A Round-up of Argyle News
Argyle News Sites: Greens on Screen's Daily Diary is a compilation of Argyle news, with help from these and other Argyle-related sites. On This Day: Also included on the three most recent days, facts from Argyle's history. |
Monday 18th January 2021 On This Day: 1964: Peter McParland, one of the few star names to wear the Argyle shirt, played his final game for the Pilgrims; a 3-1 defeat at Derby. The Northern Ireland international had signed from Wolves a year earlier at the age of 28, having played at the top for nine years with Aston Villa. 2008: Steve MacLean signed from Cardiff City for a reported £500,000 fee, a club record. 17th On This Day: 1914: Six months before the beginning of the First World War: Bristol Rovers 1 Argyle 4. The star of the afternoon was Freddie Burch, who scored a hat-trick, three of 92 goals in 239 games between 1906 and 1915. This was a Southern League fixture, six years before Argyle were admitted to the Football League, but they were in good company. Amongst their opposition that year, 18 current League clubs including Cardiff, Coventry, Crystal Palace, Norwich, QPR, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Watford and West Ham. 2007: At just 17 years old, Scott Sinclair signed on loan from Chelsea. As well as some exciting displays, two wonder goals in his 3 months at Home Park thrust him into the national headlines. 16th On This Day: 1926: Jack Cock scored four in Argyle's 6-3 win at home to Norwich City. In this and the following season, the Hayle-born forward scored a staggering 65 times. 1932: Argyle 8 Millwall 1 - the Pilgrims' best home win, and an equal best ever score (also achieved in 1994 at Hartlepool). Argyle were rampant, yet only 2-1 up after 66 minutes, having hit the woodwork four times. Then the avalanche began. In front of Arsenal's famous manager, Herbert Chapman, who was preparing for the Pilgrims' cup match at Highbury the following week, Argyle rattled in six in 21 minutes. Unfortunately, it left Chapman in no doubt about his Second Division opposition. 2008: Chris Clark signed from Aberdeen for a reported £200,000 fee. Saturday 26th December 2020
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Parkinson and Zac Newton were also major influences. You're thinking, 'wow, this is a good place.' "I was conscious that the club had fallen on hard times a little bit, back in League Two, but the stadium and the pitch is to die for. I've been around most stadiums in my coaching time, but the playing surface here is absolutely wonderful. If I was playing out there, if I was the coach out there, I'd be thrilled. It's a lovely environment to perform in, and long may that continue. We had a very successful season last year, a promotion – and the second promotion that Ryan and Steven have had in a row, at two different clubs. The start of the season was going quite nicely, thank you, but in recent weeks we'd hit a patch where the waters were very choppy, obviously, and we have needed to react. "My role has been very much around supporting the coaching staff – they've never experienced anything like this, and they've had to show some resilience in adversity. They've got fantastic support from everybody at this football club, coaching staff, office staff, playing staff – they're all pulling in the same direction. We do own one or two of the performances, but seeing and being involved in the preparation ahead of the games, there is no doubt in my mind that we will continue to improve. Again, we should remember that this is a long-term objective – this is season two in a project, and it is important that we as a club, as well as our supporters, don't lose sight of that." "Ryan and Steven have had to experience something that they've never been through before. Expectations, I believe, are high at Argyle – and it's possible that they've been too high. I've heard some supporters speak about back-to-back promotions. Don't get me wrong, that would be lovely if it could happen, but the reality is that we've just been promoted – we have, pretty much, the mainstay of that team, and we're now coming up against better teams, coaching against better coaches. The challenges are far harder. At times like the past few weeks, I am here to ensure that they don't lose confidence. I believe that they have exceptional talents, but it all takes time. They are only into their third season in these roles – I could quote a million examples, but without thinking too hard, Sir Alex Ferguson got sacked in his first role at East Stirling. "Ryan will be the first to tell you that he has lots to learn, as does Steven, and my role is to support that learning. We have a little action plan between us to work through challenges that arise – and I know that Ryan has also sought out guidance from other significant people in the game, just to take on a range of views. He knows that football is not an easy profession, it challenges every manager. Clubs that have Directors of Football, their roles are around the mid to long-term view. To develop a football club takes time – it took Liverpool 30 years to regain their status, and it will take a period of time to get to where we want to be. Simon's vision is out there, to be in the Championship in five years. "In year one, we got promoted straight away. There is that danger that expectations fly away, really. My role is to remind people that we're making great progress, there will be bumps in the road of course, but there are a number of ongoing projects to take us towards that ambition. We are constantly developing our recruitment process, we've revamped the Academy to bring more young talent into the first-team squad, to support all of our staff, and to improve the performance side, sport science, and medical. There's so much work to do to build this club into the Argyle we want it to be. "This is very much a project, a learning experience for everyone at the club, and it is about putting the building blocks in place to go forwards again. We should not get ahead of ourselves when we're on a good run, nor should we overcompensate when we hit a sticky patch. We all need to trust. Supporters need to trust the team, and the team need to trust that supporters are with them. Ryan and Steven need to trust themselves. My trust is very strong with the supporters, the football club in general, the players and the coaching staff, that's for sure." 20th
"We set up a game plan, and we were on the front foot. I don't know how many regains it was, but if we were a little bit more clinical, to be ultra-critical, we could have scored a couple more goals. In terms of the desire and commitment that the lads showed today against a good MK Dons team, who play the right way, and do the right things, is great to see. I keep saying it, we're the new boys in the league, and we've got to keep learning. The last few weeks have been a learning curve, and today showed me what type of group and character we've got in there. "It's just another three points, we're not getting too carried away because you never know what's around the corner, but one thing we can do is enjoy Christmas Day. It's just another win to get that little bit of disappointment off our back – clean sheet, goal, loads of attempts, what we've done today is got that little bit of negativity out of us. The die-hards realise that we've embedded ourselves into this football club from the day we came here. We're here to take this football club on a journey. There have been a lot of positive messages, a lot of emails, a lot of letters, and to see what those 2,000 fans did to them lads today, as well as myself and my staff, was phenomenal, so thank you." 19th
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"I've looked at it back, and two of their players are encroaching from the corner, and he books my player. You can see Danny is trying to move, trying to play the pass, but he can't because they're not 10 yards. I'm proud of the boys, they're going through a little bit of a tough time at the moment, not winning games, I thought the game plan was nearly executed. They're wounded in there, and rightly so. They've worked hard. We had a good meeting on Wednesday, we put all the wrongs right, and I think the performance warranted three points. We'll come out of that stronger. If they perform like that in the majority of the games, they'll get the points. They're down and out in there, but we'll recover the group properly, and put a game plan together for Bristol Rovers. We'll get it right, stick with us – if we keep putting performances in like that I'm sure we'll get more points than we won't." 5th
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