Pilgrims on the Rise

[LGrosePAFC]

Thanks very much

 

[Lewis]

Thanks very much

That's OK mate, looking forward to seeing how your doing

 

[LGrosePAFC]

So, I just began this challenge and I've listed some basics below about me and the club:-

About Me
Name: Lloyd Grose
Age: 30 Years Old (on the game)!
Past Experience: Sunday League Footballer (to heighten the challenge)
Favourite Team: Plymouth Argyle FC

Plymouth Argyle FC
Nickname: The Pilgrims
Chairman: Sir Roy Gardner
Finances: Okay
Estimated Value: £8.5m (No loan debt)
Stadium: Home Park (19430 all-seater)
Facilities: Average training and youth
Media Prediction: 21st

I have told the board that I can avoid relegation and have henceforth been given a transfer kitty of £750k and a wage budget of £85k per week. I am currently spending a little under £71k per week on wages.

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Grose takes charge at Plymouth
The Plymouth Argyle board have made a shock announcement that unknown manager Lloyd Grose will be taking charge of first team affairs.
It is Grose's first job in football management and Plymouth fans are understandably disappointed that an unproven manager has been put in charge.

---------- Post added at 01:19 AM ---------- Previous post was yesterday at 10:53 PM ----------

Pre-Season

Folly & Maclean placed on transfer list
New Plymouth boss Lloyd Grose has already placed striker Steven Maclean and playmaker Yoann Folly on the transfer list in a bid to raise finances for transfers of his own.
Norwich manager Paul Lambert is rumoured to be interested in Maclean.
Meanwhile, Grose has also placed Lloyd Saxton and Ashley Barnes on the loan list.

Plymouth Argyle 4 - 1 Plymouth Argyle Reserves (F)
Goals from Craig Noone, Alan Judge, Marcel Seip and Jamie Mackie helped Plymouth secure victory in an intra-squad friendly.

League Cup draw serves up Westcountry derby
Plymouth Argyle have been drawn at home to Yeovil Town in the League Cup First Round. This will be the first taste of Cup football for Lloyd Grose, who has only just been appointed manager of Plymouth.

Grose makes first signing for Pilgrims
Plymouth Argyle have signed 28 year old winger Gavin Skelton from Kilmarnock in what becomes Lloyd Grose's first signing since arriving. Skelton also used to play for Gretna, and has joined on a 3 year deal worth £1800 per week.

Tiverton 0 - 5 Plymouth Argyle (F)
Goals from Alan Judge, Darcy Blake, Alan Gow and new signing Gavin Skelton secured victory for Plymouth in this match, despite the red card given to Kari Arnason in the first half.

Plymouth raid Aston Villa for youngsters
Plymouth Argyle have shown interest in two of Aston Villa's young talents. Defenders Stephen O'Halloran and Nathan Baker are both subject to interest from the club, seeing them as ideal solutions to the problem left-back area.

Argyle secure long-term future of players
Romain Larrieu, Karl Duguid and Liam Head have been given contract extensions by new Plymouth boss Lloyd Grose. Winger Jason Puncheon, currently on loan at MK Dons, has also been given a new three-year deal.

 

[Frank]

Get Darron Gibson

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Norwich swoop for Maclean
Norwich City boss Paul Lambert has signed out of favour Steven Maclean from Plymouth Argyle for £240k. The former Cardiff City striker signed for Plymouth for a record £500k fee, but found himself surplus to requirements in recent months.

Port Vale 0 - 3 Plymouth Argyle (F)
Marcel Seip, Jamie Mackie and Craig Noone scored the goals in a comfortable victory for Plymouth.

Plymouth loan O'Halloran
Plymouth have signed Aston Villa defender Stephen O'Halloran on a loan deal until the end of the season. 21-year-old O'Halloran stated the main reason for choosing Plymouth was the possibility of playing first-team football.

