Pilgrim's Progress

Plymouth, the new sensation in the English Premier League #LMAO - good on you, mate!

A Shock Offer, then Progress in the Cup

March opened with an astonishing development, as Argyle manager Bobby Stones was approached by Manchester City.  Could this be the beginning of the end for Pep Guardiola’s reign?  Pilgrim fans didn’t need to worry, though, as Stones turned down the offer; “flattering though it is, I’ve started something here and I want to see it through.”  Said the manager.

Apart from that, March was notable mainly for Plymouth making it to the FA Cup semi final.  The start of the month saw an easy home 5-0 cup win against Wolves, including a fine volleyed effort from Luis Chavez.

Chavez Volleys Home

The end of the month saw a 2-0 win against 10-man Spurs in the Quarter-final.  Heung-Min Son got himself sent off for two yellow card offences, albeit that Argyle had effectively already won the match by then.

Son sent off.

In between, Plymouth beat two South Coast sides, the victory against Brighton in particular being a close-fought affair which saw Brighton dominate with an incredible 18 shots to Plymouth’s 6.

All of which leaves Argyle 3 points clear at the top, having played a match less than Chelsea.

Another Final Beckons

Argyle will contest the FA Cup final for the second year in succession.  A pulsating 5-2 semi-final victory against an aggressive Leeds United teed the Pilgrims up for what will be a fourth meeting with Aston Villa this season.  Man of the match was captain Cesar Huerta who scored two and made two of the other goals. 

Can the Pilgrims finally beat Villa and lift the trophy?

A busy month saw the Pilgrims play six premier league matches, winning three, drawing one and losing two.  Argyle managed a 1-0 away win at Anfield, in a hard-fought match settled in the half-time stoppage period by young right-winger Yago Carillo for his first senior goal.  Defeats came from Aston Villa, who recorded their third victory over the Pilgrims this season, and a surprise beating by bottom of the table Luton Town.

Samson Tovide celebrated his return from injury with a goal against Nottingham Forest but couldn’t otherwise find the net.

Argyle’s lead at the top is three points, going into the final month.  Arsenal and Manchester City are the two main challengers.  Can Argyle hold on as the pressure mounts?

In player news, Jarrod Branthwaite will be out for 3 months after suffering a toe injury against Luton, whilst Valentin Galeano missed a couple of matches after a knock in the same match, as Luton’s robust approach threw the Pilgrims off balance.

The summer squad reshape started, with Argyle agreeing to sell Facundo Buonanotte to Rayo Vallecano for £10.5 million, which is a good return on the £2 million they spent buying him in the summer of 2023.  The arrival of Adam Hlozek, coupled with the  development of Battaglia, Devaux and Rodrigues is limiting Buonanotte’s opportunities and the move is felt to be better for the player.

Luis Chavez tops the assist chart, with 11 assists from 16 games, underlining his value to the team.

Classic FIFA, that Brighton win, haha. 6 shots against 18, securing a 3-2 win. Love it.

You're still on top, but can't seem to make that gap to your followers, only three points ahead. Losing to Luton Town might be one of the reasons why. But it does keep the tension intact, at least for now. It seems to be one of these Leicester-seasons, with none of the top teams performing as they should. Number 2 Arsenal with 66 points after 33 games? Win the rest and they'll end with 81 points, that's low for a Premier League winner these days. Feels a bit like Leicester to me.

History Made by Pilgrims

Plymouth Argyle is the newest name on the Premier League trophy, as the Pilgrims held off challenges from Manchester City and Arsenal to lift the famous trophy in their first-ever campaign in the top flight.

In the process, they broke and equalled some records.  They are the first team to win the Premier League in its current format, the first year after being promoted.  They are also the first to win the top division trophy in the year following promotion since Nottingham Forest did that in 1978.  Their points score of 82 was the lowest since Leicester City's 81 in 2015-16.

They held top spot in the division for almost the entire season, Manchester City briefly leading the table on 17 May before Plymouth’s 2-1 victory over Everton put them back on top.

The title decider was considered to be the very next match, against Manchester City, where the Pilgrims defended for their lives at the Etihad and made the most of their meagre possession by running out 5-2 winners. 

