Re:OGAT:Difficult Second Season? Six and out?

[oddball]

The weekend after the weekend before, and what a difference a week makes. Er, not so much as we followed a tumultuous first win of the season with a less than tumultuous umpteenth capitulation to a Super Luke inspired Swindon Town. Luckily the Check theres a Crowd Cup doesn't count in anyones eyes except the teams that get to Wembley and the EFL. It doesn't even merit a review in the OGATSS blog, thats how insignificant it is.

Back to serious matters then and the shortish hop to the Kassam for the battle of the three siders and the race to 22nd. Oxford finally gain the accolade of "only team worse than us" but can resume their previously dominant position of "only team marginally better than us" by ending their longest ever winless run. Doesn't sound like an omen at all does it., beingthe thirteenth league game on the thirteenth of the month.

At least the Oxs ( whose statue was vandalised when installed with pink paint_ will be without Gavin Whyte on International duty, but will have ex Argyle stalwarts Curtis Nelson and Jamie"chase a crisp packet" Mackie both battling to save embattled manager Karl "Tarby" Robinson who has remained an unpopular choice at the Kassam ever since he resigned from being the unpopular choice at the Valley and Charlton.

With Argyle having an imminent new Chairman, we also get to not meet absentee exotic owner Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth (yep cut and paste) or Tiger as he prefers to be known, who gave up on Reading to buy Oxford, presumably attracted by the amber and black strip and the unavailability of Hull City.

The natives at Kassam ( allegedly cursed by an edited Romany and subject to an exorcism after the lost 13 of 17 games there) are restless and many are predicting the curse of "the likes of Argyle" should the away team prevail and the end of Robinsons Crew. Indeed the chequered history of Oxford also includes a spell of ownership by the Maxwells and an attempt to create the less than vaunted Thames Valley Royals by combining with the aforementioned Reading. Ownership is such a hard thing to get right in the Home Counties it seems

Argyle will be welcoming back some of the recent injuries but losing 3-0 at home to the Moonrakers as OUFC slander Swindon suggests a strong case for an unchanged team from Saturday. With Colin Murray predicting an unbeaten run until march and Del Boy aiming for 51 more points at least from what is left there is indeed much to play for.

For once the "sacked in the morning" chants might actually come from the away end for a change.

COYG
EI EI EI O
Up the Football league we go ( or maybe not)

Now how do we exorcise Balham Green from Pasoti......

h

Hopefully the chants will come from the home end....

 

[Biggs]

How the heck did I miss that Jamie Mackie was now at Oxford?

More to the point, how the heck are they bottom with those players and manager?

 

[Tugboat]

How the heck did I miss that Jamie Mackie was now at Oxford?

More to the point, how the heck are they bottom with those players and manager?

Probably won’t be come 5pm

 

[Balham Green]

The weekend after the weekend before, and what a difference a week makes. Er, not so much as we followed a tumultuous first win of the season with a less than tumultuous umpteenth capitulation to a Super Luke inspired Swindon Town. Luckily the Check theres a Crowd Cup doesn't count in anyones eyes except the teams that get to Wembley and the EFL. It doesn't even merit a review in the OGATSS blog, thats how insignificant it is.

Back to serious matters then and the shortish hop to the Kassam for the battle of the three siders and the race to 22nd. Oxford finally gain the accolade of "only team worse than us" but can resume their previously dominant position of "only team marginally better than us" by ending their longest ever winless run. Doesn't sound like an omen at all does it., beingthe thirteenth league game on the thirteenth of the month.

At least the Oxs ( whose statue was vandalised when installed with pink paint_ will be without Gavin Whyte on International duty, but will have ex Argyle stalwarts Curtis Nelson and Jamie"chase a crisp packet" Mackie both battling to save embattled manager Karl "Tarby" Robinson who has remained an unpopular choice at the Kassam ever since he resigned from being the unpopular choice at the Valley and Charlton.

With Argyle having an imminent new Chairman, we also get to not meet absentee exotic owner Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth (yep cut and paste) or Tiger as he prefers to be known, who gave up on Reading to buy Oxford, presumably attracted by the amber and black strip and the unavailability of Hull City.