Plymouth Argyle 5 - 0 GH Academy (F)
Plymouth got their fourth win from four friendlies during a comfortable triumph over Glenn Hoddle Academy. The goals were scored Alan Gow (2), Gavin Skelton, Chris Clark and the unfortunate Tim Horn scored an own goal.

Chase hots up for Orlandi
Several clubs are rumoured to be interested in Swansea winger Andrea Orlandi. The 24-year-old, who can play on the right or left wing, is apparently being chased by Blackpool boss Ian Holloway and Plymouth manager Lloyd Grose.

Tranmere 1 - 1 Plymouth Argyle (F)
Tranmere did well to record a draw against Coca Cola Championship side Plymouth Argyle. Ashley Barnes opened the scoring for the Pilgrims, but Sebastien Carole levelled it up late on.

Plymouth make two more signings
Plymouth Argyle once again delved into the transfer market today by bringing Polish striker Marek Saganowski in from Southampton, and Andrea Orlandi from Swansea. Lloyd Grose was estimated to have paid a total of £400k to secure both signatures, and said in a press conference that he was pleased to be able to bring such attacking talent to the club.

Plymouth Argyle 1 - 3 Wolves (F)
Wolves ended Plymouth's unbeaten friendly run in a convincing victory at Home Park. Kevin Doyle scored a brace to help the away side take the initiative, with Andrew Surman adding the third. Alan Gow scored the consolation for the Pilgrims.

Llanelli 1 - 4 Plymouth Argyle (F)
Plymouth got back to winning ways in this 4-1 victory over Llanelli, the goals from Saganowski (2) and Fallon (2); L Rees scored the goal for the home side.

Doncaster sign Sawyer
Doncaster Rovers have signed Gary Sawyer from Plymouth Argyle in a £250k deal. The left-back made 66 appearances for the Greens in 8 years at the club, but was allowed to leave after the competition for his position increased.

Truro City 0 - 5 Plymouth Argyle (F)
Plymouth finished their pre-season in style by romping to victory in Cornwall. Sheridan (2), Saganowski, Head and Judge scored the Pilgrims' goals, and now it's a matter of time until we see whether Plymouth can replicate this kind of form in competitive matches.

 

[LGrosePAFC]

July Summary
Friendlies:- 6 wins, 1 draw, 1 defeat
Transfers In:- Gavin Skelton (£40k), Stephen O'Halloran (Loan), Marek Saganowski (£130k), Andrea Orlandi (£275k)
Transfers Out:- Steven Maclean (£240k), Gary Sawyer (£250k)

Coca Cola Championship - Not yet started
League Cup - First Round (vs Yeovil)
F.A. Cup - Not yet entered

Board Confidence - N/A

Lloyd Grose - "I've been lucky because I've been able to bring in the players I wanted with nearly minimal fuss, and for relatively low fees. Marek Saganowski looks a steal at £130k, impressing in his friendlies thus far, and Gavin Skelton has made a telling contribution. Jamie Mackie, Alan Judge and Alan Gow are also excelling in friendlies and it looks like players have been fighting to get their names on the team sheet next week against Crystal Palace. Overall, a very promising first month in charge."

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Thanks for all the help tonight guys; can't wait to see how I start my season after some promising friendlies. Feel free to give me advice or tips as I may well need them Keep you posted as always; hope you're all enjoying it!

 

[Sabu22]

Mmm, true, a player on a budget aswell as the board aren't exactly splashing the cash on the playing staff lol.

good luck man. i'm playing as Plymouth too. i terminated all of the staff they are terrible too. its been fun so far. somehow i'm 5th after 5 games even though my team has played like poo. a DC i bought named Dickoh has 3 game winning goals in extra time off corners! better to be lucky then good i guess.

edit: i ment coaching staff

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Ooh, i might have to check him out..they're a difficult team to manage but could be very rewarding if it works. Keep me updated on here about how you're doing

 

[Sabu22]

the biggest problem i've had is getting my team to play consistently. dosnt help that i sold sold 7 players and brought in 9. in preseason i played burnly to a 0-0 draw but my team dominated. i had a really close game vs porto only losing 0-2 at the very end. then i lost my first league game and got knocked out of the cup by pens to Exeter but now i've got a draw and 3 wins since but there has been a lot of luck evolved. u should definitly check out Dickoh though. i bought him for 250k from FC Utrecht. he has been a beast for me on defense.

