Pilgrim's Progress

Defeat in the FA Cup

Plymouth’s attempt at a clean sweep of trophies was denied by a West Ham team that have proved difficult opponents for Argyle in the past.

West Ham won 1-0 in the FA Cup final, as the Hammers mounted an aggressive assault, countered by some strong tackling by the Argyle players.  Neither side was able to slot home, with a number of frustrating attempts by both sides.   However, the Hammers finally scored in the 78th minute with a Jarrod Bowen effort, after which Argyle were simply unable to get another shot on goal, and the Cup went to East London for the first time since 1980. 

Manager Robert Stones was philosophical after the match.  "We tried our best but it was a match too far.  These things happen"  In answer to the suggestion that the players were too focused on the upcoming Champions League Final, he was dismissive.  "We don't do that here.  We take each game as it comes.  The best team, won today.  It's as simple as that."

So now Argyle travel to Portugal, for the biggest match in their history at the Benfica stadium - the Estádio da Luz.

"I see in the original squads of Plymouth Argyle #10 Morgan Whittaker and he appeared on my radar: would he be an asset for Ajax as right winger or attacking midfielder? Have you played him and if so, what are his stand out features?"

- Kelvin de Lang (Head Scout Ajax)

Champions League A Step too Far

Following the disappointment of the FA Cup loss, Plymouth Argyle saw the Champions League title also slip away from them, as Bayer Leverkuen’s greater experience in the competition told.  Argyle went down 1-0, an identical score to the FA Cup Final against West Ham.

The city of Plymouth seemingly emptied and travelled en masse to Portugal, where they saw their team dominate at the Estadio Da Luz and have so many shots, but come away empty-handed.  Leverkusen’s Sebastian Haller scored just before half time and in the second half, the Germans did what they always do and simply blocked all attempts for Argyle to get back into it, to win their own first Champions League title and send the Devon side and their fans home empty-handed.

“We simply couldn’t get over the line,” said manager Bobby Stones, “but it’s been a fantastic experience.”  Gesturing at the fans, he added “look at them.  Three years ago, they could never have dreamt of this.  Okay, we lost this, and the Cup last week, but what a night this has been.  Hopefully, this isn’t the last time we get here.”

Despite losing in both cup matches, Argyle had a successful season, with two trophies secured and the promise of more, as this young squad matures.

Saka Signs for Plymouth

Plymouth Argyle have sensationally signed Bukayo Saka from rivals Arsenal in what is considered to be the shock transfer of the close season.

Saka had only 11 months left on his contract and, with a stalemate apparent, Plymouth swooped with an offer of £75 million plus Roberto Alvarado.  Amazingly, Arsenal did not dismiss the approach out of hand and, after some further discussions, Saka moved for £84 million plus Alvarado – a considerable reduction on his expected value of £140 million.  Saka has signed for 5 years, on a salary of £220,000 per week.

“Bukayo’s signing is a clear statement that this club is now a desirable destination for big players.”  Said manager Bobby Stones.  “He was keen to join from the very first moment we approached Arsenal, and is eager to play a big role in the ongoing development of this club.”

To questions raised about affordability of this deal, Stones said; “the success we are having has led to a big increase in income and the board is investing a responsible proportion of that in the club.  Ongoing squad investment is key in football and we are not losing sight of that.”

Another crucial signing was made soon after the Sako transfer, with Fabio Miretti joining from Roma for £39 million plus Erick Sanchez. 

Miretti is expected to slot into Sanchez's position at the base of the diamond, but can play further forward as required.  This second crucial signing reduces the age of the midfield and meets a demand from the board that the manager signs two crucial players for brand purposes.

The close season saw a number of other transfers at Plymouth; mainly outgoings.

Gonzalo Molina, 17, joined as a right-back from CD Leganes for £5 million plus Carlos Rocha.  Rocha was a graduate of the academy, and slightly older than the incoming Molina, but Molina is seen as a better future prospect.