The natives at Kassam ( allegedly cursed by an edited Romany and subject to an exorcism after the lost 13 of 17 games there) are restless and many are predicting the curse of "the likes of Argyle" should the away team prevail and the end of Robinsons Crew. Indeed the chequered history of Oxford also includes a spell of ownership by the Maxwells and an attempt to create the less than vaunted Thames Valley Royals by combining with the aforementioned Reading. Ownership is such a hard thing to get right in the Home Counties it seems

Argyle will be welcoming back some of the recent injuries but losing 3-0 at home to the Moonrakers as OUFC slander Swindon suggests a strong case for an unchanged team from Saturday. With Colin Murray predicting an unbeaten run until march and Del Boy aiming for 51 more points at least from what is left there is indeed much to play for.

For once the "sacked in the morning" chants might actually come from the away end for a change.

COYG
EI EI EI O
Up the Football league we go ( or maybe not)

Now how do we exorcise Balham Green from Pasoti......

So you end your yawn fest with an unnecessary comment. I'll stay on with comments as to how I see it until IJN has had enough of me. He has already labelled me a troll then agreed thst I am not one. Too bad if you don't like my comments. You can always block me.

 

[pafcprogs]

Ouch, that was painful....

If there is one thing guaranteed to hurt it is when the team for whatever reason doesn't turn up. And one of the reasons that it hurt so much last week was that in all honesty that isn't what we expect from these players. No matter how poor the results have been lack of effort was never an issue.

So with trouble definitely brewing, here come the Brewers, hopping down the motorway via Bristol City and led by talismanic Manager Clough Minor, who survived the potential of being culled when they dropped down from the Championship where they were seen as very much punching above their weight.

The old phrase going for a Burton refers in part to the expression for RAF aircrew in the second world war who didn't make it back, and whilst some linked it to the old tailor Montague Burton who supplied demob suits, that seems less likely. Just as well as there a re a fair few in the crowd who think a few demob suits might be handy soon...

We also get to possibly renew friendship with our old buddy Steve Bywater....shy and retiring he is not and when at Derby made few friends with the remark that in the play offs if they won they got to Old Trafford, but if they lost they had to go to places like Plymouth. Despite his bravado Bywaters state in the Premier League when Derby got there was relatively brief and he was out on loan half way through their Premier League relegation season and has never returned to such heady heights...unless you count a spell at Kerala Blasters. He has yet to make a fabled move into MMA.

Bywater used to wear number 43 in tribute to Les Sealey, his mentor at West Ham and once provoked his neighbours with an art installation that involved a horses, a sex doll and graffiti which was eventually sold on eBay. Welcome back Steve, we've not missed you remotely.

With another Jr in Devante Cole and Scottish striker Liam Boyce back firing after a lost season to injury ( although he limped off in the international break) a seemingly must win home game will at least not be dogged by managerial issues as Derek and Nige have never met in the league before. Burton are well stocked with a couple of Southampton loanees and a somewhat lopsided squad with five goalies ( and another out on loan) and despite a rocky start ( well it is all relative) will be a stern test...

With all our previous meetings having been at League 2 level, and only one home win from 2012 to brag about in eight fixtures the history book on the shelf could do with not repeating itself for a change.

With Yann having booked a spa break with his late lunge at the Kassam there will be changes for sure...no call up for the unfortunately injured Sangster, but Ness and Sarcevic may well nee back in contention. Mind you not the only injury as I hear BG has strained neck muscles from my yawnfest of last week....of course he'll never know I know because he won't be bothered to read this such is his disdain for its content....

Can Argyle regain their Wombles mojo?
Will centre Half Bingo ever become an Olympic Sport
Will the Brewers be glass half empty at the end of 90 minutes.

Mines a pint, and hopefully three points......


COYG

 

[JannerinCardiff]

Don’t know why but I think the suspension of Songo’o might give Adams the chance to play our best midfield and with it a chance of winning against Burton..

 

[pafcprogs]

Toxic.

