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Match Day Thread versus Crewe Alexandra

Discussion in 'Plymouth' started by sensiblegreeny, Apr 27, 2017.

  1. sensiblegreeny

    sensiblegreeny Well-Known Member
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    Despite the fact that these opening posts for most games remain much the same as the last one you can never get away with the thought "what could possibly go wrong". This is afterall Argyle we are talking about.

    The reason the opening posts are similar is I suppose down to the automatic promotion already gained and position we have been in for the vast majority of the season. To be second must mean that you have won a lot of games or at least not lost a lot or a combination of both. What could sour the season a little bit is for us to chuck away 2nd place at least and not have a chance of being 1st. Is that what could possibly go wrong. The form book for this one is a bit odd. Over the last 5 games the form is a bit in our favour so you would think on paper this should be just another average day at the office. However over the last 10 games the form is a little less clear. We have won just one more but lost 2 less.
    Crewe have had an average season I would say. They could be on their holidays already with nothing much to play for or they may just want to scalp somebody before they don the trunks and flipflops. I'm not sure this one is going to be the easiest game we've had somehow.

    My memory of Crewe the place is an odd one. All I know about the place is we had to change trains there in the old days of steam when my family went on holiday to my grandparents place in Lancashire. The station is a bleak place to spend a few hours waiting. Cold and miserable.
     
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  2. notDistantGreen

    notDistantGreen Well-Known Member

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    As you say, Crewe have little to play for except pride. They've lost their last two away games - and they were against Accrington and Yeovil, not Doncaster and Portsmouth.

    We've can still overhaul Doncaster and take home a real trophy. Doncaster have a difficult game against our favourite other team, Exeter, who'll be fighting tooth and nail to stay in the play-offs. Portsmouth are at home to Mansfield, which if anything could be harder still as Mansfield are 1 point OUTSIDE the play-offs rather than comfortable in them like Exeter.

    I believe Kennedy's fit and that will put the fear of God into Crewe down that side. All we need is Bradley back too. There will be another big crowd which seemed to inspire our players against Newport even though there was a lot at stake. In the past that combination seemed to intimidate but this lot seem mentally stronger. There's nothing too lose, we are already up, so why wouldn't they just go for it?

    I'm quietly confident in our own result. I'm less sure we'll get the luck we need elsewhere but it's now or never.
     
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  3. Plymborn

    Plymborn Well-Known Member
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    Portsmouth are away to Mansfield which should be harder notDistant.
     
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  4. notDistantGreen

    notDistantGreen Well-Known Member

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    Oops yes.

    Lovely sunny day here but breezy. Good time to keep the ball down. Off to the game shortly.
     
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  5. notDistantGreen

    notDistantGreen Well-Known Member

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    Poor first few minutes from Argyle gave Crewe the initiative and a series of corners and free kicks, leading to the inevitable result.

    Argyle have huffed and puffed but somehow nothing's coming off.

    Radical statement but Crewe could just have given us the best first 45 from an away side this season.

    Nil one at half time.
     
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  6. Plymborn

    Plymborn Well-Known Member
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    Down to 3rd....THEN UP TO 1ST.......win at Grimsby and we're CHAMPIONS.
     
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  7. Plymborn

    Plymborn Well-Known Member
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    What is it with the BBC.....there final score programme mention every team except Argyle....Doncaster....Portsmouth going top.....Exeter beating Doncaster.....but when Argyle scored and led 2-1 and leaped frogged both Doncaster and Portsmouth....NOT EVEN A MENTIONED.
     
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  8. notDistantGreen

    notDistantGreen Well-Known Member

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    Eventually the Green Machine stuttered into life. Blisset on for a misfiring Jervis gave a focus as a disruptive force at the front. Songo'o gave the ball away once too often and got the hook in favour of Football Genius Sonny Bradley. I suspect Songo'o wrote his own death warrant as an Argyle player today.

    Taylor got the first and the Demport End sang Exeter City's name. The win started to look inevitable and Blisset bulleted a header into the roof of the net from amongst a crowd scene on the penalty spot.

