Rotten and Decaying

Just what the hell has happened since May? We got promoted and nearly stole the title along the way. There was a groundswell of optimism amongst the apathetic janners who bought season tickets at a level not seen for years. The Club seemed to be finally on an even keel and heading the right way.

The summer recruitment policy set alarm bells ringing with a lack of any quality arriving. Carey was retained after a long and drawn out saga. However most fans still had faith that Adams had a plan. Even after the opening day defeat optimism reigned and the heady win over Charlton a few weeks later led many to believe all was well. Wrong. Since then we have played like a sunday league side - getting more red cards than we usually see over a season in the space of a month. We are adrift, rudderless and taking on water.

Where does the blame for this get allocated? Well it is to be shared - the owner for not re-investing the windfalls of last season into the playing staff. It is agreed we accrued circa 3m pounds from various unbudgeted sources. Now if the team was strengthened and playing well the attendances would rise and rise which in turn leads to a recoup of investment. He has chronically underfunded the Manager (who we will address shortly). The owner has bungled the planning application by grouping multiple bad ideas and it could be said hoodwinking the other directors in his conduct by not informing them. Is there an internal power struggle at Home Park? Something is not right - something is rotten...

The manager has put all his eggs in the Carey basket only for it to have a hole in. Carey has yet to hit consistent performances on the pitch. The manager has shown himself inflexible and stubborn. Not good qualities in a team bottom of the pile. To stay up we need to show the form of Champions - it is not going to happen. So while the owner takes 50% of the blame the manager has to have 30% - the remaining 20% is the players. The conduct of the players in the red card extravaganza was a disgrace and I think a calculated series of events to demonstrate unhappiness at goings on in the dressing room. Yes the players have applied themselves lately despite results but they have essentially resigned our Club to League Two football next year. A disgrace.

How the hell can a Club go from hero to zero in the space of 5 months? Or was the promotion papering over very wide cracks? You certainly don't get lucky promotions - you have to have something about you. Is it that the core squad is not good enough? I don't believe that, when they all play at their best they are a good side - it just happened every other game last year on average and this season we have played to our level twice : Peterborough and Charlton.

I am seriously concerned.

Don't be overly concerned pal, it's football not real life.

Oh that's a relief. Mind you I watched England last night... Argyle could beat them

I think your analysis is balanced, Rebel. Agree that Adams and the players must take some blame, even if the lion's share lies with the non-investing board. The red cards alone have done untold damage and they are not Brent's fault.

The gulf in class between League One and Two cannot be so great to explain Argyle being stranded on 5 points from 36.

I would like to see a change in the boardroom asap but in the meantime - and in the absence of any realistic prospect of that happening anyway - I simply want to see Argyle grinding out some results so we're not totally adrift by Christmas. That is going to have to come from the management and the players. Hopefully Diagourara can help make a difference and is not the last of the signings.

If we go down again I think the club is finished.

I think the red cards muddy cause and effect.I think the red cards are a result of pressure not bad morale, not to start with anyway, and definitely not some sort of campaign to register displeasure.

I think we've been creaking at the seams as a team and all it has taken is a little tap in the right place and the whole lot comes tumbling down.

The team and squad itself knows it isn't good enough but desperately wants to be; it knows it has to perform at the top of its ability just to compete.

All it takes is a dozy defender not picking up his man at a corner, a misplaced pass, an over-hit set-piece, a poor first touch, a foul throw, anything really to go awry and the tension grows and grows.

It is that tension that saw Sarcevic head-butt somebody, that saw Carey and Miller dive in, that saw Bradley swing his fist, that saw Edwards get two picky bookings...

And then it gets worse. A team/squad that isn't good enough is now ever weaker until the suspensions have run, the XI on the pitch is now a X, then goals get conceded, heads drop, morale already poor nose-dives. Narrow defeats, the odd thrashing follow. It's all bad. Very bad.

It all stems from not being up to it to start with; from the unit being over-stressed by its collective lack of quality.

I think Franny has it about right. There is an air of despair that permeates the whole club at the minute.

In the first instance the budget has been set and the dross has been brought in that fits that budget. It’s depressing.

There isn’t anything like a big gap in the quality from League 2 to League 1. Players with the clear demonstrated ability of Carey, Fox, Bradley, McCormick should be able to perform comfortably at this level without really getting out of second gear.

But even they have all been shit.

It’s all just, well, a bit shit.