Pilgrims on the Rise

[LGrosePAFC]

Plymouth to sign Tuffey
Plymouth Argyle have confirmed that goalkeeper Johnny Tuffey will be heading to Home Park in January. The Northern Irish player will join from Partick Thistle for £20k.

Blackpool 4 - 2 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
Bottom of the table Blackpool improved their form by beating Plymouth. Ben Burgess opened the scoring on 7 minutes after numerous mistakes by the Argyle defence. Blackpool scored again 9 minutes later with Folan's close-range header. They made it 3 by scoring a freak goal after 24 minutes, Martin's cross going all the way in. Plymouth replied 3 minutes later, Carl Fletcher playing Jamie Mackie through, the latter finishing emphatically.

In the second half, Burgess got a second after a through pass by Charlie Adam. Bradley Wright-Phillips got a consolation for the Pilgrims on 90 minutes with his first for the club.

Man of the Match:- Jamie Mackie

Bristol City 3 - 1 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
Bristol City deservedly beat Plymouth in this Championship encounter. Saborio hit the crossbar in the first 10 minutes, before finally scoring 20 minutes later with a turn and shot. He added a second 2 minutes later. City were 3 up before the break when Fontaine scored a header from a corner which went in off the post.

Argyle's consolation came through Krisztian Timar's first of the season, heading in Jim Paterson's corner.

Man of the Match:- Romain Larrieu

Lloyd Grose:- "It was a disappointing evening altogether. The performances from most players was unacceptable; this was a derby match and some players didn't look like they cared. We've packed out the away end, as we do in most matches away from home, and the game was over before half time. We can't let this great start to the season slip; we've worked so hard and had the best defence in the league until the last 2 games. The players looked sloppy, disorganised, they're making numerous mistakes, and it just wasn't happening earlier in the season. This needs to turn around, starting on Saturday against Ipswich."

Plymouth Argyle 0 - 2 Ipswich Town (CCC)
In an even game at Home Park, it was Ipswich who took the 3 points away. Owen Garvan broke the deadlock against the run of play on 15 minutes. The away side doubled their lead on 38 minutes, Tamas Priskin heading home a dangerous cross.

Plymouth thought they had one back with 6 minutes remaining but Rory Fallon's header was ruled out as he fouled the goalkeeper.

Man of the Match:- Carl Fletcher

Lloyd Grose:- "I know this is a third defeat on the spin and we're dropping down the table, but the performance was good and competitive today, unlike the previous two matches. We've come up against a team who scored 7 goals last time out, and could and should have beaten them. The attackers missed a lot of chances for us, but once those start going in we'll be competing again. The fight shown today was much more pleasing."

 

[D14_JDH]

Crackin start from Plymouth mate! Well done! The defeats u have to expect playin against some massive clubs, but you've beat some big side in amongst that!

I like how you've gone about in the transfer market also, young English players is always the best way to make progress in my opinion!

Anyway, as i am a Plymouth fan (although im Scottish....My family are from there) I'll be followin this with interest! All the best mate! Good thread!
http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/f81/middlesbrough-fc-back-to-the-prem-t26509.html#post282708

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
Top of the table Boro continued their impressive start to the season by beating Plymouth at the Riverside Stadium. David Wheater scored 2 very similar goals, both headers from Gary O'Neil corners to put Boro 2 up going into half time.

Plymouth's goal came from Bradley Wright-Phillips 10 minutes into the second half, capitalising on some poor marking by the Middlesbrough defenders. Argyle's chances of an equaliser looked very slim after Carl Fletcher was sent off for persistent fouling. Leroy Lita almost grabbed himself a goal right at the death but his header rebounded off the bar.

Man of the Match:- Bradley Wright-Phillips

Lloyd Grose:- "This was another decent performance, but the downfall at the moment is conceding early goals and that gives us a slim chance of getting anything from the game. We have to be more laboured in the early exchanges. The players are shooting themselves in the foot with the way they're defending."

---------- Post added at 10:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:01 PM ----------

October Summary

Coca Cola Championship - 15th (after 14 games)
League Cup - Second Round (Lost vs Ipswich (aet))
F.A. Cup - Not yet entered

Board Confidence - Very pleased
(+) Performance in the Championship
(-) Bristol City defeat
(-) Ipswich defeat
(-) McNamee's form

Lloyd Grose - "It's been a really poor month that we all want to forget. Conceding first half goals have been the key defensive issue, so we need to start tightening up; we need to defend like we were in the first 6 or 7 games, as a team. As for the attacking side of things, players are scoring the odd goals and that's all. I want a couple of strikers to really push to get 20 league goals this season; Bradley [Wright-Phillips] has started scoring since his comeback from injury and I'm thinking of playing him as a main focal point of my attack. We've got two home games now against Scunthorpe and Doncaster, and I want 6 points and two good performances."

