Pilgrim's Progress

Note:  This latest signing comes from the winnings from Plymouth's pre-season friendly tournament (£1.2 million), which they managed to win.

Limbo for Argyle Loanees?

L-R Azaz, Kesler-Hayden, Cundle and Warrington are in limbo?

The transfer activity at Argyle since Manager Bobby Stones was appointed leaves the question of what is going to happen to the loanees?

Before he left for Hull City, Steve Schumacher had secured the season-long loans of four players.  Kaine Kesler-Hayden (21) a left-back, and Finn Azaz (23) a right midfielder, both from Aston Villa, together with Luke Cundle (21) a midfielder from Wolves and Lewis Warrington (21) a CDM from Everton.  With the incomings secured by Stones, there is a question mark as to how much playing time any of these players will get.  So far, we have seen Kesler-Hayden start and complete most matches, and Azaz feature several times from the bench, but little has been seen of the other two.  Left-back is seen as a problem area for the club and Stones has not brought in any new players at that position, which probably explains Kesler-Hayden’s often-used experience to date.

When asked about their circumstances, Stones said “our loanees will need to fight for their place, just as every other player does.  This is a meritocracy, after all.”

When it was suggested to him that limited playing time might lead to recalls in January, Stones was not fazed.  “If that happens, so be it.  We are here to drive Plymouth forwards and we will do what’s best for the club, long-term. 

“I am certain these players will get game time.  The Championship is very resource-hungry and we will need everyone, but I pick the side that I think will win us the match, and keep everyone fresh and not over-worked.”

It remains to be seen what will happen, and how the big sides thse players are from will react.

Massive win at the Stadium of Light. Well done, especially after the defeat at Rotherham.

I'm curious though - you say the cup win vs Burnley is 'historic'. How?

Meanwhile, Plymouth have agreed to sell central midfielder Matt Butcher to Arouca.  The 26-year-old will move in January for a reported fee of £800,000. 

Surprise leaders to some perhaps. The amount of free agents you brought in, I must admit that your current position isn't surprising to me. Good job winning 10 from 12.

Leicester City’s Stephy Mavididi leads the Championship scoring chart at the end of October, with 12 goals. The ever-present striker, a summer signing following the club’s relegation, is proving a shrewd buy, as last season’s shock relegation sufferers attempt to get back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
The best goal-to-games ratio, however, belongs to Plymouth’s Ryan Hardie, with 9 goals in as many games. The hat-trick against Preston obviously helped and keeps him at the top of Plymouth’s Championship scoring chart. Hardie’s value to the club is further underlined by the fact that he shares first place in the Championship assists table with his team-mate, Luis Chavez and Stoke City’s summer signing Wesley Moraes. In total, Hardie has 14 goal involvements in the Championship, which is impressive from the 9 matches he has played.

Plymouth players dominate the assists table, with no less than 5 players in the top 15, indicating the expansive attacking football they play and underlining how dangerous the side has become going forwards, when so many players create chances.

Argyle Stretch Lead

November was a good month for Plymouth, as they extended their lead at the top of the table.

The month started with a good win in the Carabao Cup over Middlesbrough at the Riverside by 3-1, gaining revenge for the home defeat by the same scoreline earlier in the Championship season.  Erick Sanchez started the Pilgrims on their way with a fine free kick.

A tight victory over Swansea followed, and then a signature away win over Stoke City, despite most of the Mexican contingent being missing, having arrived late back from international duty.

Erick Sanchez repeated his free kick performance in the 31st minute of the win over West Brom, to cement his position as the team’s free kick specialist.

The month was rounded off with a hard match against 10-man Leeds United, which Plymouth were lucky to escape with a draw.

All of which leaves Plymouth on top with 47 points, four ahead of Leicester and six in front of Leeds.

Good job getting the most from these free kick situations. I've scored a few myself, but it's definitely THE area of the game, where I struggle the most to learn what is what. So it always seems quite random, whether they go in or not. And in the other end it just seems to be a safe and sound goal every effing time.

