Even I am prepared to concede that we are now in the play-offs! It's all about where we finish to give ourselves the best 7ble chance.
To be fair our last two Play-Off failures have been when we've finished 4th and 6th so dont think it really matters if we have home advantage in the second leg or not
Priority has to be the fact that we remain the form team and go into the Play-Offs with a ton of confidence - Luton is now the hardest game between now and then and think apart from that one we can easily get maximum points from the rest
Second half was pleasing. Penalty let off seemed to give them a kick up the arse. Very lackadaisical up to that point, including a lazy dangled leg from Bielik for the penalty, picking up from last weeks mid season friendly.
I saw a comparison with Powell’s team earlier in the thread. I think there are stronger parallels with the 98 playoff run in. New goalkeeper (for Illic read Phillips), new full back (for Mills read Purrington), new centre back (for Youds read Sarr), giving us an extremely solid defence, and a midfield with enough quality to lay on three or four good chances a game and a reliable striker to make one or two chances count (for Mendonca read Taylor).
It’s maybe not the way you’d have predicted us finishing the season, with the way Boeyer started the season trying to play attacking possession based football, but being tough to score against and capable of nicking goals can get you a lot of points at this level.
Great to see Igor starting to get on the end of a few things in the box too. Bit fortunate his goal crept in but he’s been coming alive around the six yard box in the past few games and looking the penalty box poacher we know he can be. We’ve also been giving him more and more of the service he needs. Assuming he stays fit I have genuine hope he could be in some kind of form and sufficiently in tune with the team in time to make an impact on the playoffs.
Just got back home from the match .... it's not far, as I live in Cornwall. Lot's of my mates here are Argyle fans. To me it feels like a local derby game.
Today's win means we've scored the double over Argyle ..... and I'm happy to claim full bragging rights!
Second half was pleasing. Penalty let off seemed to give them a lick up the arse. Very lackadaisical up to that point, including a lazy dangled leg from Bielik for the penalty, picking up from last weeks mid season friendly.
I saw a comparison with Powell’s team earlier in the thread. I think there are stronger parallels with the 98 playoff run in. New goalkeeper (for Illic read Phillips), new full back (for Mills read Purrington), new centre back (for Youds read Sarr), giving us an extremely solid defence, and a midfield with enough quality to lay on three or four good chances a game and a reliable striker to make one or two chances count (for Mendonca read Taylor).
It’s maybe not the way you’d have predicted us finishing the season, with the way Boeyer started the season trying to play attacking possession based football, but being tough to score against and capable of nicking goals can get you a lot of points at this level.
Great to see Igor starting to get on the end of a few things in the box too. Bit fortunate his goal crept in but he’s been coming alive around the six yard box in the past few games and looking the penalty box poacher we know he can be. We’ve also been giving him more and more of the service he needs. Assuming he stays fit I have genuine hope he could be in some kind of form and sufficiently in tune with the team in time to make an impact on the playoffs.
Second half was pleasing. Penalty let off seemed to give them a lick up the arse. Very lackadaisical up to that point, including a lazy dangled leg from Bielik for the penalty, picking up from last weeks mid season friendly.
I saw a comparison with Powell’s team earlier in the thread. I think there are stronger parallels with the 98 playoff run in. New goalkeeper (for Illic read Phillips), new full back (for Mills read Purrington), new centre back (for Youds read Sarr), giving us an extremely solid defence, and a midfield with enough quality to lay on three or four good chances a game and a reliable striker to make one or two chances count (for Mendonca read Taylor).
It’s maybe not the way you’d have predicted us finishing the season, with the way Boeyer started the season trying to play attacking possession based football, but being tough to score against and capable of nicking goals can get you a lot of points at this level.
Great to see Igor starting to get on the end of a few things in the box too. Bit fortunate his goal crept in but he’s been coming alive around the six yard box in the past few games and looking the penalty box poacher we know he can be. We’ve also been giving him more and more of the service he needs. Assuming he stays fit I have genuine hope he could be in some kind of form and sufficiently in tune with the team in time to make an impact on the playoffs.
Each to their own....
Lol. Fucking autocorrect.
To be fair though, wouldn’t the threat of someone licking your arse motivate you to do better?
Just back from the game and checked into our hotel for the night.
Proper game of two halves, we just couldnt get going in the first 45, penalty save was not only a turning point but Dillon looked so confident during the delay in it being taken, he properly psyched the Argyle fellah out.
One chance, one goal from Taylor and we go i to the break one up.
*queue me make a total cock of myself at HT moaning about Williams to anyone who would listen and he comes out and plays and excellent 2nd half.
Wow what a difference, Cullen moved central and Williams was free to play and we looked brilliant, a different team, Shrewsburyesque!
Support was superb, kept going throughout, what a year on the road its been.
