Just Back (Chesterfield)

Great first half. Our goal rarely troubled while we scored twice. First a excellent curled shot by Bryan. The second from a corner where one of their players basically passed the ball to Nelson in the 6 yard box and he tapped home.

Could have sealed it early in the second half with some counters, but we basically conceded ground and possession. They were getting a lot of joy down the right against PCH and Berry and eventually the goal came from a cross that Berry didn't cut out, Cole flapped at and Branston turned into his own net. The next 15 minutes after that were terrible. It looked like we lost our shape, but Chesterfield weren't good enough to capitalise. To be fair in the final 10 minutes Chesterfield rarely threatened, and I don't remember Cole really making a save in the whole match. Wasn't quite the back-against-the-walls stuff we used to get with Fletcher.

There are still significant issues. Right side of defense is a problem, although I though PCH had one of his better games. Still think Sheridan waits too long to make changes, and the ones he makes aren't great. Chadwick for Reid never really seems to improve anything, and I think they could have done with taking Gurreri off for Murray or Harvey.

MOTM - Bryan. Got the first goal and worked hard down the left to protect Bhas.

Still much closer to safety now. Aldershot can't catch us. Defeat for either Barnet or the Wombles on Saturday will see us safe whatever we do.

can we dream of a grandstand finish with wins against Rotherham and Rochdale?

What a feel good factor that would be going into the summer break and aspirations for the new season.

Big ask i know but we can dream, Personally just staying up will do for me and Sheridan signing a new longer contract and given funds.

Flat_Track_Bully wrote:

Great first half. Our goal rarely troubled while we scored twice. First a excellent curled shot by Bryan. The second from a corner where one of their players basically passed the ball to Nelson in the 6 yard box and he tapped home.

Could have sealed it early in the second half with some counters, but we basically conceded ground and possession. They were getting a lot of joy down the right against PCH and Berry and eventually the goal came from a cross that Berry didn't cut out, Cole flapped at and Branston turned into his own net. The next 15 minutes after that were terrible. It looked like we lost our shape, but Chesterfield weren't good enough to capitalise. To be fair in the final 10 minutes Chesterfield rarely threatened, and I don't remember Cole really making a save in the whole match. Wasn't quite the back-against-the-walls stuff we used to get with Fletcher.

There are still significant issues. Right side of defense is a problem, although I though PCH had one of his better games. Still think Sheridan waits too long to make changes, and the ones he makes aren't great. Chadwick for Reid never really seems to improve anything, and I think they could have done with taking Gurreri off for Murray or Harvey.

MOTM - Bryan. Got the first goal and worked hard down the left to protect Bhas.

Still much closer to safety now. Aldershot can't catch us. Defeat for either Barnet or the Wombles on Saturday will see us safe whatever we do.

Thought chadwick did well winning throws and holding up play, but to be fair to sheridan i don't think changes would have helped as it would of disrupted the team in this instance, however good performance and hopefully safe.

great result, wholly deservered.
400 argyle in fine voice.
the finish line is in sight.

the core squad (non loan players) is woeful im afraid and until thats addressed we're in for another campaign like this one.

Elias wrote:

great result, wholly deservered.
400 argyle in fine voice.
the finish line is in sight.

the core squad (non loan players) is woeful im afraid and until thats addressed we're in for another campaign like this one.

I'm sure Sheridan knows this but will he be given the chance to build his own squad? I think that a complete overhaul would cost too much so players like Cole, Berry, Nelson, Young, Hourihane and Tyler Harvey are going to have to form the basis of the team and they will have to be good enough to figure week in week out again.

If Sheridan is going to stay I would think that he would need to be given a decent amount of money to swing the axe on Chadwick, Feeney, Blanchard, Gurrieri, Wotton and a few more and replace them with players with a touch more class.

Most people will have thoughts of something much better than the last two seasons of struggling right from the start of the season and quite rightly so, but that will depend on Sheridan staying. If we let him get snapped up by someone offering him a better budget then I can't see anything other than another season of battling relegation again.

Greenjock wrote:

If Sheridan is going to stay I would think that he would need to be given a decent amount of money to swing the axe on Chadwick, Feeney, Blanchard, Gurrieri, Wotton and a few more and replace them with players with a touch more class.

The majority of the squad, including Gurreri, Chadwick, Feeney and Wotton, are all out of contract in June. There is therefore the opportunity for a 'cheap' clearout of the playing staff, as there shouldn't be the need to spend money 'paying off' the old squad, as was the case with the Fireman and Robbie Williams. At this level you don't need to really pay much in the way of transfer fees, so I think the new manager will just have to spend the wages budget better than Fletcher did - there isn't necessarily the need for an increased budget.

