So, this corner......

........no, not 'COME ON YOU GREEEEEEENS' type of corner. The corner we apparently turned at Stanley.

Have we really? I'm not so sure.

We started brightly against Northampton and 'bossed' the game. We played a blinding second half at the Rec' in Bristol. We have consistently stood off the opposition from the start, looked hesitant, and have often had to chase the game. We acquitted ourselves well against both Crawley and Southend, but if we can beat Stanley by four goals and keep a clean sheet, shouldn't we be much further up this league than we are? Yes, we only got a single point from the first nine games, but come on, if we are really, really better, why can we not beat a very average Barnet? Why can't we beat the likes of Aldershot?

Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted we tonked Stanley on Saturday it will do wonders for our team morale, but we are not consistent enough. On that form, the Daggers should be coming to HP expecting another five goal drubbing. Personally I think it will be another scrappy draw.

So what is wrong? Clearly this squad can play well enough to keep us up, in fact if they play like they did on Saturday every week, we would be up with the Turks. Why are we not consistent?

Or are we about to see the greatest run-in in the history of Argyle thanks to the 'mentor' effect? Where's the fun in that? We are all hoping for a last game of the season thriller aren't we?????

Just out of interest when was the last time we won 2 games in a row? We are where we are because of our inability to string results together, typically ..for the last 2 years 1 decent result like Saturdays is usually followed up a a string of mediocre draws and howling defeats.
Still not convinced by Fletcher and if we can get a result against the Daggers on Saturday i might start believing we can get out of this mess...until then

If you looked at our team individually, at the start of the season, then unsurprisingly, they had the look of a team simply not good (or old) enough to stay in this division.

Contrast that with the team on saturday, with the experience of Larrieu, Bignot, Purse, Wotton, and Chadwick, and you have a wealth of experience to call on. Couple that with the obvious ability of Hemmings and the form and confidence of McDonald, and we really should be winning more than we lose.

I'm no fan of Fletch as manager, but if Deehan can have a positive effect, then the players we have at our disposal really ought to be good enough to get us clear of trouble.

Interestingly and undeniably since the Stourbridge game at Home Park all the games that I have been to including Aldershot and Bristol Rovers away, with my son Joe; we have only ever witnessed one defeat which was Torquay.

Statistically that must mean we are improving. Yes there have been defeats, but we weren't there!!

You don't need to turn a corner, you just have to maintain a better record than the two worst teams in the whole Football League, when big teams drop out of the League they generally do it with the aid of a points deduction, you have no such encumberance, well not yet any way, stop fixating on the pre Fletcher period, your form in the first 8 games is what has you swimming with the fishes, since then you have been a lower mid table team despite the obvious inconsistencies so sit back and relax as you saunter to safety.

Lord Tisdale wrote:

You don't need to turn a corner, you just have to maintain a better record than the two worst teams in the whole Football League, when big teams drop out of the League they generally do it with the aid of a points deduction, you have no such encumberance, well not yet any way, stop fixating on the pre Fletcher period, your form in the first 8 games is what has you swimming with the fishes, since then you have been a lower mid table team despite the obvious inconsistencies so sit back and relax as you saunter to safety.

Expertly put.

We had one point from 9 games. Just imagine our points total now if we had drawn every one of those 9 games (which would have been a pretty damned mediocre start to the season as opposed to the calamity we actually had). If we had an extra 8 points we'd be sitting pretty right now and looking at stringing a few wins to get a hopeful play-off position. That is a measure of how good our results have been under Fletcher.

We're doing fine but it isn't done yet.

Steady on there, Sir Francis. Don't lose sight of the fact that we have played more games than those around us (with the exception of Hereford) and a couple of losses could see us right back in the mire.

Certainly we have come a long way from being five points adrift, but it is my opinion that quite a bit of that has been luck rather than the expert guidance of Carl Fletcher. He's certainly not as bad as some paint him, but he isn't a good manager by a long way.

