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Brief synopsis

C

Cobi Budge.

Guest
Well, I thought 4 0 was harsh.

The inevitable before the match, big quees meant many fans got in late and were blocking views.

Opening exchanges were cagey, but Swansea eventually found rythem, Shelvey excellent. I'll have to see the goal again, could have been a Luke blooper but I get the feeling in a league match with a screaming Devonport a foul would have been given.

We came in to it later on, Morgan almost toe poked in a goal and McHugh had a powerful header saved by Fabianski.

The 4 4 2 with Morgan/Reid upfront hadn't been that effective and Alessandra barely involved, McHugh, Banton and Cox the best players.

We changed to a 4231 second half and it worked well early on. Morgan looked very good on the wing, big and strong yet skilful, we were suddenly playing much better football.

Just when we began to dominate, Swansea got another after a set piece was poorly defended, and from there, they opened us up again and got another from 10 yards and the gamed seed to fizzle out as we made changes and became lightweight in midfield, although Harvey and Allen did hold their own. A stunning free kick sealed it. Gylfi Sigurdsson was truly excellent for the Swans.

It was a good work out for us and it wasn't a walk in the park for Swansea, although we just didn't get out shots away well enough.

Very good 5000 strong crowd and credit to the noisy 400 or so Swansea fans present.

I had 2 MOTM's, Cox and McHugh, both excellent.


McCormick - 5 - will have to see the opening goal again, he had no chance with the other 3, especially the free kick, even attracted cheers from the argyle fans, a truly stunning strike.

Mellor - 6 - fairly good, needs to get forward more.

Nelson - 4 - a surprisingly shaky display but I wouldn't look in to it.

Hartley - 7 - good, dominant, a leader. Big improvement on Trotman & Maxi.

McHugh - 9 - I thought he was excellent, strong, steady, can play at both CB and LB.

Alessandra - 5 - he's not an out and out winger, a bit better in the second half.

Cox - 8 - Very good display, solid yet skilful.

Norburn - 6 - clearly very talented, needs to pass more.

Banton - 7 - looked fit and skilful, got a great reception from both sets of fans.

Morgan - 7 - pleasantly surprised, better on the wing actually.

Reid - 4 - Worrying, not a good pre season so far for Reuben.

Harvey - 5 - held his own.
Allen - 5 - same as above.
Thomas - 4 - just seemed to run himself in to trouble a lot.
Purrington - N/A can't remember him seeing any play.
Steer - N/A but did make one good run.
 
CornishPaul

CornishPaul

Feb 25, 2007
862
0
St Blazey
Argyle really need to sort out how they get a crowd in the ground quickly. Its been the same since I started going in 1994. When the horseshoe was built youd have thought things would improve but every time theres a big crowd or even 5000 turn up for a friendly they cannot cope. Customer service is everything. pee people off enough times and they just dont bother coming again. Argyle need to wake up.
 
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A game that could be split into three sections.

1.
The first half.
Swansea, as expected had a lot of the ball and we ended up chasing around. We did have two good chances from set-pieces with a Morgan half chance going wide and a header from McHugh saved.

The Swansea goal was a due to a mistake, McCormick looked to have the ball in his hands but the Swansea striker managed to get the ball free and score. A mistake from McCormick or an error from the ref?

Judging the first 45 minutes was it worth playing a passing Premier League side if our defence and midfield were overworked and our forwards rarely seeing the ball?

2:
The first 20 minutes of the second half was completely different.
Sheridan changed from 4-4-2 to 4-2-1-3 with Banton playing a free role behind Reid who was flanked by Morgan and Alessandra.
Suddenly we were the better team and had a lot more of possession and in control, playing Swansea at their own game.
The two full backs, who never crossed the halfway line during the first half, were now getting forward and offering support.
During this period we looked a very good team but couldn't convert possession into goals.

3:
The second Swansea goal and a host of subs killed our momentum and the game.
We lost Hartley with a back injury, hopefully that's not too serious because he looks a class act.
Our possession disappeared and Swansea took control once again and added two more goals, the fourth was a superb free-kick which was the last kick of the game.

So in the end and considering the good attendance it WAS worth playing a Premier League team, we were not disgraced and it's another 90 minutes under the belt.

McHugh had a shaky start but emerged as our best player, calm, controlled and a good left foot - he took most of our free-kicks. He switched to centre-back when Hartley went off.

Another good display from Banton but he needs an end product, he needs to look up and pass the ball. He played well on the left and in the free role.

Mellor looked a different player in the second half when he got forward and supported Alessandra. The back four and keeper is the strongest area of the team judging by the two games I've seen this season.

Norburn and Cox formed a good partnership, one a destroyer, the other a creator.

Morgan played well and battled for the team, he started as a striker and moved to the left.

Reid was never in the game and it's a worry that a striker hasn't scored yet during pre-season.

A crunching tackle from McHugh put one Swansea in hospital, no doubt Gary Monk will have something to say about that.
I reckon Swansea will struggle in the Premier League this season.

Once again our subs, apart from Thomas, are not the same standard as the starting 11, as said before - hopefully some of the youngsters can progress this season.
 