Otherwise, the Pilgrims sold the following players:

Jesus Anguelo (CB, 28) to Dortmund for £30 million

Fran Parra (GK, 21) to Nottingham Forest for £19 million

Yago Carillo (RM, 21) to Everton for £9 million

Fabio Ricci (ST, 20) to Young Boys for £2 million. 

The club does not expect to make many more signings this summer, although there may be more departures at some point.

Shirt Sales Justify Saka Spend

During the preseason tournament, Argyle sold over £34 million-worth of shirts with Bukayo Saka’s name on the back – a record for the club.  In financial terms, that has significantly reduced the cash outlay of £84 million handed over to Arsenal when buying the player.  In the coming months, it is expected that the number of shirts ‘he sells’ will continue to rise, partly explaining the manager’s comments about Saka’s affordability.

Mixed Start for Argyle

Plymouth started the Premier League season with two wins and a defeat.  A narrow away victory to Crystal Palace was followed by an opening home match defeat by Aston Villa, as the old jinx returned.  Despite taking the lead and having most possession and shots, Argyle somehow never seemed in command and Villa ran out winners 3-1, aided by a very suspicious penaly for their third goal.

Normal service was resumed with a routine 2-0 win at Brentford, leaving Argyle 7th at the end of August.

Prior to that, the Pilgrims won the first trophy up for grabs when they beat FA Cup holders West Ham 4-1 in the Community Shield, gaining some revenge for their FA Cup Final loss.

Saka Out for Three Months

The Villa defeat was made worse by the 5th minute injury to Bukayo Saka, which resulted in a broken toe that will keep him out for 3 months.  It was a blow for Saka so early in his Argyle career and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Final August Squad Moves

Argyle wrapped up their transfer dealings ahead of deadline day with the surprise £6 million signing of Adam Wharton, 22, from Girona.  The CDM joins on a 4-year contract and will compete with Miretti and youngster Oliver Kuhn for a starting role in that position.

At the same time, Argyle promoted Andres Meza, 17, to the first team. 

The Columbian goalkeeper effectively replaces the departed Fran Parra in the roster of goalkeepers.

Unfortunate defeat in the FA Cup final there. It seems you got your revenge in the Community Shield though, kicked off by a hattrick.

Quite a marquee signing there, in Bukayo Saka. You may need to post a picture of him in an Argyle shirt at some point though. It could be a "need to see it to believe it" situation otherwise 😉 Unfortunate to lose him for 3 months though.

3 wins in the first 4 games (including the curtain raiser) is a great start. Just goes to show who far Argyle has come, when you allow yourself to called it a mixed one.

'Remember the summer of '26 when Plymouth took the title?...'

I'll tell you a funny story: about a year ago, an Englishman started living in our neighbourhood, the East End of Krakow, Poland (called Nowa Huta). We immediately clicked, to the degree that I'm best man at his wedding, come July. Now, he himself is from one of the outside boroughs of London, but his father is actually from Plymouth.

I met the good man (a school teacher) a couple of weeks back and while in conversation, he constantly checked his phone to check upon the score of the match Plymouth was playing against WBA (a 3-0 loss, I believe). Of course, ever since I've been keeping an extra eye on The Pilgrims.

In theory, Plymouth would have a great, exclusive catchment area: lots of hinterland for themselves without any serious competition by a club of similar size - the whole southwestern tip for themselves.

@Danimal5981
I believe that's what the thinking was with the World Cup bid...

My story plays into that - how what looks like a small club could, with the right approach, become much bigger and successful because of where it is and what's around it.

What a pity, therefore, that EAFC doesn't do what it used to, in respect of crowd growth as you climb the league pyramid. I put in a bigger stadium with a 50,000 capacity and, now 'we' are winning the PL, I'd expect the crowd to reflect that - the stadium always shows as full, but the attendance fifure is stuck at 18,000 and the gate receipts matching that level.  It's pretty poor, really.

It can't be that hard to fix that, really, especially as it used to happen - about 10 years ago, I think. 

Argyle to Face Bayern In Champions League

The Champions League group draw pits Plymouth Argyle against Bayern Munich, in what will be a severe test for the Pilgrims.

