A distant drum...V Plymouth Argyle Sat 27th Aug. 3-o'clock.

[TANGODANCER]

Plymouth are all about Drake's Drum and the Theatre of Greens. History won't matter one when the whistle blows. Have we recovered from our visit of the higher ups and are we ready to take revenge ? Hoping all our gladiators are fit and well (Dadi-Bod?) and we're ready to start climbing ....Hi Ho, Plymouth, here we come...

Exits humming....I'll labour night and day to be(at) a Pilgrim..

[Mar]

Plymouth, they score a lot and concede a lot. Sounds like it'll be an entertaining match.

Gonna be interesting to see how much the midweek game took out of the squad. Time to come good if we're going to push for promotion.

[LeverEnd]

I don't think Dad Bod will be fit, so expect it to be Charles and Afolayan again. Charles should be fully fit and confident thanks to his goal on Tuesday. Let's hope he terrorises them. I'm sure Kachunga, and Aimson will drop to the bench. Probably Lee as well so Morley and Dempsey to come back. I'd play Sadlier instead of Bradley too. He's played a lot and would be great to bring on late in the game.

[Harry Genshaw]

I'm not sure we've ever won there in my lifetime and last season was pretty close to the lowest point of the season. I'll be delighted with a point but can't see it. 1-3 loss

[LeverEnd]

Can't predict as I know nothing about them. How do they play tactically?

[GhostoftheBok]

More home wins last season than us, Wigan or MK Dons. Two from two this season in the league.

If we get a result we'll have done very, very well.

[officer_dibble]

One of the teams I have in my head that we need to beat to show real progress (Wycombe and MK dons the other two). Go and give them a game and bring home the points!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I'm sure Kachunga, and Aimson will drop to the bench.

Look what happened last time we benched an ex-Argyle player for the trip to Home Park…

[BWFC_Insane]

It’s a really important game. Nothing is decided in August but if 5 games in we have 8 points then I feel that’s a little disappointing.

These are the sorts of games you need to go and get results in if you want to be top 6. We didn’t against Wednesday dropped two against Port Vale. Id have had us down for a win v PV and one win from SW or Plymouth if we are to be serious challengers. It would also be three defeats in a week and we know how Evatt sides can have these dips following such a string of results.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Can't predict as I know nothing about them. How do they play tactically?

<clears throat>

They play a 3-4-2-1 with two attacking midfielders (usually Danny Mayor and Finn Azaz) running off a No.9 (usually Ryan Hardie).

Judging by last season's stats, the Pilgrims are more like us than most. Opta's sequence style shows Plymouth’s green badge hiding behind Oxford’s bright yellow castrated bull, closer to us than the average.
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Screenshot 2022-08-26 at 10.34.42.png (333.38 KiB) Viewed 1556 times

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Overall they had:
• 6th-highest average passing sequence time (McDons 1st, Ipswich 2nd, us 3rd)
• 5th-most passes per sequence (again, McDons 1st, Ipswich 2nd, us 3rd)
• 5th-most sequences of 10+ passes in open play (again, McDons 1st, Ipswich 2nd, us 3rd)
• 4th-most “build-up attacks” (open play sequences with 10+ passes that ends in a shot or a touch in the box - McDons 1st, Ipswich 2nd, us 5th)
• 8th-slowest “direct speed” up the pitch (McDons 1st, Wigan 2nd, Ipswich 3rd, us 5th)
• BUT, they also had 8th-most “direct attacks” (open play sequences starting just inside your half, ending in a shot or a touch in the box, and at least 50% of movement towards the opposition's goal – Rotherham 1st, us 11th). Suggests they weren't afraid to occasionally go direct.

Big difference between us and them last season was they had a much lower press – tended to leave the opponents alone in the opposition half. We had the 8th most active press, they had the 19th. As a result, they had the division’s 4th-lowest total of “high turnovers” (nicking the ball in the last 40 yards - we were 9th-highest), and although they turned more of these into shots than we did, they only got 3 goals from them (16th - we were top with 8 ).

Overall, they were 7th for open-play goals and 8th for open-play shots, suggesting their league position was about right. However, they weren't very threatening at set pieces – 22nd for shots (only Crewe and Donny had fewer) and 18th for goals (11 - more than our 9, which only Lincoln and Crewe got fewer than). And of course they won 1-0 at ours with a header off a corner.