Player of the Month:- Romain Larrieu

 

[LGrosePAFC]

October's attachments...

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Plymouth Argyle 2 - 0 Scunthorpe United (CCC)
Plymouth ended their run of 4 straight defeats as they beat Scunthorpe at Home Park. The home side had an early scare as Sparrow had a 20 yard effort hit the crossbar on 7 minutes.

The first notable incident in the second half was when Kari Arnason was brought down in the box and Rory Fallon scored the resulting penalty. He almost got a second with 5 minutes remaining, but his header came off the post. Krisztian Timar secured the win with a header on 89 minutes after Marcel Seip's corner.

Man of the Match:- Rory Fallon

Plymouth Argyle 2 - 0 Doncaster Rovers (CCC)
Plymouth beat Doncaster comfortably at Home Park. A quiet first half ended well for Argyle as Chris Barker's free kick was inadvertedly turned in by Rovers keeper Neil Sullivan.

Plymouth carried on pressing in the second half, and Alan Judge finished a move off brilliantly after being put through by Kari Arnason.

Man of the Match:- Kari Arnason

Lloyd Grose:- "A much better start to the month; more solid, we took our chances well and we've moved back into the top half. We just have to show that we can perform consistently and competitively home and away every week. If the team work hard for each other, you reap the rewards. The players have the international break now to recover but we will be focused and raring to go in two weeks time."

---------- Post added at 01:49 PM ---------- Previous post was yesterday at 11:06 PM ----------

Plymouth to sign Hall and Ferguson
Plymouth have snapped up two more youngsters in the shape of Michael Hall, an 18-year-old midfielder from Blackburn, and Shane Ferguson, a Northern Irish left-winger from Newcastle. Argyle are estimated to have paid just under £240k to secure both signatures. The players will join on January 1st.

Leicester City 2 - 1 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
Leicester fought back from an early deficit to win in a fiery game at The Walkers Stadium. Alan Judge got an early lead for Argyle with a cracking drive from 20 yards on 9 minutes. Two minutes later, Leicester were level as the unmarked Matty Fryatt got on the end of Max Gradel's cross to head home. In the 44th minute, Plymouth were reduced to 10 men as Kari Arnason was sent off for a strong two-footed challenge.

Leicester eventually scored their winner as Steve Howard was brought down in the box, and converted the penalty which went in off the post in the 78th minute.

Man of the Match:- Marcel Seip

Lloyd Grose:-"The lads battled well today with 10 men. The only real concern is how quickly we conceded after gaining an early advantage."

Plymouth Argyle 1 - 5 Barnsley (CCC)
In a surprisingly one-sided encounter at Home Park, Barnsley thrashed the hosts Plymouth. The away side were 3 up at half-time, the first coming from Hume who shot from the edge of the box. Krisztian Timar was left embarassed on 42 minutes as he scored an own goal after a dangerous corner. The third came in stoppage time with a header from Hallfreosson.

Lloyd Grose made a triple substitution at half time, and it paid dividends immediately as striker Ashley Barnes scored 17 seconds into the second 45 minutes. However, Barnsley responded strongly, Bogdanovic grabbing their fourth after Hume's shot was parried. During stoppage time in the second half, it was Hume once more who headed in Hammill's corner.

Man of the Match:- Luke Summerfield

Lloyd Grose:- "Performances like this are unacceptable; a lot of the ground was filled today, the fans were expecting a good viewing and a good result which we should be getting in most home matches. I changed the team around a little today because fitness isn't at its peak within the squad. The players who came in didn't look like they wanted to secure a first team spot at all!"

F.A. Cup Third Round Draw
Plymouth Argyle have been handed a tough draw in the F.A. Cup. They will travel to Aston Villa on January 2nd hoping to gain some Premier League scalp. Lloyd Grose said in an interview that they would go to win, hoping to start the new year with a bang.

 

[SamScfc]

Gavin Skelton was poor as **** for me, hope he does well for you at Plymouth. XD

 

[LGrosePAFC]

November Summary

Coca Cola Championship - 12th (after 18 games)
League Cup - Second Round (Lost vs Ipswich (aet))
F.A. Cup - Third Round (vs Aston Villa)

Board Confidence - Very pleased
(+) Performance in the Championship
(+) Win against Doncaster
(+) Win against Scunthorpe
(+) Control over wages
(-) Barnsley defeat

Lloyd Grose - "Again, we've been inconsistent, and it's a big problem if we ever want to get near the top. We started the month well; we were scoring and keeping clean sheets, then we went away where a couple of decisions went against us and lost. We didn't recover by the time we played Barnsley, and we paid for it. A new 4-3-3 formation has seen a mixed bag of performances so far, but I'll stick with it because it's got us scoring a little more. There is a tremendous amount of attacking talent at this club and I want to exhibit it more."

