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Welcome Gary Caldwell - new manager

Pete Martin (CTID)

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I was quite surprised with the starting line up, but I can't fault it. Even the subs I agreed with.
Can't see how he could have done any more last night, just need to get a defensive coach in now...
I think taking Tim Dieng off at that stage of the game was a miscalcualtion to be honest. Largely happy with everything else although I'm not sure that Cheick is completely fit yet.
 

budegrecian

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The January window will be interesting to see what GC does. We know that our budget was supposedly fully spent but the income from the Alfie Pond sale, should mean that the target for transfer fees required to cover the training ground development, has been fully met & hopefully exceeded. Add to this the funds we've received from Rotherham for MT, Wayno, et al, (circa £250k I'm led to believe) should give him a bit of scope.
If Harper isn't going to feature much, do we have the option to send him back to release some more funds? & presumably we will be saving on what we would have been expecting to be paying for Harry Smith. There is also the possibility that Brown could go for a fee rather than letting him go at the end of the season for nothing.
So could be an interesting month.
 

Rosencrantz

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I think taking Tim Dieng off at that stage of the game was a miscalcualtion to be honest. Largely happy with everything else although I'm not sure that Cheick is completely fit yet.
Given Tim's match fitness it was probably not surprising he went off, I was just a bit surprised Harper didn't come on for him in a if it's not broke don't fix it kind of way. Brown was a more positive choice but it didn't work out for us.
 

tom_ecfc

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I thought our midfield was a bit sloppy 2nd half last night.
Argyle let us play in the 1st half but 2nd as you mentioned we were sloppy and Argyle pressed us quicker to make us make mistakes. Our downfall, and this is over years and years, is that we panic when we are pressed. Not sure what the solution is, but maybe just clear it downfield, rather than trying to be clever and pass our way out. Ugly is sometimes not a bad thing.
 

Benjisheps14

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Given Tim's match fitness it was probably not surprising he went off, I was just a bit surprised Harper didn't come on for him in a if it's not broke don't fix it kind of way. Brown was a more positive choice but it didn't work out for us.
And I think that sums up the fine margins of football and the decisions that you make as a manager. It was a brave choice to bring Brown on instead of Harper but I can see the logic behind it as well. Plymouth had made it 2-2 and their tails were up and Jevani at least gives us some composure and helps us to establish field position so well as MT used to say. However; it didn't work and Jevani had his pocket pinched for the 3rd goal which was disappointing.
However; we could have brought Harper on and still lost the game and then we would be moaning that he came on instead of our top goal scorer and lead assist man.

Although we lost the game, I like how Caldwell had us set up and, and I like the fact that he is speaking really positively about the team, and that they need to believe in themselves more etc. I just hope he gets his first win soon to get that monkey off his back so it doesn't drag on too long.
 

elginCity

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I'm not sure that Cheick is completely fit yet.
Certainly not match fit yet.
 

fred binneys head

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Loving the boy Stanno
Certainly not match fit yet.
To be fair to him, I think last night was a very difficult game to come on as a defender. It was fast paced throughout and argyle’s front line is pretty good. Coming on in that environment and expecting him to be up to speed immediately was maybe too much to ask. Coming back from injury when you’re already 3-0 up at home to Port Vale or someone like that would be a lot easier.
 

Super Ronnie Jepson

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Argyle cannot be underestimated. Their team are that good that they bench a player who has 10 goals in 9 games. They have a championship side and are proving it, we went toe to toe with them last night and I'm proud of our boys. Newly promoted side with no budget and a managerial change against a team that is clearly better then league one and we did well.

If we play like we did last night, then we can enjoy a successful season, so many positives to take from last night. Corners looked dangerous, Nombe and Stanno are an attacking force something we have not had for many, many years. We had pace from the RB and LB. We played passing, long balls and pressed when needed too however Argyle are just that good at this standard.

Before last night they had not lost at home and conceded 3 goals all season and Exeter came and gave them a game they had to step up to win.

The views from all fans mutual or not seem to love last night's match, Sky TV came to show what the Devon derby is all about and it certainly did not disappoint. What a game it was!

My only gripe is that we brough Jevani on and played him as a CM when we have Jay on the bench, why bring on a player who has to be played out of position due to an injury when we had a natural player in that position on the bench. If JB wasn't fit to run down the wing then he shouldn't have come on at all.

If we can keep playing like that then I look forward to watching us most weeks. We got beat by a formidable Argyle squad.
Dieng should have been replaced by Chauke or Harper, not Brown as you say. If we wanted to introduce Brown Nombe should have made way.

The other thing that bugs me slightly is how we faded in the last 30 minutes. We played into Argyle's hands to some extent by going Hell for leather from the off.

Yes, they have quality to come on from the bench but we know that. I'm thinking back to GC's first day and the video of him talking to the squad about us not starting games fast enough. It just seems a bit naive to run ourselves ragged against a side who can knock it about and make us chase the ball in the latter stages.
 
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arthur

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Certainly not match fit yet.
..and let us not forget he remains young and relatively inexperienced; this time last year he was playing for Truro.

I remain hugely impressed by the education Rory McCardle gave Alex Hartridge when playing alongside him. Cheick probably learnt a lot from Sam Stubbs so his absence is a big miss in more than one sense
 

Red Monster

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I think taking Tim Dieng off at that stage of the game was a miscalcualtion to be honest. Largely happy with everything else although I'm not sure that Cheick is completely fit yet.
Tim was the obvious choice to take off , he was struggling with
his and game and you can see with some of his gestures he was
really frustrated with himself.
 
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