Argyle Hang on to Top Spot

Argyle’s 4 point EFL Championship lead has all but evaporated in a busy December.  It hasn’t helped that they are still involved in the Carabao Cup, although Pilgrim fans were treated to a fine cup Quarter Final match against Brighton and Hove Albion.  Brighton for some reason did not field their full-strength first team for this important match, and Argyle took advantage, running out 4-2 winners.  The margin flattered the hosts, the fourth goal coming in time added on, when the Brighton goalkeeper came up for a corner.  Plymouth cleared and Roberto Alvarado ran the entire length of the pitch to walk the ball into an empty net.   After the match, captain Cesar Huerta revealed an unusual team talk from manager Bobby Stones.  “The manager walked into the dressing room.  He put up the Brighton team sheet and said ‘this is what they think of you.  Decide for yourselves what response you are going to give them’.  He then left the room.  It fired us up, of course.”

Plymouth’s reward for reaching the semi is a double header against Liverpool, starting with the away leg at Anfield.

Argyle otherwise slipped up twice in the league, going down 1-0 to Huddersfield Town in a limp opening performance in December, then losing at home to Birmingham City, after loanee Lewis Warrington was sent off in only the 6th minute.

The ever-relentless Laicester City have therefore closed the gap at the top to a single point, with a top of the table shootout at home to Leicester due in January.

Busy January For Pilgrims

Argyle played 8 matches in January; their busiest month so far and a real challenge for the squad.   The month saw the match-up against second-placed Leicester City, which the Pilgrims lost 3-1 to a Kelechi Iheanacho hat-trick, despite taking an early lead through Samson Tovide.  Coming just before the first Carabao Cup semi against Liverpool, Stones fielded the ‘second string’ against Leicester and probably regretted it in the end, as the Foxes’ victory took them to the top of the table until match results later in the month saw Plymouth regain the lead on goal difference.

Argyle bowed out of the Carabao Cup after two spirited displays against Liverpool saw them lose the tie 2-0 on aggregate.  The team acquitted themselves brilliantly in both matches and Jurgen Klopp congratulated them on how hard they had pushed his team.  “If they get promoted to the Premier League next season, they will be quite strong, on the evidence of these matches,”, he said.  “I’m quite looking forward to seeing how they do the rest of the season, but well done to them.”

Argyle also negotiated two rounds of the FA Cup this month, with seemingly easy victories against lower-league opposition.  The Derby match was notable for a 4-goal haul by young Samson Tovide.  His goalscoring feats took him to the top of the Argyle scoring charts in all competitions – not bad for a cheap stop-gap purchase at the end of the window.  The fifth round will see Argyle play Coventry City, who proved such difficult opponents in the league back in September.

Such a heavy month has been difficult for the whole club and the continued involvement in the FA Cup promises to weigh heavily on the squad in February.  The question is whether the team can keep up the momentum, as they have been wound in by the chasing pack recently.  It would be a shame for other competitions to derail what is now very definitely a promotion push.

FA Cup Quarter Finals Beckon

Argyle negotiated the 5th round of the FA Cup, thrashing Coventry City 6-2.    The Pilgrims got off to a great start with early goals from Alvarado and captain Cesar Huerta, after which they never looked back.  A Quarter-Final against Arsenal at the Emirates is the reward.

Meanwhile, in the league, Plymouth kept up the pressure on leaders Leicester with 10 points from 4 matches, the only blot being the draw against Birmingham City, where neither side looked like scoring.

Another academy promotee stamped his mark on the squad, as 16-year-old Spanish striker Mikel Gomez scored on his full debut against Blackburn Rovers. 

The young lad had come on as a substitute in the West Brom game and impressed enough to get a start against Blackburn.  His close-range finish was a composed effort and was his only chance in the match.

Leicester's Stephy Mavididi continued to lead the Championship scoring table (21 goals), with team-mate Kelechi Iheanacho (15) beginning to close the gap to Kamaldeen Sulemana (17) in second place.  Ryan Hardie on 13 goals from 18 matches lies in sixth place.

