Off Topic Summer News

But will Danny Mayor be playing in them? Come on Danny you know it makes sense.

 

England...1-0...Austria....I watched this ?....why wasn't it on Sky....I would have been spared having to.

 

Poor game wasn't it. Gareth Southgate has said it would be a failure if England don't make at least the semi-finals at the Euros. Based on last night, that looks an unwise statement although it was hardly England's best 11.

As was noted by the pundits, England were too pedestrian, too many players coming short resulting in stultifying slow passing movements which allowed the Austrian defence all the time in the world to get set. Rashford, Greenwood and Sterling all like to run forward without the ball but Greenwood has pulled out and the other two have been far from their best club form. Kane's got into the habit of dropping deep for Spurs, getting as many assists as he has goals. That suits a not very good Tottenham side who also have Son banging them in but it's not what England need: we need him lurking in the penalty box.

At least the youngsters did well: Saka did well and I though Bellingham was outstanding. He plays like a 27 year old with 250 Premier League games and 50 caps behind him, not a 17 year old.

 

The talk is that Derek Adams has left Morecambe.....and will be announced as Bradford manager soon.

Been talk for quite awhile linking Adams to Bradford.....I would agree with the comments that he has taken them as far has he can on their low budget....in fact he has done well to get them promoted with no money and literally no crowd support......at least they have big support.....best of look to him.

 

I've been reading some of a thread on pasoti about Danny Mayor and the speculation about will he/won't he sign. It makes my blood boil the way some supposed Argyle fans talk about certain types of player. When we had Lameiras and Carey it was much the same. Both were very much flair and talented players who in my opinion shone. They could single handedly change a game and certainly excite the crowd. Despite this some people, and they do number quite a few, did not have a good word to say about them often and some even saw them as a hindrance rather than an asset. The thread currently is in much the same vein where people seem to want Mayor to leave and even that we would be better off without him. I truly do not get it. Those three players are the sort of reason I pay to go and watch football. They are the sorts who can get you off your backside and cheering. Not every time it's true but certainly more often than any other players. Why oh why would you not want a Danny Mayor in your side and consider him worthy of watching. I despair at Argyle supporters I really do.

 

I agree with you whole heartedly. I haven't seen what's been said on PASOTI but those moments when Mayor does whatever that imperceptible thing is that he does to send his opponent completely the wrong way is worth the admission fee in itself.

He can be frustrating in not passing or shooting quickly enough but boy does he frighten the opposition.

 

Adams signs a 3 year contract at Bradford.

 

I bet the Morecambe fans are a sick as........... what do they get as sick as in Morecambe? Sick as a shrimp?

 

I'm pleased to see that Argyle are beefing up their Academy operation in Cornwall.

Like several Celtic, mining communities Cornwall has a tradition for rugby, in fact I almost always get asked if I played rugby and when I say no, football, I have been told I should be ashamed, being a Cornishman and not playing rugby. In fact Cornish rugby is strongest in the far west, in those areas where most Cornish people would prefer not to live: those areas around Camborne and Redruth which are basically giant mine waste tips of dubious toxicity from the 18th & 19th centuries. Further east, there's a very strong following of football in general and Argyle in particular.

I went to a successful football playing school, which regularly got to the latter stages of the English Schools Under 18's Trophy. Two of my cohort went on to to professional apprenticeships.... for Southampton, then as now in the top tier but also then as now, 200 miles away. I know them both well as one of the two lived a few hundred yards from me whilst the other lived next door to my Aunt Elsie's house, from where we went to watch the village team on Saturdays when we visited. As far as I know, and I would have known I think, neither were approached by Argyle.

To complete the story, neither made it. The first because he gave it up: he couldn't handle there being nothing but football 24/7. He went on to play and coach in Cornish football, which suggests that being away from home may have been a factor rather than falling out of love with the game itself. Had he been at Argyle would it have been different? He was a tremendously graceful player with strength and ability who I think could have gone far. The other suffered a bad knee injury and left Southampton, although I think he made a few appearances for Hereford before becoming a coach at various league clubs.

OK, this didn't happen yesterday and I'm sure Argyle do better now than they did all those years ago. The population of Cornwall is more than twice that of Plymouth though and worth trawling for players. There are a few that got away in more recent decades: Matthew Etherington (first club Peterborough via Falmouth Town), Jamie Lowry (Chesterfield), Nigel Martyn (Bristol Rovers via St Blazey), Kevin Miller (Exeter City via Falmouth Town & Newquay), Wayne Quinn (Sheffield Wednesday).

 

Crystal Palace have released Sam Woods.....will Lowe be interested ?.

 

England...v...Bulgaria....why am i watching ?.....twenty passes to get to the edge of their penalty area....two passes later it's back with our keeper.....do we have to play like this.

Grealish for the second FRIENDLY running being kicked up in the air everytime he gets the ball....ref doesn't want to know.

 

Not good again was it? I understand Southgate has been resting those players from Mam Utd, Chelsea and Man City who played in the European club finals and that he's hoping Maquire and Henderson will be fit for the latter stages (if we get there) even if they can't make the opening games.

However, I liked this quote from Phil McNulty for the BBC:

"England have a long and undistinguished history of taking players into major tournaments when they are desperately short of match fitness........ at Euro 2016 then manager Roy Hodgson picked Arsenal's Jack Wilshere after he had only played 141 minutes over three games in the previous season - with the inevitable result that Wilshere performed like a man who had only played 141 minutes over three games in the previous season."

 

Henderson did himself no favours.....insisting he took the penalty instead of the designated player.

 

Five friendlies lined up so far.

1.....Sat 3rd July away 3pm........Plymouth Parkway.
2.....Wed 14th July away 6pm.....Saltash United.
3.....Wed 14th July away 8pm.....Tavistock.
4.....Fri 23rd July at Home Park.....Middlesborough.
5.....Tues 27th July at Home Park.....Bristol City.

Two games on the same evening...will we have enough players by then ?

Talk also of a training camp in Spain and a possible game there against Oxford United.

 

Good news! Danny Mayor has signed a 2 year contract extension!

https://www.pafc.co.uk/news/2021/june/mayor-signs-two-year-extension/

 

If he is so excited to sign a new contract why didn't he sign it a few weeks back when it was first offered....it would have freed up Lowe to concentrate on his other requirements.....I'm hoping that Conor Grant is close behind with his signature.

 

You'll see in the statement there are family considerations.........

 

Here we go again with the cold water. I'm chuffed or even chufftered than a badger at midnight on a badger mating day. The best news so far and who gives a flying one how long he took to sign the bit of paper. I doubt very much that Lowe has been sitting in his office fretting that the phone wouldn't ring and not doing anything else. He probably knew the signature was likely but was never going to say anything until it was actually attached to the contract. He is one of the reasons I pay to watch as I've said numerous times already.

 

Good to hear that Danny Boy has singed for two more years,
Now if only he could score goals.
Hopefully my Brother will retain his seat, if not i will fly over and take it LOL
Keep the news coming Mr S.

 

We do our best to please BC.....