We were loved to death by Plymouth fans in the Hyde Club after, 'best team, weve played, loudest support weve heard all season' repeat to fade.. Quick shower and off into town with SG3JNR and @charltonnick. Northern Soul night in the Walrus and then hit the Barbican.
Excellent result at a tough place to go. The penalty save was crucial, a great save but to be fair a poor penalty too, not in the corner, and at a nice height for the keeper.
We're not going to make the automatics, we'd need all 3 teams ahead of us to collapse. Barnsley seem to be the team on the slide, never mind 2nd, I can see them being caught by both Sunderland and Pompey now. Barnsley in the semis is my prediction...
Really good result. I am starting to believe. By "believe", it means, ever so coyly looking at my May diary, daring to look at the prices on the BA website. Sort of like 98. Not really like 98, but sort of
But while basking in the bath, I had a darker thought. If Karlan had not been sold... Duchatelet, you idiot, you absolute cock, you useless turd.
We have to keep the pressure on him, even as we start to believe.
I think there are five teams above and beyond all the others in this league. And irrespective of positions, there are three teams I think on their day can live with them. They are Doncaster, Burton and Plymouth. These teams need a fair wind and home advantage, but they are no pushovers.
Anyone know why Lyle went a bit wonky after scoring , the sort of behaviour that if an oppo player did would have plenty of our woe betide us fans crying about it forever .
I think there are five teams above and beyond all the others in this league. And irrespective of positions, there are three teams I think on their day can live with them. They are Doncaster, Burton and Plymouth. These teams need a fair wind and home advantage, but they are no pushovers.
I'd add Blackpool and Coventry. Coventry did the double against us and Blackpool have had their moments too. Peterborough looked as if they were at a decent level at one stage but fell away.
Ive found him a bit of a prick in the past and my opinion hasnt overly changed - thought the yellows were for silly challenges from us but for both Sarr and Bauer they were booked for their first offences when I felt that a warning would have been sufficient
He's right though that we sat deeper in the second half yet disagree with the fact that we scored our own two real chances... Certainly dumbstruck at his annoyance with our supposed time wasting, should come down the Valley when Plymouth arent playing and he'll see we have to put up with a lot worse for longer periods of the game
Oh well; I wonder if he'll get his players to do a lap of honour at the end of the season this time around
Our diamond wasn't working, they matched us up and we were getting overrun in midfield leading to many yellow cards. They were fouls but having given out cards for first offences the ref then didn't book Sarr or Bauer for subsequent fouls that were just as bad.
Clear pen which MOTM Phillips saved.
Two minutes later a gorgeous Solly cross headed in by Taylor and the whole game has been turned on its head.
Second half Cullen game central in a flatter four, we looked stronger, controlled the ball and game with Aribo and Williams (best half from him since joining) running at them.
The second goal killed them and the contest. So pleased for Igor even if it looked like it came off his knee. Igor looked sharper and fitter than of late.
We cruised the rest of the game and could have scored more. Plymouth went long which made it easy for the back two.
Plymouth had some decent players and their movement and pace troubled us. Some shopping for Steve Gallen to do down there in the summer.
Plymouth fans I spoke to felt we were lucky to keep 11 men on the pitch but that were the better side.
Our fans very loud and @Oggy Red even sang my song for me!
Plus I won £70 on the national. What's not to like.
Our diamond wasn't working, they matched us up and we were getting overrun in midfield leading to many yellow cards. They were fouls but having given out cards for first offences the ref then didn't book Sarr or Bauer for subsequent fouls that were just as bad.
Clear pen which MOTM Phillips saved.
Two minutes later a gorgeous Solly cross headed in by Taylor and the whole game has been turned on its head.
Second half Cullen game central in a flatter four, we looked stronger, controlled the ball and game with Aribo and Williams (best half from him since joining) running at them.
The second goal killed them and the contest. So pleased for Igor even if it looked like it came off his knee. Igor looked sharper and fitter than of late.
We cruised the rest of the game and could have scored more. Plymouth went long which made it easy for the back two.
Plymouth had some decent players and their movement and pace troubled us. Some shopping for Steve Gallen to do down there in the summer.
Plymouth fans I spoke to felt we were lucky to keep 11 men on the pitch but that were the better side.
Our fans very loud and @Oggy Red even sang my song for me!
Plus I won £70 on the national. What's not to like.
Haha - yes, pleasure to bump into you, @sg3tose7 and to meet mr Mendez for the first time. Good to see you all.
can’t really add much more to this. Up until the penalty save I was very agitated at the below par performance, but that turned the game and we did an absolute number on them from that point on.
Rarely do I have anything to say about a ref but he was diabolical. All the bookings were most definitely fouls, but maybe 1 or 2 were bookings. One of the worst officials I’ve seen in years.
