Look out for: Cheltenham Town

Players 

Transfer Deadline Day has passed as spending in this window has exceeded a record £1 billion mark, as Argyle yesterday announced their last signing of the summer as striker Paul-Arnold Garita joined on loan until the New Year from Championship side Bristol City, Cameroon-born Garita signed for City at the beginning of the year from Chateauroux for £50,000. He had featured heavily for their under 21 side and was a 66th minute sub in their game against Wycombe in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday Evening.

Following on from Argyle’s 4-1 win against Newport on Tuesday in the cup, Adams will possibly look to recall his ever present first teamers; Luke McCormick, Graham Carey, Oscar Threlkeld, who were either left out of the squad or dropped to the subs bench, although the manager made seven changes for that game. Left back Gary Sawyer, still remains a doubt following an incident at Blackpool where he was subbed at half time.

Cheltenham have made an immediate return to League Two after being relegated in 2014/15 and have started the current campaign with two wins and three draws and sit in a comfortable position in the League. A few players to take note of in the Robins line up are; Dan Holman and Danny Wright who were joint top goal scorers for Town in their promotion campaign last season with 16 goals each. Another player to take note of is Asa Hall who plays as a midfielder.

Management 

Cheltenham Town manager Gary Johnson, was named the Robins boss with the club bottom of League Two, failing to avoid relegation the 60 year old had extended his contract to the end of this campaign. Gary Johnson has seen his managerial career span nineteen years and ten clubs. His most successful stint in charge came in 2001 when he was named Yeovil Town manager, from this he oversaw 211 games until 2005 in which 116 were wins, 46 draws and 59 loses, making him have a win percentage of 52.49%. From his time at the Glovers, he guided them to; FA Trophy in 2002, Football Conference winners: 2002–03, Football League Two winners: 2004–05, Football League One Play-off final winners: 2012–13.

Tactics

Derek Adams, on Tuesday evening preferred to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, as Adams stated “We were outstanding from start to finish, it was total dominance from us”, although making changes to the team.  There were notable frustrations in midweek from some fans due to the lack of direct play by Adams side. However it must be understood that Adams men were much fitter in the final quarter of the game, as a result of ‘making the ball do the work’.

Opposition Tactics 

In Cheltenham’s previous games with Blackpool and Crewe respectively they have preferred to play a 4-4-2 formation, a standard formation which allows general versatile position changing throughout the game. If Argyle would like to carry on their winning streak they will have to be wary of two tactics which have been vital in Cheltenham’s success this season. The first is the movement of play, through brief analysis of the Robins this season, it is clear they like to get the ball from defence to attacks on the ground as quick as possible. This allows their prolific attackers the service they require. The second tactic being their use of short corners, again another use of quick play. Both these tactics will come into play when they face Argyle on Saturday.

Head to Head 

Following Cheltenham’s promotion from Conference National at the end of last season, the rivalry resumes between the sides. Argyle and Cheltenham have faced each other nineteen times with the first meeting taking place on 23rd November 2000, in League Division Three, the Robins came out 2-0 winners.

The last time the sides met was in League Two on 28th March 2015, at Whaddon Road, Argyle came out 3-0 winners, as Reuben Reid (2) and Zak Ansah scored the goals for the Pilgrims. Cheltenham last visited Plymouth on 25th October 2014, Argyle came out 3-0 winners on this occasion too, with Reuben Reid, Peter Hartley and Lewis Alessandra scoring the goals.

Look out for: Newport County

Players

Derek Adams will have a selection dilemma when Newport visit Home Park on Tuesday evening in the Checkatrade Trophy, formally known as the Johnstone Paint Trophy. Gary Sawyer who limped off at the weekend in the win over Blackpool will be doubt, as what he sustained in that match looked like a pulled hamstring, which occurred when he stretched to clear his lines. Adams has got players to cover this position; Ben Purrington will be favoured to come in at left back. As this is a cup game; could the likes of Vincent Dorel; David Ijaha; David Fox; Craig Tanner; David Goodwille and Gary Miller all be recalled to the starting line-up having sat out previous fixtures.

Argyle will come up against two former players when Newport visit; Paul Bignot and Plymouth born defender Ben Tozer have had spells with the Devon club. Another former player in the squad is goalkeeper James Bittner, the 34 year old, who made his Football League debut at Argyle at the age of 33 in the 2-1 victory at York in 2015, having been offered a new deal by Adams the goalkeeper decided to rejoin the Welsh side as reserve goalkeeper and goalkeeping coach.

There are number of players to note in County’s line up who are worth a mention, Jon Parkin is one of these players, having dropped out the League to join Forest Green, the striker has joined the The Exiles on a year long contract and scored his first goal in the 2-2 draw at Hartlepool over August Bank Holiday. Another notable player is Joss Labadie, a known playmaker who was a bright point in a dire campaign for Dagenham and Redbridge who were relegated last term.

