Our enigma of a manager

[Larry David]

Contrast this with Lowe's "consolidation". Nearing the end of this season of "consolidation", Argyle actually own only 2 defenders with any experience, one of whom is old, injury-prone and currently moonlighting (badly) in the commentary box. Both Sawyer and Aimson are out of contract at the end of the season, so we have no defenders whatsoever signed up for next season. The rest of the defence is made up by a gang of loanees, boys expected to do men's jobs who IMHO have taken some unfair stick. Lowe had a chance to perhaps consolidate and start to rebuild the defence in January, but he declined to replace the departing experience of Canavan and Wootton, opting instead for more callow loanees, including a LB bereft of defensive nous.

This is spot on. I find the fact that we will have to completely rebuild the defence during the summer really hard to understand. The only thing I can think is that one or more of the loan players is already lined up to join again but even if that is true there is still a huge job to be done to create any kind of defence for next season, let alone one that is better than this season’s (which it certainly needs to be as this one has one of the worst records for conceding goals in the whole division).

Yep absolutely you can be as delighted with the manager as you like but for me he has failed defensively this season. He needs a complete rebuild at the back, some of the defending has been shocking to say the least.

 

[buck197]

It was a dire performance in which our team looked disinterested, lacklustre and tired, travel sickness? We are usually reliant on our superior home form over our poor away form historically. What I don’t like is we have is a defence that needs rebuilding with our players and not some proving ground for Premier/championship players. It’s a fact of life we are constrained by low finances due to COVID but let’s build a strong spine in our team of our own players, yesterday we were spineless. I’ve seen more Argyle matches this season than I’ve ever done before as a “home fan” and think this division is our level without major investment in the playing staff. I’m not sure changing the manager is going to improve our fortunes and of course I’d love to see us go up a division.

 

[oldage]

Yes it hasnt been perfect this season,but we had a good spell after Christmas,just not enough consistency in the performances.

The OP is talking rubbish though,obviously wants instant success ,well go and support team thats gets funded by hundreds of millions if you want that.

Instant success :funny:
I have been supporting Argyle for over 55 years and can assure
you that instant success has and never will be expected.
Incidentally money does not guarantee success.

 

[Brechin Hedge]

Three major concerns:

-goals conceded is relegation level.

-worst away records in the division.

inability to counter teams changing tactics at half time to beat us after they have sussed us out.

Second season up is always a bigger test than the first. Does not bode well for next season at present and a tough run of games to end the season coming up.

Perhaps we are just reverting to type? good at home, poor away. Been pretty much that for the last 50 years with the odd exception when we have been promoted. Seems geography cannot be changed both for argyle playing away and teams travelling to Home Park. However, our best managers have found the answers to overcome this. Lowe yet to find his solution.

 

[Knibbsworth]

Can we just relax a bit? Under Lowe we've been promoted then consolidated ourselves in League One.

We'd all have very gladly taken that, now let's see what the management team have got up their sleeves to push us on.

Ah, a voice of reason amongst all the twaddle.

A voice of reason? We were fortunate to be promoted last season and although I am glad Lowe has virtually guaranteed our position in this division where is all this exciting football we were promised? We don't seem to learn from our mistakes.Our set piece play is laughable and the sideways and backwards passing is a cure for insomnia. I genuinely hope Lowe can turn it around because unfortunately I cannot see him going anywhere soon.

'Fortunate' to be better placed than 21 other teams?

 

[Cobi Budge]

I don't think Ryan Lowe is perfect, but I do think some of the things in the OP are grossly unfair:

I am afraid that I have never bitten into the Second Messiah status of our current manager.

Just because people are fond of our manager for rebuilding the bridge between the club and fans, that doesn't mean people think he's the messiah.

Having got Bury relegated and then promoted again with a budget that bankrupt the club

Ryan Lowe became Bury manager when they were already in trouble, he was also thrown into the job with no coaching/managerial experience at all. He also didn't bankrupt Bury, Steve Dale did, it's entirely unfair to assign blame to Ryan Lowe for Bury's demise.

He then decamped South and in effect we became Bury Argyle. Something that sat very uneasily with me.

Why does it sit uneasily with you? Most managers nowadays take their staff with them when they head to another club.

