle stayed in the game. That and a goal-line clearance by a rejuvenated Dan Scarr, paying in part for his dismissal at Loftus Road with a man of the match performance.
Then from a corner, came the sucker punch. A header by Dunne, brilliantly saved by Cooper. Dykes then managed to loop the ball back towards goal, and Cooper once again managed to get glove on the ball. Unfortunately, his save took the ball away from Sorinola’s attempted clearance and sat perfectly for Sam Field to give himself half a chance to be Rangers top scorer this season. It’s his third goal.
It was no less than Rangers deserved and as the clock ticked onwards towards a sixth successive goalless ninety-five minutes, it looked like Whittaker’s clever near post free kick that a scrambling Begovic pushed around the post was as close to scoring as we were going to get.
Begovic, an Ainsworth signing who has not endeared himself to the Rangers faithful was however to play now more crucial part in the game. With subs hands played by the coaches on either side and momentum shifting as Argyle chased a game they simply could not lose, Argyle forced another of those non-productive set plays, a corner. I don’t know, in the heat of battle, if the stats led analyses of the game flashes across a player’s mind. If they did then I can only assume that Nanceskip subliminally sent to Randell that Begovic is the third worst keeper in the division. He is ahead of only Allsopp, our ex Whycome buddy remarkably holding down a place at Hull, and Gavin Bazunu, twelve million quid flushed down the St Mary’s loo, whose stats make striker Ross Stewarts ten million pound, truncated two game spell at Saints look an absolute steal. Apparently, Manchester City have a forty million pound buy back clause in the agreement with Southampton for Bazunu. I’ll bet Russ Martin has already tried and failed to cash that at Barclays.
In swung the corner, and Begovic, doing a passable impression of Beaker from the Muppets on the end of a Bunsen Honeydew experiment, came, flapped and if he got any touch at all, only succeeded in guiding the ball onto the knees of the second least popular player in the Rangers squad.
“Uncle Albert” Adomah, on for Chair to help shore up the rear-guard action with his undoubted experience, was on the back post side of the six-yard box, and as The Moose closed in, managed to knee the ball into the unguarded net, kissing the inside of the post on the way. Given the fact Cifuentes had other options on the bench, such as on loan Wolves midfielder Hodge or American international Reggie Cannon, as well as recently reassembled Jake Clarke-Salter, one can only assume there has been some kind of weird Whatsapp scandal involving those players and Cifuentes wife for the virtually pensionable Adomah to get the nod for the last few minutes.
Argyle still had one final chance from a Whittaker free kick, but this one stayed in the grasp of Begovic. Enough for a point, not enough to stop some Rangers fans wondering if they could make a cheeky emergency keeper loan for the Argyle stalwart stopper, who once again kept a clean sheet at half time, against young Abigail. Hands off Pilgrim Pete, boys.
What looked like an opportunity and two points missed by the close of Tuesday evening, with Millwall’s win over tonight’s opponents and a two goal recovery by the Wendies at home to Norwich taking the gloss off the point gained, looked like a point gained and a step forward after a Wednesday evening clean sweep of scores you would have wished for.
Blackburn, having crushed a Black Cat defence, found the flip side of the bad luck that inevitably brought when Bristol City decided to stop browsing “On The Beach” holidays and smash five past the disarrayed, rather than wild, Rovers.
Stoke were brushed aside by Swansea, aided by the amusing disallowing of a Niall Ennis goal after the Swans keeper contrived to throw it into the back of his head and then do that desperate appeal wave as Ennis scored. Where is Keith Stroud and his guide dog when you need him? Fortunately for Swansea, and Argyle, right there blowing up for the non-existent foul.
Birmingham contrived a one nil home defeat to Cardiff, and dearly departed Rotherham were somewhat unfortunate to concede a penalty to a ball that a) possibly didn’t hit the defenders’ hand and b) was about two yards outside the penalty area.
Which brings us to tonight and the arrival of a Leicester team, exhausted from their epic trip to East London (just a few miles short of out closest away fixture), for the match which Sky probably thought could seal their title aspirations. First season boss and ex-Guardiola assistant Maresco has declared a medical emergency at the inhuman treatment of his players by forcing them all the way to the Southwest to play for ninety whole minutes and change. We can only sympathise. Bless.
City started the season like a rocket, racing into what looked like an unassailable lead ahead of Ipswich, Leeds and Southampton, their closest pursuers. Unfortunately, especially for a City that is home the National Space Centre (a building designed by Nicholas Grimshaw, architect turned radio One DJ), it has transpired that said rocket, like the Space X Falcon, is prone to more than the occasional rapid unplanned disassembly. The latest of these was at The New Den, and it is only the sudden goal shyness of the previously rampant Ipswich in their last two games that has left the Filberts atop the table.
This has led to not a little concern amongst the previously supremely confident City fans and, having seen a seventeen-point advantage vanish before their eyes, the manager and his possession heavy patient build up style are coming in for criticism.
The club also have other difficulties. Any promotion is likely accompanied with a Premier League points deduction at the beginning of next season. The club is presently embargoed from registering new players, and six of the current squad, including Mr Leicester himself, Jamie Vardy, will be out of contract in the summer. Although they could renegotiate new contracts under the embargo for these existing players, Maresco has stated that is not likely to happen.
They are, however, still a potent threat, and whilst the turmoil of management changes at Birmingham City has meant that we won’t get any Wagatha Cristie inspired help from an under orders Jamie, to inflict vicarious damage to Colleen on behalf of Rebekah they carry plenty of other goal threat. We know this to our cost, when after a spirited first half at the King Power, where we could and perhaps should have led, City turned on the after burners in the second forty-five. Not even Tommy English could have inspired a comeback from that. The Leicester player who they swapped for Jim Melrose ( although it could have been one stage been Lineker) ended up at Argyle for four games after leaving City and his only Green goal was in the magical 6-4 comeback win over Preston.
Their season has been assisted, if that’s the right word, by the receiving of no less than a dozen penalties, or one every three games, which does seem a little excessive when their nearest contender, the Dan James tumbling inspired Leeds, only have eight (and they should have had nine after Onein’s handball in midweek). Scored them all too.
Given the fact Argyle have only received one (and a few apology letters from the Match Officials organisation) one would hope the football gods might start to begin the levelling up process on that stat. Tonight is as good a time as any for that to start.
It is a measure of the respective financial disparity that many Argyle fans see this game as one where restricting the damage to our goal difference, which may prove vital in three of four weeks’ time, is almost as important as winning a point or three.
Recent form however sees the two sides much closer together, and City have conceded goals to teams that press them hard and high, but also have struggled to break down teams that defend deeper than a dead King in a car-park. If only we knew someone who could coach those systems of play. IF only.
Much has been made of the renewed spirit and togetherness of the team. A second successive home game under the lights will evoke memories of past epic encounters. Colchester and Blackburn in 1975. Bristol City in 1986.
Friday Night Lights could lead to three vital points. The staple of Hollywood, the sports team inspired by their coach is writ large in this and also “Any Given Sunday”, where a five-minute Pacino speech is de riguer for a backs against the wall side.
Inch by inch is the mantra. The side that wins those individual inches will eventually triumph. The side whose teammates look in the eyes of their fellow players and sees that he will put himself on the line for his fellow player and vice versa. No quarter given.
Inch by Inch.
Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.
COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