Management

Derek Adams and his management team have seen Argyle come back from their disappointing start to winning the last three fixtures, and this has energised, right down to the subs bench. Adams has stated “They are a good group, and if you look at the bench, the quality we have is very good. That is a pleasing aspect. I can now put on players as a straight swap; it’s good to have that. I didn’t have that last season.”

There will be another former player returning to Home Park on Tuesday, Warren Feeney who was named Newport County’s manager in January 2015 after the resignation of former Pilgrims manager John Sheridan, having been the assistant manager. The former footballer has represented his National side, Northern Ireland, at International level, by doing this Warren became the third generation of his family to receive an international cap, behind his father and grandfather. Argyle fans wont actually see him on the touchline on Tuesday evening as he serves a two game touchline ban, from an FA misconduct charge during their fixture against Luton.

Tactics

Following Argyle’s third win in a row, the team now comes into this cup game full of confidence, hoping they can string together a run in the cup, which will see them also play AFC Wimbledon and Swansea City. Derek Adams will probably make a number of changes, as previously mentioned affecting his tactics as a result. This change may be in the formation as well as personnel, Adams started with a 4-2-3-1 against Blackpool, and is likely to stick with this. If Adams chooses a change in formation expect a change to the traditional 4-4-2 or 5-3-2. As Adams explains, “If somebody goes in and does well, then they have got a good opportunity of staying in for the next week. That will not always be the case because sometimes we will change formation, but I want to have a good dressing-room.”

Opposition Tactics

Newport County’s manager, Warren Feeney expressed his disappointment in their 2-2 draw with Hartlepool in their previous encounter, stating that his sides finishing in the final third was “not there” despite them playing nearly all of the game against ten men. This will be a point Feeney will hope to see improvement on at Home Park. In the 2-2 draw at Hartlepool, Feeney was forced to make two changes due to injury, with Jamie Turley and Jordan Green sitting out. This resulted in recalls for Jon Parkin and Paul Bignot.

Head to Head

Argyle and Newport have faced each other fifty-five times both in league and cup games. The first time the sides met was on 11th September 1920 in Division Three (South), the game ended in a 5-1 win for Argyle with Tommy Gallogley, George Sheffield (2), Will Dixon, Harry Raymond scoring the goals.

The last time the teams met was in League Two on 28th December at Rodney Parade, Argyle came out winners on this occasion, with a 2-1 victory, goals scored by Scott Boden (Newport), Jake Jervis and Ryan Brunt. Newport last travelled to Plymouth on 29th August 2015, Graham Carey scored the only goal of the game just before half time as Argyle won the fixture 1-0.

Look out for: Blackpool

Players

Derek Adams has only two injury concerns ahead of the game with Karleigh Osborne and Ryan Brunt still unavailable. Gary Miller is back in contention after sitting out the 2-0 victory against Mansfield; the right back had to serve a one match suspension carried over from his time in Scotland, which was delayed by an administrative error by the Scottish FA. Craig Tanner, who returned to Argyle on loan from Reading, is also in contention for a starting place.

When Argyle make the 320 mile trip to Blackpool they may come up against two former players who last played for the Greens at Wembley. Kelvin Mellor, who was offered an extended contract and Jamille Matt, who was on loan from Fleetwood at the time, both decided to further their careers away from Home Park. On Thursday, Blackpool also announced the signing of Jack Payne, a midfielder once linked with Argyle, who spent last season on loan at League Two outfit Leyton Orient.

A player of note at Blackpool is striker Mark Cullen, who was the club’s top scorer last season with ten goals, albeit in a difficult campaign. The prolific forward has already netted once this term in the 1-1 draw at Barnet.

Management

Derek Adams has seen his team come into this fixtute on a two-game winning run, coming after three defeats from their first three games at the start of the season.  Adams has mentioned the word ‘momentum’ and the fact that this has to continue to surround the players. “Last season was a very good season for us and we want to take it on to the next step,” stated Adams, indicating that both himself and the players want to achieve promotion this season, so momentum and stability is huge for the team.

Following Blackpool’s relegation to League Two, Gary Bowyer was named manager of the Seasiders on a one-year rolling contract as Neil McDonald left his role by mutual consent at the end of last season. Bowyer has seen his coaching career span eighteen years at Carshalton Athletic and three stints at Blackburn Rovers, two of which were as a caretaker. Gary most recent club was in fact Blackburn Rovers from 2013-2015.

Tactics

Graham Carey has stated the Mansfield win “was the most enjoyable game of football he has played this season.” The reasoning behind this statement is that Adams gave Carey free license to roam in his favoured position in behind striker Jimmy Spencer. This tactic is likely to be used again by Argyle on Saturday. Also, as the return of Craig Tanner was announced before last Saturday’s game, Derek Adams has now got the choice of at least some width in his team.

Argyle’s management have recently favoured a 4-3-3 formation, and this tactical alteration has been used in the victories over Notts County and Mansfield Town. This formation may well continue to be used at Bloomfield Road.