That is the current word of choice. Another defensive crumble followed by an understandable but in part unpleasant verbal response towards Derek Adams and his team leaves Argyle facing their next must win home game against the only club in the Football League with a nickname that references a bunch of girls. As an exile it is hard to fathom how frustrating it must be, even though iFollow now allows me to occasionally share the "atmosphere". In 45 years of following Argyle I have been in some toxic environments before and browsing my copy of the excellent Russell Moore book The Waiter Years made me recall my time as a (kind of) ring leader of a protest against the then Chairman Robert Daniel during a home defeat to Carlisle which even got reported on the back pages of the Independent.

Time marches on, and for all the angst and argument, Argyle have still not made the top division ( Tony said it would happen with ten years of his arrival at the club...pah!) not have we yet, quite, tumbled into non league obscurity like all of our near neighbours. And Luton. Every season 12 out of 92 clubs will have to deal with relegation. As yet none have had to do so in October.

Diego Simeone was quoted as follows "In life, only two things cannot be changed, your mother and your football team." If, as I believe this is true then venting might make you feel better, and staying away is always an option, even though you will end up tracking the game via mobile, radio or even teletext ( is that a thing any more). So like it or lump it if you are a Green you are one for life, and being disappointed is part of the landscape.

My only observation is that if you have to resort to effing and blinding then you have already lost the argument. DA was brought here for a reason, and so far he has delivered. This season is awful so far, but I do not see a Board that will knee jerk and decide that a bad run means you throw away three years of success. I don't believe the players or the manager come to work and try to perform badly.
I also don't see any statistical evidence that a change of manager automatically improves things and guarantees a change in fortunes. It will be done by hard work, belief, some good luck and hopefully a win beginning with one against the bunch of girls called Gill led by pony tail clad faux Andy Carroll, who luckily for us got his goal of the season contender out of the way at Pompous a couple of weeks ago.

Gills are also one of those few clubs who have no discernible rivalry, as geographically it would be Millwall or Charlton, both of whom have bigger fish to fry ( or be ignored by), plus they have one of those random rivalries caused by events and competition for promotion with Swindle Town, much in the same way we once didn't much care for Lootown.

Having tossed. away a comfortable lead at Doncaster at the weekend Steve Lovell is another manager under pressure, and if Derek maintains the confidence of the Argyle leadership, spare a thought for a man who's ultimate boss really is a Scally, in this case Paul. Controversial local businessman Scally has presided over a few financial crises at the club, a club which now no longer has AGM's, and has got through a few managers as well, amongst them former Argyle saviour Tony Pulis, and relegation firefighter supreme Martin Allen.

Gillingham, also proved a safe resting place for former argyle favourites Mark Patterson and Mark Saunders, and those of us who can remember MP's marauding right back play will let forth wistful sigh the first time play breaks down as we attack down that flank.

Historically the Gills don't tend to enjoy the trip West, and they will also come into range of a fired up and firing Freddy Ladapo, fresh from his two goal salvo that lifted him into the top 50% of all time Argyle scorers....on five. indeed another one from Freddy will see him match Ryan Taylors goal haul from last season. In total. You know what they say, Lies, damn lies and statistics.......

So it must be up and at 'em Argyle, as it seems like outscoring our porous defence is the only way to bring in a three point haul. The end of season carnival defeat at Gillingham last season repeated would leave a very bad taste.

Last seasons miracle (abridged) began with a last minute scrambled home winner against the Gills. Whilst no-one is expecting a surge like that again, although we wouldn't say no, a couple of wins back to back would make the gap between us and the rest look manageable....

So can we back the boys...even if a boy backwards is a yob?

So COYG....the season starts here ( again......)

 

[pafcprogs]

Well that felt. whole lot better didn't it. looked better too. And probably sounded better to players and manager at half time and full time. That's all we wanted boys, for you to play to the potential we know you have.

As another poster put it deja vu all over again....although as a metaphor for Saturdays opponents not the ideal as we head into another traditional Argyle graveyard, a team we have only beaten once in fifteen attempts at their patch, a 2-0 triumph for the 98/9 promotion chasers.

