Noticing a trend this year that whenever a team loses, any team, players are accused of not being up for it
****
That was bad.
A sorry looking Argyle were beaten by the ten-men of Charlton, McCormick was to blame for gifting two goals to the Addicks but it would be unfair to point the finger soley at McCormick.
For a team on the brink of a play-off place Argyle showed no urgency, passion or desire to win the game.
All the pre-match big talk coming out of Home Park of "D-Day" was just that, talk! Unless "D-Day" means "Defeat Day".
If the players can't be motivated for a game like this then when will they be?
The game ended with the sad and desperate sight of Argyle fielding a forward line of Mackie, MacLean, Fallon, Easter and Timar.
The stats show that Charlton had more attempts on goal than Argyle.
Sturrock brought Timar and fit-again Fallon back into the side with Seip missing altogether, maybe he's injured. Abdou was also surprisingly in the team instead of Nalis. And boy, did we miss the injured Halmosi.
For the third game in succession Argyle had to contend with a swirling strong wind.
The first action of the game saw a red card brandished by the ref when Charlton keeper came out of his area and handled the ball with Easter bearing down on him. The ref had no choice but to send him off and Charlton were down to ten-men and very fortunate for Argyle - play-offs here we come, or so we thought. Charlton sacrificed a midfielder to bring on Elliott, their sub-keeper.
The resulting 20-yard free kick from Wotton was cleared.
Wotton was again in charge of free-kick affairs when his 35-yard effort was superbly saved at the expense of a corner.
The game was now a scrappy affair with the wind playing a big part but Charlton also slowed things down at every opportunity by taking an age to take throw-ins or goal-kicks. Argyle were in no rush either as the game drifted along as though it was an end of seaon affair between two mid-table no-hopers.
Iwelumo for Charlton had an header easily saved by McCormick and the same two were in action again when the Argyle keeper pushed the striker's shot away for a corner.
Sturrock and Summerfield, now patrolling the technical area on a regular basis, were not happy.
Fallon had a shot on turn fly over in a rare attack while Lita for Charlton forced a good save out of McCormick who was the busier of the three keepers in the first half.
And so to half time and Stapleton's wife, Kim, had her birthday read out over the PA. Another £10 in the Home Park coffers. Smile
Would the second half be as bad as the first?
Petrson had a 20-yard shot saved and Abdou had a glorious chance to break the deadlock but shot over from 8 yards out.
Argyle were now turning the screw and putting the Charlton defence under pressure - at last! There's £50 million riding on this game, don't you know!
Finally we had a breakthrough. After some good work by Paterson and Fallon, Sawyer crossed to the far post and found the previously anonymous Teale who headed down to Easter who turned and shot in to give Argyle the lead. Hurrah!
Suddenly the Charlton players were in hurry. Goalkicks took seconds instead of minutes to be completed and likewise for throw-ins.
Within 5 minutes Charlton were level thanks to another soft goal that will enter Argyle's Soft Goal Collection - Season 2007-2008.
A freekick was floated into the Argyle box and out came McCormick in a Rab Douglas stylee, except McCormick failed to clear and there was Lita to head into an empty net.
Oh well back to the time wasting, it was good while it lasted.
Sturrock then took some action and replaced Sawyer and Teale with Mackie and MacLean in a 4-2-1-3 formation. Desperate times.
Argyle huffed and puffed but lacked any kind of killer ball into the area.
Soon after the first sucker punch ( or not in McCormick's case) came another sucker punch.
A freekick was aimed into the Argyle area, Iwelumo headed down and there was McCormick to dive down to pick it up, thank you very much, what a soft header. Ooops, McCormick fumbled it and the ball squirmed loose and there was Lita to tap in, easy as you like. 1-2, game over, season over!
The last throw of the Sturrock dice saw Nalis replace Wotton but it didn't really matter. The team were flat and dejected and the fans were suicidal.
McCormick made a double save to keep the score down.
Timar then joined the strikers upfront to make five attackers but the game was lost by then and Charlton threw in some more timewasting just to make sure.
It's a complete mystery why the players were not up for this? Maybe it has been a few games too much? Maybe the four wins on the bounce drew us into believing that we were a play-off chasing team but in reality we are far short of being a top 6 team, as the last few games have proved.
As we always look back on Dave Smith's side from 20 years ago and thought "if only", we will do the same with this season and look back at how close we came.
It's still possible that we can reach the play-offs, but can you see this lot winning the next four games?
Not many players came out of this with any credit. Easter took his goal well and wa slively upfront and Timar was his usual self.
Teale hasn't done much since signing on-loan. He did set up Easter today but overall his contribution has been poor, not helped by players not passing to him when he's in acre's of space.
Wotton chased and harried, as did Abdou but both players are too alike. Today we needed someone to put his foot on the ball and play to feet or find the killer through ball to the strikers.
Fallon was a mixture of the good and bad Fallon that we've seen this season.
McCormick has always been prone to making mistakes but two crucial howlers in this game has cost Argyle promotion.
As for Charlton, no wins in 6 games before today tells a story, Argyle are rather good at ending teams poor runs. The ref should have been much stronger with the time wasting tactics when it was clear that Charlton would settle for a point.
A bad day for PAFC.
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Comments
Charlton were hungrier than us, cuter than us, wanted it more than us and got what they deserved.
can u even remember the last time some1 said that about us??
