Well, well, well. Another 5-1 defeat – hello darkness, my old friend.
I was ‘lucky’ enough to be on the player ratings for that defeat to Charlton too and I can see some huge similarities; a strong starting 11, big hype (mainly from last season’s FA Cup run still lingering) followed by an abject performance.
Talking of which, back then I said “It’s one of the most abject performances I’ve seen from an Argyle side in a long while but can only thank that there is 40-odd games left to leave his in the distant memory”.
Here we are again.
I won’t bore you with too much waffle – just this feels worse; abject doesn’t really describe the performance well enough. We looked like a bunch thrown together for a Sunday League fixture just minutes before kick-off. Failing to string passes together, the whole back 5 incredibly poor defensively; Lonwijk and Edwards especially, nothing sticking in the middle with them often bypassed while the game just drifted away from the front 2. At no point beyond taking the lead did we show any desire of wanting another FA cup run, the newly-found free weekend at the end of the month will come as a needed rest.
That being said, Grimsby looked up for it – most of our pathetic play came from their tenacity, high press and that old cliche of just ‘wanting it more’.
Some of their play was brilliant; optimised by their 3rd. An outstanding back-heeled finish by Brendan Kiernan after brilliant work by Harry Clifton down their right-flank, leaving Mumba for dust in the meantime. They made us look like the League Two side. Paul Hurst’s side deserving of their plaudits this weekend.
Schumacher did keep up his solid use of the bench; all 5 subs offered a small amount of improvement, becoming slightly more solid 2nd half but it’s hard to judge that when you’re 4-1 down at half time and void of any confidence.
One thing I find incomprehensible is the decision to play in grey against a side who’s kit is predominantly black. Thankfully, I’m not colour-blind but still had extreme difficulty deciphering who was who. During last season’s FA Cup run Argyle were commended for wearing their away strip in the away game at Rochdale, live on itv, stating ‘The change is part of both clubs’ commitment to making football more inclusive for colour blind supporters., continuing ‘Although not a traditional kit clash, this combination will allow colour-blind viewers to better distinguish between the two teams, making for a more inclusive viewing experience.’
So why is this only a consideration for broadcasted fixtures? What about fans in the ground? An over-reaction? Let me know.
I tend to take ratings in isolation, forgetting what came before; previous games or proven talent. What matters now is that we bounce next Saturday and no need to overact, we go again, roll on Lincoln City. The Imps losing 1-0 to National League South side Chippenham Town providing some comfort ahead of our League One clash in a weeks time.
Damn – I said I wouldn’t waffle! Here you are; 1 word reviews.
3 – Cooper
FIVE
2 – Lonwijk
Slow
4 – Scarr
Fine
3 – Galloway
Poor
4 – Grant
Crocked
2 – Edwards
Abject
0 – Butcher
Turd
6 – Randell – MOTM
Tenacious
4 – Jenkins-Davies
Missing
3 – Cosgrove
Huh?
4 – Hardie
Tried
Subs
3 – Mumba
Anonymous
5 – Whittaker
Mediocre
4 – Ennis
Better
5 – Wilson
Improvement
N/A – Roberts
League Debut