We then I feel fairly fortuitously got promoted from a very poor standard League 2, in no small thanks to Coronavirus ,plus an exceptional goalkeeper in Palmer and a very good league 2 midfielder in Sarcevic.

How was it fortuitous? We were in the top three when the season ended, therefore we deserved to go up? We were well in the race for the title as well. As for Palmer, Ryan Lowe signed him. As for Sarcevic, Ryan Lowe really got him going.

This after 2 years and promises of having mates from Gareth Southgate downwards and players queuing up to play for him.

Why is it a bad thing that he and Neil Dewsnip have connections within the game? Surely that's a good thing?

f our current manager instead of being a sharp dressing Liverpudlian with a high opinion of himself was instead a straight talking Yorkshireman or had a Scottish accent then he would be being lambasted , abused and probably worse.

What does his dress sense or his accent have to do with anything? That just seems somewhat spiteful.

The things that define PROPER FOOTBALL

What is proper football? There are lots of ways to play the game, and thus far for Ryan Lowe, his way has been quite successful.

 

[Metal Green Mickey]

In terms of style of play football is anything you want it be be. From tiki-taka to long ball. There is beauty in all.

I love forward thinking football. What l mean by this is that you have width. You get the ball out of your half by best means possible. Then play your football in the opposition half.

I like crosses. I like the beauty of a whipped in ball into a dangerous area. I adore free kicks and corners which are put into the box with pace. I like the idea of running at the opposition. Watching a player with vision with a clever through ball.

Most of all l love a target man. A physical battle. Where you can play the short stuff but also have the option to go long. In the Wimbledon game l don’t know if people remember but a cross came in mid way through the second half into our box. Piggott was there and nodded it back to his team mate. So beautiful because of his awareness. Lucky for us he missed.

This sideways, backwards, sideways stuff that now is the modern way is all good. If you have the money to get the quality players needed for the league your in.

 

[EyeOpener]

I've always been a fan of playing the football in the opposition half. Get the ball out to the fullbacks and play a long diagonal pass to the target man on the opposite corner of the opposition box. Get the midfield around the target man for the knock down and then play the football.

 

[DenverDugout]

When Lowe arrived at Plymouth I was a little sceptical on how his previous club got promoted and at the same time went to the wall although it had nothing to do with him, the first sign of failing to take responsibility. I see the same things happening with us with the signing of Hardie and Cooper on long contracts, Hardie as hardly set the League on fire and Cooper was not very impressive before his injury. I really do not see where he fits into our team apart from taking free kicks and corners, his tackling is terrible, his reading of the game is equally as bad and his tracking back is non existant. Jephcott as done well but as not progressed in a way which his early form suggested he would. We do have players who could compete at our level and some who cannot. Mike Cooper, Amerson Edwards,Woods, Camara, Fornah,Mayor, Grant , Ennis and possibly Jephcott, the rest are not up to it. For some reason Lowe as perseveered with his formation with wing backs although when we were recently forced into changing it seemed to be working, the defenders seemed to be playing better although the mid-fielders of Camara and Mayor seemed a little lost. without a shadow of a doubt Grant would make a fantastic holding mid-field player, he as not got the energy to play at LWB. Here we are with only a few games to play and Lowe does not know what attackers he prefers, how does he expect his strikers to form partnerships when they are continually changing. Lowe is obviously very ambitious however when you look at the manner in which we have given goals away it is embarassing. I seem to remember recently he admitted the players were still practising defending corners at 5 o'clock before an evening game only to conceed at a corner at the beginning of the second half. I firmly believe that when the players cross the white line it is down to them to deliver the so called plan although it as become quite apparent it is one thing giving the plan and another understanding it and even more so when he religously changes the players in the 60th minute of each game. We have played brilliantly in some games but have failed to maintain it throughout which is a real problem going forward. Lowe is a very good PR man with his pundit duties, talking with Southgate and Kopp and banging on about his new brand of football, I firmly believe he is not good enough in many areas. I would LIST him because we are not going anywhere with him at the helm. Substituting Camara at Fleetwood so early in the game, when in a winning position against Portsmouth only to throw the game away because of his inability to manage from the dug out, these are just a couple of the examples where in my opinion he as to go.

