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Brief Synopsis!!!
- Thread starter Mark Pedlar
- Start date
Just not good enough.
We didn't deserve any more than a point against an unambitious Morecombe. Agree with P&C ratings, I thought Bobby Reid did very well actually and we'd be much weaker without him but he can't win it on his own. Oh for those heady days of B. Reid, Kellet and O'Connor driving us on. Now we lose Luke to add to our woes.
This season is starting to have the feel of the disappointment of last season after Lavery left and the dwindling crowds suggest many others feel the same way. No queues in the Brit, pasty queue or refreshments in Home Park or leaving the ground makes life easier but would much prefer the place to be packed on the anticipation of an exciting performance.
Thomas not on long enough Cobi? I thought we saw quite enough in those few minutes to see why he isn't entrusted with a bigger role in the side. One decent cross but otherwise wasteful.
We didn't deserve any more than a point against an unambitious Morecombe. Agree with P&C ratings, I thought Bobby Reid did very well actually and we'd be much weaker without him but he can't win it on his own. Oh for those heady days of B. Reid, Kellet and O'Connor driving us on. Now we lose Luke to add to our woes.
This season is starting to have the feel of the disappointment of last season after Lavery left and the dwindling crowds suggest many others feel the same way. No queues in the Brit, pasty queue or refreshments in Home Park or leaving the ground makes life easier but would much prefer the place to be packed on the anticipation of an exciting performance.
Thomas not on long enough Cobi? I thought we saw quite enough in those few minutes to see why he isn't entrusted with a bigger role in the side. One decent cross but otherwise wasteful.
Timid cr*p. Again.
McCormick/Bittner - 7
Nelson - 5
McHugh - 8 - Excellent.
Flanagan - 4
Mellor - 6
Purrington - 5 - I've tried to give him time, but, like Harvey, I see no future for him at Argyle. Slow, predictable and offers next to nothing in attack. Defensively he's adequate, therefore a full-back position would be preferable, but the sooner we get Kellett back the better. If indeed we do.
Cox - 5 - What the hell has happened to him?
Lee - 5
B.Reid - 7 - I'd like to see him get closer to the front two, but welcome back Bobby. We've missed you.
R.Reid - 6
Alessandra - 5
McCormick/Bittner - 7
Nelson - 5
McHugh - 8 - Excellent.
Flanagan - 4
Mellor - 6
Purrington - 5 - I've tried to give him time, but, like Harvey, I see no future for him at Argyle. Slow, predictable and offers next to nothing in attack. Defensively he's adequate, therefore a full-back position would be preferable, but the sooner we get Kellett back the better. If indeed we do.
Cox - 5 - What the hell has happened to him?
Lee - 5
B.Reid - 7 - I'd like to see him get closer to the front two, but welcome back Bobby. We've missed you.
R.Reid - 6
Alessandra - 5
1) The first half was ok but too Fletcher-esque. No cutting edge at all, all very safe and played in front of the opposition. That was until one superb ball from Bobby found Reuben and he stuck it away. Needed that goal for his confidence.
2) We should have pushed on from there, and we didn't. Another home game that we didn't win, more points thrown away from a winning position, and yet ANOTHER goal conceded from a set piece. Shambolic. Where is the flaming coaching?!?!?!?
3) Once it went to 1-1 we were toast. Had Morecambe been a bit braver as they should have been, they would have won that match. We looked shaky at the back, lost all midfield shape once we took Cox off, and still were just so cautious going forward. One of the least cohesive attacking performances I have seen from John Sheridan's Argyle, and there is an absolute catalogue of those to choose from.
4) Ellison bottled a fantastic chance for them at the end - Redshaw got in a few dangerous positions too. We were lucky to get a point in the end.
McCormick 8 - Two very good saves, hope he isn't out injured for long.
Nelson 7 - Clearly frustrated at the complete inadequecy of our attacks, he burst forward about 5 times and looked threatening. Defended well too.
McHugh 8 MOTM - Distribution not amazing but rock-like at the back.
Flanagan 4 - Started badly, got worse.
Mellor 5 - Poor game but a few people are saying he was playing with an injury which explains it if true. An Argyle player injured - never!
Cox 5 - Whether he wants to get forward more or whether he's being told to push on (if so that's yet another tactical howler from our manager) he offers nothing in the final third. He's so good sitting in midfield breaking up attacks and keeping things ticking over, that's where he has to stay.
Lee 6 - Simon Walton-esque. Some sublime passes, some howlers. Mixed bag.
Bobby Reid 6 - Great assist and some good runs in the first half but nothing he tried worked in the second.
Purrington 7 - A few great passes, but again it's the problem of him not quite having the pace or the energy to charge up and down the line like a Parsons or a Kellett would. Still, a good game though.
Reuben Reid 6 - Not MOTM by any means but a decent game. Good goal, mixed bag in terms of hold up play. One delightful crossfield ball in the second half too. It's the little passes he tries that normally go wrong though, I think he should just get his head down and run with it a bit more often.
Alessandra 5 - Again, good desire and work rate to harry and hassle, but the quality on the ball just wasn't there.
Subs:
Bittner 5 - Good long kicking, but the rest? Hmm.
Brunt 6 - Well he's certainly a trier and not afraid to get stuck in. Any good with a football though? We'll see. Some nice hold up play, some not so nice.
Thomas 6 - One sublime cross when he came on. Our manager then decides to deploy him in midfield rather than the obvious wide forward role he should have been in. Masterstroke. Thomas should have been on 20 minutes earlier and for Alessandra not Cox.
Final word to Mr John Sheridan.
