Thank you Exeter City

[Bernie Bernbaum]

I might thank them when they have their customary second half of the season meltdown, letting us in for one of the automatic promotion places. Not thanking them for anything else, unless we ever poach a good player from them.

It pains me to say it, but I don’t think they will have a second half collapse. Winning when you play badly is the sign of a team that will come out on top.

At risk of being called an Exeter supporter again I've being saying this for awhile. They may well melt down before the end of the season but I haven't seen any signs yet unfortunately.

 

[AlanMS]

I see no sign of either Swindon or that lot down the road faltering, so I think we will be competing for the third promotion spot and therefor need to improve the goal difference. With our "new" strikers that does look like it can happen.

I believe this is the best Argyle team I have seen in years -well since the days of Rafferty and Mariner - I just look forward every week to watching my team.

 

[IJN]

Shilton’s team was the best I’ve ever seen.

This one is exciting me as much as that one did.

 

[davie nine]

I see no sign of either Swindon or that lot down the road faltering, so I think we will be competing for the third promotion spot and therefor need to improve the goal difference. With our "new" strikers that does look like it can happen.

I believe this is the best Argyle team I have seen in years -well since the days of Rafferty and Mariner - I just look forward every week to watching my team.

Bear in mind that, if we won our game in hand over Exeter and beat them at Home Park, we would have the same number of points and, currently, we have a marginally better goal difference.
We do need to maintain our current form and we will have a very good chance of automatic promotion.

 

[Swaz]

I would also say that sometimes a team needs a bit of thumping as a wake up call and get them going. A bit like the Southampton 0 v 9 Leicester score earlier in the season which, since then, there results have improved including yesterdays Leicester 1 v 2 Southampton. Let's hope we will do the same at home v Exeter in March

 

[Willis88]

Got to remember they're only 6 points ahead of us, not counting our chickens but I would expect us to win the GiH we have.

Their visit to HP will be the measure, if we win that we'll effectively be on level pegging (again no chickens being counted) then it'll be a straight race to the finish line.

 

[Voice of Reason]

Mute point - to say we have been good since Exeter would I assume mean you didn't attend Cambridge.
Let's be under no illusion Northampton, Exeter and Cambridge were all terrible. Not just the result but all three were short of effort, desire and application.
I'm hoping whatever the reasons for were, we've addressed them and overcome them.
There will be defeats and bumps in the road, but the way we are playing right now you have to think we will be very close at the end of the season.

 

[Army green]

Couldn’t really make much sense of the OP and can’t be arsed to read it again but what I will say is Exeter have only lost 4 games, I can’t see them having to much of a turn around in form. They will be challenging for top 3 come May. Having said that we really are playing well at the moment, it’s really great to watch at times, especially for this level. I think we will finish above them. I hope so anyway.

 

[Tugboat]

I’m longing for that bubble up burst.

L2 is where they belong

 

[davie nine]

I don’t care too much if they go up as long as we finish above them.
The local competition is a challenge and, in fairness, they have been thereabouts for a couple of seasons.

 

[Dazzy3000]

As a fan of argyle of almost 20 years, I still thank those excretians or whatever the hell they're called (I don't really care) every time they do it because they've done it again. I don't need to spout out statistics at you lot, but I'm delighted that our form has dramatically improved .....and only since it's been proven to do so since them beating us. I was definitely not convinced by Ryan Lowes' motivation, beforehand as he proved he had none which is understandable , and no pointless unproven optimism of our style of play or stupid mindless feeling of improvement in time appeased me whatsoever, like some easily pleased fans.

I certainly know you don't need watch argyle that often or be a clever dick to work out that looking at argyles results at the start of the season compared to where the manager was with his bury team least season, showed what I stick by of what I've said in previous posts about his and our lack of motivation and drastic need for change of manager at the end of the season with out this improvement, because you sneaky fans like to always pull up previous posts, or go on about being an armchair fan, or the same cliches about time, but that's all rubbish ofcourse.

And then there's those fans who hate to notice exeter and say focus on us.... failing to recognise that without that 4-0 loss, and Ryan loses humiliation, we wouldn't be chasing our target and that's to get to 2nd or even first place leapfrogging those annoying neighbours and getting promoted. So thank you Exeter and now I can say thank you Ryan Lowe. We missed you, now keep it up. Because of that motivation we're now focused and playing absolutely brilliantly all round, so well done lads.

What are you even talking about?

 

[Top6utd]

Is he saying Ryan Lowe lacked motivation at the beginning of the season? I can’t really make sense of that very long bit in the middle. Ryan Lowe brought huge optimism to this club and when it didn’t immediately bear fruit, there were the usual moaners who are by and large being quiet for the time being.