 

[Graham Clark]

Sometimes a little perspective is required after a deflating (to put it mildly) defeat. For all the understandable criticism and angst Ryan Lowe remains Argyle's second most successful manager (in terms of games won) for the last seventy years. His record is only bettered by Paul Sturrock (Mark 1) and just surpasses Derek Adams. With all the constraints of COVID that has shackled him for over 12 months of his tenure that achievement perhaps deserves more respect than he is perhaps given.

Furthermore, any planned recruitment for this season was scuppered by the club's understandable adherence the the imposed £2.5m salary cap (now reversed) which meant the imposition of a lower wage budget than the season before and below Adams' budget during the previous tenure in League 1. That meant a reliance, over reliance perhaps, on Premiership u-23's or gambles on injury prone players such as Reeves and Macleod. The winter transfer window meant the departure of some (albeit experienced) off the wages bill and many reflected that Lowe had achieved a 'good window' as the business secured the permanent deals of Hardie and Ennis and the recruitment of Woods who some believe may be a good acquisition for next season.

The aim for this season was survival. Many predicted a mid to lower table finish. The other promoted teams have struggled too and two of them may go straight back down. There ae a number of long established and resourced League 1 teams and the overall impression is that it is a tough division where anyone can beat anyone on any given day. It may be no coincidence that the likes of Sunderland and Portsmouth have struggled to get out of it.

The real test of Ryan Lowe and his management team with all their data analytics will be this close season. The salary cap shackles are lifted and more aligned to turnover and the recruitment can be properly based on players seen in League 1 match conditions. A number will be out of contract this summer and with our relatively stable financial position we should be best placed to make the sort of experienced tried and tested recruits that many are clamouring for. We can then make a proper and informed judgement on Ryan Lowe and his backroom team. Then there will be no excuses.

 

[Martyn]

When Lowe arrived at Plymouth I was a little sceptical on how his previous club got promoted and at the same time went to the wall although it had nothing to do with him, the first sign of failing to take responsibility. I see the same things happening with us with the signing of Hardie and Cooper on long contracts, Hardie as hardly set the League on fire and Cooper was not very impressive before his injury. I really do not see where he fits into our team apart from taking free kicks and corners, his tackling is terrible, his reading of the game is equally as bad and his tracking back is non existant. Jephcott as done well but as not progressed in a way which his early form suggested he would. We do have players who could compete at our level and some who cannot. Mike Cooper, Amerson Edwards,Woods, Camara, Fornah,Mayor, Grant , Ennis and possibly Jephcott, the rest are not up to it. For some reason Lowe as perseveered with his formation with wing backs although when we were recently forced into changing it seemed to be working, the defenders seemed to be playing better although the mid-fielders of Camara and Mayor seemed a little lost. without a shadow of a doubt Grant would make a fantastic holding mid-field player, he as not got the energy to play at LWB. Here we are with only a few games to play and Lowe does not know what attackers he prefers, how does he expect his strikers to form partnerships when they are continually changing. Lowe is obviously very ambitious however when you look at the manner in which we have given goals away it is embarassing. I seem to remember recently he admitted the players were still practising defending corners at 5 o'clock before an evening game only to conceed at a corner at the beginning of the second half. I firmly believe that when the players cross the white line it is down to them to deliver the so called plan although it as become quite apparent it is one thing giving the plan and another understanding it and even more so when he religously changes the players in the 60th minute of each game. We have played brilliantly in some games but have failed to maintain it throughout which is a real problem going forward. Lowe is a very good PR man with his pundit duties, talking with Southgate and Kopp and banging on about his new brand of football, I firmly believe he is not good enough in many areas. I would LIST him because we are not going anywhere with him at the helm. Substituting Camara at Fleetwood so early in the game, when in a winning position against Portsmouth only to throw the game away because of his inability to manage from the dug out, these are just a couple of the examples where in my opinion he as to go.

Thank goodness all the above, is just your opinion.