Once he consistently strings wins together, can see what we can all see on the pitch, then I might start to change my opinon.

We are not the only team that has had some luck. It happens to everybody. Nor are we the only team that might have a couple of defeats.

We have played 2 games more than Northampton who need to win both of their games in hand to overtake us. D&R have a game in hand and won't overtake us unless they win by loads.

The situation we are in is very dicey but we have the upper hand. I think we'll be fine in the end. Not by much. But fine.

This is the stage of the season when teams seem to go on a good or bad run. Dagenham appear to be collapsing but they will pick up again. Macclesfield best result recently was a frozen pitch against us and Northampton are not setting the world on fire either. Barnet have done well recently but I think AFC Wimbledon may get dragged into the scrap soon.

As Tiz says, we appear to be consistent enough to pick up enough points to pull away from danger. But its going to be close and we don't have a great recent record of surviving relegation battles. Its going to be brown pants only for the last few games of the season.

Saturday was a massive step in the right direction, we have taken these steps already but then always foundered against the teams around us, 6 points against D&R and Macclesfield should see us right though.

Czarcasm wrote:

If you looked at our team individually, at the start of the season, then unsurprisingly, they had the look of a team simply not good (or old) enough to stay in this division.

Contrast that with the team on saturday, with the experience of Larrieu, Bignot, Purse, Wotton, and Chadwick, and you have a wealth of experience to call on. Couple that with the obvious ability of Hemmings and the form and confidence of McDonald, and we really should be winning more than we lose.

I'm no fan of Fletch as manager, but if Deehan can have a positive effect, then the players we have at our disposal really ought to be good enough to get us clear of trouble.

This.

I think the sensible line on Fletcher is that it's a shitter of a first managerial job to take on and it is too early to tell whether he will become a good manager or not. He doesn't inspire in his interviews but I don't give a flying one as long as he gets the players performing.

The key difference is the experienced spine of the team we now have, as Czarcasm has outlined, alongside some genuinely decent youngsters.

We should be too good to be relegated but it's going to be close, unless Northampton and D&R keep on losing.

The game on Saturday is as much a massive game for the belief it would instill in the supporters as much as the three points. Lose or scrap a late draw and you watch this site light up with "same ole bleddy argo rubbish".

The team need to deliver on Saturday.

The bigger picture is what always interests me. If lessons have not been learnt, and judging by the people Brent has kept close to him they haven't, the future, even if we do survive, is utter mediocrity and even the boys will run out of steam eventually.
Meanwhile, don't let me stop you enjoying this roller coaster end of season, in the basement of the football league.

Look how far we've come thanks to the small minded ones on the farm and their heroes in the boardroom.
I don't see that much has changed.

Some fans are getting excited about the fact that we have climbed out of the relegation zone, that in the short term is good news, but what happens next season do we struggle to stay up again ?,

I just don't see Mr Brent splashing the cash necessary to keep the team out of the mire.

From where I am sat it looks like we have another owner as far as the team goes with a locked wallet.

Form since the new players arrived for Northampton at home is P13 W4 D6 L3 for 18 points. Over a season that's about 63 points, which would be just short of the playoffs. Over the rest of this season it's good enough form to stay up.

Cerbera wrote:

........no, not 'COME ON YOU GREEEEEEENS' type of corner. The corner we apparently turned at Stanley.

Have we really? I'm not so sure.

We started brightly against Northampton and 'bossed' the game. We played a blinding second half at the Rec' in Bristol. We have consistently stood off the opposition from the start, looked hesitant, and have often had to chase the game. We acquitted ourselves well against both Crawley and Southend, but if we can beat Stanley by four goals and keep a clean sheet, shouldn't we be much further up this league than we are? Yes, we only got a single point from the first nine games, but come on, if we are really, really better, why can we not beat a very average Barnet? Why can't we beat the likes of Aldershot?

Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted we tonked Stanley on Saturday it will do wonders for our team morale, but we are not consistent enough. On that form, the Daggers should be coming to HP expecting another five goal drubbing. Personally I think it will be another scrappy draw.