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Mackie and Noone earn new deals
Plymouth attackers Jamie Mackie and Craig Noone have signed new deals today which will keep the youngsters at the club until 2013 and 2012 respectably.
Meanwhile, fellow team-mates Jim Paterson and David McNamee have rejected the chance to join QPR complaining at low wage offers.

Fletcher made Argyle team captain
Plymouth manager Lloyd Grose has made Welshman Carl Fletcher his new team captain. Grose said he was impressed with the motivation and communication shown by the midfielder in training sessions. Karl Duguid has been made vice-captain.

Coca Cola Championship prepared for kick-off
The new football season gets underway today as clubs in the Championship look to make a good early start. Recently relegated Newcastle United are the favourites to bounce straight back up, whereas Peterborough United are fancied to face the drop.

Crystal Palace 1 - 3 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
Plymouth came from behind to beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. An open start to the first half saw Stern John and Freddie Sears have shots saved by Romain Larrieu in the Plymouth goal. Rory Fallon went closest for Plymouth but couldn't get his placed shot on target.

The second half was much tighter with chances few and far between, but ironically all the goals were scored in the final half hour. Sean Scannell found space in the box and finished neatly on the hour; Lloyd Grose responded by throwing Saganowski, Mackie and Gow up to attack. The attacking mentality paid off when Alan Judge hit a shot into the roof of the net from 20 yards on 78 minutes. Davis went close for Palace in the 89th minute, hitting a crossbar.

It was Marcel Seip who scored Plymouth's second in the second minute of added time from a corner taken by Judge. Argyle then broke again late on, with Fletcher eventually scoring a tap-in against his former club to make it 3-1.

Man of the Match:- Carl Fletcher

Lloyd Grose:- "The gamble of going 3 up front paid off for us in the end; it wasn't a difficult decision to make because we had nothing to lose. It is great to win my first match in charge, but at the end of the day, it is the players who deserve the recognition. The only downside is that Marcel [Seip] looks like he has injured his leg and could be out for a few weeks."

Plymouth announce season ticket sales
Plymouth Argyle have sold a total of 6000 season tickets. This amount fills just under a third of their stadium, Home Park.

Plymouth Argyle 2 - 0 Yeovil Town (LC)
In a dull match at Home Park, Plymouth produced a deserved victory against Yeovil. Ashley Barnes converted the first real chance of the game on 14 minutes after good work from Luke Summerfield.

In the second half, Yeovil conceded an own goal as Marek Saganowski put Terry Skiverton under pressure, and he was unable to prevent the ball rebounding off him into the net.

Man of the Match:- Marek Saganowski

League Cup Second Round Draw
Ipswich Town have drawn Plymouth Argyle at home in the League Cup Second Round. The match will be played at Portman Road on Tuesday, 25th of August.

Plymouth Argyle 1 - 0 Queens Park Rangers (CCC)
Plymouth scored a late winner in a tight match at Home Park. The first half was poor, but was lit up briefly when former Argyle playmaker Akos Buzsaky hit the crossbar from a free kick.

The second half livened up as Rory Fallon replaced Ashley Barnes in Plymouth's attack. Both Fallon and QPR's Martin Rowlands hit the post, before Jamie Mackie struck a close range effort wide. The goal eventually did come for the Pilgrims from Alan Judge's cross; Kari Arnason brought it down and blasted in from 6 yards to score his first Plymouth goal. Fallon also had a late header ruled out for offside, but it didn't matter for Argyle as they got their first home league win of the season.

