SPRING NEWS.

Ross Goodwin Head of Data is the latest backroom staff member to leave the club.

Talk of Miron Muslic returning home yesterday after the match....if that is true who the hell will be sorting out who stays and who goes next week....there are some important decisions to be made from management down.....we could be losing players that we should be trying to keep.....getting messy off the pitch as well as on it.

 

Miron Muslic caught a train to London yesterday and will be on a flight home at 8am Sunday morning.....so who will be making decision on Argyles keep or release lists might have to wait... has it been done already.....We cannot be 100% sure at the moment If Muslic is staying....he said he couldn't commit his future until he has had a time at home recuperating.

 

Miron Muslic signed a three and a half year contract in January.....only four months later he seems not to be committing himself at present to this summers rebuilding process....which would surely mean him choosing players to play his style of football.

So what has happened in the meanwhile.....obviously relegation which would obviously have been on the agenda when he signed.

The arrival of of a Sporting Director has been expected since the beginning of the year.....and Miron Muslic is obviously concerned that it hasn't happened yet....why ?....other positions have become vacant as well.....why ?.....is there something happening we don't know about....the long awaited extra finance....that some thought would be available during the January window hasn't yet appeared....why ?.

Simon Hallett has helped to rebuild PAFC from the top downwards.....some of those actions have failed....including the Rooney saga....which many where not surprised about.....his managing career has been consistent at each club he has been at.

So who is in charged at the moment during this very important retain and let go period.....we know that Miron Muslic has gone back home to see his family who he has hardly seen since taking the job....good on him.....but how long will he be away....days .....or permanently....I'm not sure at the moment..

 

The Chief Executive is in charge of the club on a day-today basis. He was outside the ground before the gameon Saturday, chatting to fans.

Here is his statement. Clearly Miron Muslic and Andrew Parkinson interpret the situation rather differently. Parkinson says:

We are always prepared for every eventuality, even difficult ones, and rest assured we have a plan on how we aim to return to the Championship as soon as possible.

We are in the final stages of finalising our new structures within the football department and will be able to announce details of this soon.

We have brought in very experienced external support to assist with recruitment operations during this period of transition, they have been working closely with Miron and the wider football leadership team and our summer rebuild plans are in a very good place.

While discussions have taken place with several members of the current squad about extending their time at the club, we recognise that no longer playing in the Championship can add complexity to those conversations. We remain focused on building a competitive squad within that context,

https://www.pafc.co.uk/news/message-chief-executive-andrew-parkinson

No doubt recruitment of football specialists as as with players, is focussed after the season has ended. Whilst we are unlikely to be recruiting from the Promier League, games there contine alongside the Championship play-offs almost to the end of May. Clubs up there will then know whether they need to mount a European campaign as well as a domestic one and which division they'll be in themselves. Only then will the cascade of players leaving Premier League and Championship clubs start in earnest, which eventually reaches League 1.

Don't panic for two or three weeks Captain Mainwearing.

 

I woke up.at 3:40 this morning and thought “very experienced external resource” and then “Neil Warnock”.

Should I consult a doctor?

 

Only if a head shrink is a qualified Doctor.

 

Last game played....so the work of the retained list etc begins.

BUT.....we have a concerned manager asking were is the support he needs.....no Sporting Director for months.....and the rest of his support staff are in disarray.....there are quite a few important gaps that would have helped to see Argyle through this important time of planning for next season in Div One.

Miron Muslic has asked the question..."where is my support staff"....and he is at present not committing to next season....he is tired and has gone home to spend time with his family that he hasn't hardly seen since the new year started.

Who will be doing the retaining / the contract offers / the leaving decisions that are needed to be done now......already talk of Hardie going to Wrexham....are we offering Bundu a new contract because he can walk away for free in a few days time.....Clubs will be picking over the bones of a relegated club to take the choice players away.....wll not our playing staff be concerned about their future here ?

This could be a very messy time...a make or break few weeks for PAFC.

 

Looking beyond this year and two or three in the future, this is an interesting read:

https://argyle.life/opinion/argyles-youth-development-fact-vs-fiction/

 

2025/26 season tickets are available from Thursday 8th May at 10am.

Prices have been frozen at last years prices and there will be an extra 1,500 will be available.

