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Plymouth Argyle trio set to give Pilgrims fitness boost for Blackpool away game
Graham Carey was ruled out of the 2-2 draw with Bristol Rovers at Home Park last weekend
Playmaker Graham Carey is expected to be fit for Plymouth Argyle’s away League One game against Blackpool on Saturday.
Carey was set to resume training today after sitting out the 2-2 draw with Bristol Rovers at Home Park last weekend because of a back and hamstring problem.
Right-back Joe Riley and midfielder David Fox were both substituted in the second half of that game due to ankle and groin injuries respectively.
The pair have already returned to training and are expected to line up against eighth-placed Blackpool, as is Carey.
Argyle manager Derek Adams told South West Sports News : “We are very hopeful that the three of them will be fit.”
Plymouth Live were unable to attend the Blackpool pre-match Press conference on Thursday morning.
Adams has made the decision to bar Plymouth Live from all his interview and Press conferences other than those he is obliged to fulfil under FA and EFL regulations.
He is unhappy at recent reports containing criticism from fans and a former player.
Carey has scored five goals this term, much fewer than in his previous three seasons at Argyle.
However, the 29-year-old has continued to be a regular source of assists and is someone that the opposition always have to guard against.
Carey scored one of his best ever Argyle goals at Blackpool last season, with a spectacular long-range strike in a 2-2 draw in December 2017.
Fox, 35, spent three-and-a-half years at Blackpool, including two seasons in the Championship, until leaving in the summer of 2009.
The midfielder made a total of 80 starts and 28 substitute appearances during that time, and scored seven goals.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Left 10 years ago, strange, seems a lot longer than that.
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Plymouth Pre-Match on 21:12 - Mar 28 with 199 views
Full name: David Lee Fox Date of birth: 13 December 1983 (age 35) Place of birth: Leek, Staffordshire, England Height: 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) Playing position: Midfielder
Current team Plymouth Argyle Number 8
Youth career ?—2000 Exeter City 2000—2002 Manchester United
Senior career* Years Team Apps (Gls) 2002—2006 Manchester United 0 (0) 2003—2004 → Royal Antwerp (loan) 0 (0) 2004 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 4 (1) 2006—2009 Blackpool 94 (6) 2009—2010 Colchester United 18 (3) 2010—2014 Norwich City 62 (1) 2013 → Barnsley (loan) 7 (0) 2014—2015 Colchester United 30 (2) 2015—2016 Crewe Alexandra 39 (2) 2016— Plymouth Argyle 108 (3)
[Post edited 28 Mar 2019 21:14]
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Terry McPhillips has revealed every Blackpool player is fit other than long-term absentees Mark Howard, Jimmy Ryan and Max Clayton.
Donervon Daniels should be available for selection for this weekend's home game against Plymouth Argyle, despite missing out against Bradford City last weekend.
The defender was left out of the squad at Valley Parade thanks to a knock, but has since returned to training this weekend.
Ollie Turton is another who has returned to training having not featured for the Seasiders since the homecoming clash against Southend United.
When asked how his squad is shaping up for Saturday's game, McPhillips said: “Max and Jimmy are the two long-termers but Jimmy is back on the grass and doing some running, so that’s good.
“You just hope they will get back, but we just don’t know. They have both made some progress recently but it has been a rollercoaster for both of them.
“I’ve been there myself having two years out with a knee injury in my early 20s and it’s horrible.
“When you’re out for that long you realise how good it is to be playing and how much you love the game.
“Obviously Mark Howard is out so we wish him well with his recovery. But everything went well for him with the surgery.
“Everybody else is fit. "Donervon missed out last week because he just keeps getting little tweaks and stuff like that, but he’s trained and he will be available for selection.
“Ollie has been superb and a big miss for us. We have been careful and cautious with him and we’ll see what we do with him for this weekend.”
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Plymouth Pre-Match on 04:32 - Mar 29 with 182 views
"I am hoping for a really good Green Army turnout at the home of the Donkey Lashers!! See you there! I hope the weather is better than Fleetwood!"
"It is a pitch,that will not suit Carey and Lameiras at all. Wonder if he will just play one of them."
"Making a weekend of it. Taking the ladies but they'd rather go shopping than watch the football! Sure to meet plenty of Argyle supporters over the weekend."