The scoreline was made all the more emphatic due to Lorenzo Battaglia’s goal from the half-way line, after Ederson had come up for a corner that Argyle cleared and Battaglia completed his hat-trick with a shot into the empty City net. 

The season was rounded off with a 4-3 away victory at fellow promotees Leicester City, where both sides featured hat-tricks.  Callum Wilson, in particular, scored two penalties for Leicester.  Lucien Devaux scored Argyle’s hat-trick; his last goal an overhead kick. 

The game was also notable for a debut goal from the latest academy promotee Laurenco Monteiro.

So, the Pilgrims and their fans got to celebrate a famous achievement in their history and could look forward to another Wembley date to contest the FA Cup.

5 goals from 7 shots at Etihad. Crazy ruthlessness there. Hattricks in successive games, at both City and Leicester. Your goalscoring form is second none, with 87 goals scored. Arsenal and Liverpool next with 72. What a gap.

Interesting to see how your approach will be with Champions League football just around the corner. And which group you'll find yourself in.

I think it's accurate for the champions from the big 5 leagues. But I'm not sure, and I'm also not sure how they fill put the last three in pot 1. Perhaps you'll learn something, when you start up the new season? It will be interesting to find out.

On another note, I'm also very curious about how they'll adapt to the new format next summer. But I suppose that's gonna be a worry for another day.

FA Cup Final

Aston Villa have won this season’s FA Cup, beating Premier League Champions Plymouth Argyle 3-2 after extra time.  It was a pulsating match, full of incident and excitement, as the two sides put on an excellent show for the season’s curtain call.  Villa won it in extra time with a fine goal from Diogo Jota, after excelllent work down the left from captain John McGinn led to a cross that Jota converted with confidence.  Adam Hlozek put the champions ahead after only 5 minutes, but Villa took charge with two goals, before Freddie Issaka, on as substitute for the diappointing Lorenzo Battaglia, forced extra time with a goal in the 78th minute.

Villa last won the FA Cup in 1957, when they beat Manchester United 2-1, and this is their eigth time as winners.

“I am proud to bring this historic trophy back to Aston Villa,” said manager Unai Emery.  “It’s been too long – almost 70 years – and I hope it won’t be another 70 before we win it again”.

McGinn echoed the sentiment.  “It’s great for us players to have finally ended the long wait for this cup,” he said.  “We did it for the fans, who have been amazing.”

The match marked the fourth time this season that Argyle have lost to Villa, losing both league matches and also being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by the Villans.  “We can’t seem to get the better of them,” said manager Bobby Stones.  “It’s something we need to address next season, but fair play to them; I think it’s brilliant that such a historic club is back amongst the trophies.”  Asked if he was disappointed at missing out on a double, Stones said "Not really disappointed, no.  It's been a historic season for us anyway and it's good for the game that the trophies are shared around."

So ends the season; unusual in recent times as the two major trophies have not been scooped by one of the ‘big six’.  Long may it continue.

Chavez Leaves Argyle

In a shock move, Luis Chavez has left Plymouth Argyle after a contract dispute.  It is believed that his agent wanted a significant wage hike off the back of Chavez finishing last season as the top assist provider for the club and in the Premier League.  Although the club won’t confirm the details, it is believed that Chavez would have shattered the club’s wage structure and this was not acceptable.

Chavez was ultimately used as a bargaining chip with Brentford for the signature of Rayan Cherki, the promising young CAM that apparently Manager Bobby Stones had been scouting for some time.  Rayan will slot straight into Chavez’s position as CAM in the ‘first team’, such as it is in Stones’ thinking.

Argyle raise £19 million in sales.

The Pilgrims have sold 4 players in this window, as we enter August.  They join Luis Chavez in leaving the club.  Notable was the already-known departure of Facundo Buonanotte to Rayo Vallecano for the largest amount of money, but a tidy profit was also made on the sale of Samson Tovide (£2.5 million) who cost the club £350,000 just two years ago.  This may not be the end of the departures, according to sources at the club.

New Arrivals at Argyle

Plymouth have ‘broadly completed’ their summer purchases, according to manager Bobby Stones.