StevePAFC

StevePAFC

Mar 8, 2011
5,707
484
27
Plymouth
Disappointing scoreline but Banton, Cox, Hartley, Norburn, Mellor, Nelson and McHugh all look promising. Do wish we could play football like Swansea mind....
 
Dan Ellard

Dan Ellard

Apr 20, 2008
4,174
730
Plymouth
Well... a mixed bag.

We played some pretty nice stuff at times against very good opposition, and really had them on the ropes at 0-1 early in the second half. We looked good especially playing 4-2-3-1.

In the first half we couldn't get near Shelvey and Ki, they were far too good as you'd expect. But credit our centre-mids, they battled away, kept their shape well and we maybe would have gone in level if it hadn't been for Luke's howler.

Once a few key players went off, we struggled. Poor defending for the 2nd goal, and the 3rd was entirely down to players making mistakes because they weren't being played in their proper position (Harvey and McHugh). The 4th was unstoppable.

I worry about the shape and balance of the side. I wasn't pleased to see Banton starting in such a deep role but he did do well here. However, he will be squeezed more and given less time on the ball once the league season starts so I imagine he won't be as effective out wide. Also, our lack of width is still very very evident - Alessandra's a striker, Banton's a striker, Morgan's a striker. I haven't seen Smalley play yet but it sounds like he could well be a better striker than winger too. The full-backs need to overlap more, the strikers need to work the channels more too.

The result doesn't really matter - Yeovil on Wednesday will be far more relevant. Today was just a good exercise in playing without the ball and keeping our discipline, which we did pretty well.

Ratings:

McCormick 5 - howler for the first, completely blameless for the others. Didn't really have much else to save.

Mellor 7 - Looks good on the ball, I'd like to see him overlap and get a few more crosses in though. Defensively he struggled but he won't be up against players that good in the league this season!
Nelson 8 - Superb. Looked very very assured and won pretty much everything.
Hartley 6 - Solid enough, few shaky moments but he did organise us pretty well. Again I think he'll be very good up against League Two attackers.
McHugh - I don't want to give him a mark because it wouldn't be fair - he wasn't being played in his correct position - another piece of classic Sheridan management. Every single Bradford fan speaking to us said something along the lines of: "Good solid player, reliable, dependable. Don't play him at left-back though." So of course Sheridan plays him at left-back! Very very limited technically and hesitant going forward. Poor start to the game but improved defensively later on.

Alessandra 4 - Not his day at all. He'll do a job out wide normally but today he didn't really get much right.
Cox 9 - Sublime. Oozes class, it was like having Lilian Nalis back in our midfield today. Really really composed, strong, and barely gave the ball away all afternoon. Welcome back!
Norburn 7 - Looks good. Busy, very tidy on the ball, can win tackles too. Like the look of him.
Banton 8 - Looked up for it - put the effort in, some delightful touches and a impressive half-volley in the second half that didn't miss by too much. Was best in the hole behind Reid and I hope that's how we'll start against Cambridge.

Morgan 7 - Fair play to him, he got stuck in and won his fair share. Looked good out wide in the 4-2-3-1 too, but I just worry as to whether we can afford to carry a striker in the team who barely ever scores goals.
Reid 6 - Chased and harried well in the first half but just couldn't get in the game. As always my main gripe with him is working the channels - we were a bit too static in attack (Banton apart) today.

Subs:
Purrington 6
Allen 6
Thomas 6
Harvey N/A - see McHugh. For god's sake Sheridan HARVEY IS A STRIKER.
Steer - can't remember him touching the ball.

On the whole, I think we're looking a little bit better than we did at this time last season, but I wonder whether it'll be enough of an improvement to get us into the top 7. Loan signings (left-back and a winger please) will be key. On to the next one.
 
argylemad93

argylemad93

Apr 12, 2013
593
0
33
Plymouth
Dan Ellard":2akf2qnh said:
Well... a mixed bag.

We played some pretty nice stuff at times against very good opposition, and really had them on the ropes at 0-1 early in the second half. We looked good especially playing 4-2-3-1.

In the first half we couldn't get near Shelvey and Ki, they were far too good as you'd expect. But credit our centre-mids, they battled away, kept their shape well and we maybe would have gone in level if it hadn't been for Luke's howler.

Once a few key players went off, we struggled. Poor defending for the 2nd goal, and the 3rd was entirely down to players making mistakes because they weren't being played in their proper position (Harvey and McHugh). The 4th was unstoppable.

I worry about the shape and balance of the side. I wasn't pleased to see Banton starting in such a deep role but he did do well here. However, he will be squeezed more and given less time on the ball once the league season starts so I imagine he won't be as effective out wide. Also, our lack of width is still very very evident - Alessandra's a striker, Banton's a striker, Morgan's a striker. I haven't seen Smalley play yet but it sounds like he could well be a better striker than winger too. The full-backs need to overlap more, the strikers need to work the channels more too.

The result doesn't really matter - Yeovil on Wednesday will be far more relevant. Today was just a good exercise in playing without the ball and keeping our discipline, which we did pretty well.