I said it last week. I think our players were trying just as hard in the West Brom and Wolves games. It's just that supporters nowadays for some reason expect their team to be better, with total disregard to facts.
We have too many 'Premiership' fans. It was evident today with Portsmouth. In the first half their fans were silent and in the second when they were winning they were singing. That in itself may not be new, but on top of that they began to cheer every players touch in the second half, despite it being a game that West Brom instead had largely dominated.
Disagree. In the first half they were quiet.
Maybe they are, but we were playing Plymouth.
Apparently Plymouth fans were saying our fans were good down there today.
Agreed. It seems the rule now that if you're winning you cheer and if you're losing you boo. It's quite simply stupidity. But with effort it can be changed.
Pompey = Distinguished Roman general and one time leader of the Roman republic and nickname for fans of Portsmouth Town.
Pilgrims = bunch of religious nutters who set up a colony in America and nickname given to Plymouth Argyle.
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=184334&command=displayContent&sourceNode=135656&contentPK=20329154&folderPk=78082&pNodeId=135637
Moaning fans, not renewing season tickets, lack of ambition, worst game, blame the ref, manager clueless. And that's from their fans. It seems that we are the same the world over.
MOAN,MOAN,MOAN SO PREDICTABLE MOANING MISERABLE SO CALLED FANS. its just a small thought but had you useless lot ever thought of properly supporting your club , you know during the bad days as well as the good im not going to say again how much we have achieved with both this board and manager because you are all so blind fickle . mr sta[leton,luggy and the lads thanks for trying - the majority of the fans are behind you its only the miserable few on here that dont. win a game and your god lose a couple and your park football PATHETIC!!
nick, plymouth
Why was Nalis on the bench AGAIN!!!!! If Sturrock can`t see that Nalis is a far better player than Wotton, then maybe he ought to think about managing Exeter or a team in lower divisions than us. I will not be renewing my season ticket next year if this is what i have to look forward to. End of our season, good job we have got the points all ready cause we would be fighting relogation playing like this!
Mike, Kingsbridge
what a pile of tosh, nallis should be on the bench
jimbob, beacon pk
Have to agree today was absymal. Wotton is a league one player at best and how he can be picked ahead of Nalis our most creative player is a complete mystery to most fans. Luggy's use of substitutes is shocking, previous game he brought on Timar to play up front when he had Mackie on the bench, always either the wrong substitution or too late to affect the result. If Wotton is offered a new contract for next season it will show a lack of ambition by the club and the likelihood we will have to put up with the same dross we witnessed today. Sort it out Luggy or admit this league is a step too far for you.
Paul, Plymouth
i witnessed park football today. what a bad performance from both sides but more so argyle. 10 men were better then 11 for 87 minutes of the game. wotton has been in the side and we have won 1 game since his return. we have a better player in nalis that seems to sit on the bench alot. sturrock sort out these horrendous tactics because you are not living upto your name. or are you scared of a southampton scenario where they sacked you in the prem because players were bigger then you.
wayne, plymouth
Well, what a chance we have missed today. Charlton down to 10, and 1st choice keeper off, Argyle should have stamped their authority and taken control; capitalised on the opportunity that situation afforded, and consolidated gains. But no. No. No. No, instead, our players looked weak, indecisive, lacking passion, aggression, intent, and movement. Where was the skill, the creative guile, the elan? It wasn't at Home Park. The first half barely constituted the name "football". Charlton played their trumps and came out unscathed- using tactics more fitted to gamesmanship than the beautiful game, and who could blame them? Desperate measures, etc. Surely Paul, "Laird of Home Park", Sturrock, would put a rocket up the Pilgrims shorts as they sipped the Darjeeling and chewed the orange quarters? Well, he injected a bit of oomph, but it fizzled and popped like a damp logfire, struggling to get going. We had the lead, finally, and then let it slip, and then gave the game away, all in the blink of an eye, and all without any style or grace or keen. I am disappointed in my team today. I hope my team tries harder next time out. And the ref?- I thought he was ok, for a change.
C22, PLYMOUTH
Well what can say about the load of rubbish i have just witnessed.Charlton could have beaten us with eight players let alone ten.Has anybody got a clue as to what system argyle were playing.I thought that when your apponnents went down to ten men you play the ball around on the deck.But what do we play, the long ball up the middle to fallon.When we played the ball on the deck which we did on about a woeful five occasions we looked half decent.So where do we go from here?.Having seen the same senario at home park season after season i think the time has come for me to give up unless some billionaire comes along and buys the club.
m hughes, derriford
Having been a loyal supporter for 35 + years I've seen it all, but this was abject from start to finish. Having seen the spirit and the quality at Bristol City just weeks ago.... where has that all gone? Not enough strength in depth in the squad - yet. Roll on next season, thanks for some good memories of 2007/08, but a few nightmares also!
Steve Rowlands, Saltash
Sturrock got it so wrong today,Wotton is out of his class,tactics!!what tatics
hams, plymouth
Wotton was in the side that beat Bristol City
george, plymstock
This is probably the worst game i have seen at home park this season. And the ref was diabolical. Do the officals not like us here. We also have a great player in NALIS on the bench so why on earth does sturrock play wotton when the player aint clearly ready yet. Its strange that we have not won a game since wotton has been back in the side. NALIS for WOTTON. anyday. Sort that squad sturrock. maybe you should look at your management credentials
wayne morgan, plymouth
Unfortunately I can, when you played Palace at your place.