One Game at a Time: You’re Only Here for the Easter Eggs
The Turnips (H) All Fools Day
It is the sharp end of the season. Squeaky Bum time as Sir Alex called it. Dustbin lid, sixpence as many fans feel it. Time for strong nerves, and a calm manner and unswerving noisy support.
Also a time when traditionally results can start to upset the form book. So perhaps no surprise that of the top seven teams when the Championship kicked ofd Friday, come the final table reckoning after the final whistle at Vicarage Road , newly top Ipswich, with the streakiest of linesman assisted one nil wins at Blackburn were one of only two winners.
The second, because of course, were their local rivals and potential play-off opponents, Nodge City. Even there, for over an hour, there looked like a shock was on the cards, after a sweeping move from Argyle ended with a superlative cross from Sorinola, expertly headed home by the now twenty goal Morgan Whittaker.
And it could and should have been more. Argyle’s own breakaway may have had a linesman assist of their own when the sleek greyhound like pace of Hardie took him clear of the desperate dive of Gunn. Sadly, as at Blackburn, Hardies finishing on Saturday went from Crufts winning speed merchant to cross-eyed mongrel when it came to applying the finishing touch. Traditionally a streaky striker if Ryan had had ice water in his veins we would have been out of sight before the first of two corner routines that put paid to the burgeoning hopes of an upset.
Corners have long been debated on here as to their efficacy in general, and by Argyle in particular. We had one attempt from a neat routine that Gunn swallowed comfortably. It is perhaps no shock that Argyle concede the most corners in the division, topping the stats in both halves. If practice makes perfect than Norwich must practice a lot because both their goals came from corners. Both were avoidable concessions, and the winner, unluckily for Ash Phillips who otherwise played well came from a corner when Lewis Gibson was off the pitch after colliding with his own player and was attended by the physio.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the physio being called, referee Linington was clearly taking no chances on his apology letter writing after the failure to award a perfectly legitimate Mumba goal at Southampton, collecting individual addresses from as many Argyle players as possible, including Devine for his theatrical fall for a penalty. Coach Foster was adamant it should have been a spot kick.
And so despite a good performance that deserved more, Argyle once again travelled home with plaudits not points. With QPR and Stoke both winning and Millwall and Wednesday managing home draws, another slight lurch lower will test the will of the probable Easter sell-out crowd for the All Fools Day local (ish) derby. This against a Bristol City side coming off the back of a Mehmeti inspired one nil win over Champions elect Leicester City, now in the play-pff places after a definite wobble in form of late.
City of course handed Argyle one of their worst defeats of the season in the home fixture when they drubbed the much changed side of allegedly previous auditionee for their managerial job in a comfortable four one win. After the departure of the then Manager Nigel Worthington, Liam Manning arrived from Oxford United.
Manning has a mixed bag of experience against Argyle, winning five nil with MK Dons to cement their play-off challenge two seasons ago in a game most Argyle fans will want to wipe from the memory. Having fallen at the Whycome hurdle in the play-offs Manning and his Dons were favourites to storm the division, but a disastrous summer transfer window where they failed to adequately replace the silky skills of Scott Twine amongst others meant that they exited the division through the relegation trapdoor instead. Argyle on the other hand, stormed it.
The five nil win also saw Argyle fans introduced briefly to their future loanee KKH. Their home win in their double over the Dons in the promotion season on New Years Day also saw a temporary farewell goal and assist from Morgan Whittaker as he was recalled shortly afterwards by Swansea City, before his triumphant return for this season.
City have been bolstered by the rejoining of Manning and Argyles four goal nemesis on that horrible final day massacre, Scott Twine, but their overall April first record at home is decent, although their only meeting with City on that day was a 2-1 reverse in the 67/8 Championship equivalent relegation season. Gulp.
Of course, there will be those that attempt to make fools of all of us during the day. Football has a long tradition of April Fool's Day jokes, so to keep you on your guard, here are some of the better ones. And a few of the worst.
Argyle sponsors Ginsters perpetuated one where they claimed that for one season the EFL were to allow a sponsorship deal whereby the penalty area D would be marked with a pasty style crimped edge. Imaginative, and better than the poorly photoshopped Olympic Lyonnais claim they were to have a blue pitch.