At least the weather will be more clement after last seasons debacle of an Easter fixture cancellation, and although we have a few injury worries, notably Carey and Fox, Scunny have a whole host of players missing or doubtful, the most encouraging of which are perpetual scourges Lund and Morris. Combined with the loss of the likes of Toney Holmes and Adelakun to transfer or loan recalls from last seasons team they don't look quite the team of last year. Indeed they performed an Argyle-esque 2-0 up to 3-2 down in the last minute of the traditional added on quarter hour at Timewaster wanderers and with a scrappy 1-0 loss at Blackpool are now looking at a fifth successive defeat should the impossible happen and we manage back to back wins.

Scunny is probably most famous for the fact it has produced three England captains despite barely ever gracing the Championship level ( go on then, I'll put them at the end). That and having a sugar daddy who is ironically from Plymouth and even more ironically is called Peter Swann, a name not universally remembered fondly in these here parts.

They are now led by flame haired Steve McCall who was summarily decapitated at Bradford City last season, not long after a slump lasting a whole six games and who therefore may be getting just a little nervous! Since then BTW Bradford have had now another three managers and look how well that is going for them. Food for thought for the knee jerkers.

We all know that superstitious rubbish abounds in football, from players always walking out last, to clubs only starting their season after thirteen games and a home win against Gillingham, but an away win at Glanford Park would be a statistical aberration to make the most cynical Argyle fan look up and choke on his Ivor.

So as Freddy continues to climb the all time Argyle scorer chart and is into the top 250 already ( GC is No 28= on the all time list, and a third two goal haul will take Freddy equal with Ryan Taylor...and maybe overhaul Ruben ....depending on how many he scores...) and Argyle fans start scouring the bookie websites to see if they have learned anything from last season....off we go to Lincolnshire to dream the improbable recurring dream,....

COYG!!!

 

[pafcprogs]

So you could have got longs odds a few weeks ago on Argyle marshalling a sell out crowd that didn't involve opening up half the ground to the travelling Mackems, but here we are after two straight wins ( and an admittedly crushing defeat in the Who Gives a Toss Cup...clearly not us! I mean does the bloke who persuaded Checkatrade to pony up whatever cash pile they did to get their name on the trophy still have a job? Anywhere, let alone in Marketing!) with tickets rarer than a positive post from Sam Jones for the visit of this seasons fallen giants.

Mind you I am not sure the Mackems ( comes from the shipbuilding days apparently , and is a term of disrespect from the Newcastle neighbours...they Mack'em ( translate: make them) and we tack'em (translate put right all the problems)) will be over impressed too see that they are a ) considered to be a replacement for Wigan Athletic or Blackburn Rovers, even though both of those clubs have a substantially better trophy cabinet( not just the six toes who had a red and white striped carpet stolen when the thieves got in then)§ and b) everyones apparent cup final ( there you go Mr Checkatrade Marketing genius...23 cup finals in a season and games people want to see....)

So forget Stevenage, not especially difficult at the best of times, its Sunderland that is our Wembley substitute this season.

Managed by another of the seemingly endless stream of Scottish managers that come south on the back of not quite catching Celtic to prove themselves in the cut and thrust of the English lower leagues, Paul Ross and now no longer owned by the downbeat and down trodden Ellis Short, for whom the cost of being in the big time proved to be too high and too endless, the Black Cats as they decided to rebrand themselves have been rebuilding after divesting themselves of a host of extremely overpaid and underwhelming European cast offs and falling back on the tried and trusted method of blood and guts triers and Premiership loanees with a smattering of decent pros that have been around.

They a re hoping that with a bit of luck they can bounce back to the Championship, and it was intriguing to note that the pundits seemed evenly split between them doing just that or plummeting Blackpool/Coventry style all the way to League 2. It looks like they can avoid that fate, and indeed the game is on current form very much the match of the weekend in the division.

As for luck well Argyle will be hoping for good luck as the Black Cats cross their path. The one issue with that , this is the first match with out US based chairman at the helm, and guess where Black Cats are deemed unlucky? You guessed it , the good ol US of A. They are lucky in Japan though so maybe welcome back Kagami san? I thought not.....

One thing the Sunderland fans can do is bear a grudge. When KK or Special K was manager of England he got involved in a deal which involved the Hunny Monster whereby Sugar Puffs became a cereal non grata in the Wearside area, and stocks piled up on the shelves. Naturally enough there was a shortage of said cereal in Newcastle and some enterprising types made a fortune in buying up the redundant Sunderland stock and moving to the Tyne region!