Man of the Match:- Kari Arnason

Lloyd Grose:- "It's been a very pleasant week in charge; it must be all downhill from here?! The performance wasn't fantastic but the players stuck at it today, and ground out the result as you have to do in this tight league."

Plymouth Argyle 3 - 0 Cardiff City (CCC)
Plymouth secured their third league win from three as Marek Saganowski stole the show. Argyle had all the early pressure as Fallon and Saganowski had shots saved. Kari Arnason's corner on 28 minutes was headed back across goal by Craig Noone for Saganowski to tap in his first. On the stroke of half-time the Pilgrims doubled their advantage when Fallon sent Saganowski through, the latter confidently finishing from 12 yards.

Cardiff started brightly in the second half, but still didn't fashion many chances. When Arnason broke away again, it was no surprise when Saganowski was played through by him, running it from the halfway line to finish for his hat-trick! Even less of a surprise was the standing ovation given to the new striker when he was replaced by Ashley Barnes.

Man of the Match:- Marek Saganowski

Lloyd Grose:- "It was great to see another clean sheet against strong opposition. Of course, it was fantastic to see a hat-trick from 'Saga' who has settled in well, as have all the other signings. I've told the lads to keep going because you don't achieve the position we're in at the moment without lots of hard work; we're a determined group who expect 100% to be given by everybody and that is what has happened so far."

---------- Post added at 11:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:30 AM ----------

Derby County 0 - 0 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
Plymouth dropped their first league points of the season in this poor match at Pride Park. Derby started brightly with Rob Hulse having a header saved in the first ten minutes.

After a disappointing first half, both teams seemed to liven up in the second. Kris Commons' long-range free-kick looked destined for the net until Romain Larrieu took it from the air. There was time for more late drama as the fiery Robbie Savage got sent off on 82 minutes for persistent fouling.

Man of the Match:- Krisztian Timar

Lloyd Grose:- "We were solid today which was pleasing, but from an attacking point of view the threat wasn't potent. For a team with so many strikers available the team need to be fashioning chances, and that's one improvement we could make."

Ipswich Town 3 - 2 Plymouth Argyle (aet) (LC)
In an entertaining match at Portman Road, Ipswich eventually progressed to the League Cup Third Round after extra time. After a first half dominated by Ipswich, it was Plymouth who took the lead in the second. Substitute Alan Gow was brought down in the box by Taravel, and converted the penalty himself. The Pilgrims looked home and dry, but Priskin provided a late twist for Ipswich, making it 1-1 on 90 minutes with a placed finish.

In extra time, Trotter's header from a Lee Martin corner put the Tractor Boys ahead for the first time on 94 minutes. Plymouth questionably equalised in the second half of extra time through Jim Paterson, who looked offside as he was put through by Kari Arnason. Gabriel Zakuani scored the winner for Ipswich in the 117th minute after beating Krisztian Timar to the ball in the air.

Man of the Match:- Jim Paterson

Plymouth Argyle 2 - 0 Sheffield Wednesday (CCC)
Plymouth secured a comfortable victory against a lacklustre Owls side at Home Park, Jamie Mackie doing the damage on his first start of the season. Wednesday started the brighter as Darren Purse hit a post on 5 minutes. Plymouth improved later on and Alan Judge hit the crossbar midway through the first half with a close-range header. Argyle's first came on 39 minutes as Mackie converted Judge's cross. 3 minutes later, Mackie was in the action again as he raced through and finished after Kari Arnason's through pass.

Man of the Match:- Jamie Mackie

Lloyd Grose:- "It was nice to bounce back from a tough midweek game. I gave 'Saga' a rest today and Jamie [Mackie] didn't disappoint with his goals; the competition for places is a nightmare for me at the moment because everyone is performing at their best level."

