Another season with a keeper with a broken ankle already................what could possibly go wrong. There is no form to go on so this intro will be short and sweet. We can win this one (gulp) and I think we will. No reflection on how the season will go overall but we are due a good start for once. It's good to be back...............COYG
I feel it's going to take maybe the first 10 games to get this squad up and running....so many new faces to blend into a match winning unit....but if anyone can do it Derek Adams is your man.
No but it is our 3rd shortest journey (I think) so it is almost a derby. I am a proper Northerner from god's county , not some languid southern west midlander.
As usual, Argyle absorbed some pressure early on but with 35 mins played, Radio Devon now purring over some of Argyle's play, especially the combination of Lameiras and Smith-Brown. As I type this, 0-1 to PAFC. Ryan Edwards with a cultured right foot shot following a free kick. Who else?
Argyle have gone 4:4:2 in the 2nd half with Taylor and Ladapo up front. Do we have a genuine Plan B now?
Disappointing to lose from a winning position. Having got our squad together early in the summer window, it was rather galling to lose to Walsall who only yesterday signed Ferrier and Fitzwater who both started and also Wilson who subbed in the 84th minute who had all come into a team that had been pretty Spartan of players, and having lost their top scorer Erhun Otzumer to Bolton. Lets hope Derek Adams will soon find his best eleven sooner than later....some promising performances today....some work to do on defence and no real link up from midfield to the strikers.
It's almost a tradition that we lose the first one it seems. I was nearly excited for a few minutes when I saw the score come up. At my daughters today so no computer to follow.
I listened to the radio. In summary, of what was said, Walsall started the better but Argyle soaked it up and were on top from about 15 to 20 mins on, playing some very good stuff apparently. Smith-Brown and Grant shone amongst the newbies. Having conceded before half time when Argyle were well on top, it looks as though Lameiras was taken off in a tactical switch to put 2 up front. With the benefit of hindsight, that may not have been the best choice as Argyle didn't hit the heights of the first half of the game in the second. It may yet turn out that Lameiras got a knock of course and both sides used 3 substitutes in the 2nd half given it was a first competitive game on a hot day. Nevertheless, the commentators felt the game was there for Argyle to win being significantly the better side even in the second half. Both Walsall goals came from unnecessary fouls around the box and a bit more restraint was called for. Shades of last season perhaps.... Being the better team isn't as good as 3 points in the bag but it sounded as though there were positives to be taken. None of the new guys disappointed and it could be that we end up as a stronger outfit than last year.
So, not the start we would have hoped for, but plenty of positives to take from today. Journey up was dreadful and took a full 4 hours, that said it was far better than the team's which took over 7 yesterday. Well looked after by Walsall as always and a very good pre match meal. In terms of the football, it was probably more open than DA would have wanted, but it made for an entertaining match. Conor Grant (yes I know after the January debacle I have a skewed view) looked class and Ash S-B is very much worth the transfer fee. To be honest it was one of those that could have gone either way. Goals apart, they hit the post and crossbar, we had a couple of chances scrambled of the line and could easily have had a pen or two. Carey and Lameiras weren't up to their their usual brilliance which always makes things difficult. No one played badly, The GK had little to do and all the newbies impressed to a certain extent MOTM was either Eddie or A S-B. Looking forward to Saturday and i fancy 3 points. Back home by 8.15, hope the cameras weren't loaded!
Having read comments on the Argyle boards the question seems to be why did Adams change from 4-1-2-3 to 4-4-2 for the second half. He took Ruben Lameiras off, why ?.....had he picked up an injury.....no mention of it if that was the case.....was he playing a stinker, not really.....hasn't Argyle's success been Graham Carey and Ruben Lameiras running the show from their position behind Ryan Taylor last season. We seem to give the initiative back to Walsall and Derek Adams only changed it after we went behind and later bringing on speedy Gregg Wylde with only three minutes to go....too late for him to have a chance by then. Two up front has never been a favourite style for Adams....and I can remember him being ribbed about that at PASALB's 40th anniversary get together,....does he feel that it might work now that he has brought in Freddie Ladapo to play alongside Taylor....well it didn't work this time....so how will he line-up next week at Home Park against Southend....with half of this team never having played there ? Derek Adams post match comments said that he was disappointed with Carey and Lameiras and he expects more from them....so we had no control from a position that we depend on and he went to plan B at half-time which is rather early for Adams....ok he has new players that he needs to find out about as quickly as possible.....that is something that he didn't have last season to experiment with...looking for an improvement next weekend.
Managers have to re-learn when a new squad comes together just like the players. I'm pleased to see that: He is obviously looking to have alternative systems in the kit bag even if he is still going to start with a 4:3:3 Our ability to react to circumstances has looked limited previously. He must have been peeved that we could have been leading comfortably but went in 1-1 at half time. Maybe he over-reacted but his instinct was to go for the win with a second striker rather than to try to hang onto the single point. The time may come when it's right to shut-up shop but at this stage, there's plenty of season left to overcome the odd set-back. Possibly mistakes but forgiven on my part.
Just an afterthought. The radio commentary team were waxing lyrical in the first half about the attacking combination of Lameiras and Smith-Brown. I didn't think Carey got much coverage in the first half although he seemed to come to the fore in the second. On the other hand, I read a summary of the game on Twitter which came from a fan who'd been there (apparently). So, just a fan, but he felt both goals were conceded because the defence was over-stretched, which he attributed to the full backs bombing on too much. Putting the two things together, perhaps the criticism of Lameiras and Carey wasn't about their attacking efforts but their defensive ones, or lack thereof.