Same story at the the other end, really. In open play they were 13th-best for shots conceded and 7th-best for goals conceded; at set-plays they were 15th-best for shots conceded and 14th-best for goals conceded.

Home Park form was good, as Ghost noted - only three teams won more (Rotherham, Wednesday, Sunderland). Won nine away, which wa joint 4th-best but way behind the top trio (Wigan 14, McDons 13, Rotherham 12).

I did a bit on their summer transfer dealings here - viewtopic.php?p=1137376#p1137376 - and since then all they've done is borrow a Wolves centre-back whose middle name is Cello. They haven't done a lot this summer - lost loanee Ryan Broom back to Posh, but their Villa loanee Finn Azaz has started well. He scored the winner in the opener at home to Barnsley, the opener in the 2-0 home win over Posh, and the opener in last weekend's 3-0 win at FGR. He didn't score in the intervening losses at Fleetwood and Charlton (5-1) – they've gone WLWLW so it's quite the ride.

[LeverEnd]

I'm honoured that you put that together just for me DSB.
They don't sound like the type of direct physical team we have struggled against, and you'd hope they won't catch us cold like in last season's slightly freaky game. Equally they're not likely to just leave big spaces to run into like Oxford last season.
So, thanks to you I'm a lot wiser but still have no idea on a prediction. 1-1.

[LeverEnd]

They've gone WLWLW

Changed my mind. They're due an L in their sequence. That's good enough for me, and the extent of my footballing analysis. 1-2

[Worthy4England]

They've gone WLWLW

Changed my mind. They're due an L in their sequence. That's good enough for me, and the extent of my footballing analysis. 1-2

We'll shit 'em. 2-1 Whites

[Bruce Rioja]

2-2, and a game worthy of the lengthy trip for those who make it.

[boltonboris]

I'm heading down for this one. 6.30 set-off (Zzz) and not expecting a bean. In fact, thoroughly expecting to get a bit of a thumping

[Ibahjanner]

For those travelling down tomorrow. Two free large car parks beside the ground but they will be full by 1.00pm. There will be traffic wardens in the streets around the ground with tickets being issued as though there xmas presents. My suggestion would be go the opposite side of beacon park road to park. Ten minute walk to ground. Wetherspoon five minutes walk from the ground. Petrol station opposite for those needing fuel.
The game no predictions but feel for both teams its a game that will show what
we should expect this season.
Safe journey for all that come.

[TANGODANCER]

Nothing useful to add. We go, we play and the rest is que sera. Early goals ( what we haven't been scoring for a while) are so heartening but, like with Villa, a moment of daftness/carelessness and it can all soon go pear-shaped. Managers, just like Evatt (hopefully) will have done their homework and a positive first half counts for naught if we don't play 90 minute football. I'm really hoping Bod is fit for this and he and Charles are on the mark, but any goal from any areas will do nicely.
COME ON YOU WHITES .....

[TANGODANCER]

The day dawns bright and fair and the lookouts on the Plymouth watchtowers report a mini armada lead by the good ship H.M.S Wanderer approaching the Ho. Will we be sailing away with smiles or scowls at 4-45?. I'm predicting a hopeful 2-0 clean sheet with able seaman Trafford back astern...What sayest thou?

[Worthy4England]

For those travelling down tomorrow. Two free large car parks beside the ground but they will be full by 1.00pm. There will be traffic wardens in the streets around the ground with tickets being issued as though there xmas presents. My suggestion would be go the opposite side of beacon park road to park. Ten minute walk to ground. Wetherspoon five minutes walk from the ground. Petrol station opposite for those needing fuel.
The game no predictions but feel for both teams its a game that will show what
we should expect this season.
Safe journey for all that come.

Thanks, mate.

[Mar]

Haven't won there since 93 but feeling quite confident today. Maybe misplaced but I'm certain we're due a win.

The desire for defensive solidity has to be quite high considering we shipped a couple against Sheffield Wednesday and understandably struggled against villa.

Nothing silly today, just a good performance hopefully.

Does anyone know about our prep for this match, long way to be sat on the coach in the build up. Did the players travel for the stay overnight?