"Yes, the pitch didn't suit Carey at all last year. Which is why he was shooting from 30 yards. Remind me what happened."
"3 pm Saturday weather Forecast Sunny intervals, dry and a moderate breeze from the north west 10° but Temperature will feel like 8° with the moderate breeze"
"This is going to be a tough game for Argyle, more so than neighbouring Fleetwood. Should they come back with a point, I will be well pleased."
"Maybe a good away draw after Blackpool resurgance from the nowner problems. Thank goodness we have not had those difficulties."
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
💭 McPhillips | "We've had some great atmospheres at Bloomfield Road these past few games. It would be great if we could get 10,000 fans in for Saturday."
With Saturday looking like decent weather and the prospect of potential new owners coming to see what they are buying into, we need to get as many in BR as possible. With a play off spot still within reach let's get it rocking.#BlackpoolAreBack
Terry McPhillips has stressed the importance of getting back to winning ways at Bloomfield Road in what he dubbed a “massive game” against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.
The Seasiders have claimed just one home win in 2019, the 2-0 victory against Walsall at the start of February. But McPhillips is hoping his players can build on last weekend’s 4-1 thrashing of Bradford City in front of a packed home crowd.
The Pool boss said: “It’s really important now to get that win at home. “I thought we should have won the Southend game but in the end it was a last-gasp (2-2) draw.
“In the Doncaster game (Pool’s last home match on March 12) we were the better side and should have won, but some wonder goals have been going in and we’re paying for our mistakes. It’s important to get back to winning ways.”
Doncaster Rovers won their midweek game in hand to extend the gap between Blackpool and the play-off spots to four points with seven to play.
With time running out, McPhillips admitted Blackpool can’t afford to lose to the Pilgrims tomorrow.
“I think if Doncaster win (at home to Walsall), ours does become a must-win game,” he added. “But it’s just about what we do for ourselves. It’s a massive game and we need to win.
“We have some tough fixtures coming up but I think we’ve proved it doesn’t work like that — we can go to the top of the league and win, like we did at Portsmouth.
“We’ve had some really good away performances against the top sides, while we haven’t done as well against some sides in the bottom four.
“It’s about what we do but the pressure will be on those sides as well. Luton are trying to seal the deal, so are Barnsley, but I’m confident we can give anyone a game.”
Asked if he has a points target in mind to finish in the top six, McPhillips joked: “Yes, loads — 21 points from the next seven games.
“It’s a cliche but you take each game as it comes and this one is very important. We’ve had loads of obstacles this season but we get by.
“Saturday is a big game now because we have to show we can back up that win at Bradford and make it even better by getting three points against Plymouth.
“It’s fair to say you’re getting to the stage of the season when you’re checking the results on your phone as soon as you get into that dressing room.
“But there will be no point doing that on Saturday if we’ve lost, so we have to win against Plymouth. That will be massive for the team and the fans.
“They want to see a winning team at Bloomfield and only then will we check the results.”
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Plymouth Pre-Match on 09:37 - Mar 29 with 164 views
Blackpool expert on the return of fans, the shock departure of Gary Bowyer and the weakness Plymouth Argyle could exploit
The Seasiders might be strong at the back but their lack of goals could be their downfall this season
Blackpool's off-field issues have been well documented over the years and whilst there is still soem uncertainty over their future, good times seem to have returned. The Oyston's were removed from the club and a receiver has been appointed by the courts to oversee the selling of the football assets.
After four years away, the fans finally returned to Bloomfield Road following the removal of the Oyston family.
Over 15,000 fans packed into the stadium for the game against Southend United on March 9, which is compared to 4,000 in the game before.
Despite all that, the side have been performing well under Terry McPhillips in League One and are battling for a place in the play-offs.
We spoke to Blackpool writer Matt Scrafton to get the lowdown on what Plymouth Argyle can expect from the side on Saturday.
It has been a crazy few years for Blackpool. How do you sum up the off-field saga?
That’s impossible to do in just a few sentences! It’s been a ridiculous saga which, at times, looked like it would never be resolved. Owen Oyston has now been removed from his role as director after a 31-year reign.
The club is now in the hands of a Court Receiver with a new board. There’s still a slim chance Oyston, who owes former director Valeri Belokon in the region of £28m, can get the money together and retake control of the club. But that appears unlikely and the receiver is currently seeking interest from potential buyers, with a view to selling the club this summer.
