We may have been slightly flattered by playing with 12 men: Argyle (4-4-3): 21 Jake Cole; 2 Durrell Berry (18 Jordan Pearce half-time), 6 Curtis Nelson, 5 Ladjie Soukouna, 3 Robbie Williams (18 Jamie Richards 76); 7 Luke Daley, 4 Carl Fletcher (c, 19 Jordan Copp 76), 8 Simon Walton (6 Luke Young 76), 11 Kiernan Hughes-Mason (17 Jed Harper-Penman 61); 9 Anthony Elding (14 Jared Sims 61), 10 Tom Hitchcock. Substitute (not used): 1 Romain Larrieu (gk).
Yes,......no one sent off......no one made a brake for freedom........no one paid..........but only 1.978 turned up to watch Bristol C at those reasonable prices.....sounds iffy for the future.
Now you could have picked on the fact we were playing a side 2 leagues above us and only lost by the odd goal. You could have picked on the fact that a lot of the players are new and have not had much chance to gel but played well. Nah. Too simple for an Argyle follower. Lets just pick on the there were around 2000 customers and how the death nell is sounding. Pre season has never been overflowing with attendance in my memory. Given the encouraging signs on the pitch which is what we should all be concentrating on, there seems reasons to be cheerful not looking for things to be negative about.
Somebody else swallowed a happy pill? Just cause you can't get in the dungeon anymore. The Herald, which has hardly been the most green tinted over the past couple of seasons reckoned that there were reasons to be optimistic. The report in there today is quite encouraging. I have not heard anywhere that Argyle overall were crap so I'll stick with the "I'm cheerful" stance.
Well I wouldn't expect anything less from you sensible however someone who was there made the statement that our keeper was crap and he is a green tint also so I'm inclined to take his word for it. I don't recall at any time saying or quoting someone else as saying "Argyle overall were crap" just the keeper.
Didn't say that anyone had said Argyle were overall crap. What I meant was that the report was generally positive rather than negative overall and said that positives could be taken from the performance. Given what the Herald has said over a period lately then they must have been quite reasonable. No idea about the goallie as like you I wasn't there. No idea who he is either as never heard of him before. Reid obviously needs to have a look at the new or potentially new players. He knows what Larrieu can do so there was no percentage in playing him.
To be positive and to look for the good points of Argyles performance is to be condoned,as long as it isn't ignoring the facts. First friendly of the year is notoriously hard to assess, with trialist generally being involved, and in this case because of where Argyle find themselves a few too many. Obviously a trialist will be playing out of his skin trying to get noticed and gain a contract,generally their day to day performance is not to that standard,if it was they wouldn't be looking for a club. Ladjie Soukouna played quite well so Reid says,just slipping up once and the result was a goal. His previous club US Creteil-Lusitanos play French Div 3, last season looking at their record he didn't start one game,on the bench twice and they ended up twelfth in the league. Kiernan Hughes-Mason 18 year old,good youth record,released by Millwall who are at present on the up (can just see their unruly following having a great time in the Premiership ). Had trial with little Yeovil not offered a contract. Jake Cole,been around the lower clubs Barnet,Oxford U ,Hayes etc, We need a goalkeeper for the Shrewsbury match,will probably be offered a contract,too late maybe to bring someone else in now. Anthony Elding age 29, average player been around a bit but beggers can't be choosy. Robbie Williams offered a contract should do a job at this level. Luke Daley subbed once for Norwich could be useful Durrell Berry 19years old A Villa youth released,promising player could do well. Tom Hitchcock, Blackburn youngster, upward mobile and a goal scorer,if Reid can loan him for the season that would be a great job done (what is it with us and Blackburn youngsters). This of course is all in the melting-pot, depending on the Heaney/Irish Phantoms releasing that £700.000 that they owe from the exclusivity deal,how are they able to hold onto it beyond the end of the exclusivity period is beyond belief. Have they got it,it surely is only pocket money as far as they are concerned.........I hope ?
to save money could the players paint their chests green and hang a pasty around their necks. seriously i read the article in the wmn and the wmn leader column. it seems the consortium waiting in the wings have a genuine interest in the club. the admin man and irish/gib lot have led argyle up a blind alley for 6 months and still no pay. the fl should send the irish lt heaney and co off the rock in gib and bring in people with money and a genuine interest in the club, then you can regroup and rebuild. good luck green army
If only it were that easy Jack Plymborn, thank you for the measured report. There isn't much point in ignoring the bad as we will only end up gutted again come the end of the season. I'm sure we have one or two undiscovered gems in the squad because I trust Reid and his judgement but we have to face facts and the sad fact is that we probably have more of the dregs no one else wants. Playing for us atm and with no pay must surely be a last port of call for many players.
I think most of us have not fully appreciated how far PAFC have fallen in recent times,me included. For a player to accept a deal ( with possible wages sometime) and then in the cold light of day get cold feet over it, just shows that PAFC is not a force even in Div 2. The way we are being treated by the Heaney/Irish phantoms is a point in question, the developement possibilities far outweigh the buying of a football club. Hence the waiting game for the exclusivity money owed (£700.000 ), obviously when they have their requirements in place and not before is how they see it. Heaney knows the importance of cash flow required to run a club,he is in the business himself remember. Brendan Guilfoyle does not come out of this well, I feel that although he is experienced in this field even he has been appalled at the mess and incompetance that the previous directors had allowed PAFC to sink to.He clearly sees no other way out but to hang in there with the present bidders. Ridsdale and Reid need to be applauded for there stickability to see this mess through,if they had not stayed then I can only guess where it would of all ended.
I would like to volunteer in painting the ladies team green,thats if I'm not too late behind sensible.
I don't subscribe to this "last port of call" stuff for players. There are many examples of players who have been rejected by one club or another or who have not worked out at another only to go on and be class players elsewhere. It is not always the supposed stars who command mega bucks in transfers who end up being the best by a long shot. Just think back to the side who went from div 2 to the Championship in 3 seasons. Tell me who the stars were in the Argyle side then. Who did we sign for mega bucks (for us that is). We picked up players from all over the place even the lower reaches of the French league aka Larrieu and Friio. None of these players were super stars. However, as a unit together they proved to be a force as the record shows. Look at the Blackpool side that got to the premiership and gave them a good run for their money last season. Take out Charlie and the rest were pretty much unknown. But, again as a unit they were a force. I have said before that it is a matter of luck to get the right players at the right time who gel into a tight knit unit and defy all the odds. We did it once and so did Blackpool. As for the player agreeing terms and then walking out, what exactly did he leave for? Do you actually know what the reason was because I don't. Who said it has anything to do with Argyle's standing. Players WILL sign for Argyle end of story. It has nothing to do with their standing or anything else. Do you seriously think that any other club in league two has a greater or less standing than us. I don't despite the financial situation we have been in. We have more potential for climbing the leagues than a lot of others in this league. Maybe not the money to do it right now but next season who knows.
Even Charlie Adam was reasonable low profile when he went to Blackpool............we actually tried for him just before...............would he have made a differance to us.........who knows. All clubs release players that blossom elsewhere...........players mature at different times at different ages.........who knows some of these youngish players that we are picking up at present might eventually become internationals..........choosing them is possibly 10% skill......90% luck.........a manager can look a pratt...........or look a genius......luck of the game.