Player of the Month:- Marcel Seip

 

[Sabu22]

looks like your team is having the same inconstancy problems as mine. i've now dropped down to 10th after being in 5th for most of the 1st half of the season. have you noticed anything weird with how the fans react to you games. if i lose a close game or tie a tough opponent (newcastle, middlesboro) away they are always upset. but if i tie or barely beat a weaker opponent at home they are always happy. they were very happy when i got played off the pitch but still managed to tie scunthrope (who are in last place) 1-1 at home but they were very upset when i tied newcastle (who are in 1st) 2-2 away even though my team was the better team for most of the match. i've stopped looking at the fan reaction to my matches cause all it does is annoy me lol.

 

[LGrosePAFC]

I get exactly the same problems..it just seems that any team I play and beat they are happy, and when I lose they're upset which is fine because it's about the results, but they don't take account of performance. I'm really slipping down the league now with some poor results, that Barnsley defeat was shocking. They're in the relegation zone!!

 

[Sabu22]

i big loss so far has been a 0-2 **** kickin at home park by Sheff Utd. the score should have been 0-5 the way they totally dominated my team. i think we got the ball into their half maybe twice all game lol

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Tough luck :/ I've had a few shockers at home as you can see!!

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Plymouth Argyle 1 - 3 Sheffield United (CCC)
Plymouth were outplayed by their superior opponents at Home Park. Gary Naysmith opened the scoring with an unstoppable free-kick.

Plymouth got their equaliser 8 minutes into the second half as Marek Saganowski scored a placed effort. Henderson was on the end of Quinn's cross for the Blades' second goal. It was Quinn who set up Henderson again for his second and United's third in second half stoppage time.

Swansea City 2 - 0 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
Swansea comfortably beat Plymouth at The Liberty Stadium this afternoon. Darren Pratley beat keeper Romain Larrieu on just 4 minutes to open the scoring.

It was a Bodde free-kick which doubled the advantage just before the hour. Plymouth rarely threatened during the match.

Preston North End 1 - 0 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
Plymouth eventually succumbed to defeat, despite proving the equal of their opponents.

Marek Saganowski squandered many second half chances before Parkin scored the only goal of the game, getting on the end of Nicholson's pass.

Plymouth Argyle 1 - 0 Coventry City (CCC)
In a dull game at Home Park, it was Plymouth who came away with the points. The only goal of the game came through Marek Saganowski on 35 minutes as he pounced on a mistake by the Coventry defence after a pass from Andrea Orlandi.

Cardiff City 1 - 0 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
In an even game at The Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff came away with victory. Plymouth had the better of the first half, Marek Saganowski having their best chance, but putting his header over the bar.

In the second half, Iriekpen hit the crossbar with a header after a corner from Peter Whittingham. It was Peter Whittingham who got the goal for The Bluebirds in second half stoppage time, after his initial corner was cleared poorly.

Plymouth Argyle 3 - 1 Reading (CCC)
Plymouth beat high-flying Reading at Home Park. Jamie Mackie opened the scoring after Kari Arnason's shot had been parried. Shane Long got an equaliser before half time, latching on to Howard's pass and finishing.

Alan Gow put Plymouth back in front on the hour as he prodded the ball home after a goalmouth scramble. The Pilgrims ensured their victory on 70 minutes when Darcy Blake played the ball above the Royals' defence to Jamie Mackie, who got his second.

 

[LGrosePAFC]

December Summary

Coca Cola Championship - 13th (after 24 games)
League Cup - Second Round (Lost vs Ipswich (aet))
F.A. Cup - Third Round (vs Aston Villa)

Board Confidence - Very pleased
(+) Performance in the Championship
(+) Win against Reading
(+) Form of Blake
(+) Signing of youngsters in January
(-) Cardiff defeat
(-) Sheffield Utd defeat
(-) Form of Seip

Lloyd Grose - "More months like this and we will be fighting against relegation. 6 points from 6 games is not mid-table material going into the new year. The turn of the year can be a chance for us to start again and rejuvenate. The youngters coming in are eager to learn and will learn from the more experienced in the squad. We are building a young squad, with players from the home nations primarily which takes effort, but should be rewarding with a talented squad in years to come. Come on you greens!!"

Player of the Month:- Alan Judge

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Plymouth sign 5 players
Plymouth opened their chequebooks today to sign 5 youngsters from various clubs. In deals that had been arranged for some time, striker Lateef Elford-Alliyu, wing-back Dwayne Samuels, goalkeeper Johnny Tuffey, midfielder Michael Hall and left winger Shane Ferguson all joined the club.

