SUMMER NEWS 2024.

Is this the calm before the storm ?

I'm sure that behind the scenes PAFC are very busy....lots of business to be finalized I'm sure.

What do we know......

Wayne Rooney....Chief Coach.
Pete Shuttleworth.....Assistant.

Nathanael Ogbeta....Wing Back.

 

There still aren't many "new" signings going on in the Championship: a few but most stories are of contract renewals. We aren't lagging the rest but it will kick off soon.

 

Interestingly, I started working at PAFC about a fortnight after the last time we were at home on a Boxing Day. Conspiracy theorists would say the run of 7 away matches is because I like to spend boxing day at home with the family with my feet up, and I have very rarely travelled to this these fixtures in the last 7 years. I wonder, do I really have that much power?

 

It would be nice to think so Lyndhurst. However…….

 

Well you'd better get the good brandy and cigars (plus what's left of the crystalised fruit) ready Lyndhurst. Will it be the Great Escape on BBC2 I wonder? Away at Coventry and a 1 in 256 probability.

 

CHAMPIONSHIPS FIXTURE LIST 2024/25.

Some Highlights......Christmas away again.

First game.....Sun 11th Aug.......Sheffield W away.
First home game.....Sat 17th Aug.....Hull.
Sat 31st Aug.....Stoke at home.

Sat 19th Oct.....Cardiff away

Tues 5th Nov.....Portsmouth at home.
Sat 30th Nov.....Bristol C away

Tues 10th Dec.....Swansea at home.

Boxing day.....26th Dec.....Coventry away.
Sun 29th Dec.....Oxford away.

New years day,...Wed Jan 1st.....Bristol C at home.
4th Jan.....Stoke away.

Sat 22nd Feb.....Cardiff at home.

Tues 11th Mar.....Portsmouth away.

Wed 9th Apr.....Swansea away.

I do feel Lindy should come clean about Boxing days at home....how does he wangle it every year.

Last game...Sat 3rd May.....Leeds at Home

 

Wayne Rooney announces that he is leaving the BBC punditry team and returning to Argyle to prepare for pre-season and hopefully the obtaining of new players for the coming season.

 

I've asked the EFL for their observations about 8 boxing days on the trot. If appropriate I will post on here !

 

I seem to remember coming up on Boxing Day with my Dad and Grandad and watching Argyle thrashing Torquay. Checking up, it appears that was 1969. Eeek!.

ARGYLE: Martin Clamp, John Hore, Colin Sullivan, David Lean, Winston Foster, Norman Piper, Steve Davey, Richard Reynolds, Derek Rickard, Mike Bickle, Aiden Maher. Manager: Billy Bingham

I think I got the spacings in the name right or else we had Norman Foster in midfield before he took up architecture.

Kicked off at 1pm, not for Sky Sports then but so everyone could be home for cold turkey sandwiches.

 

We have been drawn at home against Cheltenham in the 1st round of the Carabao Cup.....matches to be played 13/14th of August.....will be our first home game of the season.

 

With Pre-Season just around the corner a few changes have been made to club structure.

Head Coach...................................Wayne Rooney
Assistant Manager.......................Pete Shuttleworth.
First team coaches.......................Kevin Nancekivell
........................................................Simon Ireland.
Goalkeeper Coach........................Daryll Flahavan.
Head of Performance..................Gareth Law.
Head of Sports Science...............Connor Derbridge.
Kit Manager..................................Richard Jones.
Assistant Kit Manager.................David Holt.
& Responsibility for Academy
Head Coach for Women.............Ryan Perks.
Head of womens.........................TBA.
Football Operations

 

England...2-1...Slovakia.

Can we get any worse....If you suffer from blood pressure don't watch England.

 

Why when we take the lead did we allow them to get back into the game.....it's as if you're not allowed to keep on attacking once you take the lead.

 

First day back of pre-season.....checking how many cream cakes they've been eating.....the scales don't lie.

 

OUTGOING.

Tyreik Wright left for a 2yr deal at Bradford.

 

ARGYLE MATCH LIVE ON PIRATES TV.....CHECK ON PASOTI FOR LINK.

 

Just a good run around for everyone....not much else to say.....2-2 draw..

 

Match highlights are available.....shows Hardie missing a penalty.....Ibrahim Cissoko looked a handfull down the left.

 

One thing to say is that Rooney seems to have used a 4:4:2 system throughout.

As long as it wins matches, nobody cares, but given the quality of what we’ll be up against, will it see us leak a lot of goals?

Joe Edwards and Freddie Issaka figure favourably in the report. The elder statesman and the young tyro….

Neither Adam Forshaw nor Dan Scarr featured. This was apparently “to manage their pre-season workload”. No need of that for Joe Edwards then……

The highlights are up on ArgyleTV. On my phone it is not dissimilar to 22 ants scurrying about. I managed to identify Bali Mumba who happened to be standing right in front of that camera but otherwise it could be anyone. Perhaps I’ll try on the PC later.

 

I watched it on a bigger screen and am no further forward owing to the poor quality of the video. Fair do's - it just a training game.

What are more informative probably are the interviews with Saxon Earley and Wayne Rooney.

Saxon Earley says that they're having to learn a significantly different method of play - it seems it'll be a 4:4:2 and that the team did some things right and some not. Asked how the trip's been, he answers "hot".

Wayne Rooney echos that - some good, some less so - but it's early days and in addition to the heat, and there were two training sessions the day before and Orlando Pirates are further into their pre-season than Argyle. He's happy so far, but there's more work to do.