    Gallant Crewe still had enough to go on the hunt for an equalizer and the ref played 40 minutes of added time, or so it seemed. How Crewe are in the bottom half is a mystery on the scale of the Bermuda Triangle or the whereabouts of Lord Lucan.

    Roll on next Saturday.
     
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  9. sensiblegreeny

    sensiblegreeny Well-Known Member
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    Phew!!! Well that was a roller coaster ride wasn't it. For an hour Argyle hadn't turned up and to be honest were being riped apart by Crewe who just seemed to walk through our ranks and we couldn't get the ball. Good job they didn't make more of it because we could have been dead and burried by then. The change came for me when Bradley came on. He seemed to galvanise the players into putting in a bit more effort. Before that they just huffed a little at times. He should be Captain out on the field as we have all said previously and today proved it for me. The second change was Blisset. He made a difference and not only by his goal. I don't think he could do 90 minutes but as a sub with 45 to go he has to be your man if you are chasing a game.

    Taylor was fighting a losing battle up front on his own. No matter where we are in the league I have to be honest and say I don't like Argyle playing that way. When or if we go behind it doesn't work. Until the changes in the second half we had both gone behind, been pressed out of existence by Crewe and outplayed. It looked like he wasn't going to change anything for quite a long time but eventually he did. Suddenly a number of players seemed to come alive. Once we got on the ball and pressed back we looked a completely different side. A number of players looked well pumped up for it and I think part of that was the ineptitude of the Referee. Strange that the Ref should be part of the change but I really believe he was. When we scored, and it was deserved and well taken by Taylor I commented that we could win this. Crewe had sort of stopped playing so all the momentum was our's. Sure enough a Carey cross came off for once and Blisset nailed it. He was unlucky a minute before getting a world class save out of the Crewe keeper. After that Crewe did try to get it back but we did what Argyle do best. Defended for all we were worth and tried the break away. In the end class told and the army were chanting "we are top of the league". Can we actually stay there now????? Squeaky last game to come me thinks.

    A comment on the Referee and the Crewe team. The Referee was a dick brain. He missed a stone wall penalty for Carey in the first half. It was so nailed on that not to give it was a farce. He let play go on when there were fairly obvious fouls. He gave wrong decisions half the time and there was no way he could have been described as a homer. A good example was letting play go on for Crewe and stopping it when he should have played on for us. Gave decisions the wrong way. Allowed time wasting etc to happen. The standard of Refereeing in this league is terrible at the best of times and but some we have had this season have been far worse than that. Thought Kettle was one of them. Now on to Crewe. They were fine until the game changed. Suddenly they managed to get injured frequently and fall down. The Keeper took an age to do anything at every turn. Their Manager spent about an hour of the game ranting and raving about something. I'm bemused as to what but boy did he go on and on. He kept it up for at least an hour of the game. Either the Ref got it or the fourth official got it. He was spoken to often but again the weak Ref didn't put him in the Stand. I am curious to know what wound him up so much because I didn't see it.
     
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  10. hp_bedoboy

    hp_bedoboy Active Member

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    Grimsby game could be live according to Herald report. COYG!
     
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  11. sensiblegreeny

    sensiblegreeny Well-Known Member
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    Nope, think it's going to be Doncaster v Hartlepool. More interest in it. One could be relegated and the other be the champions.
     
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  12. PGFWhite

    PGFWhite Well-Known Member

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    A neutral watching that game would have said Crewe were the promoted team and Argyle lower than mid table. Crewe could have been out of sight, but their lack of a tidy striker meant it was only 1-0 at half time. Argyle played hoof ball and it eventually paid off with two late goals. Now on to win the title at Grimsby

    Four or five signings needed in the summer and the manager needs to sort out some clinical play in the final third to break down League 1 defences <ok>
     
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  13. Plymborn

    Plymborn Well-Known Member
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    Sky confirm that the live game will be .....Doncaster v Hartlepool.
     
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