Eight of the first team players who participated against St Austell on Tuesday evening in the reserve fixture will be in contention on Saturday.

Opposition Tactics

Blackpool, who may well have two former Pilgrims in their starting line-up, like to get the ball into the box early, with high balls from defence and from the wings. Argyles’ defence would have to be wary of Blackpool’s play if they were to use the tactic.

In their last game against Wycombe, the Seasiders started off very slowly with it taking until the 35th minute before they got into the swing of the game. In this fixture, Blackpool dominated possession but were unable to make their opportunities count with only two shots on target. The home team will have to be on their toes if Argyle start the way they did against Mansfield last Saturday.

Head to Head

Plymouth Argyle will travel to Bloomfield Road for the first time in seven seasons as they face each other in League Two. The last fixture, which took place in on 1st October 2009, was in the Championship, where the Seasiders won 2-0 with goals scored infamously by Argyle loanee Marcel Seip, as well as David Vaughan. Problems have occurred off the pitch for both sides since that time, and both are still rebuilding in their own ways.

The first time these two teams met was in The FA Cup in 1929 at Home Park. Argyle came out 3-0 winners in this fixture with Sammy Black hitting the back of the net three times. The first time they met in the League was in 1933 at Home Park, with Argyle losing 3-0.

Look out for: Mansfield Town

Players

With both teams coming off the back of a win on Tuesday night, both Argyle and Mansfield will be eager to continue their winning streaks. Town won 1-0 against Yeovil while Argyle picked up there first points of the season against former manager John Sheridan.  Derek Adams made two changes on Tuesday night with Conor Smith and Ryan Donaldson recalled while David Goodwillie and David Ijaha dropped to the bench. Adams may well choose to name an unchanged team when they return to Home Park after three away games on the bounce travelling an approximately 1700 miles, with Adam stating “the travelling has taken its toll, with the players tired, both mentally and physically”.

Mansfield have had a great start to the season, with a 3-2 away win at Newport County followed by a 1-1 draw against Cheltenham before Tuesday’s victory, which has set them in good stead for the start of this campaign. However, manager Adam Murray will have to make a change to the team as Danny Rose was shown an early red card in the game against Yeovil; the defender will now have to sit out three games.

A player of note in the Mansfield’s line up is Matt Green; Green was the Stags top scorer last season with 16 goals, and has already netted twice this term, so Argyle’s newly formed defence will have to be wary.

Management

Derek Adams has admitted, “there is still room for improvement throughout the team”. With fourteen new players in the squad it is always going to take time for the players to gel, having only been around each other for six-weeks. As we saw last season, the players performed well away from home but not so much in front of the home crowd. Is this the reasoning behind Adams starting Jervis ahead of Goodwille, could there be a few players recalled to the starting lineup on Saturday? Do the players freeze in front of a big crowd?

The opposition manager on Saturday, Adam Murray became the youngest manager in both the Premiership and Football League, at 32 years old, after being appointed player-manager in December 2014 following the dismissal of Paul Cox. Before being as manager on a full time basis, the former captain of the Stags was named caretaker manager while in this role he oversaw a win against Argyle.

During Adam Murray’s time as Stags manger he has overseen twenty-six wins, twenty-one draws and thirty-seven losses, with a win percentage of 30.9%.

Tactics

Argyle switched formation again on Tuesday, shifting from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3 with Carey and Jervis flanking Spencer, and Goodwillie dropped. Argyle were shaky defensively, with Notts having a shot cleared off the line and hitting the post before Luke McCormick made a fantastic late save to cling onto the points.

Carey and Jervis spent much of the time drifting inside, but Spencer was still isolated a lot and Argyle only managed eight shots in the entire match, half that of County.

Since the departure of winger Gregg Wylde at the end of last season, there has been a lack of width in the team, but this may have been rectified with the return of winger Craig Tanner. With a win and three points on the table, can this energise the Pilgrims to go on a winning streak?

Opposition Tactics

In Mansfield’s starting line-up, Argyle may come up against former loanee Ashley Hemmings in the game at Home Park, who started Mansfield’s win against Yeovil. Adam Murray will have to make one enforced change as Danny Rose begins a three game suspension. Aside from that, the rest of Murray’s selection will probably remain unchanged.

Head to Head

Argyle have faced Mansfield thirty-five times with the fixture meeting coming on 18th October 1958, in League Division Three. The Pilgrims won the fixture 4-1 with the goals score by Wilf Carter (3) and Peter Anderson.

The Pilgrims have the edge over Mansfield with seventeen victories, nine draws and seven loses.

Mansfield last travelled down to Devon last season on 16th February 2016 as Argyle came out 3-0 winners, with Gregg Wylde and Ryan Brunt (2) the scorers. Whilst the reverse fixture drew a blank for both sides early on in the 2015-16 season in a 0-0 draw.