Plymouth Argyle v Ipswich Town
Saturday 30th October 2021 – 15:00
Home Park
Pre-Match Thoughts - Mike
Back On Board..............
When Paul Cook first arrived at ITFC I was delighted, he was the name I had stated I wanted to be our next Manager, having got him here I was then over the moon at the way he swept the decks clean of all the dross, he took no prisoners and released us all from the utter abysmal and depressing state that bunch of players had left us in, I believed that him along with the new Owners, CEO and Chairman were a dream come true, finally things were going to change.
To say the opening weeks of the season didn't quite go to plan were an understatement, while we were never going to breeze the league by Twenty Five points I think most expected much much more in those opening games, to be second best to the likes Burton, Cheltenham & Bolton was not in the script. It came to a head for me at Cambridge as we surrendered a Two goal lead in a game we had looked in total control of, this on the back of several, shall we say, odd decisions by Paul Cook & Co. There is no getting away from it, I started to doubt Cook. For me bringing on attacking players to go and get a Third was ridiculous, it cried out for more defensive changes and for me had we done that we win that game.
Thankfully I have to say, the last Two games have gone a long way in reassuring me that he does know what he is doing, that he is the man to lead us forward and most importantly that he is the man to bring the glory days back to Portman Road. It's not just the fact we thrashed Portsmouth 4-0 or that we managed to grind out a last gasp win against Fleetwood, while the wins obviously help I think it is obvious to most that there is improvement, that partnerships are starting to form, that we are beginning to see who Cook regards as his mainstays of the team, the togetherness has never been in doubt but it looks so solid right now, players are playing for each other and the silly errors are becoming less and less. To sum up my doubts and mini wobble have been eased, I don't think a bad bout of Covid has helped my mindset at all either as for a few days everything was negative, Cambridge came at a terrible time and put the tin hat on it for me but now I am more than happy to see Cook take us forward and he has my full backing, so long as he stops the stupid decisions and substitutions etc.
I wonder just how much the mood changed when Bersant Celina popped up in the dying seconds to slam home the winner from Janoi Donacien's superb pass, a draw would have definitely felt like another Two points dropped from a winning position but the celebrations in the SBR lower were unbelievable, in fact not just the SBR stand but the whole ground celebrated for what seemed like an eternity, it was quite a moment and in my opinion no more than we deserved.
I thought it was written in the stars the way we grasped the victory right at the death in front of the watching Brett Johnson, Johnson is the first of our friends from over the pond to get over for a game and it is fair to say he lapped up every moment, we sent him home more than happy and already he is planning his return, hopefully with the "other Two" amigo's, I am sure he will have been impressed with the potential of the club, not to mention the gradual improvement on the pitch, there is no doubt in my mind that Johnson is seriously already in love with our great club and the involvement the new owners have is very real.
The Two wins last week have catapulted us into the Top Ten and a little bit closer to the play off zone, Four Points to be exact, our current form is up there with the best now too and Ten points from the last Twelve sounds impressive. Of course we need to keep it going given that we've given everyone a fair head start in the race. What better way is there to gauge how good we are than a trip to the surprise League Leaders Plymouth Argyle, while it may be a surprise it is certainly deserved as Plymouth have lost only One of their opening Fifteen matches and that was against Rotherham Utd who look nailed on to be in the mix. Plymouth have their very own MaCauley Bonne too as Ryan Hardie also sits on Ten goals for the season and will no doubt be their danger man, they are the second highest scorers in the division, only bettered by ourselves so goals could be the order of the day (goaless draw it is then), they are also pretty tight at the back having conceded less than a goal a game. make no mistake this is going to be a real test and a tough afternoon beckons, come away from this with a win and people will really sit up and start to take notice, we have players in form, Chaplin, Bonne, Burns, Donacien etc so why not go their and win !! Keeping my level headed hat on for a change I will go for a low scoring draw which would be a more than acceptable result and keeps the decent run going. COYB'S.
The Opposition – Plymouth Argyle
The club was founded in 1886 as Argyle Football Club, the first match taking place on 16 October 1886.
Much speculation surrounds the origin of the name Argyle. One explanation is that the club was named after the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, an army regiment with a strong football side of its own. Another theory is given by the local geography–suggesting the name comes either from the nearby public house, The Argyle Tavern, where the founder members may have met, or from a local street Argyle Terrace. The club adopted its current name when it became fully professional in 1903.
The club was disbanded 1894, before being resurrected in 1897 as one part of a general sports club, the Argyle Athletic Club. The club joined the Southern League, effectively the English 3rd tier, in 1903 becoming professional in the process. Argyle won the Southern League in 1912–13, then in 1920–21 entered the Football League Third Division as a founder member, along with most of the Southern League, where they finished 11th in their first season.
Between 1921–22 and 1926–27, Argyle finished second in the new Third Division South six seasons in a row, thereby missing promotion. Argyle eventually won promotion to Football League Division Two in 1929–30, when they topped the Third Division South, with attendances that season regularly reaching 20,000. Manager Bob Jack resigned in 1937, having spent a grand total of 27 years in charge of the Pilgrims.
Argyle's 20-year stay in Division Two came to an end in 1949–50 after finishing 21st – two points short of survival. They were back in Division Two before long, after winning the Third Division South in 1951–52.
The closest they ever came to playing in the Football League First Division (top tier) was in 1952–53, when they reached fourth place in the Football League Second Division, their highest finish to date. They were relegated again in 1955–56, just 3 points behind Notts County. The Pilgrim's reputation as a 'yo-yo club' continued after they won Division Three – by then a national league – in 1958–59. Argyle returned to Division Three after relegation in 1967–68.
After spending six years in Division Three, Argyle finally returned to Division Two in 1974–75, but they were back down again in 1976–77.
Since then, the team has wavered between the 2nd and 3rd tier, before being double relegated in 2010–11. That was directly due to the club having been declared insolvent, following which they were deducted the 10 points they needed for survival. The club returned to the 3rd tier after finishing second in 2016–17.
On 14 August 2018, it was announced that shareholder Simon Hallett had purchased part of James Brent's stake in the club, and had become the new majority shareholder and owner, and that former director, David Felwick, would return to the club as chairman when Brent stepped down on 31 October 2018. However, on 10 October 2018, it was reported that David Felwick was unable to take over as chairman, citing personal reasons, so on 1 November 2018, Hallett became both majority owner and chair of Plymouth Argyle.
On 5 June 2019, Ryan Lowe was announced as manager of Plymouth Argyle, guiding them to a third-place finish and an immediate return to League One in a season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
Last season Plymouth finished in 18th place with 53 points.
The Manager – Ryan Lowe
Form Guide
Plymouth Argyle Last 5 Matches – Currently in 1st place with 30 points
2 Oct Lincoln City 2 - 2 Plymouth
9 Oct Plymouth 2 - 1 Burton Albion
16 Oct Oxford Utd 1 - 3 Plymouth
19 Oct Plymouth 3 - 0 Bolton
23 Oct Morecambe 1 - 1 Plymouth
Ipswich Last 5 Matches – Currently in 10th place with 20 points
2 Oct Accrington 2 - 1 Ipswich Town
9 Oct Ipswich Town 2 - 1 Shrewsbury
16 Oct Cambridge Utd 2 - 2 Ipswich Town
19 Oct Portsmouth 0 - 4 Ipswich Town
23 Oct Ipswich Town 2 - 1 Fleetwood
Match Referee – Robert Lewis
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 1 IPSWICH TOWN 2
Superb 
, might’ve voted win with a MacBonne hatrick. Or a loss vote with a Hardie Har-Har brace! 
