I woke up this morning and wondered why the nightmare hadn't gone away....and then it slowly dawned on me that it hadn't been a nightmare of my time asleep....but a real thing that happened to me and all other Argyle supporters last evening......that are club...which not so long ago were 12th in Div 1 and in the top half of the league.....had actually been relegated in the last moments of the season.....it all started to come back to me.....I had been sitting here...like I am now watching this very screen....Argyle had won and were tied on 50pts with Southend and Wimbledon but with an inferior goal difference....both their games were still playing in added on injury time....we just needed Bradford or promotion candidates Sunderland to score a goal. My screen told me that the Bradford v Wimbledon game had finished....no joy for us there.....and believe it or not there was only one game not finished....the Southend v Sunderland match....I clicked on to that game....Southend had been the better team all match and in the dying moments they were still on top....and the damn play was down the Sunderland end...Southend also were given a free kick in the attacking half...it then dawned on me that there wasn't a chance in hell of Sunderland being in a position to even have a shot on goal let alone score.....and then it showed full time....we were down. Sunderland I had down in my predictions for a win....rarely beaten all season....they looked a good banker for a win and at the worst a draw.....we only needed to win to stay up.....easy peasy or so it seemed....just needed Argyle to win....that was the only worry.....how wrong can you be.....all afternoon I had been willing Bradford and Sunderland to do the business and both let us down....that's the problem when you have to depend on others to get you out of an hole. Derek Adams the messiah...or so it seemed....season one we reached the play-offs.....season two the play-offs again...disappointment at Wembley.....Season three and promotion...literally all season in a promotion slot and only lost the title at the last moment to Portsmouth....the only time they were ever top. So Adams top man...had to make sure he wasn't poached....so give him a 5 year contract and let him run every aspect of PAFC's football set-up....if anyone wanted to take him away it would cost them. In hindsight was that a good move, to give him a long contract and in control of everything....maybe that showed a lack of football know-how at Boardroom level....when things started unravelling should they have acted sooner....when our fate was still in our hands.....Adams transfer selections became obviously lacking especially in defence (80 goals conceded). Adams post match comments at times didn't always ring true to what the majority of supporters saw on the pitch and he was so set in how he wanted his team to play and switching to a plan 2 was like getting blood out of a stone. Were the Boardroom right to sack him with one game left....yes... we won.. although our fate was out of our own hands......in hindsight he should have been sacked weeks ago when our fate was still in our hands.....we should have easily been in mid-league. Hindsight is a wonderful gift....looking back being the experts that we are we would have done ok. So what is the future Manager wise....player wise etc, etc....so much to talk about....but more importantly so much for PAFC to sort out in the coming weeks.
Wow nice comment Plym your definitely still in shock like the rest of us.....let us all treat the Mr's out to a nice Sunday lunch then get hammered down the local. COYG!
Thinking about our situation.....relegation was a big kick in the gulags and a real backward step in our progress. So having the right manager and sorting out our playing staff plus coaching staff is so very important....getting it wrong could be more financially dangerous than it obviously is anyway by getting relegated. With our situation being development of the grandstand....finance availability to develop the team is limited at present....so important to get it right and to start next season on the front foot.....that means before the new year arrives.....how could Derek Adams get that so wrong two seasons running and only paying the ultimate penalty with only one game left this season.
I am so sorry for you lads, you don't deserve to be going down, you seemed to have.. 1) a good manager 2) a very good squad 3) fantastic fans 4) supportive owners... how did you not have a good season? Sadly I can see you losing a few of the more valuable players but if these are replaced by fighters who are willing to put their bodies on the line plus some youngsters of your own then there is no reason why you can't do a MK Dons and come straight back up with a wet sail. All the very best for next season's promotion push PS... If we release Josh Parker in May, don't sign him he's gash!
Thanks for friendly comments. 1...A good manager......Not in the end...good to start with...but lost it big time. 2...A very good squad.....An 80 goal defence...they made a sieve look watertight...the reason we got relegated and they had no pace...under performing Carey. 3...Fantastic fans.....Your right there....the most travelled mileage in the country....even away on a Tuesday night. 4...Supportive owners.....Compared to Charlton yes....no real football knowledge and took too long to sack Adams...two months ago and we would have been mid-table easily. If Parker is that bad I think Adams would have bought him...but luckily that ain't going to happen thank goodness.
I have to say when that nightmarish 2nd goal was given yesterday, it brought back all the freakish horrors I've seen at Home Park over the years. But put it behind you Plym. WAWWA. The longest march starts with the first step and that is to appoint the right manager. Not a task I'd want. He must accept the constraints of a sustainable budget but needs to be more of a people person than Mr Adams. We do have a good owner and that lovely new stand is going to yield £1m a year for the club from non-football income, starting next autumn, isn't it? Could be worse, the administrators could be in. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S9
If the Grandstand is up and running come Christmas then I would be surprised....there will be lots of finishing touches to do....maybe home game against Exeter would be a nice start....no Yeovil of course this coming season....they'll be playing my local team Bromley in the National League.
Feck being maudlin about it, it's not as if we haven't been in worse ****. We are where we are because the players and tactics were not good enough over 46 games. Mind you giving the rest a start of 18/20 games before we start the season is not the best idea. We will rise again and it is more a question of when not if. I went to the game yesterday expecting exactly what we got. By hook or by crook the gods of football would make sure we filled the spot up for grabs and sure enough they ended up doing it. If they, the players had shown the fight and desire they showed yesterday for the season or even half of it then we wouldn't be on here now talking as we are.
Note to new manager or Lyndie if appropriate...............hire large ball boys for Leyton Orient game and ensure Ref has glasses he can see through.
Need to get back in L1 next season so for me Holloway should take charge as will attract players we need.
There's an audio interview with Simon Hallett on the club website. It's worth listening to, covering why Adams left and how they'll appoint a new manager. I don't think anyone that uses plastic comedy bellies as part of their training regime is going to get a look in.
Adam Sandler (no not that one, the 1st team coach at Leicester), Lee Clark (ex Huddersfield, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bury and also Kilmarnock) and Mike Flynn (of Newport County) rumoured to be in the frame.
Please not Lee Clark.....National League here we come....we'll be playing my local team Bromley soon at this rate.
More like who we can afford BC.....having had to pay Adams and Wotton off.....plus dropping down a league and getting a smaller amount of EFL cash....beggers can't be choosers comes to mind.
You clearly didn't read Hallett's comments on paying off the previous then Plym. He has stated that this will not be a burden on the next playing budget and he himself will cover it. My concern is not the who but the when. We do not want to start our season with a bunch of "what's left" players because we took an age to fill the Manager's chair and the new person only had a fraction of the time available to recruit.
I might pop along to Friday nights PASALB meeting when we will be able to meet Simon Hallett in the flesh....bet he's never been in a pub like the Hoop & Grapes in Farringdon Street EC4 before....a CAMRA pub....not a decent lager on sale there for twice the price (London prices)....Japanese lager at about £5 a pint.