What is the feeling around the place by fans now?
The atmosphere around the town is completely revitalised and chalk and cheese to how it was a few weeks ago. Over 15,000 home fans packed into Bloomfield Road for the homecoming game against Southend United at the start of the month and another big crowd is expected this weekend.
After a four-year boycott, the in-fighting has finally stopped and the future appears bright with everyone pulling in the same direction. And most importantly of all, fans are now able to talk about the football again!
To still be battling for a play-off place despite all the off-field issues is quite remarkable, how have they done that?
The players have done very well this season, but right from the start they made it clear the play-offs is what they were aiming for. Gary Bowyer’s recruitment was excellent during the summer and, having finished in 12th place in their first season back in League One, a play-off challenge seemed like the logical next step.
Their success is very much based on their solid foundations and watertight defence that has kept 16 clean sheets this season. But at the other end of the pitch they’ve only scored 43 goals in 39 games, which will probably be their downfall if they don’t make it into the top six. By comparison, Plymouth have scored 49 and Rochdale, third from bottom, have scored 47.
Gary Bowyer left earlier in the season and Terry McPhillips took over, was that the right decision?
After Bowyer’s shock departure just one game into the season, his assistant manager McPhillips took charge initially on an interim basis. He said he had no interest in the job but that soon changed after a run of four wins, four draws and just the one defeat, which left the Seasiders just outside the play-offs.
The club subsequently had no other option but to give him the job. Despite a couple of sticky spells, Blackpool remain in eighth position in the league so you’d have to say it was the right decision.
What can Argyle expect from a McPhillips Blackpool team at home?
I know we’re more than three-quarters of the way through the season but I don’t think they have a blueprint for how to play at home, they can be very inconsistent. Blackpool are 14th in the table when only home results are taken into account, compared to 6th for away fixtures.
They would like to get it down and play football but the pitch doesn’t help things, so at times they’ve had to mix things up and get the ball up to 6ft 4ins striker Armand Gnanduillet and play from there.
The Seasiders have drawn against Southend and Doncaster Rovers in the two home games since the fans have returned from their boycott, so they’ll be looking for the crowd to cheer them on to a win this weekend.
Who are the dangermen?
Armand Gnanduillet is the club’s top scorer with 14 goals, with two of those coming in the 4-1 win at Bradford City last weekend which earned the applause of both sets of supporters when he was brought off.
Jay Spearing also brings a lot of quality on the ball in the centre of midfield and does some vital defensive work. Curtis Tilt is another standout player who was the subject of interest from Championship clubs during the summer transfer window.
What is the injury and suspension latest? Things are looking pretty rosy in that respect. Marc Bola and Curtis Tilt, two key defenders, returned from injury at Bradford last week so they should be fit and available once again.
First-choice goalkeeper Mark Howard is out for the remainder of the season after rupturing his Achilles in the defeat at Burton, but Christoffer Mafoumbi came in last week and performed superbly.
Right back Ollie Turton is close to a return but Jimmy Ryan and Max Clayton are long-term absentees who haven’t featured all season.
[Post edited 29 Mar 2019 9:43]
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Our feeling is that Plymouth Argyle are capable enough to breach the defence of this Blackpool team, but it probably won’t be enough to avoid defeat. Our selection here is for a 2-1 win for Blackpool at the end of the match. Let’s see what eventuates.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
SYLVAN EBANKS-BLAKE Full Name: Sylvan Augustus Ebanks-Blake Born: 29 March 1986 Came from: Manchester United Went to: Wolverhampton Wanderers First game: 05 August 2006 Last game: 05 January 2008 Appearances: 74 (56/18) Goals: 23
Ebanks-Blake moved to Argyle from Manchester United, whom he had helped win the FA Youth Cup. He suffered a broken leg in 2005 but made a swift recovery and joined United's feeder-club, Royal Antwerp of Belgium, in a short-term loan deal the following year. He was signed for Argyle in July 2006 by Ian Holloway, who beat off competition from several clubs to secure his services. A well-built, robust striker, his impressive goalscoring record in his first 18 months at Home Park led to interest from many clubs, and Wolverhampton Wanderers eventually invoked a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave if an offer of £1.5 million was received.
