Here is the space so please feel free to give the ten good reasons why we have no chance. I'll start 1. The Ref is Mr Huxtable
Have you some gripe with Mr Huxtable? He seems to have given a penalty against us this season but so has he against Oxford. Of course the former will have been a gross travesty of justice, as are all penalties against us, whereas the latter was I'm sure a well judged decision.
Cooper, Edwards, Woods, Opoku. Fornah, Moore, Law, Camara, Mayor, Jephcott, Ennis. Subs McCormick, Watts, Hardie, Reeves, Macleod, Lolos, Tomlinson. Kept Law in....but no youthful experiments happening here other than that. Aimson injured I assume.....Watts on bench....Hardie on bench. No Lewis in squad......but Ennis starts today.
Opoku gives contact for a ball he can't win, the guy collapses and 1-0. No street smarts whatsoever. Otherwise we've looked a bit more solid in open play with 4 at the back but still vulnerable to crosses of various sorts. Law getting skinned for pace with little support from Mayor out wide. Rochdale 0-0!
1-0...H/T.....Edwards...29mins...O/G. Argyle attacking well at times....but no end product. Oxford looking threatening ans Cooper has denied them a few times. The goal came from a free kick from Oxfords right side of the box....the Ref I felt marked the defence twelve strides from the kick...it looked a long ten yds/mtrs....The kicker bypassed the defenders easily but Edwards got a touch on it with his head and it beat Cooper on his left side....a little unlucky. But Oxford look capable of scoring more and as I've already said...Cooper has thwarted then on a few occasions...if Oxford score early it could go pear shaped very quickly. Ennis has put a good shift in already......Oxfords right winger looks dangerous with his pace.....Law is doing his best to stop him.
3-1...F/T Edwards...29mins O/G Taylor...69 & 80 mins Ennis...65mins. Better performance by Argyle....and a deserved equalizer after a good 20 minute start in the second half....but it lasted for only 4 minutes.....and a third goal finished them off. All three Oxford goals came from dead ball situations....a free kick outside the box and two corners.....we cannot defend for the life of us. Ennis played well.... Jephcott worked hard but not in his dangerous areas...Camara had a good first half....and Cooper kept us in the game in the first half with some good saves.....but still managed to do his favourite trick of kicking the ball directly into touch....Mayor had not much influence on the game other than one good pass to Ennis Just in the end... a regular Argyle defeat which is coming a regular habit....but they didn't really drop their heads and give in this time....just not good enough in defence or mid-field. I thought Ennis deserved MOTM and he scored a good goal.
We are safe. Enough said and the drop half of pasoti predicted is no more. Not that it realistically was.
The biggest result for Argyle fans yesterday appears to have been Rochdale not winning.....there seems to have been a huge collective....phew and sigh from fan sites as job done for Argyle.....obviously our sights these days are set quite low....maybe that is why our manager is called Ryan Lowe.....pun intended.
Having cooled down, it's so disappointing to have a season go out with a whimper like this one. I can remember the sick feeling as I've sat (or stood once upon a time) in seasons gone by when we've lurched hopelessly to relegation. The string of relentlessly awful performances and results we've turned in over the past couple of months have made it feel like that even though in the end, poor little Rochdale's brave fight has faltered. Their 3 wins and 2 draws from their last 6 games puts our record into stark relief. Once the pressure of a relegation battle is released, you'd often expect a sudden upturn in results. We've certainly got the opportunity to show what we can REALLY do with Sunderland and Gillingham to come. It's a nice daydream but I don't expect it. It hasn't been a question of pressure and lost confidence: we've a few that either don't have the ability to do what's required or worse, can't be bothered. I have faith that the club, including the manager, to address that in the closed season, provided post Covid finances permit, and that's not a foregone conclusion by any means. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see another spike after the pubs, clubs and restaurants reopen and football could be first casualty of that with grounds closed to fans once again. Even if that doesn't happen, when will be back to full capacity? How much needs to be set aside to compensate the season ticket holders who got next to nothing for their money last season? Not a good time to be running a football club is it? Looking at Ryan Lowe's remarks after yesterday's game show he knows what the problem is. “We’ve been saying the same things a lot of the season. Without being too critical of certain individuals, we know where we need to improve................ we can’t concede as many goals as we have conceded." Sums it up in a nutshell.
I would he surprised if there was any compensation for season ticket holders. They offered a refund and if you didn't take it you were effectively donating any cash to Argyle. They gave iFollow free to season ticket holders for home games. Well I say free but it wasn't really was it. I think they could have offered away games as well but guess that is in the domain of the away clubs not Argyle. The question that arises is do people buy another season ticket with crossed fingers or not bother this time. That will I'm sure affect the finances. At the moment I'm a bit undecided what to do. It was hard to justify to her indoors not getting the money back this season. To spend even more with only hope rather than certainty that I will get something for it would be near impossible. It would be nearly £700 for the two tickets for me and son. It's not that we are skint or can't afford to do it but more just throwing money away for nothing. What I would like to see now is that Lowe plays the kids. Our own kids now we are safe. Give them a run out and see what they do. If they lose both games then so be it. The experience would be invaluable but it would be our own getting it rather than somebody else's. I think several of the loanees have not covered themselves in glory particularly. Woods is one who got his chance and got sent off. Came back in eventually and we lost heavily. Watts is another along with Lewis. Good at times but not players I would like permanently. Fornah is decent enough for me but Opoku isn't. Has no idea how to defend and is constantly caught out. He also constantly fouls his man and this had led to goals against. Liability. I cannot see any of those playing in the Premiership ever.
I mentioned season ticket holders because Simon Hallett made some comment about the need to recognise what season ticket holders had done for the club. I don't imagine that means a free ticket for next season but perhaps a discount might be on the cards.
