The banana skin people are already predicting this one to fall into that category. "We should win this easily but Oh my giddy aunt we usually fall on our arse after the banana skin trick". What a load of cobblers. (see what I did there) If we turn up and play to our potential then there is no reason to think we can't take another 3 points on the road. Whether we can take it at the football ground is another question...............doh they've got me doing it now. COYG
Looking at Northampton's current form...is very worrying....they should throw the towel in now... the form book is a predictors nightmare especially for us as we all know.
I don't expect us to get near the play offs or promotion this season and I don't expect us to even flirt with relegation so these games are what they are. I have faith that we can win this no matter what the Runes say. We will lose games we expect to win and win games we think we should lose so it will even out eventually. We might even get a penalty..............nah!!
Cooper, Watts, Woods, Aimson, Lewis, Edwards, Fornah, Mayor, Camara, Hardie, Jephcott Subs McCormick, Reeves, Grant, McLeod, Moore, Lolos, Ennis. Three changes from Saturday.....McLeod back on the bench.
Very poor half against a team who seem to be exactly where they belong in the league. Adam Lewis off and Connor Grant on please. Now.
Well there was the banana skin. Awful and potentially having to draft Gary Sawyer to start in the back 3 on Saturday. Lewis was a liability in the first half and we just don't have the physicality to deal with these thuggish outfits. I'd like to see Reeves start in the CM slot if he has the legs. He's got a good touch and is a belligerent so and so when necessary. You've got to say we're erratic in the extreme at moment. I know it's just one of those games that depress you but when you consider some have played 4 games fewer than us, we'll have to do better to see this season out safely.
I want you all to know that I know where you live thanks to my KGB contacts so beware the mocker squad. I did warn you. This was woeful from start to finish. The Ref at least booked two of them but a bit too late in my book as the routine had set in for wasting time. I find it shocking that a home side can start doing it from 35 minutes into a game. We handed the game to them rather than them win it. MOM non existent. A waste of £10 for the iFollow watch. Why do we have so much trouble against sides like this? We beat Lincoln, beat Sunderland at their's, do far better against the top sides yet flop dismally against these. Theory being the bottom sides park a bus and a lorry and a train and a plane and we can't figure a way to break it down whereas the more top clubs come to play and therefore let us do the same. Northampton simply killed the game dead. As for having to be careful notdistant I really don't think we will be in a relegation battle at anytime soon.
The only credit you can realistically give to anyone for this evening's fiasco is to Northampton if we are honest. They had a game plan which may have been full of the darker stuff but they stuck to it and it worked a treat. We simply had no answers to any of it. If we were in that position and scrapping I would hope we would go down fighting in a proper football way but we would still be applauding any points we could get like they are. As much as it was a ruined spectacle can we really blame them.
Why did we wait till they scored their second goal before changing anything....many were saying off with Lewis at half time and get Grant on....but nothing happened.
Managers sometimes can't win whatever they do. I agree with the Lewis off bit but have to say I'm not sure it would have made any difference. This was one of those games you just want to forget and anything you try just falls over. Bit like the quote "we could have been there till Saturday and still not scored". You know supporters though. It has always got to be somebodies fault.
Didn't watch the game last night...so just looked at the video....not much to comment on really...maybe we could have cleared the second goal without all that head tennis.....and Woods sending off looked worse than it actually was with the Ref only a short distance away...he was going for the ball. Difficult came Saturday against Doncaster...who beat good away team Portsmouth last night....so that's an Argyle win then.....
Thing is though that it DID look better after the changes Sensible. I am conscious that this has been a very intense season due to the virus: it's been two games almost every week since we started. Yes, these are professional athletes but it must be hard going, especially in those WB positions. I've been critical of Byron Moore but he was as bright as a button when he came on. That's because he was basically just attacking. That's what he does: he's not a WB. The truth is we could probably do with 5 or 6 more players to rest tired legs and cover for injuries and suspensions.
Looking at Northampton's recent results against other Div One clubs...it is hard to understand how Argyle can be so poor after coming back to beat Lincoln a few days before.....did Argyle not take Northampton seriously....did Lowe underestimate the task in front of them....how can we understand how Argyle can be so good and then so poor.
Another factor that perhaps comes into play is the time available for preparation. Plenty of managers are bemoaning the lack of time available to drum the "game plan" into the players, especially for Tuesday games. Take the 4+ hours to get to Northampton out of the equation plus the need to wind down from Saturday and you are left with just one day on the training pitch.
I repeat that sometimes it just will not and does not go for you no matter what you do. You can analyse till the cows come home but it is simply nothing you can realistically put your finger on. Northampton had a game plan and theirs worked. We had one and it didn't. Every top club loses to a bottom club from time to time so it isn't hard doing it from mid table.
