I'm not going to do a match report as I'm no good at them but I will give you my thoughts as it was my 1st match of the season. First of all it was really quite strange and seemed like I'd been away forever. The life centre is almost finished, the car park somehow looked different and of course there was the closed blocks inside. I thought we won the 1st half quite easily and overall played some pretty neat football but it became obvious that we need a finisher, these lads simply could not put 'em away. The most skillful player was our defender #13, sorry I don't know his name, I was quite impressed by him but as a team I thought we lacked confindence. After their goal which went against play Crewe gained in confidence. Their left "winger" #12 was their danger man but with all due respect we really should have won this game as Crewe weren't anything special. I don't know why I became bored with this game as the football was pretty, maybe I just couldn't see us getting a goal but I left during injury time - I'd seen enough. It was nice going home in daylight
No 13 Soukouna........played well last week at Gillingham,he was the only one that wanted to get up and at'em. It's rather disappointing that we have to play at home with only one striker (I think thats what he was), against Crewe who were at the time 92nd in the league....its as good as playing with ten men.
Cheers Reid. It sounds exactly like every other gamne this season.... Play well in first half and crap in second. Lots of passing around but bowhere near an end product (or even buy the sounds of it any serious threats on goal). Hitchcock posted this on twitter after the match (but is now been removed) - "get me the **** home". Obviously not happy at being left on the bench again. And tbf 451 at home to the team who were bottom of the league is pretty rubbish.
I didn't know Larrieu was a pidgeon fancier ..... did anyone notice the two pidgeons in his goal the first half, totally oblivious to the game going on ? They must have liked him because in the 2nd half they went up to the Barn Park end with him where they remained for the remainder of the match, fans around us gave them names "Maud & Harry" and in the dying stages of the match they were joined by three more .... is this Argyle's secret weapon .... or are they new additions to the squad that have been kept secret like many other things lol. The frustrating thing is Argyle are playing some decent football but when they get near the goal area its as if no one wants to take responsibility for having a shoot and they start passing backwards .... I'm sure it will come together in the fullness of time !
Sounds as though signing a central striker is a desperate need - as Reid has said. For me, not necessarily a bean pole but strong & direct. The Crewe manager suggested Argyle played a lot of long balls - that doesn't seem to be consistent with what's said here?
Plymborn, that was dreadful! NotDistant, Long balls my the only "long balls" were from wing to wing near the goal rather than putting it in the net! Talking of balls, Gat said "we" only had one at the match and I thought she said "he" and I said "who only has one ball"?
Plymborn I never thought of that ! and Mrs Reidy how you have the cheek to accuse me of bringing sex into after you've posted that I shall never know .... I was merely observing that the ball boys used to have spare balls to roll onto the pitch if the ball went out of play, and this season we only have one which we have to wait for it to be retrieved from wherever it has gone ..... thought they should have signed that fan on who headed it perfectly back onto the pitch though lol
Teams that play a one up front target man,whether route one through the air or on the ground passing style are surely playing to what they consider to be a strength. So why is Reid using that style of play when it is obvious that we do not have a player of that category within the squad ? You would maybe expect one up front in an away fixture,playing more defensively on the break. Playing that way at home is surely self defeating,is it not showing the away team that you are not confident of being able to force the pace. I'm not sure if the team know exactly they are doing in regards to a game plan during a match. Against Shrewsbury they were saved by a Fletcher goal when they should have been buried by then by Shrewsbury, seen as a good away point. Rotherham at home was a touch of reality and were beaten by a distance. Expected better against Wimbledon,who a few years back were light years in the pecking order below Argyle, but goals win matches. Gillingham away would be hard,but Argyle made them look better than they really are, (beaten easily yesterday by Rotherham) the gills goalkeeper had a easy afternoon. With Argyle just about over the Administration line you expected bottom club Crewe to be in for a hard afternoon against a more buoyant Argyle.Not so, some reports stated that Crewe's goalkeeper Phillips had hardly a save to make.Goals win matches and the only goal scored unfortunately did not come from Plymouth. Coaching is an important part of a teams performance........are these young players getting the right coaching at this stage of there development......or are they just being broken and becoming despondent and not being able to perform because of the pressure on them. Reid needs to come up with a couple of strikers and quickly........even with all thats gone before this last year,he needs to start getting it right.....even though PAFC cannot afford to sack him.
Controvercial thought of the day "Bring back Fallon". As much as people might blow a gasket at the very thought, but, hands up those who think he would do very well for us as a target in the box which we lack very much currently. Is it such a mad bad thought.
Fallon would mean hoofball..........and supporting players running on to any of the scraps created...........we have at present no one supporting the lone front man.......which surely points a finger at Fletcher and Walton and their lack of mobility.........who are possibly the two highest paid players in Div 2 ?.........no wonder they didn't want to leave.........no wonder no club came for them.
Plymborn Let's not get back into bad habits please. As with previous managers, Reid can ony pick from what he has available. He's stated more than once that he needs a strong striker up front and has tried unsuccessfully to sign a couple in this very position. Hopefully if the deal is done he will be able to get someone in and will then have to be judged on how good that player is, but in the meantime, not criticise the manager for something he has acknowledged is a weakness and which he wants to put right.
Reid has arguably an inexperienced team but not the weakest in this league, maybe the tactics are all wrong ?
plymborn, there is no argument that Reid has an inexperienced squad because that is exactly what he has. A Fallon type character does not encourage hoofball. Hoofball is a tactic chosen not automatically adopted. Fact, having seen Argyle play this season is that they lack an option to assist Feeney who has had nothing to feed off at all. Even if a cross is made into the box, other than a corner when the big boys come up anyway, has nobody to get on the end of it. Feeney is not even a 6 footer. Played into feet it has to be very accurate and he is often the only one in there surrounded by several defenders. Sorry but a big forward is almost essential.
I wonder why Young has been sidelined since pre-season. I know Atkinson scored a good goal recently and has some skill but second half on saturday I wondered if he was still in the changing room. As has been stated - we know Exeter will probably win hands down (after all it is a cup match), but we should use the opportunity to play some of the others in the team like Harper-Penman, Young, Copp, Richards and the like to let them show us what they can do.
I'm going to be quite rude now plymborn even though it is totally against my normal nature as everyone knows. What the bollocks has Messi or Teves got to do with what Argyle need? We are talking, or at least I thought we were, about Argyle lacking goal scoring threat. We were talking about playing Feeney upfront on his own and that he has not had any sort of service whatsoever so far. Historically, how many times has a big man smaller man combo been a success up front where games are won? Loads is the answer. Feeney either needs an exquisite ball player to feed it through a needles eye to give him chances or a second outlet of a partner. It really isn't rocket science so lets leave the list of smaller men out of it as if it is some sort or alternative for us we can't even afford the boots for.
BWP he went to Charlton. Not doing much there though. Did anyone see Noone's goal for Brighton this weekend?