So will Red Hot Freddy continue is golden streak?
Has GC finally located his shooting boots?
Same back four for three in a a row? Bingo?

As many Argyle fans can tell you, its a long way back ( not Paul Pogba penalty run up long, but almost) with no points so lets hope we disappoint the travelling multitude, and then draw them at home in the second round of the FA Cup after next week. Tempting fate...not at all theres a load of Black Cats heading our way....what could possibly go wrong??

COYG

 

[pafcprogs]

And so to a week off , from the turmoil of resuscitating our flat lining season for the romance and glamour of an FA Cup run. With the echos of past season becoming stronger each week, ( beat Gills tick, beat Wimbledon tick, stumble at home to relegated ex Prem giant but play well tick ( if you equate Wigan and Sunderland as giants....which is a stretch for at least one of them)). Mind you since our FA Cup record barring 1984 is pretty mediocre a run for us is still being in the hat for the second round draw. Personally I am still traumatised by a mid seventies 4AM departure for a tie at Hull where a magnificent draw was somewhat spoilt by the 1-4 home capitulation that followed.

So with the various non league booby traps avoided we entertain the mighty Stevenage, the second biggest club in Hertfordshire who will be clinging on for deal life and an eventual draw against Watford as the height of their ambition. No doubt our sigh of disappointment when we drew them was nowhere near as heavy as the one from their board who not only have to trek down here and put a brave face on it, but at least one of them knows I will be emailing him almost immediately after the final whistle if we win or draw ( win to gloat, draw to blag an invite to the replay!)

Stevenage don't have many claims to fame, having only recently ( as in this Century) ascended to the League, losing on the way the Borough suffix to their name, and yet somehow retaining the nickname The Boro. They were the first team to win. competitive match at the new Wembley Stadium, winning the FA Trophy. I am also pretty sure they will be bringing the first ever Tunisian manager we have seen at Home Park.

Managerially Stevenage have been through the mill over the years but for a young club have racked up some decent names, Paul Fairclough, and Peter Taylor the most notable, plus the first, and given his 20% win ration probably last foray into club management by Teddy Sheringham. Still he did better in India where ATK the Kolkota based club lifted his win percentage average to 23%.

They also have potentially the most unwanted managerial hat trick in football with three spells of Graham Westley, the likeable managerial scamp who we last ran into in his time at Newport Bogsnorkellers. After a 0-0 draw GW attempted to gatecrash Derek Adams press conference before calling Herald reporter Chris Errington a clown. Sadly for the football family Graham has not been able to resurrect his career in football management since a two month stint at Barnet where he kept the seat warm for Martin Allen....

Adams has promised his strongest team for the match , which will a) allow us to finally know what he thinks that is ,and b) feature for the first time a Freddy Ladapo burdened down with the expectation of having won not one but two player of the Month Trophies. Three if you count the newly inaugurated Lundan Cabbies "You Only Won It cos you Cheated " award.

So a win puts us one match away from a rematch with Jurgen "Plymouth Yippee" Klopp ( other Premiership Giants are available), or if a stumbling draw is the outcome, to misquote Alicia Keys rematch in the "concrete Jungle just of the A1" ( c Empire State of Mind) of Broadhall way. the Stevenage ground was once sold to a developer who dug a trench across it in order to prevent any football being played on it. Some fans believe that that remains true to this day despite the trench being long gone.

A win on Saturday means we either 5 and 6 ( semis should not be at Wembley....they really shouldn't) or 33 games from Wembley, depending on the competition.

You can almost smell the glory.


COYG

 

[pafcprogs]

So with Rubens late blinder officially putting us into "Cup run" territory, and the Chuck a Match Trophy over for another season, it is back to League duties and a trip to the homely and compact ( Estate agent licence) Dog Kennel Stadium and the grand reunion with the second best Argyle player to be called Bradley anywhere in his name.

With much focus on the frailties of our defence, the loss of Sonny B to formerly unpopular visitors Lootown allows us to compare and contrast with the current incumbents and any aerial collision between Yann and Bradley should probably have its own Richter scale mark. Somewhere between San Andreas Fault and tsunami.