Ebanks-Blake moved to Molineux in January 2008 and ended that campaign winning the Championship Golden Boot, scoring a total of 23 goals (12 for Wolves and 11 for Argyle). Named Championship Player of the Year at the 2009 Football League awards, he played a pivotal role in Wolves gaining promotion to the Premier League the following season and retained his Golden Boot award with a tally of 25 league goals. However, he struggled to repeat his goalscoring feats at Premier League level, scoring just 12 goals in 87 appearances over the following three top-flight seasons.
He managed to recapture a semblance of goalscoring form when Wolves returned to the Championship in the 2012—13 season, but sadly he broke a leg for the second time towards the end of the campaign and was unable to prevent Wolves from plummeting into League One. That summer he was released and after recovering from his bad break, Ebanks-Blake signed for Ipswich Town in December 2013, joining forces once again with former boss Mick McCarthy. Injuries again severely disrupted his time on Suffolk and he failed to score for the Tractor Boys in ten appearances.
He had trials with Brentford and at DPMM, managed by ex-Blackburn boss Steve Kean, in the Brunei Premier League, before Preston North End were confident enough in his fitness to hand him a deal until the end of the 2014—15 season. He managed just a single goal in 13 appearances for PNE, of which all but two were as a substitute, before being released at the end of the season. A month later Ebanks-Blake joined League One Chesterfield on a two-year deal.
He scored 11 in 45 for the Spireites across two League One seasons, which included a goalless seven game loan spell at League One rivals Shrewsbury Town. After his release by Chesterfield, he moved into non-league football with a three-month spell at AFC Telford United in 2017-18 before moving to Halesowen Town in July 2018, from where he moved to Barwell three months later.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Wiki excerpt of Ian Holloway's stint as Plymouth manager -
Plymouth Argyle
Holloway in 2007
On 28 June 2006, Holloway became the manager of Plymouth Argyle, and promised to take the club to the Premier League. On 12 August, after Plymouth beat Sunderland away 2—3, in celebration of his first away win as manager, Holloway offered to buy every one of the 700 fans who made the 805-mile (1,296 km) round trip a drink: "Anyone who travelled up there please send me a letter. I would love to buy you a drink."
Following press speculation, on 21 November 2007, Holloway submitted his resignation to the Plymouth Argyle board, with speculation that he was about to be offered the vacant managerial position at Leicester City. The Plymouth board issued a statement saying he was still employed by Plymouth and tied legally to his contract, and the board's decision on whether or not to accept his resignation would be made on Friday, 23 November. Having agreed a compensation package for his services, he was announced in a press conference by Milan Mandarić as Leicester manager on 22 November, signing a ​3
1â„2-year contract. His departure, however, was met with negativity from Argyle fans.
After an open top bus tour in Blackpool, after his Blackpool side won promotion to the Premier League some three years later, Holloway said:
“ I had a year out of football and had to think about what went wrong in my life. I was given some decent values from my mum and dad in our council house, and one of them was honesty and trust and loyalty. And I forgot to do all that at Plymouth. I left them, and I made the biggest mistake of my life."
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Referring to the ball, wasn't it Kyle Leathered in (the back of the net)??
Kyle Back to Pool
Letheren Returns with Mixed Memories
ARGYLE goalkeeper Kyle Letheren says, if there is a part of his career that he would like to erase from his memory, it is the time he spent at Blackpool, our upcoming opponents in Sky Bet League One on Saturday.
Kyle signed for the Seasiders in 2015, having won the Scottish Championship with Dundee. He was made aware of unrest within the club, but perhaps was not aware of the scale of the problems.
“I thought I was signing for something completely different but you don’t know until you get there,” he said. “It didn’t really pan out the way I wanted it to, there was a bit of a poisonous atmosphere around the club.
“Obviously, I heard about it previously that there wasn’t a good atmosphere, it's just one of those moves that didn’t work out.”
Blackpool currently sit on 56 points, four away from a play-off spot and Kyle recognises it will be a more difficult game now that supporters are attending home matches once again, after the Oyston family relinquished control of the club.
The Welshman does have sympathy for the fans who had temporarily boycotted the club during a difficult period.
“I have nothing against the fans, the fans that turned up tried to give the club the best support they could,” said Kyle.