The other group members will not be easy either, as Argyle will face Atalanta, who have been formidable opponents in the last few years, and Club Brugge, who have also proved difficult opponents for many clubs in recent seasons.

“It’s a tough draw, to be sure”, said manager Bobby Stones, “but nothing is easy in the Champions League.  We can’t wait to get started."

It will be interesting to see how the club manages a Premier League campaign, alongside such difficult matches.

Farias Hits Five Against Fulham

Facundo Farias shot to the top of the Premier League Golden Boot chase with a five-goal haul at Craven Cottage.  The Argentine striker was simply unplayable and registered a 100% hit rate in the match.  Kobbie Mainoo scored the other goal as Fulham simply crumpled, in a display that left manager Marco Silva lost for words.  “It’s back to the training ground tomorrow.  This is simply unacceptable.” 

Facundo enjoys Craven Cottage

Argyle opened the month with a 4-1 victory over Arsenal at Home Park, in which new boy Fabio Miretti hit his first goal for the club.  Bukayo Saka looked on from the stands in frustration, as he recovers from a broken toe injury, but he was very pleased with the win against his old club.  “I can’t wait to get back on the pitch.  It would have been great to face my old team, but that’s how football goes,” he said after the match.

A feisty opening Champions League match saw Argyle run out 4-2 winners against the dangerous Atalanta.  Adam Hlozek was the difference between the two sides, with his first two goals of the season as the Pilgrims raced to a 3-goal lead that they never looked like giving up.

A 2-2 draw against Liverpool followed, as Freddie Issaka continued his own fine scoring form, and a Farias opportunist finish put the Pilgrims in front, after which Liverpool equalised.

A largely academy side despatched Bolton Wanderers 4-0 in the Carabao Cup, with fine performances from Pepe Escobar and Victor Alves, as the youngsters and fringe players were given a run out by the manager.

At the month end, Plymouth sit in third place in the Premier League, behind Manchester City and Spurs.  They are the top scorers but the defence continues to leak goals; something the Manager is still trying to address.  “We are very entertaining, which the fans come to see, of course, but it would be really good if we could close the door at the back.”

The Premier League Golden Boot chase is, as mentioned, led by Facundo Farias, after his 6-goal haul in the month, 5 coming at Craven Cottage.

As long as he was at Sparta Prague, Adam Hlozek was always a must have for me; much like Farias is for you. But once he moved to the big leagues, Hlozek that is, he was no longer a realistic option for me (read: Ajax). Good to see, you make him work... and Farias as well.

---

@CO88LER5 wrote:
@Danimal5981
The great thing about Farias is that he's still unknown in Europe, and therefore relatively cheap...

---

Won't be long now, as he's been upgraded to become Messi's sidekick at the pink panthers of Inter Miami.

@Danimal5981
Unfortunately for him, he suffered an ACL in a preseason game and will miss the entire season...
Talk about bad luck.
Still, he's steaming in my career...!

Clean Sweep Of Victories in October

Plymouth Argyle achieved the landmark of winning every match in October – the first time they have achieved this during their stay in the Premier League.

They won four matches in the Premier League, and two in the Champions League, the most notable of those latter being the 1-2 victory in Munich against the German giants.  Despite going behind to an inevitable Harry Kane goal, the Pilgrims did not panic and managed to score with just two of their four shots.  Rayan Cherki equalised for Argyle and Laurenzo Battaglia capped a famous night with a counter-attack goal from a Bayern corner, in a match that Bayern dominated in terms of possession, passing and goal attempts.

The victory over Bruges placed Plymouth at the top of the table, after 3 matches:

Argyle have a healthy lead, after Bayern beat Atalanta to leave the other three clubs on 3 points.  A win at home against the Belgians next time will see Argyle qualify, and could even mean a group win, should Bayern and Atalanta draw their fourth match in the series, as the two more established clubs fight it out to qualify for the knockout stages.

