League One, 2022/23

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

So, we're playing Barnsley in the play offs then

[DJBlu]

Really want to say that we'll finish stronger as we should have players returning from injury but I don't want to tempt fate.

Wigan finished top with 92 points last season however I think this season that might be a tad higher. I do remember the top struggling toward the end of the season but it just doesn't feel like that will happen this season as there are plenty of strong teams at the top.

[Bruce Rioja]

Really want to say that we'll finish stronger as we should have players returning from injury but I don't want to tempt fate.

Under Evatt we always have a better second half to the season, but usually because our opening period has been so shit

Right now I'm firmly in the 'massive mistake' camp in terms of us letting Sadlier and Aimson go, however, I will of course be delighted to be proved wrong.

[GhostoftheBok]

Right now I'm firmly in the 'massive mistake' camp in terms of us letting Sadlier and Aimson go, however, I will of course be delighted to be proved wrong.

Controversial opinion time.

If Aimson started yesterday we'd have lost that game

[Bruce Rioja]

Right now I'm firmly in the 'massive mistake' camp in terms of us letting Sadlier and Aimson go, however, I will of course be delighted to be proved wrong.

Controversial opinion time.

If Aimson started yesterday we'd have lost that game

'Interesting' opinion, I'd say

I see that Iles only gave Toal a 6/10 yesterday, commenting that he thought he struggled with the surface.
Now, firstly I'm just not having it that any competent footballer might struggle with our surface, but moreover, I thought both Toal and Santos were excellent yesterday, good enough to 'carry' a 3rd CB even if they were having an off day.
I really don't see how we might have lost had Aimson been playing, however, I'd love to learn your thinking on this.

[GhostoftheBok]

I really don't see how we might have lost had Aimson been playing, however, I'd love to learn your thinking on this.

Nothing about Aimson being a bad player, as he isn't. I rate Aimson. However, we had to push very high yesterday and because John was on holiday they could consistently get out down our left.

There were a couple of times where it was only Santos' pace that stopped them getting in on the counter and I don't think Aimson would have got there.

Just opinion, but I think we'd have got caught 1-0.

Maybe we still score. Hard to say. But I think there's a strong chance we'd have lost there.

Conversely, I don't think Aimson would be much of an issue against Peterborough next weekend. Horses for courses and all that.

[The_Gun]

Sounds like Plymouth's first choice keeper is out for the remainder of the season, and apparently he's pretty good.

I think they may have a serviceable back-up, so not as big a blow as it would be for some (ahem), but nevertheless, a spanner in the works for a promotion rival.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Sounds like Plymouth's first choice keeper is out for the remainder of the season, and apparently he's pretty good.

I think they may have a serviceable back-up, so not as big a blow as it would be for some (ahem), but nevertheless, a spanner in the works for a promotion rival.

This is about as big a blow as you can imagine without the team bus exploding.

Cooper was their player of the season last year and his stats this season were off the scale: per Experimental361, Plymouth's expected goals against is 39, but they've only conceded 29.

His replacement Callum Burton is 26 and has only played regular football for half a season - for fourth-tier Cambridge in 2020/21, and has been sat on the bench since.

[GhostoftheBok]

Cooper was their player of the season last year and his stats this season were off the scale: per Experimental361, Plymouth's expected goals against is 39, but they've only conceded 29.

Would be interested to know how the young Boro loanee, Sol Brynn, is doing at Swindon Town in terms of comparable stats.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Cooper was their player of the season last year and his stats this season were off the scale: per Experimental361, Plymouth's expected goals against is 39, but they've only conceded 29.

Would be interested to know how the young Boro loanee, Sol Brynn, is doing at Swindon Town in terms of comparable stats.

experimental361.com gives figures for teams, not players – but he's ever-present, so:
Swindon have conceded 28, they should have conceded 35.8

League Two club with biggest xGa overachievement is Leyton Orient (conceded 17 vs xGa 27.8 ). Their goalie is Lawrence Vigouroux, who used to play for... Swindon (older fans may remember him letting in a dolly against us at theirs - maybe Parky era?)