 

Championship play-offs.begin

Bristol C...v...Sheffield U.....tonight.

Coventry...v...Sunderland.....tomorrow.

Reverse fixtures next Monday and Tuesday.

We need Sheffield U to get promoted....so that we a Cooper pay day.

 

Been reading an article about the largest cities in England that have not been in the top flight.....and Plymouth only come fourth....which surprised me....having been told in the past that we where now the biggest since Hull made it awhile back.

1.....Doncaster population of 314,000.....(City 87,000).....(Borough 314,000)..?
2.....Milton Keynes population of 300,000.....that surprises me......(one of the fastest growing)
3.....Salford population of 282,000.....it is a city by right in Greater Manchester.
4.....Plymouth population of 256,000.....so the article says ?

 

Doncaster is 23 miles from Sheffield and its two clubs and 35 miles from Leeds.

MK is 50 miles from London with a connection via the old LMS mainline: fast trans through there all day. It's straddles the M1. With MK Dons being Wimbledon FC until 2004, there's no tribal loyalty. I imagine there's a fair few that travel down to the London clubs. Their stadium is handy by whacking great lkea and Asda stores though if you like that sort of thing. The number of times I've been dragged round that Ikea.....

Argyle on the other hand are 80 miles from the nearest Championship club in Bristol City and even further from established Premier League teams. By my calculation, Argyle have a catchment of 0.5m if you take in Mid and East Cornwall and North Devon. Twice this year, I've had fellow Cornishmen sitting next to me. One had come from Padstow (55miles) and the other from Porthlevan (75 miles). Padstow would have been included in my back-of-an envelop 0.5m but once you get beyond Truro, you're in rugby territory, so I didn't include anyone further away than that.

So, of those listed, I'm afraid we can't take much comfort from that comparison.

 

RETAINED LIST ETC 2024/25 SEASON.

Under Contract......
Mumba, Ogbeta, Pleguezuelo, Szucs, Edwards, Hardie, Wright, Boateng, Randell, Hazard, Galloway, Al Hajj, Sorinola, Baidoo, Grimshaw, Baker, Roberts, Issaka, Talovierov, Palsson.

Out of contract...offered new contracts.
Houghton, Bundu, Matthews.

Out of Contract released.
Waine, Earley, Jenkins-Davies, Bernhard.

Loan Expired.
Obafemi, Gyabi, Katic, Tijani, Puchacz.

Not too many surprises there....Obviously hope that Bundu accepts a new contract.

 

Five months after leaving Argyle Wayne Rooney has commented on Argyle's data driven method of recruiting new players.

He said it told you only so much about a players ability....he carried on to say that it didn't really tell you about the players character and how they responded under various situations......such as their response after losing a few games on the trot and their ability to push through adversity etc.

Rooney didn't get too much right on playing games....but he might have a point over how certain players would respond after a spell of poor results.

 

The rumour mill is already in action over some of Argyle's better players.

Bundu has been offered a new contract.....but there are doubts that he will re-sign with us and drop down to Div One.

Talovierov also is drawing attention and possible bids will come from Championship and continental clubs.....at least we will get our money back if he goes...but replacing him will not be easy..

Also comments about Hardie moving on with Wrexham being mentioned.

All a little worrying seeing that PAFC management is lacking in staff who have moved on.....who will be doing the scouting and selecting of new players for the coming season......and will our selections still be driven by Data methods as in the past....seeing that we have vacancies in these management areas.

 

I think Miron Muslic has shown that most of the the group of players he inherited were willing and able to battle on to the last, up to and including the game against Leeds, when we were already down.

 

Talk on pasoti that David Fox is returning as Football Operations Manager.

 

Confirmation by PAFC that David Fox has joined the club as Football Operations' Manager.

Also that Tom Randle has been appointed as Head of Recruitment....he has worked with Miron Muslic at Cercle Brugge as Head Scout.

It has also been confirmed that Jimmy Dickenson and Ross Goodwin have both left the club.

It has also been stated that the position of Sporting Director will no longer be necessary with the above announcements being made.

 

Well. that's progress. Am I right in thinking the window opens in mid June?

 

Contracts generally run until the end of June.
So maybe that is the time you would start getting player movement ......in and out.