Past rivalries have centred on the few recent occasions where the clubs have competed at the lowest level, most notably the charming Joe Kinnear and his disparaging of Plymouth in the Sturrock years, leading to the equally charming "Die in a minute chants" aimed at him following his heart attack.

In fact the Dog kennel has been a happy hunting ground of late with Argyle having won two and drawn the other of their most recent visits and the opponents being equally obliging home and away as our 33rd or 34th best opponents of all in history ( GOS thanks again!)

So we enter our hundredth ever first team fixture versus the Hatters in slightly more optimistic form and with GC still managing to spread his bookings around competitions to allow him to escape suspension once again. Sadly for all EDL members, and there seem to be a higher than average percentage of them in the Lootown environment, with Tommy Robinson convicted for leading a Lootown mob into battle against that well known Isis enclave of Newport County, convicted racial abuser and serial diver Danny Hylton will be detained at the FA's pleasure serving a three match ban. How bad a cheat is Hylton...well Why come fans think he is too unsporting to even ever play for them....yes it really is that damning!

In fact Lootown have descended from being the punch above their weight fans favourite of the early eighties, with the National Treasure Eric Morecambe having promoted them shamelessly on the Morecambe and Wise Show for many years , to a just missed out of the Premier league club that fell rapidly from grace and out of the league before starting the long climb back.

The redevelopment of the only ground in the country with an an away fan seat pitch less than half of a Ryanair flight seems to be an integral part of the growth strategy of the club. Over the years this has been contentious with the much vaunted M1 Kohler Dome ( c David Kohler, ex chairman who once told me there are only two good days as a Football Club chairman, the day you buy it and the day you sell it...) being stymied by the Labour Government refusing to widen the M1 to accommodate it.... Said Mr Kohler departed after his house was visited with a petrol bomb and matches pushed through his letter box....as I say....quite a descent.

The closest a relocation has got was in fact when the much maligned Millwall Development Crew tried too physically relocate the away end by throwing it at police horses and officers during an F A Cup tie in 1985....

So we travel in hope rather than expectation...Sonny is still hoping for his first goal in Luton colours and historically there is about a 1 in three chance of that goal still being for Argyle given his propensity for Oggies

Now wouldn't that be kismet.


COYG

 

[pafcprogs]

So as disastrous performances go this was up there with Brentford 0-7 and the predictable knee jerks from the anti Adams brigade were not long in coming.

This Saturday sees Simon Hallett, new chairman and owner popping across the Pond to have a quick gander at his investment progress....and perhaps wee chat with his DOF about what might be expected for the rest of the season.....

Still we have already seen what a resolute and stubborn leader can achieve by simply ignoring all the doom laden voices from inside and outside of their circle, and repeating the my way or the highway philosophy. If Theresa May can win against all odds then why not Del Boy. After all we all want strong and stable. The problem being that as of yesterday Strong is no longer in the stable....our chief scout has been dib dib dobbed in....and with a January recruitment never more important what better time....

So with a crucial weekend ahead for Fleetwood....will the PM give up their fishing rights to secure a deal the level headed and calm Joey Barton brings his team of ( compared to Argyles) expensively assembled lower league Goliaths and from the comparative safety of mid table the newly christen ( by me) Trawler Derby ( everything is a Derby these days) takes place.

perhaps the one positive we can take from last week was the continued goal drought of Sonny B and we can , having kept out messers Purrington and Jervis, look to extend the end of the immutable law of the ex by blanking former loanee Gethin Jones.

One negative is the loss of GC10 after a petulant booking , although given todays ref is Charlie Breakspeare missing this game might well be a good plan as heaven knows what our favourite Charlie in the black would do is he was sarcastically applauded.

Since we will be missing a less than magnificent seven ( on current form) selection will be interesting to say the least....with half the midfield injured , but the good news that Ryan Taylor is back in the fold....I wonder if he will be any good at full back?

Fleetwood under Barton have also been assiduous in promoting youth and we might see a few of the ever more apparent dividends of the youth set up at least heading toward the bench. that said Nathan Pond of Fleetwood holds the record for the most number of divisions played for at one club...seven!