Every week we are looking a little more like Chris Powell's promotion team. When you've all stopped laughing. I don't mean in overall ability, because this team is not as good. But I mean in the way that we have found the ability to keep games tight, keep clean sheets and win games.
You sobered up yet, mate? ;-)
Na I am joking, I completely agree. We have the fantastic ability of keeping things tight and in control. We don’t ever look like we are going to score a shed load because we just aren’t clinical enough. But we also never look like conceding really either, and if we do, as said about we don’t concede more than one. Not at all this calendar year. In fact, we have only conceded two in a game (or more than one) in 3 of our last 28. That’s fantastic.
Just doing a little more digging about our last 28 games. I’m focusing on that as that’s since we last lost at home, since the 8-0 win over Stevenage in the Checkatrade, and it was an international break. The first game of these 28 was Barnsley at home, where we won 2-0. There are specific games during the season we can always look back on and say that helped define our season, I think that’s one of them. Portsmouth home and away fall into that too.
So it goes as follows: Played 28, Won 16, Drawn 7, Lost 5, Scored 39, Conceded 19, Points 55.
I believe this shows we are a very good side and the job Bowyer has done has been incredible. When you consider this period included missing Cullen, Vetokele, Aribo, and Pearce all for a while, we have been without Page the whole time, without Taylor for a handful of games due to suspensions, with changing our goalkeeper which can often cause disruption, so credit to Phillips even more, and we have kept 12 clean sheets in these 28 games too. And finally, with losing Grant part way through as well.
There have been a lot of key players missing throughout the course of these games, which is expected, but maybe not as many as we would’ve thought. Of course in that time we have had Sarr come in and be incredible, we have had Purrington help steady the back four too. But I think it shows just how good we can be. It’s just a shame the start of the season wasn’t as consistent, and we gave the rest of the league a mini head start.
If anyone was to say we don’t deserve to be where we are, if not a little higher, they’re wrong, plain and simple. So huge credit to Bows and the team, it’s exceptional all things considered that has happened in and around the club.
I know managers like a break, but not sure our break did us too many favours, although we have won both games since returning from it. Maybe the benefits come later. We do have to remember that we started very slowly and should have been behind. After the goal we looked in control so maybe we just take that and learn from it. Plymouth are a good side at home.
The problem is in theory we can catch any of the teams above us but there are three of them and it is too much to expect them all to slip up. It is the right approach to try to win every game - without intense pressure on us - it will set us up nicely for the play offs.
It is subtle, and I will say it quietly, but Vetokele seems to be improving. If he can continue that over the remaining games, we could be on to something. Would love to see Bowyer have a go at getting Fosu to some sort of form. Even from the bench, he can be a game changer. Go in with two decent strikers and Fosu on top of what we already have and we are going to be difficult to stop. We seem to have found the defensive formula and are probably the best defensive team in the division at this moment. We have midfielders like Cullen, Bielik, Aribo and Williams and have the best striker in the division. Reasons to be cheerful.
Watched the second goal a few times - looks like Igor’s goal to me as the defender doesn’t seem to be facing the right way to have put it in. Though Igor’s reaction is oddly muted.
Comments
I saw a comparison with Powell’s team earlier in the thread. I think there are stronger parallels with the 98 playoff run in. New goalkeeper (for Illic read Phillips), new full back (for Mills read Purrington), new centre back (for Youds read Sarr), giving us an extremely solid defence, and a midfield with enough quality to lay on three or four good chances a game and a reliable striker to make one or two chances count (for Mendonca read Taylor).
It’s maybe not the way you’d have predicted us finishing the season, with the way Boeyer started the season trying to play attacking possession based football, but being tough to score against and capable of nicking goals can get you a lot of points at this level.
Great to see Igor starting to get on the end of a few things in the box too. Bit fortunate his goal crept in but he’s been coming alive around the six yard box in the past few games and looking the penalty box poacher we know he can be. We’ve also been giving him more and more of the service he needs. Assuming he stays fit I have genuine hope he could be in some kind of form and sufficiently in tune with the team in time to make an impact on the playoffs.
Lot's of my mates here are Argyle fans. To me it feels like a local derby game.
Today's win means we've scored the double over Argyle ..... and I'm happy to claim full bragging rights!
Attendance: 10,9696 (817 from Charlton)
Must be the biggest crowd of the day!
To be fair though, wouldn’t the threat of someone licking your arse motivate you to do better?
Proper game of two halves, we just couldnt get going in the first 45, penalty save was not only a turning point but Dillon looked so confident during the delay in it being taken, he properly psyched the Argyle fellah out.
One chance, one goal from Taylor and we go i to the break one up.
*queue me make a total cock of myself at HT moaning about Williams to anyone who would listen and he comes out and plays and excellent 2nd half.
Wow what a difference, Cullen moved central and Williams was free to play and we looked brilliant, a different team, Shrewsburyesque!