He has been a breath of fresh air from day one and despite being very much an attack minded manager, he and his staff have sorted out the diabolical defence which he inherited. He’s now working on the strikers and early signs are really good. Jephcott and Hardie could be our own Doyle and Yates, who knows. It’s early days but all Argyle fans have every reason to be optimistic.

Fair perspective Devongreenowl. And yes at the same time that is what I was saying. We had three recent league wins prior to that game, against Carlisle, Leyton Orient and Mansfield. And prior to those, we lost to teams like Cheltenham, Northampton, Newport, drawing against Swindon and then lost to Exeter. Since then we've beaten teams like Forest Green Rovers and Cheltenham away and Bradford home, despite losing to Swindon. And we've won 5 of the last six league games, which we never did before now this season (3 league wins in 5 at start of the season and again before Exeter loss was closest). So it would be hard to say that wasn't the turning point, based on what actually happened...but hey, different perspectives on facts, I suppose.

 

[saxman]

Is he saying Ryan Lowe lacked motivation at the beginning of the season? I can’t really make sense of that very long bit in the middle. Ryan Lowe brought huge optimism to this club and when it didn’t immediately bear fruit, there were the usual moaners who are by and large being quiet for the time being.

He has been a breath of fresh air from day one and despite being very much an attack minded manager, he and his staff have sorted out the diabolical defence which he inherited. He’s now working on the strikers and early signs are really good. Jephcott and Hardie could be our own Doyle and Yates, who knows. It’s early days but all Argyle fans have every reason to be optimistic.

That has been very impressive. Considering what Lowe was left with in terms of players, and the good quality of the incomers and the completely new style of play, the whole thing is incredible. There have been some poor performances, but that's hardly surprising considering how long the team has been together. I think promotion would have been very likely regardless of the Exeter shambles as the team develops. Deffo the best football played by an Argyle side for many years.

 

[Top6utd]

Is he saying Ryan Lowe lacked motivation at the beginning of the season? I can’t really make sense of that very long bit in the middle. Ryan Lowe brought huge optimism to this club and when it didn’t immediately bear fruit, there were the usual moaners who are by and large being quiet for the time being.

He has been a breath of fresh air from day one and despite being very much an attack minded manager, he and his staff have sorted out the diabolical defence which he inherited. He’s now working on the strikers and early signs are really good. Jephcott and Hardie could be our own Doyle and Yates, who knows. It’s early days but all Argyle fans have every reason to be optimistic.

That has been very impressive. Considering what Lowe was left with in terms of players, and the good quality of the incomers and the completely new style of play, the whole thing is incredible. There have been some poor performances, but that's hardly surprising considering how long the team has been together. I think promotion would have been very likely regardless of the Exeter shambles as the team develops. Deffo the best football played by an Argyle side for many years.

I remember only one fan on here saying they were enjoying the football so much at that point of the season, even after the Exeter loss, but even I would be shocked if someone tells me here they thought we were 'playing the best football for years' after we lost to them, so yes that seems to be the turning point. Would make sense too....... I hate Exeter city. But I'll acknowledge it nonetheless.

 

[davie nine]

Is he saying Ryan Lowe lacked motivation at the beginning of the season? I can’t really make sense of that very long bit in the middle. Ryan Lowe brought huge optimism to this club and when it didn’t immediately bear fruit, there were the usual moaners who are by and large being quiet for the time being.

He has been a breath of fresh air from day one and despite being very much an attack minded manager, he and his staff have sorted out the diabolical defence which he inherited. He’s now working on the strikers and early signs are really good. Jephcott and Hardie could be our own Doyle and Yates, who knows. It’s early days but all Argyle fans have every reason to be optimistic.

Fair perspective Devongreenowl. And yes at the same time that is what I was saying. We had three recent league wins prior to that game, against Carlisle, Leyton Orient and Mansfield. And prior to those, we lost to teams like Cheltenham, Northampton, Newport, drawing against Swindon and then lost to Exeter. Since then we've beaten teams like Forest Green Rovers and Cheltenham away and Bradford home, despite losing to Swindon. And we've won 5 of the last six league games, which we never did before now this season (3 league wins in 5 at start of the season and again before Exeter loss was closest). So it would be hard to say that wasn't the turning point, based on what actually happened...but hey, different perspectives on facts, I suppose.

This post was much easier to understand than your opening post, Top6utd. Read it yourself and tell us what you were trying to say.
You seemed to be implying that, early in the season, Ryan Lowe was not motivated. If that was your opinion, you were very wrong. I believe that most of us realised that he was struggling to instil the same motivation into his players as he and Shuey have shown from day 1.
We now appear to be reaping the benefits and, if the addition of Bakinson and, probably, Hardie are examples of his motivation to strengthen the squad, it will prove that you should have been a bit more tolerant early in the season.