In the Premier League, Argyle managed to go through the month without conceding a goal, vindicating the manager’s focus in recent months on improving the defensive performance.  A routine 0-3 win at the London Stadium was bettered by a 0-5 hammering of a below-par Spurs at their impressive ground.  A 2-0 home win over Wolves was then followed by a 0-3 victory at St James’ Park, for a 13-0 aggregate scoreline in the competition, in October.  Youngster and academy product Danilo Novak was the star of the show in the North-East, with a brace from the number 10 position.

Novak enjoys his outing

And to think that the Premier League wins were achieved with only one goal contribution from leading scorer, Facundo Farias.  Nevertheless, he remains the Premier League’s top scorer, with 10 goals from 6 matches, leading Erling Haaland, who has 8 from 10.

Plymouth’s Premier League clean sweep sees them move up to 2nd in the table, with only Manchester City ahead of them.  The Manchester club is on its own impressive run of form, having also won all four of their matches in October.  This is shaping up to be an epic battle at the top, with Manchester United and Spurs remaining within touching distance of the top two.

5-0 at Spurs, impressive! That was a direct competitor for the top spots...

Hehe, Rashford 6 goals from 10 matches, Farias 10 goals from 6 matches. He's almost a cheat code, when he plays for you 😉

Solid win vs Bayern, and leading the group with 6 points down, you really need to make it through this one.

Red Card and Injury Worries

November saw Argyle almost undone by a 71st-minute red card for Jorrel Hato in the home match against Chelsea, in which defensive midfielder Quentin Kuhn went off injured after only 5 minutes from a robust challenge.  The injury will see him miss the next three months.

The Pilgrims found themselves chasing this game from the outset, as an unusually physical approach from Chelsea caught Argyle off guard and the Londoners led 2-0 at half-time.  They were still 3-1 down in the 80th minute, at which point Bobby Stones changed the formation to 4-5-1 and sent on Lucien Devaux to spearhead the attack.  Facundo Farias dropped back, providing the assists for Devaux’s two quickfire goals that rescued a point.

Argyle’s other two Premier League matches saw routine wins over Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest respectively.  Facundo Farias scored a brace in both matches, for a return of five goals in the league this month, which stretched his lead in the golden boot chase to five over Erling Haaland in second place.  Farias has now notched 15 goals in 9 Premier League matches.

Argyle’s two wins and a draw matches Manchester City’s Premier League November record and the Pilgrims remain two points behind the Mancunian side.  The top two have now opened a decent gap to the chasing pack and the league is now shaping up to be a two-horse race; much like many recent seasons.

Elsewhere, left-winger academy graduate Cleber Tavares scored his first goals for the club with a brace against Club Brugge in the fourth Champions League group match. 

Tavares was Argyle’s man of the match.  The youngster has certainly been enjoying his chance, standing in for the injured Bukayo Saka for much of the last three months.  He has not been fazed by the magnitude of the opportunity, which bodes well for his future.

Argyle's win over Brugge, and a fourth-match draw between Bayern Munich and Atalanta means that the Pilgrims not only qualify from the group, but do so as winners, as no side can catch them with two games to play.

It gives the manager the chance to give other players an experience of European match nights, although both Atalanta and Bayern are likely to complain if the Pilgrims field 'weakened' sides in the two remaining matches.  Argyle will play Bayern at home and Atalanta away, so they have the opportunity to strongly influence who accompanies them into the knockout stages.

Speaking of Saka, Argyle’s record signing returned to action in the match against Blackburn Rovers, although he did not make a huge impact, at it was obvious that he was easing himself back into the pace of the game.

The Pilgrims also saw off Arsenal in the Carabao Cup at the start of the month, with a glittering 5-1 demolition of the Gunners.  When Marquinhos pulled one back for Arsenal to make it 3-1, there was a faint hint of a comeback, but academy product Dani Alves restored Argyle’s 3-goal lead, before Rayan Cherki scored his second, and Argyle’s fifth in the 79th minute, to put the tie beyond doubt.

Impressive goal average by Farias. Over 1/3 of the league goals scored by him, but won't it also create too much of a dependency on one single player?