What has happened to last season's momentum??

[gariboldi]

The momentum that had us get a mention on goal rush every week as the team that had risen from the dead like a team possessed, the momentum that had us knock over Blackburn, their only defeat for 30 odd games in the run in, with consummate ease, the momentum that had us beat Shrewsbury away when top, the Southend manager saying after a 4-0 super show, we were the best team they've played for a very long time. The momentum that got us overtaking teams like, ironically, Pompey who were 12-15 points ahead at one stage. That is the momentum I am talking about. Short memories....momentum lost.

 

[memory man]

Maybe Craig Brewster had more of an influence than I realised. Didn't he leave close the end of the season? He was with us for the upturn at xmas, and left shortly before out rocky finish. Just a thought

I am sure Craig Brewster left either just before or just after Christmas 2017. Indeed, I think that due to his hip operation he had not been on the training ground for a good while. The good run we went on after the abject capitulation at Pompey last December (nothing new there then) started when he was not on the scene. As I recall his contract was to expire at the end of the season but DA suggested he not return and put all his effort into finding something else. I do not know what happens behind the scenes but I would have thought Adams could have done with another Brewster type figure, by that I mean an experienced "outsider" who has worked more of his life away from Home Park than he has at Home Park. As you say - just a thought.

 

[Monster Green]

Maybe Craig Brewster had more of an influence than I realised. Didn't he leave close the end of the season? He was with us for the upturn at xmas, and left shortly before out rocky finish. Just a thought

I am sure Craig Brewster left either just before or just after Christmas 2017. Indeed, I think that due to his hip operation he had not been on the training ground for a good while. The good run we went on after the abject capitulation at Pompey last December (nothing new there then) started when he was not on the scene. As I recall his contract was to expire at the end of the season but DA suggested he not return and put all his effort into finding something else. I do not know what happens behind the scenes but I would have thought Adams could have done with another Brewster type figure, by that I mean an experienced "outsider" who has worked more of his life away from Home Park than he has at Home Park. As you say - just a thought.

Thanks for that Memory Man, good memory!

 

[Tugboat]

Maybe opposition managers are more savvy to our methods in a 4-3-3. If we stay completely faithful to a formation then over time we get round out. The obvious threat is to tightly mark both flair players to stop them getting on the ball. Now it looks like completely nullifying our CM to stop the team getting on the ball.

By doing that Carey and Ruben have to come deep to help with either defending or trying to gain possession. The moment we do have the ball it goes long up the pitch to Taylor who has no outlets for players picking up second balls.

4-3-3 is past. We need to build again and with the weaknesses we have of pace centrally I can only see our attacking outlets coming from wide areas so 3-5-1-1 with our fullbacks playing as wingbacks pushing up the flanks has Carey playing in the hole with Ness, O’Keefe and Sarcevic CM.

 

[Monster Green]

So it's down to tactics then. When DA ripped the squad to pieces in the summer perhaps he should have second guessed other manager's would be savvy to his style, and countered it. Instead he is blaming the players, dropping players and pretending he's doing a marvelous job.

 

[Frank Butcher]

As others have said momentum was lost way before the end of the season - mainly due to a paper thin squad and the loss of key players through injury.

There is no doubt that Adams rates Ladapo very highly from his remarks on signing and during the early part of the season. Having seen him - only twice I'd admit - his attributes seem quite different from Taylor's. He's certainly feisty, likes to run with the ball, is OK in the air and also OK with back to goal. He also seems impulsive in front of goal with numerous spurned chances. But, based on this limited evidence, I just don't (yet) see how he is an upgrade on Taylor.

I also think Taylor's style of bringing others in to the game suits Argyle and is exactly what we need right now to get more command of the ball. And while not a big goalscorer, he certainly seems to have more composure.

So I hope Ladapo proves a success - indeed his signing does mean we have much better depth up front. But for me it's a no-brainer - if Taylor is fit, he should play.

 

[999mattyg]

So it's down to tactics then. When DA ripped the squad to pieces in the summer perhaps he should have second guessed other manager's would be savvy to his style, and countered it. Instead he is blaming the players, dropping players and pretending he's doing a marvelous job.

If you look at the, rather insightful, 'tactical analysis' video DA's tactical awareness is not in question. It is individual errors and poor positioning (possibly down to lack of understanding) that are costing us. A lack of pace is a problem but only because 'pacey' players can recover poor positioning and this is clearly not an option. So IMO the players need to eradicate individual errors and develop better understanding with each other. This is the major problem when you're forced to bring half a squad!