 

[Metal Green Mickey]

Sometimes a little perspective is required after a deflating (to put it mildly) defeat. For all the understandable criticism and angst Ryan Lowe remains Argyle's second most successful manager (in terms of games won) for the last seventy years. His record is only bettered by Paul Sturrock (Mark 1) and just surpasses Derek Adams. With all the constraints of COVID that has shackled him for over 12 months of his tenure that achievement perhaps deserves more respect than he is perhaps given.

Furthermore, any planned recruitment for this season was scuppered by the club's understandable adherence the the imposed £2.5m salary cap (now reversed) which meant the imposition of a lower wage budget than the season before and below Adams' budget during the previous tenure in League 1. That meant a reliance, over reliance perhaps, on Premiership u-23's or gambles on injury prone players such as Reeves and Macleod. The winter transfer window meant the departure of some (albeit experienced) off the wages bill and many reflected that Lowe had achieved a 'good window' as the business secured the permanent deals of Hardie and Ennis and the recruitment of Woods who some believe may be a good acquisition for next season.

The aim for this season was survival. Many predicted a mid to lower table finish. The other promoted teams have struggled too and two of them may go straight back down. There ae a number of long established and resourced League 1 teams and the overall impression is that it is a tough division where anyone can beat anyone on any given day. It may be no coincidence that the likes of Sunderland and Portsmouth have struggled to get out of it.

The real test of Ryan Lowe and his management team with all their data analytics will be this close season. The salary cap shackles are lifted and more aligned to turnover and the recruitment can be properly based on players seen in League 1 match conditions. A number will be out of contract this summer and with our relatively stable financial position we should be best placed to make the sort of experienced tried and tested recruits that many are clamouring for. We can then make a proper and informed judgement on Ryan Lowe and his backroom team. Then there will be no excuses.

Really well written piece.

I agree with the argument about survival and staying up. However, l thought instead of watching the team crumble as they get towards the finish line that instead we would have more of an identity about us. Are we a 3 ATB or 4ATB team. Which players are suited best to which positions. Instead l’m watching one of our best players this season shifted from the centre to out wide in Camara. Im seeing C Grant who played well on the left shifted back into the centre for people who aren’t anyone near as good at LB. What compounds this is C Grant isn’t very good as a central midfield.

We have to remember Lowe pulled off Camara after 15 mins even when we have seen stinking performances from other players and nothing done. Danny Mayor disappears in second half of games. Virtually non existent. He stays on. This is why l question what we are seeing.

My huge question mark is his tactical decisions before and during games.

Yesterday was prime example. Watts at left back when he struggles for pace on the left hand side of a defensive three.

You can have all the data you like at your disposal. When it’s 11 players on the pitch it’s one mans tactical nous against another. This season he has come up short unfortunately.

 

[oldage]

Sometimes a little perspective is required after a deflating (to put it mildly) defeat. For all the understandable criticism and angst Ryan Lowe remains Argyle's second most successful manager (in terms of games won) for the last seventy years. His record is only bettered by Paul Sturrock (Mark 1) and just surpasses Derek Adams. With all the constraints of COVID that has shackled him for over 12 months of his tenure that achievement perhaps deserves more respect than he is perhaps given.

Furthermore, any planned recruitment for this season was scuppered by the club's understandable adherence the the imposed £2.5m salary cap (now reversed) which meant the imposition of a lower wage budget than the season before and below Adams' budget during the previous tenure in League 1. That meant a reliance, over reliance perhaps, on Premiership u-23's or gambles on injury prone players such as Reeves and Macleod. The winter transfer window meant the departure of some (albeit experienced) off the wages bill and many reflected that Lowe had achieved a 'good window' as the business secured the permanent deals of Hardie and Ennis and the recruitment of Woods who some believe may be a good acquisition for next season.

The aim for this season was survival. Many predicted a mid to lower table finish. The other promoted teams have struggled too and two of them may go straight back down. There ae a number of long established and resourced League 1 teams and the overall impression is that it is a tough division where anyone can beat anyone on any given day. It may be no coincidence that the likes of Sunderland and Portsmouth have struggled to get out of it.

The real test of Ryan Lowe and his management team with all their data analytics will be this close season. The salary cap shackles are lifted and more aligned to turnover and the recruitment can be properly based on players seen in League 1 match conditions. A number will be out of contract this summer and with our relatively stable financial position we should be best placed to make the sort of experienced tried and tested recruits that many are clamouring for. We can then make a proper and informed judgement on Ryan Lowe and his backroom team. Then there will be no excuses.