A respectable exit vs Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. And a tie with Arsenal in the FA Cup now. Would be considered a respectable exit too, at least if you avoid a thrashing, but I wonder if this would match your board's expectations and you could risk the sack, if you didn't win it.

FA Cup Semi-Finalists!

Argyle navigated the tricky FA Cup tie against Arsenal at the Emirates, emerging as 3-2 winners, courtesy of three breakaway goals.  Luis Chavez opened the scoring as early as the 6th minute to send shockwaves through the Emirates, after which Arsenal failed to really recover, despite overwhelming possession and pressure on the Plymouth goal.  Chants of “Arg…yle” rang round the ground, as the Pilgrims recorded a signature win that sees them face Championship rivals Leicester City in the semi at Wembley.

Elsewhere, there was a mixed set of results in the league that saw Leicester open a gap at the top of the Championship, and Norwich City make up ground on Plymouth in second place.  The lead over Norwich looks comfortable still, but Argyle are dropping more points and a late charge from the Canaries might still derail the Pilgrims’ promotion bid.  The month opened with a draw against Stoke, two points being dropped courtesy of a late equaliser from Callum Wright, who moved to Stoke in the January window – ouch!

Injuries to two of Argyle’s promising youngsters rounded off a mixed month, with Kobbie Mainoo and Dan Gore picking up injuries in consecutive games; Mainoo (broken elbow) sidelined for two months at Milwall and Gore (broken toe; 3 months) in the Watford game.  Both will play no further part in the campaign.

Mainoo Injured at Millwall

No real change at the top of the scoring and assists charts, with Samson Tovide continuing to impress, now on 17 goals from 19 Championship matches.  The step up from League 2 really doesn't seem a problem for him.

Great job beating Arsenal to get into the semi final. Two championship sides there, that's something! Battling Leicester for the league win, and now for an FA Cup final too. Maybe a new rivalry forming there?

Speaking of stories in the story, I like the Stoke goal against you being scored by a former player. Maybe a few fans will also start to question the 'Mexican approach' forcing homegrown players out of the club. Especially if these players move on to do well in their new clubs, for instance by scoring against you, trying to prove the gaffer wrong. Obviously it takes more than that to threaten a manager on the verge of promotion, but it could be questioned more, if results go down or more HG players leave...

FA Cup Final Awaits!

Plymouth Argyle will contest the FA Cup final for the first time in their history, after cementing their place with a 4-2 victory over Leicester City.  It was a tense match throughout, with the veteran Jamie Vardy pulling Leicester back to level terms after an opening blitz by Argyle.  The Pilgrims sneaked ahead with a goal from captain Cesar Huerta and Samson Tovide added a further goal in stoppage time, to lend the result a deal of comfort that simply was not the case throughout the match.  They will face Manchester City in the final; a club looking to win it for the second season in succession.

In the league, it was a fraught month as they lost to Norwich 3-2 at Carrow Road, as the Canaries looked to steal the second automatic promotion slot.  That win took Norwich to within 5 points of Argyle, only for them to lose their next match whilst Argyle won.  A  defeat to Hull City at the end of the month could have been a problem, but Norwich only drew against Preston to leave them six points behind with two to play.  Leicester City clinched promotion in Championship round 42 and Plymouth will join them unless they lose both remaining matches, Norwich win both and there is a massive turnaround in goal difference.

Samson Tovide continues to fire Plymouth to the top tier, another five goals this month, including four in the league that moves him to second place in the Championship scoring chart.  He has now averaged a goal a game in his 21 matrches in the Championship this season; a scoring rate fer better than any other in that division.

Luis Chavez leads Plymouth's Championship assist table, with 10 from his 19 matches - an impressive rate of around an assist for every two matches.  Leicester's Mavididi leads the assists table as well as the scoring chart, but from a position of having played every game.  He is clearly going to be one to watch in the Premier League next season.