As it happens we've been in play off form under Sheridan even with the current squad. So he should at least be able to match that if he has the opportunity to start the squad from scratch.

For reference the only players who still have a contract into next season are:

Gilmartin, Blanchard, Richards, PCH, Nelson, Young, Berry, Lecointe, Sims.

Guerreri was picked out for high praise by our comms and chesterfields, they both had him second in the team behind Bryan.

As for the diffeerence between Fletcher and Sheridan I wonder if Fletch was bullied into believing he could keep us up on the cheap with a young squad. Sheridan being older and wiser said it how it was and made the signings that we needed. Earlier in the year when City signed Cureton I was saying that was the sort of signing that you need in this league, it's where you have to spend the money, without them you struggle and this is the wrong league to struggle in.

Finally a chance to get shot of Feenwick.

Hopefully even if Shez does leave, he'll do a Pulis and strip the squad down to the professionals who are actually half decent for his successor to build on. Holloway had a fairly simple job, add quality to quality.

As has been said on many many occasions the plastic fans of Man U, Chelsea etc will never understand the buzz of winning 2-1 at Chesterfield on a Tuesday night.

gasser9 wrote:

As has been said on many many occasions the plastic fans of Man U, Chelsea etc will never understand the buzz of winning 2-1 at Chesterfield on a Tuesday night.

As long as that alone is not the limit of any ambition.

Cardiff, Swansea, Norwich, Southampton etc etc are all clubs which we are on a par with potential wise.

Don't listen to the apathetic janner excuse. It applies to any club with no history of ever showing any real ambition.The promotion season in the 70's began with crowds of 5K but when Mariner and co. got on a roll they shot up into the 20k's. All it requires is success, accompanied by some cash backed ambition. That has never happened at Home Park.

The fans are united, with the team not the Club puppets



[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

if we played like last night all season, we'd be going up! great game, backs to the wall for 15 minutes, passed like brazil, feck, ive got my passion back!

anyhoo, guerri and pch really up for it, chadwick looked like he was there for a laugh, even during the warm ups, lacsidasical, didnt move about much, although he won a header when he came on- why is he still at the club?

i reckon we are safe for another year now.

Tringreen wrote:

gasser9 wrote:

As has been said on many many occasions the plastic fans of Man U, Chelsea etc will never understand the buzz of winning 2-1 at Chesterfield on a Tuesday night.

As long as that alone is not the limit of any ambition.

Cardiff, Swansea, Norwich, Southampton etc etc are all clubs which we are on a par with potential wise.

Don't listen to the apathetic janner excuse. It applies to any club with no history of ever showing any real ambition.The promotion season in the 70's began with crowds of 5K but when Mariner and co. got on a roll they shot up into the 20k's. All it requires is success, accompanied by some cash backed ambition. That has never happened at Home Park.

And with that i will shoot you down, with our promotion charge the season Holloway left!, fighting to get into the play-offs with quality players

Yet the crowds kept going down!

Out of the above teams mentioned

Cardiff, rich owners but 83 million in debts! - complete marketing change including kit colour and badge (Argyle fans moaned when Argyle changed the music)
Swansea - A perfect model to follow no question about that
Norwich - A very rich board of directors, but have always been around the top two divisions in recent history apart froma short spell in League 1.
Southampton- WHY

With potention comes ownership, Stapleton had the opportunity but chose the wrong investors, football has completely changed in the last 15 years, there is a huge gap between the Championship and League 1 financially, so getting there on a small budget is hard enough, but maintaining your stay there without outside cash injections is very difficult indeed, Especially when its not an even playing field.

Next season in the Championship there will be a minimum of 6 clubs recieving parachute payments possibly 9 or 10.

Could that of been for the hindsight of some of the fans?
Manager leaves under a cloud and then quickly followed by the breakup of the squad showing the lack of ambition
It could also be said that Stapleton didn't choose the wrong investors but suckered in the wrong people to try and bale him (and others) out of the mess that they had created

Saturday is going to be a game and a half.

Rotherham United need three points in their quest for automatic and Argyle need three to stay up.

Argyle need to go for that win and not rely on Barnet to lose or draw. It would be a fitting end to ''what has been'' a terrible season AGAIN.

At the final whistle,Brent should offer the job on a full-time contract to John Sheridan. That way he [JS] can start to make plans for next season and try to get out of this awful league..

Highlights of the Chesterfield game

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]