Really well written piece.

I agree with the argument about survival and staying up. However, l thought instead of watching the team crumble as they get towards the finish line that instead we would have more of an identity about us. Are we a 3 ATB or 4ATB team. Which players are suited best to which positions. Instead l’m watching one of our best players this season shifted from the centre to out wide in Camara. Im seeing C Grant who played well on the left shifted back into the centre for people who aren’t anyone near as good at LB. What compounds this is C Grant isn’t very good as a central midfield.

We have to remember Lowe pulled off Camara after 15 mins even when we have seen stinking performances from other players and nothing done. Danny Mayor disappears in second half of games. Virtually non existent. He stays on. This is why l question what we are seeing.

My huge question mark is his tactical decisions before and during games.

Yesterday was prime example. Watts at left back when he struggles for pace on the left hand side of a defensive three.

You can have all the data you like at your disposal. When it’s 11 players on the pitch it’s one mans tactical nous against another. This season he has come up short unfortunately.

I am of the same opinion. Lowe is allegedly meticulous in his planning before he signs a player and analyses data to ensure the right fit yet he often plays them out of position!

 

[HC Green]

Sometimes a little perspective is required after a deflating (to put it mildly) defeat. For all the understandable criticism and angst Ryan Lowe remains Argyle's second most successful manager (in terms of games won) for the last seventy years. His record is only bettered by Paul Sturrock (Mark 1) and just surpasses Derek Adams. With all the constraints of COVID that has shackled him for over 12 months of his tenure that achievement perhaps deserves more respect than he is perhaps given.

Furthermore, any planned recruitment for this season was scuppered by the club's understandable adherence the the imposed £2.5m salary cap (now reversed) which meant the imposition of a lower wage budget than the season before and below Adams' budget during the previous tenure in League 1. That meant a reliance, over reliance perhaps, on Premiership u-23's or gambles on injury prone players such as Reeves and Macleod. The winter transfer window meant the departure of some (albeit experienced) off the wages bill and many reflected that Lowe had achieved a 'good window' as the business secured the permanent deals of Hardie and Ennis and the recruitment of Woods who some believe may be a good acquisition for next season.

The aim for this season was survival. Many predicted a mid to lower table finish. The other promoted teams have struggled too and two of them may go straight back down. There ae a number of long established and resourced League 1 teams and the overall impression is that it is a tough division where anyone can beat anyone on any given day. It may be no coincidence that the likes of Sunderland and Portsmouth have struggled to get out of it.

The real test of Ryan Lowe and his management team with all their data analytics will be this close season. The salary cap shackles are lifted and more aligned to turnover and the recruitment can be properly based on players seen in League 1 match conditions. A number will be out of contract this summer and with our relatively stable financial position we should be best placed to make the sort of experienced tried and tested recruits that many are clamouring for. We can then make a proper and informed judgement on Ryan Lowe and his backroom team. Then there will be no excuses.

With regards to the salary cap, it didn’t come into force until August 2020, any player signed before that date full salary didn’t count towards the cap if it was over the assumed average of £1,700 per week. The figure of £1,700 would have been used.
So are you suggesting Argyle mis read the rules on calculating the cap.
Also transfer fees don’t count towards the Cap, substantial sums have been paid this season for the first time in years.
Neither does the cost of the enlarged back room staff count towards the salary cap.
Surely your alleged impact of the salary cap on Argyle’s recruitment would have the same impact on all clubs if your reasoning was correct and for the first time in years a Club’s league position would be based on the skill and expertise of the manager and not skewed by a Club’s finances, perhaps that is the reason Morecambe are doing quite well this season.
How do you know what the salary budget for players was under Adams as it isn’t publicly available, would you like me to ask him what it was.

 

[Graham Clark]

The salary cap proposal was made by the EFL in May 2020 although it was formally enforced a few months later. Several clubs in League 1 did their recruitment before it formally came into effect. Argyle didn’t because at the time finances were so uncertain.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52738597

The club have publicly reported on the wages and salary costs for each of the last few seasons (including as a proportion of turnover) - look it up.