“It is good to see them get their club back. I think the town is buzzing and it will be a different club to the one I signed for. In my first game at home, there was a pitch invasion.”
There are many factors surrounding this game for Kyle, but undoubtedly the most important is whether he is fit enough to take part and force his way back into manager Derek Adams’ plans after a groin injury picked up on March 2, away to Sunderland.
“I think its been the story of my career to be honest, I have been going in and doing well then coming out of the team because of injury, and the person that comes in does really well,” he said.
“Obviously, Matt [Macey] is in the team and has continued in good form. Hopefully, now I’m back, it will put that question mark in the gaffer’s head.
“I want to play just as much as Matt does and all I can do is train to the best of my ability, and hopefully I’m in his thoughts.”
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Start the same team, 2 - 0 win. Changes to the team, then no idea of the score.
Gate about 8,800.
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Plymouth Pre-Match on 10:07 - Mar 30 with 140 views
IT is a weekend in Blackpool for the Pilgrims as they look to get back to winning ways and so too, will Pool who have failed to win in their last three games at Bloomfield Road - Doncaster (1-1), Southend (2-2) and Oxford (1-0).
The Tangerines have the same number of points at home, as they do on the road (28), which would suggest they do not perform better in certain games over others. The same cannot be said for Argyle who have only gained 16 points on their travels- the fourth worst in the division- ahead of Shrewsbury, Bradford as well as Wycombe.
Our last away win came against Darren Ferguson’s Peterborough United on February 2, when Ruben Lameiras was the match-winner, grabbing the only goal of the game with two minutes remaining.
Terry Mcphillips, the Blackpool boss, took the job full-time in September last year. For the majority of his coaching career, he had teamed up with Gary Bowyer (now at Bradford), firstly at Blackburn Rovers in 2012, and then, of course, they both came to Blackpool when Bowyer was appointed manager in 2016. In his playing career as a forward, he turned out for Nantwich Town and Halifax Town.
Blackpool, currently sit four points of a play-off spot, on 56 points, but from the last eight games, Argyle have one point more - 10. We also have scored six more goals than the home side, more encouragement for Derek Adams’ Pilgrims is that Blackpool conceded at least one goal in each of their last seven matches.
Ten points separate the two sides currently and due to the compact nature of the table, three points could push Argyle closer to League One safety or move Blackpool toward the promotion spots.
Armand Gnanduilliet is the Blackpool top scorer with 13 so far across all competitions, which is a 15% conversion rate for the former Le Havre striker, who has been capped at under-20-level for the Ivory Coast. Previously at AS Poissy, in the French second division, he first moved to England in 2013 after impressing on trial at Chesterfield.
It is going to be another fascinating encounter in a unique season in Sky Bet League One and a massive incentive for the Pilgrims.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Christoffer Mafoumbi’s desire to keep a clean sheet is indicative of Blackpool’s relentless attitude to defending according to manager Terry McPhillips.
The Congo international was visibly furious at Valley Parade last Saturday when Bradford City scored a stoppage time consolation goal in Blackpool’s comfortable 4-1 win.
While David Ball’s late header had no bearing on the result of the game, it took some gloss off what had been a fine return to the team for Mafoumbi, who had made a string of fine saves including one from the penalty spot.
“He’s been excellent, but let’s get it right he’s an international goalkeeper and he’s 6ft 4ins, athletic and a good shot-stopper, so we like him,” McPhillips said.
“He just gets on with it and when he’s called upon, he does really well.
“He trains with the back four every day and he’s a popular member of the group.
“What happened to Mark Howard happened but Chris has come in and filled in like he has done before and produces the goods.
“When you get so close to keeping a clean sheet it’s frustrating to concede so late on, especially with Chris making some good, important saves.
“He’s saved the penalty but he’s made some other good saves, so for him to concede at the death, you could see his disappointment.
“But it wasn’t just him, it was the same with the defenders too because they were so close to the perfect afternoon which means so much to them.”
The Seasiders will be looking to build on last weekend’s win at Bradford when they welcome Plymouth Argyle to Bloomfield Road this afternoon.
McPhillips believes his side laid down a marker at Valley Parade but they must follow it up with another sterling display on home turf.
“I thought we were excellent last week and there were a lot of good individual performances, but as a team and as a squad we were different class,” the Pool boss said.
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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