Kit changes to the hated colours of opponents are a traditional wind up, and todays opponents Brizzle City perpetrated one of the better ones of these in 2019 when they claimed to be restoring the kit based on their 1909 FA Cup Final appearance of a dark turquoise shirt, which caused much anger amongst duped fans given the proximity of the colour to both Rovers and Cardiff City.
Argyle featured in one of the more unlikely hoaxes when in 2016, after their previous end of seasons dress up by Hartlepool fans as Smurfs at Carlisle, the club announced they had gained EFL permission for the team to wear Smurf kits for their home game against the Greens. The EFL even played along with this by confirming that as long as the smurf kits carried the appropriate EFL branding and did not colour clash with Argyle (presumably we were looking at a Leprechaun style response) then the change was fine by them.
Such April Fools go back before the internet and photoshop age. Those who recall Saturday afternoons plonked in front of Grandstand and Des Lynham, may remember the staged fight in the background behind two Grandstand journalists that had to be broken up by colleagues.
There was also a Teletext based one that gained credibility when they announced that Craven Cottage was sinking into the Thames. Simpler times.
Others of note that caused uproar were the proposed signing by Rangers of a so-called Greek Striker, Yardis Alpolfo playing at Galatasaray, whose name was an anagram of April Fool’s Day, and a bizarre claim by Rio Ferdinand that he was to commence a managerial career replace accompanied by a. photo taken at Old Trafford , that rapidly led to incumbent Louis van Gaal being rumoured to be on the way out. That one could easily be resurrected this season.
Less successful attempts were the siting of the Chelsea and Arsenal half and half Ashley Cole statue in Regents Park after the clubs failed to agree a mutual location, the alleged purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo by Spain from Portugal (despite a last-minute attempt by David Cameron to hijack the deal for England) or the launch of the El Cricketo between the newly created cricket teams of Real Madrid and Barcelona!
Despite all of the above, Argyle have a chance to build on a better performance and change the mood of Home Park. So ignore the red strips, the return of Schuey on condition that the club gets him a helicopter for away games, or spurious attempts to change sponsors.
A home win will settle some nerves and is well within the bounds of possibility. Now, someone needs to go and prepare the pre match Turnip smoothies for the team so we can match the City energy levels. Expect to see Ryan discard a turnip shaped container as he walks out just before three PM.
COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Turnips (H) All Fools Day
It is the sharp end of the season. Squeaky Bum time as Sir Alex called it. Dustbin lid, sixpence as many fans feel it. Time for strong nerves, and a calm manner and unswerving noisy support.
Also a time when traditionally results can start to upset the form book. So perhaps no surprise that of the top seven teams when the Championship kicked ofd Friday, come the final table reckoning after the final whistle at Vicarage Road , newly top Ipswich, with the streakiest of linesman assisted one nil wins at Blackburn were one of only two winners.
The second, because of course, were their local rivals and potential play-off opponents, Nodge City. Even there, for over an hour, there looked like a shock was on the cards, after a sweeping move from Argyle ended with a superlative cross from Sorinola, expertly headed home by the now twenty goal Morgan Whittaker.
And it could and should have been more. Argyle’s own breakaway may have had a linesman assist of their own when the sleek greyhound like pace of Hardie took him clear of the desperate dive of Gunn. Sadly, as at Blackburn, Hardies finishing on Saturday went from Crufts winning speed merchant to cross-eyed mongrel when it came to applying the finishing touch. Traditionally a streaky striker if Ryan had had ice water in his veins we would have been out of sight before the first of two corner routines that put paid to the burgeoning hopes of an upset.
Corners have long been debated on here as to their efficacy in general, and by Argyle in particular. We had one attempt from a neat routine that Gunn swallowed comfortably. It is perhaps no shock that Argyle concede the most corners in the division, topping the stats in both halves. If practice makes perfect than Norwich must practice a lot because both their goals came from corners. Both were avoidable concessions, and the winner, unluckily for Ash Phillips who otherwise played well came from a corner when Lewis Gibson was off the pitch after colliding with his own player and was attended by the physio.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the physio being called, referee Linington was clearly taking no chances on his apology letter writing after the failure to award a perfectly legitimate Mumba goal at Southampton, collecting individual addresses from as many Argyle players as possible, including Devine for his theatrical fall for a penalty. Coach Foster was adamant it should have been a spot kick.