At signing players you have shown you can do the job. You've assembled a bloody good group of players who should be right near the top of this division. But sadly they aren't, because at every other aspect of management you are a failure. 9th in the league with this group of players is not good enough at all. You have no solutions to the clear problems this team has - defending set pieces, taking set pieces, movement off the ball, decision making in the final third, playing players in their correct position, making subs. It's all rubbish. Your only "solution" is to sign another player, rather than sort out what is already here.
I've had enough. Sheridan out.
2) We should have pushed on from there, and we didn't. Another home game that we didn't win, more points thrown away from a winning position, and yet ANOTHER goal conceded from a set piece. Shambolic. Where is the flaming coaching?!?!?!?
3) Once it went to 1-1 we were toast. Had Morecambe been a bit braver as they should have been, they would have won that match. We looked shaky at the back, lost all midfield shape once we took Cox off, and still were just so cautious going forward. One of the least cohesive attacking performances I have seen from John Sheridan's Argyle, and there is an absolute catalogue of those to choose from.
4) Ellison bottled a fantastic chance for them at the end - Redshaw got in a few dangerous positions too. We were lucky to get a point in the end.
McCormick 8 - Two very good saves, hope he isn't out injured for long.
Nelson 7 - Clearly frustrated at the complete inadequecy of our attacks, he burst forward about 5 times and looked threatening. Defended well too.
McHugh 8 MOTM - Distribution not amazing but rock-like at the back.
Flanagan 4 - Started badly, got worse.
Mellor 5 - Poor game but a few people are saying he was playing with an injury which explains it if true. An Argyle player injured - never!
Cox 5 - Whether he wants to get forward more or whether he's being told to push on (if so that's yet another tactical howler from our manager) he offers nothing in the final third. He's so good sitting in midfield breaking up attacks and keeping things ticking over, that's where he has to stay.
Lee 6 - Simon Walton-esque. Some sublime passes, some howlers. Mixed bag.
Bobby Reid 6 - Great assist and some good runs in the first half but nothing he tried worked in the second.
Purrington 7 - A few great passes, but again it's the problem of him not quite having the pace or the energy to charge up and down the line like a Parsons or a Kellett would. Still, a good game though.
Reuben Reid 6 - Not MOTM by any means but a decent game. Good goal, mixed bag in terms of hold up play. One delightful crossfield ball in the second half too. It's the little passes he tries that normally go wrong though, I think he should just get his head down and run with it a bit more often.
Alessandra 5 - Again, good desire and work rate to harry and hassle, but the quality on the ball just wasn't there.
Subs:
Bittner 5 - Good long kicking, but the rest? Hmm.
Brunt 6 - Well he's certainly a trier and not afraid to get stuck in. Any good with a football though? We'll see. Some nice hold up play, some not so nice.
Thomas 6 - One sublime cross when he came on. Our manager then decides to deploy him in midfield rather than the obvious wide forward role he should have been in. Masterstroke. Thomas should have been on 20 minutes earlier and for Alessandra not Cox.
Final word to Mr John Sheridan.
At signing players you have shown you can do the job. You've assembled a bloody good group of players who should be right near the top of this division. But sadly they aren't, because at every other aspect of management you are a failure. 9th in the league with this group of players is not good enough at all. You have no solutions to the clear problems this team has - defending set pieces, taking set pieces, movement off the ball, decision making in the final third, playing players in their correct position, making subs. It's all rubbish. Your only "solution" is to sign another player, rather than sort out what is already here.
I've had enough. Sheridan out.
P
PASTIE
Guest
Was actually a very similar game to last week. Mixed first half, but we had the better luck this time as a decent ball from Bobby was taken and scored well by Reid. Second half once again we fell flat, mainly due to the complete lack of service to our forwards. Reid and Alessandra can be great players but when they aren't getting decent service then they look sh*t. The idea of 3-5-2 is that there should be some spark of creativity from the midfield 3 but that certainly wasn't the case today. Lee can't seem to play a pass longer than 3 yards, Cox is a great defensive player but utterly inept at going forward and Bobby's decision making was pretty poor which obviously impacted our whole game plan immensely. Purrington didn't provide the spark that Kellett does and I hope we can get him back ASAP.
I've used the word 'spark' twice there, and that pretty much sums up our performance today- we had none of it.
Saying all this still, Sheridan in.
I've used the word 'spark' twice there, and that pretty much sums up our performance today- we had none of it.
Saying all this still, Sheridan in.
Mr Sheridan said in his Radio Devon interview that he told the players 'we don't need another'. He was referring to another goal. Whilst it is confusing as to the message he is giving to the players it perhaps suggests the need to entertain the paying public does not currently feature in his list of priorities. Whilst accepting that winning ugly is a valid strategy in times when our backs are up against the wall, he does perhaps fail to appreciate the promises he made this year are difficult to reconcile to the past 6 seasons of dross albeit he is only responsible for the last 2. I would never call for anyone to be sacked but he is not to me a motivational figure; I only hope the players are receiving different messages from their leader to those he offers to paying punters.
up_the_line":184ixtob said:
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any urgency for the club to progress - that's on and off the pitch. It seems that all concerned are quite happy for us to trundle along in the basement division for, oh, the next decade.
How many shots at goal have we had in the last two home games? It's garbage, really really dull and predictable. When Sheridan has got it right during his tenure it's been very good but when it's bad my god it's bad. I want to see some excitement, some passion and some progression. It looks more and more like our manager is not the man to take us forward, let's be honest the team represents him and is dull, predictable and lacks character. We can do better and must so better but that won't happen until we have a man with a plan rather than someone who makes it up as he goes along. I cannot wait for the end of the Sheridan era although fear it won't be until the end of his contract and that's a long time to wait for positivity and feel good factor. How depressing.