[GhostoftheBok]

experimental361.com gives figures for teams, not players – but he's ever-present, so:
Swindon have conceded 28, they should have conceded 35.8

Unless things have changed he's one we've looked at previously and whose deal expires in the summer. Nearly 8 goals better than expected strikes me as encouraging in a 22 year old. I'm just trying to keep rough track of "possibles" at this stage.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

experimental361.com gives figures for teams, not players – but he's ever-present, so:
Swindon have conceded 28, they should have conceded 35.8

Unless things have changed he's one we've looked at previously and whose deal expires in the summer. Nearly 8 goals better than expected strikes me as encouraging in a 22 year old. I'm just trying to keep rough track of "possibles" at this stage.

Ah good good. Strikes me that there's plenty about. I will genuinely be gutted if we retain Dixon. Not that I hate him or would boo him but, y'know.

Only possible way I can see that as acceptable is if we get in two young 'uns - perhaps one loanee, one like this lad to train up for ourselves, or just two for us - and Dixon hangs around as third-choice elder statesman. But I have no idea if he's "good around the place" in the way say Gilks is.

[officer_dibble]

Great news re Cooper, as much so for a potential final against a team we haven’t beaten in thirty years or whatever it is.

As for Dixon, you would have a third choice elder statesman if they had experience to draw off…dixons got nowt!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Great news re Cooper, as much so for a potential final against a team we haven’t beaten in thirty years or whatever it is.

As for Dixon, you would have a third choice elder statesman if they had experience to draw off…dixons got nowt!

It's a fair comment. Didn't play a Football League game till he was knocking on 27. Again - I don't hate him, but if we're to improve, we need better.

On Plymouth in the final - yeah, forgot about the double Wembley possibility. Although I can now see them losing to Shrewsbury in the semi.

[GhostoftheBok]

Remains the same issue, though. Can we name someone better who will come here to sit on the bench (or not even that) for similar money?

The level of keeper we need to replace Traf is going to want to play every week, so you've then got to find an old stager or a genuine kid who will be happy to just train every week unless there's an injury.

I think we *could*, but Evatt might feel he's making the best use of the budget as is.

[The_Gun]

Great news re Cooper, as much so for a potential final against a team we haven’t beaten in thirty years or whatever it is.

As for Dixon, you would have a third choice elder statesman if they had experience to draw off…dixons got nowt!

It's a fair comment. Didn't play a Football League game till he was knocking on 27. Again - I don't hate him, but if we're to improve, we need better.

On Plymouth in the final - yeah, forgot about the double Wembley possibility. Although I can now see them losing to Shrewsbury in the semi.

Don’t they have our old mates Cheltenham in the semi?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

On Plymouth in the final - yeah, forgot about the double Wembley possibility. Although I can now see them losing to Shrewsbury in the semi.

Don’t they have our old mates Cheltenham in the semi?

Sorry, I meant the play-off semis

[Harry Genshaw]

On Plymouth in the final - yeah, forgot about the double Wembley possibility. Although I can now see them losing to Shrewsbury in the semi.

Cheltenham isn't it in the PJ Trophy? Unless you meant losing to Shrewsbury in the play offs, which given their current run of form isn't an impossibility!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Bob on, Harry. I said preseason that I thought Shrewsbury might dark-horse into the playoffs; a typically Cotterrillian hard-to-beat team - as we have discovered a couple of times already in the past two seasons. I see they’re still bobbing buggardly about just under the dots.

On another note. If we play Cheltenham at Wembley, imagine paying £50 tickets plus however much in transport and day-out costs - and watching them cheat and dive and waste time.

[GhostoftheBok]

On another note. If we play Cheltenham at Wembley, imagine paying £50 tickets plus however much in transport and day-out costs - and watching them cheat and dive and waste time.

That's a very different game on that pitch, though.