Ratings:

McCormick 5 - howler for the first, completely blameless for the others. Didn't really have much else to save.

Mellor 7 - Looks good on the ball, I'd like to see him overlap and get a few more crosses in though. Defensively he struggled but he won't be up against players that good in the league this season!
Nelson 8 - Superb. Looked very very assured and won pretty much everything.
Hartley 6 - Solid enough, few shaky moments but he did organise us pretty well. Again I think he'll be very good up against League Two attackers.
McHugh - I don't want to give him a mark because it wouldn't be fair - he wasn't being played in his correct position - another piece of classic Sheridan management. Every single Bradford fan speaking to us said something along the lines of: "Good solid player, reliable, dependable. Don't play him at left-back though." So of course Sheridan plays him at left-back! Very very limited technically and hesitant going forward. Poor start to the game but improved defensively later on.

Alessandra 4 - Not his day at all. He'll do a job out wide normally but today he didn't really get much right.
Cox 9 - Sublime. Oozes class, it was like having Lilian Nalis back in our midfield today. Really really composed, strong, and barely gave the ball away all afternoon. Welcome back!
Norburn 7 - Looks good. Busy, very tidy on the ball, can win tackles too. Like the look of him.
Banton 8 - Looked up for it - put the effort in, some delightful touches and a impressive half-volley in the second half that didn't miss by too much. Was best in the hole behind Reid and I hope that's how we'll start against Cambridge.

Morgan 7 - Fair play to him, he got stuck in and won his fair share. Looked good out wide in the 4-2-3-1 too, but I just worry as to whether we can afford to carry a striker in the team who barely ever scores goals.
Reid 6 - Chased and harried well in the first half but just couldn't get in the game. As always my main gripe with him is working the channels - we were a bit too static in attack (Banton apart) today.

Subs:
Purrington 6
Allen 6
Thomas 6
Harvey N/A - see McHugh. For god's sake Sheridan HARVEY IS A STRIKER.
Steer - can't remember him touching the ball.

On the whole, I think we're looking a little bit better than we did at this time last season, but I wonder whether it'll be enough of an improvement to get us into the top 7. Loan signings (left-back and a winger please) will be key. On to the next one.
Click to expand...
I cant see Harvey playing as a striker with Sheridan in charge. I didnt think Harvey looked bad on the occasions he played as a midfielder last season but I have a feeling im on my own there. But somehow I cant see Harvey being played as a striker much next season.
 
Steve Evans

Steve Evans

Jan 16, 2010
13,098
1,790
plymouth
i enjoyed much of this match against an ordinary first division side.a definite mistake for the first goal by luke,we all make 'em.i thought the two full backs did well,nelson had a very good match with hartley brought in to "ugly it" when the pitches get heavy.i thought cox and norburn look good in midfield.jason banton was excellent and he along with nelson are far too good for this division.morgan was poor,reid was starved of service (he looked very trim by the way) and alessandra was as bad as i have ever seen him.i didn't rate him last season and he has yet to prove his worth in my estimation.tyler harvey did well in the short time he was on.why sheridan won't play him up front with reid is beyond me.let's hope we do a bit better against yeovil and get somme goalmouth action.
 
arrythewurzel

arrythewurzel

Aug 11, 2013
2,295
778
Only seen them at Torquay - a game best forgotten ... And tonight.

What stands out for me is the complete lack of width, which to my mind is the reason we've created so little and scored no goals. We need 1 possibly 2 out and out wingers putting crosses in. We seem to have reverted to the already tried and failed 'playing narrow' system.

I think we may have the right recruits but the general wants to polish up his gameplan.
 
Mannamead Green

Mannamead Green

Apr 25, 2012
2,302
25
Philadelphia, PA, USA...was Mannamead
Hartley's actually quite cultured and intelligent for a physical lower-league centre-half, from what I've seen: surprising for an ex-Westley player. I think that it's easy to look at his history and reputation and categorise him as a classic snarler (like Neal Trotman was) but that's a bit unfair to him.

Not the quickest and prone to the odd brain-fart but his passing and anticipation is much better than a basic 'blood-and-snotter' like Trotman or Branston. I think he'll be really good, and we'll be really good at the back, especially if Purrington plays left-back.
 
r4h4al

r4h4al

Oct 18, 2010
4,010
0
32
St Judes
4-0 but there were some positives to take out of it, and the result doesn't really matter in these games. Nelson and Hartley looked decent at the back, and Banton looked pretty decent, but we have the same problem as last season where we have no width and nobody puts any crosses in.

Think next season will be good however, we have some good depth now, and I think we can get into the playoffs if we get a run of results together :scarf:
 
Alan Frost

Alan Frost

Jan 11, 2009
265
48
If I remember rightly, at the start of last season Morgan played out wide left, put in decent crosses but there was no one to get one the end of them.
 
Steve Evans

Steve Evans

Jan 16, 2010
13,098
1,790
plymouth
Alan-Frost":pcoy18tu said:
If I remember rightly, at the start of last season Morgan played out wide left, put in decent crosses but there was no one to get one the end of them.
Click to expand...
yes he did alan and he did well.he was awful today though
 
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