Support was superb, kept going throughout, what a year on the road its been.
We were loved to death by Plymouth fans in the Hyde Club after, 'best team, weve played, loudest support weve heard all season' repeat to fade..
Quick shower and off into town with SG3JNR and @charltonnick. Northern Soul night in the Walrus and then hit the Barbican.
Onto Wycombe Tuesday night allez allez allez....
We're not going to make the automatics, we'd need all 3 teams ahead of us to collapse. Barnsley seem to be the team on the slide, never mind 2nd, I can see them being caught by both Sunderland and Pompey now. Barnsley in the semis is my prediction...
But while basking in the bath, I had a darker thought. If Karlan had not been sold... Duchatelet, you idiot, you absolute cock, you useless turd.
We have to keep the pressure on him, even as we start to believe.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derek-adams-full-transcript-plymouth-2728441.amp
Ive found him a bit of a prick in the past and my opinion hasnt overly changed - thought the yellows were for silly challenges from us but for both Sarr and Bauer they were booked for their first offences when I felt that a warning would have been sufficient
He's right though that we sat deeper in the second half yet disagree with the fact that we scored our own two real chances... Certainly dumbstruck at his annoyance with our supposed time wasting, should come down the Valley when Plymouth arent playing and he'll see we have to put up with a lot worse for longer periods of the game
Oh well; I wonder if he'll get his players to do a lap of honour at the end of the season this time around
Luton
Pompey
Sunderland
Charlton
Barnsley
Doncaster
Bumped into Charlton fans in nearly every pub we went into.
Even helped further world ☮️ by introducing @cabbles to @LouisMend
Next stop Jerusalem.
As for the game, very enjoyable away performance.
Our diamond wasn't working, they matched us up and we were getting overrun in midfield leading to many yellow cards. They were fouls but having given out cards for first offences the ref then didn't book Sarr or Bauer for subsequent fouls that were just as bad.
Clear pen which MOTM Phillips saved.
Two minutes later a gorgeous Solly cross headed in by Taylor and the whole game has been turned on its head.
Second half Cullen game central in a flatter four, we looked stronger, controlled the ball and game with Aribo and Williams (best half from him since joining) running at them.
The second goal killed them and the contest. So pleased for Igor even if it looked like it came off his knee. Igor looked sharper and fitter than of late.
We cruised the rest of the game and could have scored more. Plymouth went long which made it easy for the back two.
Plymouth had some decent players and their movement and pace troubled us. Some shopping for Steve Gallen to do down there in the summer.
Plymouth fans I spoke to felt we were lucky to keep 11 men on the pitch but that were the better side.
Our fans very loud and @Oggy Red even sang my song for me!
Plus I won £70 on the national. What's not to like.
can’t really add much more to this. Up until the penalty save I was very agitated at the below par performance, but that turned the game and we did an absolute number on them from that point on.
Rarely do I have anything to say about a ref but he was diabolical. All the bookings were most definitely fouls, but maybe 1 or 2 were bookings. One of the worst officials I’ve seen in years.
A great day all in all
So it goes as follows:
Played 28, Won 16, Drawn 7, Lost 5, Scored 39, Conceded 19, Points 55.
I believe this shows we are a very good side and the job Bowyer has done has been incredible. When you consider this period included missing Cullen, Vetokele, Aribo, and Pearce all for a while, we have been without Page the whole time, without Taylor for a handful of games due to suspensions, with changing our goalkeeper which can often cause disruption, so credit to Phillips even more, and we have kept 12 clean sheets in these 28 games too. And finally, with losing Grant part way through as well.
There have been a lot of key players missing throughout the course of these games, which is expected, but maybe not as many as we would’ve thought. Of course in that time we have had Sarr come in and be incredible, we have had Purrington help steady the back four too. But I think it shows just how good we can be. It’s just a shame the start of the season wasn’t as consistent, and we gave the rest of the league a mini head start.
If anyone was to say we don’t deserve to be where we are, if not a little higher, they’re wrong, plain and simple. So huge credit to Bows and the team, it’s exceptional all things considered that has happened in and around the club.
The problem is in theory we can catch any of the teams above us but there are three of them and it is too much to expect them all to slip up. It is the right approach to try to win every game - without intense pressure on us - it will set us up nicely for the play offs.
It is subtle, and I will say it quietly, but Vetokele seems to be improving. If he can continue that over the remaining games, we could be on to something. Would love to see Bowyer have a go at getting Fosu to some sort of form. Even from the bench, he can be a game changer. Go in with two decent strikers and Fosu on top of what we already have and we are going to be difficult to stop. We seem to have found the defensive formula and are probably the best defensive team in the division at this moment. We have midfielders like Cullen, Bielik, Aribo and Williams and have the best striker in the division. Reasons to be cheerful.