Plymouth sign Spillane
Plymouth Argyle have beaten the transfer window deadline to complete the signing of youngster Michael Spillane from Norwich City. The 20-year-old Irish midfielder is not expected to break into the first team immediately, but has stated he will fight for a place after his £120k move.

 

[ross the red]

Well done mate, at this rate you might just be able to push for the play-offs! Well done on selling Maclean because he is a nightmare. Folly never generates any intrest but whatever you do don't sell Ashley Barnes as he generates intrest from top-clubs in years to come and he turns out well. Anyway good luck and keep up the good work.

 

[LGrosePAFC]

July & August Summary
Friendlies:- 6 wins, 1 draw, 1 defeat
Transfers In:- Gavin Skelton (£40k), Stephen O'Halloran (Loan), Marek Saganowski (£130k), Andrea Orlandi (£275k), Michael Spillane (£120k) (TOTAL: £575k)
Transfers Out:- Steven Maclean (£240k), Gary Sawyer (£250k) (TOTAL: £500k)

Coca Cola Championship - 2nd (after 5 games)
League Cup - Second Round (Lost vs Ipswich (aet))
F.A. Cup - Not yet entered

Board Confidence - Satisfied
(+) Signing of Saganowski
(+) Reaching target in League Cup
(+) Victory against rivals, Cardiff
(+) Form of Kari Arnason
(-) Defeat to Ipswich
(-) Draw against Derby

Lloyd Grose - "It's been nearly a dream first month in charge, but we can't get carried away. Our form started to dip towards the end of the month, and we'll address that issue after the international break. We've also been relatively lucky in terms of player fitness; there weren't any major injuries in August and it will be interesting how we cope if and when some players do get injured. The defence has been the tightest in the league so far, and we also hope to continue that outstanding form."

Player of the Month:- Kari Arnason

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Thanks for the advice, yeah i really don't like Maclean! So I bought a better striker for half the money

 

[Sabu22]

yeah well done LGrose. you're off to a great start. i kept maclean because i thought he would be good for the role of a deep striker to help get my attacks started. he has done really well for me so far and has had a great partnership with a spanish striker i bought in named Angel. but he has been having a ton of off the field personal issues. he has talked to the papers about it 3 times now lol but it hasn't stopped him from playing well. i keep getting asked in my press conferences about his problems and when i respond that i wont talk about it he gets a boost to his moral lol. after seeing how well Arnason has been playing for you i might have to give him some more playing time on my team and see how he does. who else of the players you kept from the original squad have been playing the good for you? nice job so far mate, keep up the great work!

 

[LGrosePAFC]

I noticed before that Maclean does actually play well but his personal problems are just annoying and I'd rather not have to deal with that..as for players in the original squad, Timar and Seip are great at centre back. Also, Alan Judge (on loan) is brilliant at right mid playing as a wide midfielder on support. Fletcher as a ball winning midfielder on defend works really well, and I think that's a big reason for 5 clean sheets out of 7 matches so far thanks for the support and help

---------- Post added at 10:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:05 PM ----------

Plymouth to sign youngsters
Striker Lateef Elford-Alliyu and full-back Dwayne Samuels have both agreed deals to take them to Plymouth Argyle in January. The 17 and 18 year-olds respectably believe they will have more chance of first-team football once they join their new club.

West Bromwich Albion 1 - 1 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
These two high-flying teams shared the spoils at The Hawthorns. Both sides had early chances, but it was the home side who made the most of theirs, Luke Moore scoring after a lay-off by Olsson. Brunt's 25th minute deflected free-kick nearly doubled their advantage, hitting the crossbar on it's way over.

Plymouth got their goal on the hour, David McNamee playing Rory Fallon through who made no mistake, getting his first of the season. The Baggies pushed for a winner late on, but to no avail.