The eye-catching moves were the previously-reported swap of Rayan Cherki and Luis Chavez and the arrival of Argentine CAM Facundo Farias from Inter Miami.  When questioned about Farias’ transfer after the high-profile signing of Cherki, who is also a CAM, Stones said “Facundo won’t play as a CAM.  I see him more as a striker.”  That raises the question of the status of players like Hlozek, Issaka, Battaglia and Devaux, not to mention the academy promotees like Rodrigues, Gomez and Monteiro, but Stones said that there are plenty of matches to go round this season.  It is also possible that some of the ‘kids’ might go out on loan.

Editor’s note: Farias was bought (and the goalkeeper Valencia) primarily to meet the objective of signing two players born in South America.  Farias was also signed as a crucial player, which is one towards the objective of signing two of them this season.

Academy Players make the Grade

Four players have so far signed first-team contracts this season, and we eagerly await the chance to see them in action.  Victor Alves in particular is a special talent and we hope to see him soon on the pitch; much like Hugo Rodrigues made a big impact in the latter half of last season.

Stones Ready for the Challenge

Manager Bobby Stones has said the the club is ‘excited and ready’ for the challenges that will come this season.

Plymouth start as Premier League champions, which obviously makes them a target for every other club, and have the challenge of a first-ever European campaign, as they enter the Champions’ League, but Stones is adamant that the club can cope.

“We’ve made some good signings.  Our young squad is already strong, as we proved last season, and they are all now more experienced.”

Asked whether the departure of the experienced Luis Chavez, the oldest player at the club, will impact performance, Stones had this to say. “Luis was fantastic for us, of course he was.  However, all things come to an end and, whilst it wasn’t the best of departures, I am confident we have the leaders we need in the dressing room.  Don’t forget that he wasn’t our captain.  Cesar [captain Cesar Huerta] is still here and so are Erick [Sanchez] and Kevin [Alvarez], who are all experienced leaders.

“We had a good pre-season, up against some big names like Dortmund and Juventus and playing them has taught us so much already.

“We can’t wait for the season to start, which shows you the mentality in the camp.”

It seems that Argyle fans are lining up for a memorable season.

Welcome back to Facundo Farías, who is steadily becoming a cult player here, haha. I had my troubles with him in FIFA23, I remember, after you'd signed him a couple of times. Did he play for Newcastle in my save? I think he did. I know you signed him to complete an objective, but I still anticipate him becoming a standout player for you. Rayan Cherki the same, he's also one you've used before, if I'm not mistaken. Another "potential to be special" talent there. You're certainly staying true to the latin approach...

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@CO88LER5 wrote:
It was quite interesting in the transfer window, as I set a number of youngsters to be available for loan, but all the offers I got were "loan to buy", which I'm really not interested in. After the first 3 or 4 negotiations where I tried to turn them into straight loans with no buy option, with no success, I just gave up and rejected any other offers.
I don't know if this is a trait in this version of the game, or just coincidence...

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I know this one! It IS a bug in the game. You can't negotiate a 'loan to buy' offer into a regular loan - the deal will always be rejected, to the best of my knowledge (it's been some time since I tried).

But there is an easy workaround. DELEGATE your response! It takes a couple of days, but your assistant will return with an accepted loan offer 99 of 100 times, I think. If not a full 100%. The deal can still fall through later on though, but most of them don't.

I use this method myself and have plenty of youth players out on loan, keeping their developments intact and my squad as small as I prefer. It's been an issue for quite some time, I'm certain it was the same in FIFA23 as well.

Plymouth Win Community Shield

Plymouth Argyle won the season charity opener, beating Aston Villa 4-0 at Wembley Stadium and, in the process, laying to rest what had become a bogey side for them.  Last season, Argyle played Villa four times and lost every one – twice in the league, in the Carabao Cup quarter final and in the FA Cup final.

“It’s good to finally beat what had become a bit of a bogey for us,” said manager Bobby Stones.  “We know it’s a friendly, but there was a piece of silverware at stake, so at least we’ve won something this season!”

Farias Scores on Debut

The game was also notable for a brace from Facundo Farias, who was playing his first match since signing at the very end of July.  “It’s a perfect start,” said the manager.  “I expect great things of him.  He’s going to be very important for us.”

Angulo Out for 3 Months

Senior centre back Jesus Angulo has broken his toe and will be out for 3 months, in a blow to the club.  Angulo is the most experienced centre-back at the club and his leadership at the back is likely to be keenly felt.  “The other players will just have to step in,” manager Bobby Stones said.

