Parallels with the 85/86 season?

Green Flash · Jan 25, 2015

Being optimistic, this season is so far following the pattern of Dave Smith's 85/86 season (my first season supporting Argyle and to this day the only season for which I could tell you all the results). Indifferent start followed by a great run up to Christmas to catapault up the table to the promotion places. Implosion during the Christmas period (sparked by THAT defeat at Reading) that lasted through much of the winter leading to a drop back to mid-table followed by a surge in the spring to secure promotion. All we need is for Tommy Tynan type figure to join us at Easter and bang in 10 goals in 9 games....Perhaps not....

Of course in other ways the teams could hardly be more different. Dave Smith was the archetypal proponent of the percentages game - keep hoofing it into the opponent's box any way you can and a percentage of the time the ball will fall for you. He abhored the sideways or backward pass. Not pretty, but effective in its day.

samjones · Jan 25, 2015

Wishful thinking I'm afraid. We are on the slide to mid table mediocrity.

We have not had a real run of games or momentum this season due to the poor away form and now we are just as poor at home.

Enough points in the bag to avoid RELEGATION but Promotion not a chance unless we start a 10 game winning streak from next week

Very disappointing display yesterday against yet another poor team

Argy1e · Jan 25, 2015

Good run up to Christmas? i must have missed that. We were 14th in the form table in November and 13th in December. The only good month we've had all season is October

Tugboat · Jan 25, 2015

Oh my

demportdave · Jan 25, 2015

So all we need is to repeat those 9 straight wins and a Tynan-class striker to get us right back in the promotion mix...

With respect, you are really clutching at straws and sounding absolutely desperate.

Even the poster who just a few short weeks ago was telling us with authority that Argyle were definitely one of the three best teams in the Division (along with Burton and Shrewsbury) is no longer saying that because he knows the game is up and we have been found out for what we are, mid-table mediocrity.

Two or three good home wins on the trot and a couple of 0-0 away draws before Xmas does not make a Promotion season.

Roll on June when we will no longer need to say, Sheridan out!

Cobi Budge. · Jan 25, 2015

The parallels are much closer than 1985.

Last season, the 352 propelled us into the play offs, but slowly, teams figured the formation out, we bottle winnable games & we begin to stall due to a lack of plan B. We make some desperate signings (Enoch for example) who don't have the ability to push us in the right direction.

The same looks to be happening now.

demportdave · Jan 25, 2015

Cobi Budge.":2qk3o3hc said:
The parallels are much closer than 1985.

Last season, the 352 propelled us into the play offs, but slowly, teams figured the formation out, we bottle winnable games & we begin to stall due to a lack of plan B. We make some desperate signings (Enoch for example) who don't have the ability to push us in the right direction.

The same looks to be happening now.

Based on the signing of Brunt, who looks like being another Enoch, and what we saw yesterday once again, we have stalled even earlier this season.

Pogleswoody · Jan 25, 2015

Yes very similar, a charismatic manager with lots of charm who comes out on the pitch before every home game on a microphone and tells you his thoughts about tactics and the way we intend to play, encourages you to get behind the team 100% and apologises if his team didn't perform in the previous match. Uncanny how similar Vinegarman and Ciderman are!! :lol:

Argy1e · Jan 25, 2015

According to GreensOnScreen we'd lost 4 games at this stage that season and drawn 7, which would currently have us top of the league. For us to repeat that season we'd only be able to draw 2 and lose 2 more games this season.

Greenskin · Jan 25, 2015

Argy1e":jlc697cr said:
According to GreensOnScreen we'd lost 4 games at this stage that season and drawn 7, which would currently have us top of the league. For us to repeat that season we'd only be able to draw 2 and lose 2 more games this season.

Looking at my copy of Dave Smith's promotion diary, i don't think that's correct-according to that, Argyle had lost 9 matches by the 25th January in that season. Since the disaster against Reading [3-0 up with 20 minutes to go, lost 4-3,still traumatises me thinking about it now], Argyle had won one and drawn two of their next six matches-in fact on this very day 29 years ago, Argyle lost 3-1 at Newport and slipped to 8th place in the table. Here's what Smithy had to say about it in his diary;

"It's not my usual form to criticise players in public but I do think certain things have to be said. It is abundantly clear that there is doubt about our promotion chances and i'm beginning to doubt that the players have the bottle to succeed. Newport was a prime example-an average team who should have been beaten-the goals against were a disgrace, inferior marking, tackling and concentration and to think 500 fans were there to witness it. Even our finishing lacked conviction-I am now asking my players to stand up and be counted or be counted out. Success is all about sheer and utter dedication of heart, mind and soul, every second of every minute of every day throughout a season. From now on, it's blood, sweat and even tears. I hope i'm proved wrong about the players not having the bottle".

So there you go, it wasn't all a bed of roses in that season. Someone mentioned Tynan earlier in the thread but an underrated catalyst in that year was the signing on loan of Kevin Godfrey, a pacy and direct front runner whose presence got Argyle back on the winning trail again-Tommy was the icing on the cake [albeit a very tasty bit of icing] but the 9 match winning streak started long before he came back. As for comparisons with today's situation-well, you live in hope but I fear that the lack of all round fire power will limit this team-can't really see anyone from our midfield matching the contributions of Hodges, Nelson, Coughlin, Summerfield etc [the defenders also chipped in with some goals in that year]-if we do make even the play offs, it will be on the basis of keeping clean sheets rather than any high scoring heroics.

GreenSam · Jan 25, 2015

Could Lavery be this year's Tynan?

We live in hope.

briangreen · Jan 25, 2015

More like parallels with last season, but hopefully we can get back into the play-offs, we will see.
I'd like to see us go 442 and drop the 352 until Hartley is fit again, don't feel that Flanagan fills that role too well and Purrington is a traditional left back and not lwb, although I thought he did quite well on saturday, and as many have suggested I think the other teams have sussed us out, we need to operate plan b :crazy:

Argy1e · Jan 26, 2015

Greenskin":4p0c01k6 said:
Argy1e":4p0c01k6 said:

According to GreensOnScreen we'd lost 4 games at this stage that season and drawn 7, which would currently have us top of the league. For us to repeat that season we'd only be able to draw 2 and lose 2 more games this season.

Click to expand...

Looking at my copy of Dave Smith's promotion diary, i don't think that's correct-according to that, Argyle had lost 9 matches by the 25th January in that season.

Looking back i think i misread GOS, where it said away it seems our score was listed first and the away teams listed second (Like it would be for a home game)

Parallels with the 85/86 season?

Green Flash

samjones

Argy1e

Tugboat

demportdave

Cobi Budge.

Guest

demportdave

Pogleswoody

Argy1e

Greenskin

Guest

GreenSam

briangreen

Argy1e