Man of the Match:- Jim Paterson

Plymouth Argyle 1 - 2 Watford (CCC)
Plymouth suffered their first league defeat of the season as Watford deservedly took all three points. In the opening exchanges, Alan Judge's sizzling shot was parried and then smothered by the Watford keeper. Shortly after that, Watford took the lead as Henri Lansbury latched on to Jenkins' pass to beat the offside trap and finish. The Pilgrims didn't take long to equalise as Gavin Skelton played through Jamie Mackie who finished confidently.

Early in the second half, Watford regained their lead when Lansbury this time turned provider, setting up Nathan Ellington, who slotted the ball past Romain Larrieu. Jamie Mackie had a second ruled out for offside, which lost Plymouth their unbeaten start to the Championship season.

Man of the Match:- Gavin Skelton

Lloyd Grose:- "This was really disappointing, especially with it being a home match. I thought after the break we might take the initiative after grabbing the equaliser on the stroke of half time, but be almost did exactly the opposite. We sat back, soaked up the pressure and it cost us dear; we never fully recovered from conceding the second."

Newcastle United 2 - 1 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
Newcastle kept their 100% home record at St James' Park going as they beat Plymouth in an entertaining match. They scored with their first real chance as Lovenkrands poached a goal from 12 yards out. The second came shortly after as Lovenkrands turned provider for McLean, his 19th minute effort thumping in off the post. Plymouth got one back in the 38th minute as Krisztian Timar's header hit the post and rebounded in off Magpies' defender Danny Simpson.

The second half was poor with few chances created, the best of which were squandered by McLean and Saganowski.

Man of the Match:- Kari Arnason

Lloyd Grose:- I was pleased with the effort shown by the lads today. Not many teams are going to come here and get anything, and we gave it our best. Newcastle are a great side and should be a Premier League side; I think they'll go straight back up."

Plymouth Argyle 0 - 1 Nottingham Forest (CCC)
Plymouth suffered their third September defeat on the trot at Home Park. Vidal scored the only goal of the game early on after he turned Jim Paterson on the edge of the box and found the top corner. Later in the first half, Anderson hit the post with a header from 6 yards.

The most notable incident of the second half was Forest's Bernard's sending off on 70 minutes for a vicious foul. Argyle were unable to capitalise however, and continued their slump down the table, being overtaken by Forest themselves.

Man of the Match:- Krizstian Timar

Peterborough United 0 - 2 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
Plymouth earned their first and only win of September in this solid performance at London Road. Peterborough controlled possession early on, but Argyle had the clear cut chances. On loan striker Cillian Sheridan was given his first league start and took his opportunity well, finishing a chance created by Jim Paterson. Just over a minute later, Plymouth's Kari Arnason was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Peterborough did not use their man advantage to good effect, and conceded their second from a David McNamee penalty after Alan Judge was brought down by Morgan. 'Boro put late pressure on Argyle but Mackail-Smith and Sodje missed their chances, and Wilson could only hit a post.

Man of the Match:- Jim Paterson

Lloyd Grose:- "It's nice to get out of a slump. The players realised how much they enjoyed being near the top, and want to stay up there. Even after the sending off today, the players had a focus which hasn't been there in the previous 2 or 3 matches. They took their chances well, and it's great to get 3 points to take home."

 

[Jack]

Good results mate

 

[LGrosePAFC]

September Summary

Coca Cola Championship - 6th (after 10 games)
League Cup - Second Round (Lost vs Ipswich (aet))
F.A. Cup - Not yet entered

Board Confidence - Delighted
(+) Performance in the Championship
(+) Peterborough victory
(+) West Brom draw
(+) Loan of O'Halloran
(-) Defeat to Watford
(-) Defeat against Notts Forest

Lloyd Grose - "After a great start, we've taken our foot off the gas a little which is disappointing. The players are tired after a packed month, with 5 games in 17 games. We don't have a game until the 17th now so there's a chance to rejuvenate during the international break. Overall though, we've competed in every game so far, we're nestled in a great position, and there are no problems within the squad."

Player of the Month:- Jim Paterson

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Thanks for the support and all so far..pretty good start