Good Start for Argyle

Plymouth Argyle are third in the table at the end of August, after two wins and a draw.  The draw was on the opening day against Newcastle; an eventful match that saw ex-West Ham goalkeeper Ignacio Valencia save a penalty in only the 3rd minute on his debut for the Pilgrims, and Facundo Farias sent off for a ‘centre-forward’s tackle’ in the 88th minute.  The club felt lucky to come away with a point.

A straightforward home win against a powder-puff Manchester United followed, which saw Rayan Cherki run the show, score two and assist another.  United had most posession but only two shots.

A hard-fought win at Palace rounded the month.  This match saw Yago Carillo break a toe, meaning he joins Angulo in the treatment room for the next three months.

Haha, from hero to zero. Farías scoring a brace in his debut, then getting sent off in game number two.

Champions League Debut Thrills

Historic Walk Out at Home Park

Plymouth Argyle played their very first Champions League tie at their own ground, and it turned out to be a thriller.  The home side raced into a 3-0 lead, through a brace from Rayan Cherki and a third from Adam Hlozek, by which point the Pilgrims looked to be coasting.  Cherki had the honour of becoming the first ever Champions League goalscorer for Argyle.

Cherki Makes History

They didn’t account for Sevilla’s experience at this level, though, as a second-half fightback saw the Spanish side run out 4-3 winners.  “It’s a good lesson for us at this level,” said manager Bobby Stones.  “There are gears to move up to that we previously didn’t know about.”

Otherwise, Argyle moved top of the table on goal difference, with comfortable wins over Spurs and Leicester City, and a tougher match against Brentford.  The home side struggled to break down a stubborn Brentford side that mysteriously left ex-Argyle Luis Chavez on the bench.  Kobbie Mainoo finally broke the defence on the cusp of half-time, as Stones subbed his two strikers at the break.  That did the trick, as the two subs – Gomez and Rodrigues – both found the net in the second half.  Argyle rounded the month off with a huge Carabao Cup win against a strange Chelsea side, who simply gave up at 3-0. 

Argyle therefore lead Arsenal in the Premier League on goal difference, with Liverpool and Chelsea close behind.

None of the Plymouth players feature in the golden boot currently, as Stones has been rotating because of the busy schedule.

Rayan Cherki tops the Argyle scoring chart, his excellent start making him a firm favourite with the fans, so soon after joining.  He shares top spot with Adam Hlozek, in terms of goal involvements, with seven each.

In late news, Dan Gore completed a deadline day switch to Swansea City for £1.3 million.  He leaves with the club's best wishes.

Whoa, 3-0 up vs Sevilla, then conceding 4 to lose the game. Awful. The manager takes it lightly, I guess. At least in public... What are the other clubs in the group? Don't know if I missed that?

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@CO88LER5 wrote:
The other two teams are PSG and Sparta Prague.

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We have Sparta in common then, as the Prügelknabe in my group, and I expect them to be in yours as well. My guess would be PSG as group winners with you and Sevilla fighting for 2nd place. Not the worst draw, but starting with a defeat against them isn't ideal, obviously.

Farias on Fire

Facundo Farias scored two hat-tricks this month, underlining just why manager Bobby Stones pursued him in the summer.

His first hat-trick secured the 4-3 win against a surprisingly aggressive and resilient Fulham at Craven Cottage, completing the feat in the 81st minute with the match-winner. 17-year-old signing from Manchester United, Daniel Ashton, scored the other.

Not satisfied with that, Farias then hammered a hat-trick in the 4-1 rout of an out-of-sorts Liverpool, during which Liverpool manager Kurgen Klopp seemed somewhat lost on the touchline.

Plymouth scored 9 points from 3 Premier League matches in October, the other being a 2-0 victory against Bournemouth, to top the table at the end of the month, still on goal difference, with Arsenal matching Argyle’s results.

Farias’ scoring spree catapults him into joint top of the Premier League golden boot chase, alongside Erling Haaland on 7, although Farias trumps the Norwegian on goals-to-games ratio.

Other than that, Plymouth won convincingly in their first-ever Champions League away match in Prague, Adam Hlozek scoring a hat-trick, making it three in total across all competitions for Argyle in this calendar month.