And so despite a good performance that deserved more, Argyle once again travelled home with plaudits not points. With QPR and Stoke both winning and Millwall and Wednesday managing home draws, another slight lurch lower will test the will of the probable Easter sell-out crowd for the All Fools Day local (ish) derby. This against a Bristol City side coming off the back of a Mehmeti inspired one nil win over Champions elect Leicester City, now in the play-pff places after a definite wobble in form of late.
City of course handed Argyle one of their worst defeats of the season in the home fixture when they drubbed the much changed side of allegedly previous auditionee for their managerial job in a comfortable four one win. After the departure of the then Manager Nigel Worthington, Liam Manning arrived from Oxford United.
Manning has a mixed bag of experience against Argyle, winning five nil with MK Dons to cement their play-off challenge two seasons ago in a game most Argyle fans will want to wipe from the memory. Having fallen at the Whycome hurdle in the play-offs Manning and his Dons were favourites to storm the division, but a disastrous summer transfer window where they failed to adequately replace the silky skills of Scott Twine amongst others meant that they exited the division through the relegation trapdoor instead. Argyle on the other hand, stormed it.
The five nil win also saw Argyle fans introduced briefly to their future loanee KKH. Their home win in their double over the Dons in the promotion season on New Years Day also saw a temporary farewell goal and assist from Morgan Whittaker as he was recalled shortly afterwards by Swansea City, before his triumphant return for this season.
City have been bolstered by the rejoining of Manning and Argyles four goal nemesis on that horrible final day massacre, Scott Twine, but their overall April first record at home is decent, although their only meeting with City on that day was a 2-1 reverse in the 67/8 Championship equivalent relegation season. Gulp.
Of course, there will be those that attempt to make fools of all of us during the day. Football has a long tradition of April Fool's Day jokes, so to keep you on your guard, here are some of the better ones. And a few of the worst.
Argyle sponsors Ginsters perpetuated one where they claimed that for one season the EFL were to allow a sponsorship deal whereby the penalty area D would be marked with a pasty style crimped edge. Imaginative, and better than the poorly photoshopped Olympic Lyonnais claim they were to have a blue pitch.
Kit changes to the hated colours of opponents are a traditional wind up, and todays opponents Brizzle City perpetrated one of the better ones of these in 2019 when they claimed to be restoring the kit based on their 1909 FA Cup Final appearance of a dark turquoise shirt, which caused much anger amongst duped fans given the proximity of the colour to both Rovers and Cardiff City.
Argyle featured in one of the more unlikely hoaxes when in 2016, after their previous end of seasons dress up by Hartlepool fans as Smurfs at Carlisle, the club announced they had gained EFL permission for the team to wear Smurf kits for their home game against the Greens. The EFL even played along with this by confirming that as long as the smurf kits carried the appropriate EFL branding and did not colour clash with Argyle (presumably we were looking at a Leprechaun style response) then the change was fine by them.
Such April Fools go back before the internet and photoshop age. Those who recall Saturday afternoons plonked in front of Grandstand and Des Lynham, may remember the staged fight in the background behind two Grandstand journalists that had to be broken up by colleagues.
There was also a Teletext based one that gained credibility when they announced that Craven Cottage was sinking into the Thames. Simpler times.
Others of note that caused uproar were the proposed signing by Rangers of a so-called Greek Striker, Yardis Alpolfo playing at Galatasaray, whose name was an anagram of April Fool’s Day, and a bizarre claim by Rio Ferdinand that he was to commence a managerial career replace accompanied by a. photo taken at Old Trafford , that rapidly led to incumbent Louis van Gaal being rumoured to be on the way out. That one could easily be resurrected this season.
Less successful attempts were the siting of the Chelsea and Arsenal half and half Ashley Cole statue in Regents Park after the clubs failed to agree a mutual location, the alleged purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo by Spain from Portugal (despite a last-minute attempt by David Cameron to hijack the deal for England) or the launch of the El Cricketo between the newly created cricket teams of Real Madrid and Barcelona!
Despite all of the above, Argyle have a chance to build on a better performance and change the mood of Home Park. So ignore the red strips, the return of Schuey on condition that the club gets him a helicopter for away games, or spurious attempts to change sponsors.
A home win will settle some nerves and is well within the bounds of possibility. Now, someone needs to go and prepare the pre match Turnip smoothies for the team so we can match the City energy levels. Expect to see Ryan discard a turnip shaped container as he walks out just before three PM.
COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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