 

[Dalton Is God]

So it's down to tactics then. When DA ripped the squad to pieces in the summer perhaps he should have second guessed other manager's would be savvy to his style, and countered it. Instead he is blaming the players, dropping players and pretending he's doing a marvelous job.

If you look at the, rather insightful, 'tactical analysis' video DA's tactical awareness is not in question. It is individual errors and poor positioning (possibly down to lack of understanding) that are costing us. A lack of pace is a problem but only because 'pacey' players can recover poor positioning and this is clearly not an option. So IMO the players need to eradicate individual errors and develop better understanding with each other. This is the major problem when you're forced to bring half a squad!

Agree.

Maybe it's the quality of coaching we need to look at. Or perhaps the players he's brought in aren't as intelligent as previous incumbents so are taking longer to gain an understanding of each other. However you'd think they would have gelled by now as most of them were together over pre-season - but Adams keeps changing his team, especially the defence, so they can't settle.

He also can't keep producing miracles on mid table/bottom half budget so realistically even though we see ourselves as a bigger fish in this division historically, we'll be doing "ok" if we have dragged ourselves out of the bottom four to mid table safety.

 

[gariboldi]

Dalton is God. I agree with that!!! Best player I have seen for Argyle. Genius.

 

[gariboldi]

Dalton is God. I agree with that!!! Best player I have seen for Argyle. Genius.

 

[Cobi Budge]

We didn't end last season with any 'momentum', it petered out 7-10 games before the end, it hasn't suddenly disappeared this season.

 

[davie nine]

We didn't end last season with any 'momentum', it petered out 7-10 games before the end, it hasn't suddenly disappeared this season.

I think we are all concerned about our current form, particularly, lack of pace, but looking at your recent posts, Cobi, you really are in panic mode.

 

[Cobi Budge]

We didn't end last season with any 'momentum', it petered out 7-10 games before the end, it hasn't suddenly disappeared this season.

I think we are all concerned about our current form, particularly, lack of pace, but looking at your recent posts, Cobi, you really are in panic mode.

We're bottom of the League, we're even worse than we were at this stage last season, we've won 1 game in 14, and even the majority of the usually upbeat fans seem to just be hoping and praying for another very unlikely, miraculous turnaround. I wouldn't say I'm in panic mode at all to be honest, just accepting a very grim reality.

 

[djg145]

We didn't end last season with any 'momentum', it petered out 7-10 games before the end, it hasn't suddenly disappeared this season.

I think we are all concerned about our current form, particularly, lack of pace, but looking at your recent posts, Cobi, you really are in panic mode.

We're bottom of the League, we're even worse than we were at this stage last season, we've won 1 game in 14, and even the majority of the usually upbeat fans seem to just be hoping and praying for another very unlikely, miraculous turnaround. I wouldn't say I'm in panic mode at all to be honest, just accepting a very grim reality.

2017 - 2018 Played 8 Won 1 Drawn 2 Lost 5 For 6 Against 13 Pts 5
2018 - 2019 Played 8 Won 0 Drawn 3 Lost 5 For 4 Against 14 Pts 3

End of last season and the start of this one, we have won ONE game in the last 14 League matches, thats 8 points from a possible 42 pts.

 

[RochdaleGreen]

We didn't end last season with any 'momentum', it petered out 7-10 games before the end, it hasn't suddenly disappeared this season.

I think we are all concerned about our current form, particularly, lack of pace, but looking at your recent posts, Cobi, you really are in panic mode.

We're bottom of the League, we're even worse than we were at this stage last season, we've won 1 game in 14, and even the majority of the usually upbeat fans seem to just be hoping and praying for another very unlikely, miraculous turnaround. I wouldn't say I'm in panic mode at all to be honest, just accepting a very grim reality.

2017 - 2018 Played 8 Won 1 Drawn 2 Lost 5 For 6 Against 13 Pts 5
2018 - 2019 Played 8 Won 0 Drawn 3 Lost 5 For 4 Against 14 Pts 3

End of last season and the start of this one, we have won ONE game in the last 14 League matches, thats 8 points from a possible 42 pts.

Jeez we are in deep do do. Just to clarify though are we talking of 8 points from last 16 league games , or last 14 league games?