League 1 - Plymouth Argyle vs Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

[Tangfastic]

I’m sticking with it. Not getting some of Cook’s decisions and I absolutely hate how we surrender leads.

But what will happen if we get another manager?. Most likely if there’s not a quick turnaround we’ll be in a similar cycle of moaning and wanting more management change. Its ingrained in us. I’m happy we got rid of Lambert, the old squad and Evans. If at the start of the year, I was given the option of the position where we’re in now I’d take it anyday compared to then.

There’s room for improvement and when we’re the top league scorers that’s something to build on. 2 wins and then we lose narrowly away to the league leaders when we’ve freakishly lost all our right-sided players (including back-ups).

The football’s much better to watch, we create chances and score goals. And the players are better. It’s frustrating at hell at times, but surely screwing up winning positions can be turned around more easily than never hardly looking like scoring and playing drab football.

[Bluemike]

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.

That was my comment from the Plymouth preview and I stand by it, I haven't asked for him to be sacked but again just like Cambridge he has messed up, it shouldn't go unnoticed, should it continue then things need to be looked at.

[hallamblue]

Our best defenders are IMO

Coulson
Toto
Edmundson
Donacian


After that we are struggling .
Yesterday we did not have our strongest team out there . Illness causing 11th hour changes. He was critiqued for having Celina in instead of a defensive midfielder at Cambridge. This time he uses what defensive players he has ( neither have played for weeks ). It’s a BIG game . He used who he thought could do the best job in the positions that needed covering from ko.

BUT….

We give away far too many soft free kicks in and around our penalty area. It invites an uncontested cross into our box and asks us defend as deep as it can get. At some point opponents will score.
We KEEP doing this ! That’s not Cooks fault it’s the individual players who make those decisions on the pitch .

That’s my thoughts on it .

Move in to Tuesday . I just hope the likes of Donacian and Burns and Coulson are back because the alternatives are weak .

[Bluemike]

Liz, nobody will ever convince me that Coulsen at Left Back and either Chaplin at wide Right with Pigott in the number Ten role or Celina in at Right Midfield were not far better and sensible options, it's a no brainer for me. The winner came down our right so bunging Coulsen to give support to the hopeless Woolfy didn't work either.

[hallamblue]

Both players were played out of position , but who else could have gone in there at the 11th hour, that was down in Devon with the squad ?

[JOHN DEERE]

I'm gobsmacked by the extraordinary negativity here since yesterday. Of course it was painful to lose and, yes, we were lopsided and got punished because of it. The circumstances were unusual and unlikely to be replicated. We lost to the league leaders in a match we could, and perhaps, should have taken points from.

We have been on an upward curve for quite a while now and I see no reason why that can't continue. Charnwood, in his various comments, is 100% correct in my view. We are in transition but where we are is light years away, in a good way, from where we have been in recent years.

There are going to be bumps in the road to the end of this season. Of course there are. But there is no reason why we will not make the playoffs at the very least.

This is a bugger of a division. Every team is capable of taking points from every other team. Some teams will fly high in the early part of the season and then plummet (Town in 20/21 anyone). Others will surge up the table after a slow start. I don't think Cook is going anywhere before the end of the season and I am quite confident he will succeed with us and become one of our better managers.

[Bluemike]

That's all well and good but I think everyone is missing the point I'm making, our manager at times is getting it wrong, I don't think that can be argued.

[JOHN DEERE]

That's all well and good but I think everyone is missing the point I'm making, our manager at times is getting it wrong, I don't think that can be argued.

I don't disagree, but what Manager doesn't get it wrong at times?

It's also more likely to happen when putting together what is, in effect, an entirely new squad. Players are brought in with expectations as to what strengths they will bring and how they will fit into the planned structure. Sometimes it takes time for it all to come together. Sometimes reality will not meet expectations. That takes time and some players take longer to settle than others. Some players may simply turn out to be less than they seemed.

The manager sees them in training. We don't. Sometimes a player will fly in training and then not perform on the day. Again, the manager is operating with knowledge and data we are not privy to and makes decisions based on that knowledge and data. If the players don't produce on the day, the manager may be prepared to give them extended chances because he sees the potential that is there. It's all still very early days.

Look, I know you know all this. I also respect that your opinion stands regardless. You think I'm being too tolerant of Cook's performance and how the team is progressing. Fair enough. Time will tell.

[hallamblue]

Tbh I’d have been more worried had Town been outclassed by the form team on Saturday. But the truth is DESPITE the mistakes on / off the pitch Town SHOULD have buried Plymouth . Now to me that’s a big positive coz under Lambert we probably would have been steam rolled out of sight. I still feel we don’t see the best if this squad until Christmas onwards …. Let’s see what happens .

[Superchef1]

Definitely to much negativity going on towards Paul Cook and the team. Everybody knows what league one is like, you win some you lose some. The biggest game of the season will be against Rotherham, as they are definitely playing for fun. They are still my choice to get promoted to the Championship come the end of the season. There's still a long way to go, so buckle up and enjoy the fun!! If we don't make the playoffs then deffo sack him, but not mid season.

[Bluemike]

I'm gobsmacked by the extraordinary negativity here since yesterday. Of course it was painful to lose and, yes, we were lopsided and got punished because of it. The circumstances were unusual and unlikely to be replicated. We lost to the league leaders in a match we could, and perhaps, should have taken points from.

We have been on an upward curve for quite a while now and I see no reason why that can't continue. Charnwood, in his various comments, is 100% correct in my view. We are in transition but where we are is light years away, in a good way, from where we have been in recent years.

There are going to be bumps in the road to the end of this season. Of course there are. But there is no reason why we will not make the playoffs at the very least.

This is a bugger of a division. Every team is capable of taking points from every other team. Some teams will fly high in the early part of the season and then plummet (Town in 20/21 anyone). Others will surge up the table after a slow start. I don't think Cook is going anywhere before the end of the season and I am quite confident he will succeed with us and become one of our better managers.

Well we all have points where we've had enough or are fed up and question certain things, this was your comment post Bolton debacle....

I have no idea what to say about that. I genuinely thought our season was going to start here and we would go from strength to strength. We were abysmal: inept, clueless and completely lacking any vision or leadership. This can't go on. I have been a huge supporter of Paul Cook but my confidence in him has been severely shaken today

It happens, I'm most definitely questioning things atm, hopefully we start to cut out the ridiculous errors and managers muck ups so that positivity returns to my feelings as they clearly have with yours.

[JOHN DEERE]

That's fair comment Mike. I hope you're positivity returns too. I'm confident it will. Onwards and upwards.