Undoubtedly we need a response to the capitulation of last week...as Brexit draws closer , what about Degsxit.....

COYG

 

[spotted monkey]

So with Rubens late blinder officially putting us into "Cup run" territory, and the Chuck a Match Trophy over for another season, it is back to League duties and a trip to the homely and compact ( Estate agent licence) Dog Kennel Stadium and the grand reunion with the second best Argyle player to be called Bradley anywhere in his name.

With much focus on the frailties of our defence, the loss of Sonny B to formerly unpopular visitors Lootown allows us to compare and contrast with the current incumbents and any aerial collision between Yann and Bradley should probably have its own Richter scale mark. Somewhere between San Andreas Fault and tsunami.

Past rivalries have centred on the few recent occasions where the clubs have competed at the lowest level, most notably the charming Joe Kinnear and his disparaging of Plymouth in the Sturrock years, leading to the equally charming "Die in a minute chants" aimed at him following his heart attack.

In fact the Dog kennel has been a happy hunting ground of late with Argyle having won two and drawn the other of their most recent visits and the opponents being equally obliging home and away as our 33rd or 34th best opponents of all in history ( GOS thanks again!)

So we enter our hundredth ever first team fixture versus the Hatters in slightly more optimistic form and with GC still managing to spread his bookings around competitions to allow him to escape suspension once again. Sadly for all EDL members, and there seem to be a higher than average percentage of them in the Lootown environment, with Tommy Robinson convicted for leading a Lootown mob into battle against that well known Isis enclave of Newport County, convicted racial abuser and serial diver Danny Hylton will be detained at the FA's pleasure serving a three match ban. How bad a cheat is Hylton...well Why come fans think he is too unsporting to even ever play for them....yes it really is that damning!

In fact Lootown have descended from being the punch above their weight fans favourite of the early eighties, with the National Treasure Eric Morecambe having promoted them shamelessly on the Morecambe and Wise Show for many years , to a just missed out of the Premier league club that fell rapidly from grace and out of the league before starting the long climb back.

The redevelopment of the only ground in the country with an an away fan seat pitch less than half of a Ryanair flight seems to be an integral part of the growth strategy of the club. Over the years this has been contentious with the much vaunted M1 Kohler Dome ( c David Kohler, ex chairman who once told me there are only two good days as a Football Club chairman, the day you buy it and the day you sell it...) being stymied by the Labour Government refusing to widen the M1 to accommodate it.... Said Mr Kohler departed after his house was visited with a petrol bomb and matches pushed through his letter box....as I say....quite a descent.

The closest a relocation has got was in fact when the much maligned Millwall Development Crew tried too physically relocate the away end by throwing it at police horses and officers during an F A Cup tie in 1985....

So we travel in hope rather than expectation...Sonny is still hoping for his first goal in Luton colours and historically there is about a 1 in three chance of that goal still being for Argyle given his propensity for Oggies

Now wouldn't that be kismet.


COYG

Closest a relocation has got ? You're so far behind the times you'll need a Ryanair flight to bring you back to reality! Google "Luton's new stadium" and have an update on their relocation plans. We all love to hate Hylton yes, but what would we give for someone half as deadly in our front line at the moment?

 

[spotted monkey]

What's happened to pafcprogs? We've not had a "war and peace" style offering from him now for at least a couple of days. Hopefully, when he does write his next book on here, he'll first do some research before referring to another club and this time, with a bit of good fortune and a following wind, get his facts right.

 

[Willis88]

What's happened to pafcprogs? We've not had a "war and peace" style offering from him now for at least a couple of days. Hopefully, when he does write his next book on here, he'll first do some research before referring to another club and this time, with a bit of good fortune and a following wind, get his facts right.

I think if you pay attention there's a post prior to each game. Given that there hasn't been a game since Saturday I'm not amazed their isn't a post. No need for a snide comment.

I for one, like others, enjoy reading his posts, accurate or not they're a good laugh. The next one I doubt will have a Luton reference so you might not be able to confirm whether they're fact or not.

If you don't like it there's always the foe button to mute them...