So what is wrong? Clearly this squad can play well enough to keep us up, in fact if they play like they did on Saturday every week, we would be up with the Turks. Why are we not consistent?

Or are we about to see the greatest run-in in the history of Argyle thanks to the 'mentor' effect? Where's the fun in that? We are all hoping for a last game of the season thriller aren't we?????

There you go... you have to earn the right to beat the likes of Aldershot, on the day they didn't / wouldn't lay down & die for your Mahooooosive club, and why should they? You tonked a very poor side on the day... unfortunately I do now expect you to survive (just) this season, due to the crass currently in this league... however if you think next season will be another walk in the park, like this season & last seasons expectations, of the vast majority of your fans, then again you are going to be bitterly & indeed bitter again, by this time next season

Northampton play Macclesfield at home next week, so it could be that a home win would suit us as long as we beat Macclesfield next Tuesday

Sandford, did you actually read my post?

I was questioning whether we had the right team to play in this league. Nothing about being bitter. I'm not. We are where we are because we are crap.

However, what I would say is that when we are playing well, like we did last Saturday and at home against Northampton and the second half at Bristol we would easily beat your beloved Exeter. I have seen them play enough this season to know that they are lucky to be where they are and not in the drop zone.

My post was questioning why we cannot inspire our team to play well every week, it's like we have two different teams.

Cerbera wrote:

Sandford, did you actually read my post?

I was questioning whether we had the right team to play in this league. Nothing about being bitter. I'm not. We are where we are because we are crap.

However, what I would say is that when we are playing well, like we did last Saturday and at home against Northampton and the second half at Bristol we would easily beat your beloved Exeter. I have seen them play enough this season to know that they are lucky to be where they are and not in the drop zone.

My post was questioning why we cannot inspire our team to play well every week, it's like we have two different teams.

It's because we are both lower league clubs, therefore we both have lower league players, these are without doubt very inconsistant, it's why they are lower league players, with consistancy comes the bigger & better clubs knockin and signing. #

A for instance to your other part re: your team beating my team, well you & I could say that about most teams from mid championship down to mid BSPL, if my team played like they did fisrt half v Bury & against Sheff Wed, would beat all those teams within the previously metioned league ladder, including yours and if we played like we did at Leyton Orient, we would indeed lose not only to you, but to the likes of Forest Green if they were to play well...

Luck has nothing to do with it, at the moment we are the 19th best club in our division, due to our results & others having worse results & therfeore less points. Like you we just need to be slightly more consistant, than in our case 4 teams, in yours 1 team...

Tringreen wrote:

The bigger picture is what always interests me. If lessons have not been learnt, and judging by the people Brent has kept close to him they haven't, the future, even if we do survive, is utter mediocrity and even the boys will run out of steam eventually.
...........

Tim Chown wrote:

Form since the new players arrived for Northampton at home is P13 W4 D6 L3 for 18 points. Over a season that's about 63 points, which would be just short of the playoffs. Over the rest of this season it's good enough form to stay up.

Who do you mean by "the people Brent has kept close to him"? IF you mean Fletcher & Larrieu then, surely, Tim's comment about the form since Fletcher has become manager answers that one.

I shan't bother getting into a discussion here about whether or not Brent should have spent more on players, brought in a top-class manager with proven experience. That's all what-ifs!

[quote="Sandford_Grecian"]

Cerbera wrote:

Sandford, did you actually read my post?

I was questioning whether we had the right team to play in this league. Nothing about being bitter. I'm not. We are where we are because we are crap.

However, what I would say is that when we are playing well, like we did last Saturday and at home against Northampton and the second half at Bristol we would easily beat your beloved Exeter. I have seen them play enough this season to know that they are lucky to be where they are and not in the drop zone.

My post was questioning why we cannot inspire our team to play well every week, it's like we have two different teams.

I think you will find that better.
I mean other than 1000 or so geeks no one is really interested hence he uses an Argyle board.