Aston Villa 2 - 2 Plymouth Argyle (FA)
Plymouth produced a surprisingly result at Villa Park. They took the lead inside 6 minutes as Kari Arnason played the ball through to Alan Gow, who smashed home. Villa were level halfway through the first half as Petrov latched onto Ashley Young's ball and finished confidently. Aston Villa thought they had taken the lead 5 minutes later but Milner's effort was ruled out for offside. Just before half time, Gabby Agbonlahor also thought he had taken the lead but his effort rebounded off the post.

In the second half, it was Bouma who put Villa 2-1 up with a crashing drive from 20 yards. Plymouth got their equaliser right at the death, Karl Duguid heading in Alan Judge's corner to take the tie into a replay at Home Park.

Queens Park Rangers 2 - 0 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
QPR comfortably beat Plymouth at Loftus Road. Akos Buzsaky was very unlucky on 39 minutes as he hit the crossbar with a long range effort.

Buzsaky did eventually give QPR the lead with 20 minutes remaining as he crashed in a goal from 20 yards. 6 minutes later they doubled their lead, Vine finishing after Balanta's through pass. There was one final burden for Argyle, Marcel Seip being sent off after two yellow cards.

Plymouth sign Bennett & Worrall
Plymouth have made their 6th and 7th signings of the January transfer window with 2 more youngsters joining the Pilgrims. 19 year-old winger Kyle Bennett joins from Wolves for £140k as 19 year-old midfielder David Worrall comes from West Brom for £24k.

Plymouth Argyle 0 - 4 Aston Villa (FA)
Plymouth never threatened an upset against 10-man Aston Villa at Home Park. Petrov opened the scoring on 19 minutes after being played in by Reo-Coker. They were reduced to 10 men 5 minutes later, Cuellar being sent off for a very late challenge on Jamie Mackie. They didn't let it affect them however, Agbonlahor (31) and Carew (39) adding the second and third with close-range efforts. Petrov threatened to score again on 44 minutes but his strike hit the crossbar. Ashley Young had the final say in the match, scoring the fourth and final goal in first half stoppage time.

Plymouth Argyle 1 - 0 Crystal Palace (CCC)
Plymouth got the three points after this dull game at Home Park. Alan Judge scored the only goal of the game, profiting from a lapse of concentration in the Palace defence on 35 minutes. The away side had their best chance 5 minutes later, Jose Fonte's header coming off the post.

Plymouth Argyle 0 - 0 Derby County (CCC)
Plymouth and Derby played out a goalless draw at Home Park, the best chance coming on 83 minutes for Derby as Davies' free-kick hit the post.

Sheffield Wednesday 3 - 1 Plymouth Argyle (CCC)
Sheffield Wednesday battled for victory at Hillsborough. Obadeyi scored the opener on 26 minutes after poking in Van Aanholt's corner. They doubled their advantage in first half stoppage time from another corner, McAllister assisting Tudgay to score a header.

Argyle started the second half with renewed spirits and scored within 3 minutes of kick off, Jim Paterson playing through Rory Fallon. However, 4 minutes later the match was put to bed, Obadeyi scoring again, Tudgay this time turning provider to play through his strike partner. Hinds almost made it 4 for Wednesday, hitting the crossbar from near the penalty spot.

 

[Lewis]

I know it's old news but well done on selling Mclean, seriously we could put Fern Britton up there and she would do better than him :L
Unlucky about Sheff Wed result mate

 

[LGrosePAFC]

January Summary

Coca Cola Championship - 15th (after 28 games)
League Cup - Second Round (Lost vs Ipswich (aet))
F.A. Cup - Third Round (Lost vs Aston Villa)

Board Confidence - Very pleased
(+) Performance in the Championship
(+) Meeting expectations in F.A. Cup
(+) Win over Crystal Palace
(+) Signing of youngsters in January
(-) Aston Villa Cup defeat
(-) Sheff Weds defeat

Lloyd Grose - "Again, this wasn't the best month but the points at home kept us away from the relegation zone. The Cup draw was an excellent result but unfortunately we couldn't keep it up at home and lacked in quality. We've signed youngsters who we think can grow into top players at this football club. February is a busy month for us with 6 matches, and could play a big part in how we do for the rest of the season."

Player of the Month:- Luke Summerfield

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Haha yeah, he's not great to be fair!! Got a decent price for him, season going average so far...

 

[Lewis]

You're not doing bad mate, you just need a bit of consistencey.

 

[LGrosePAFC]

Yeah tell me about it, first match in February I just lost to West Brom 4-3 :/ lol

 

[Lewis]

Yeah tell me about it, first match in February I just lost to West Brom 4-3 :/ lol

Unlucky mate, sounds like that was an interesting match