8 thoughts on Argyle's bizarre transformation

When does a situation become untenable?

This week we have a guest post from esteemed writer, journalist, FPL mega-mind and Argyle fan Michael Savage.

I tried to lure Michael into write for OTID months ago, but it took a seismic crisis to whet his appetite.

But before his piece, I wanted just to reference the current situation myself:

The moment I put pen to paper, not only to publicly express my admiration for Fozball but also to claim we’d be fine under his tenure this season, the Good Ship Mayflower hits an iceberg.

The games have come so thick and fast, that the demise of Fozball seems to have occurred in the blink of an eye. There were no complaints about his style against Coventry on 14 Feb. Three weeks later Argyle fans are united in calling for his sacking.

I’ve been happy to take mitigations, but the Sheffield Wednesday performance was unacceptable.

The whole point of being a good out-of-possession team is to regain the ball. And when we do, we now look hopeless. Who is this team?

And there seem to be dark clouds over player harmony, as evidenced by Argyle WAGS, nans and confidents dropping hints that all is not okay inside Home Park.

I expect to see a reaction against Blackburn and evidence of a structure, attacking plan, and squad cohesion. For me, this is the last chance.

– James.

1. From basketball to parking the bus

Let’s start with the obvious. I’ve been struck by the tone of a lot of the fan reaction. Yes, there’s some anger, but the overriding emotion seems to be something closer to heartbreak. We’ve fallen in love with the identity we were developing - the madcap, fearless, occasionally calamitous but always entertaining style the club had embraced.

With Schumacher’s departure, it ain’t surprising that the board wanted to tweak things a bit more towards a tighter defence. But what we’ve seen has been a bizarre revolution.

We haven’t scored in four of the last five games, including our last three home games.

Despite the tough games, that is crazy for a club that was one of the league’s top goal scorers. If the head coach had come into a relegation-bound club where the previous manager had been dismissed for poor performances, that might make sense. That simply wasn’t the case.

2. What is the plan to score?

The most striking thing in the Wednesday game was the absence of a plan to progress the ball. A lot of that comes down to the fact we vacated the middle of the park by essentially playing five across the back. Gyabi and Randell didn’t have much of a chance. Movement through the thirds was almost completely absent before the late change in set-up. 

At the moment, the defensive set-up leaves us with two routes to goal - one is to steal the ball right at the start of a team’s build-up if they’re daft enough to fall into this trap (eg Boro), or we’re putting the ball out wide and asking Miller to beat a player and provide a cross (eg Coventry). Hence, Miller (absurdly) looks like our most creative outlet in a squad packed with attacking talent.

3. The risk to the long-term plan

There are many parts of this that are hard to explain, but for me, this is the hardest. The key part of the Hallett revolution hasn’t been cash - it’s been corporate structure and governance: in other words, clear instructions from a chairman and board that then let the coaches, analysts etc do their thing. A reminder of what Simon said when Schuey left:

“We are intent on Argyle becoming synonymous for exciting football and for continuity. We will ensure that whomever we appoint continues these principles moving forward.” 

Given there has been an abrupt change in set up and style, what has happened here? Hallett made clear that attacking coaches were shortlisted, so Foster is either ignoring those instructions, or has been unable to implement an attacking style. This seriously impacts the long-term plan for moving up the Championship - we wanted to attract attacking players and sell them at a profit. That virtuous circle risks becoming a vicious cycle of players not wanting to come or losing value if we continue down this current path. 

4. January, and the “one small cog” theory

Part of the structure that Hallett and the board have tried to implement, with decent success, was the ability to create stability by ensuring that no one figure is crucial to the project. A clear set of principles means any cog - any coaches/board members - can be switched in and out with no change in overriding philosophy. This is from the owner’s new year message:

“We have in place a clear footballing philosophy, a clear set of values and a clear mission, all driven by clear structures and processes. Steven’s successor will be someone who embraces and values that clarity, not someone who wishes to impose his own values on the club to steer it in a different direction.”

Quite apart from the change in set up, are there signs in January that we departed from that? I’m not saying the signings were bad, but they were clearly driven by Foster’s connections - which presumably played a big part in why he got the gig. What happened to the analytical team working hard for two potential options in each position? Was this all junked in favour of Foster’s England connections? Again, I’m not criticising the players - but I’m not sure we’ve stuck to our own shtick here.

5. Team spirit and a united squad

As Argyle fans, we’ve grown tired of the “it’s a long way to come” argument. The great news was that the atmosphere and attacking philosophy of the club seemed to have changed that.

Players quite clearly loved being here and wanted to be here. We all know we can’t take that for granted. As for the team spirit that created, look no further to our late goals - that winner vs Rotherham.

I obviously don’t know what goes on inside the club, but the disappearance of Scarr and Wright - and the hugely reduced minutes for Houghton - is a concern.

I personally don’t know why Cooper isn’t playing if he’s ready to go. Again, that’s one of our prime assets devaluing. You can’t attach a price or data points on team spirit and atmosphere, but I believe this was a huge strength and there are now worrying signs.

6. The weird coaching staff thing

An unfortunate picture (credit: Plymouth Live)

The club, and Foster himself, has been asked several times about the lack of a coaching staff. He and the club seem genuinely relaxed about the fact that key figures, most obviously an assistant manager, haven’t been replaced since the mass exit to Stoke.

This one’s a real head scratcher. On the one hand, we give more attention to detail in terms of structure than ever before, poring over data and attempting to improve players. And yet we have vacancies that far less forward-thinking clubs wouldn’t dream of leaving empty. It just doesn’t add up.

7. Communication with the fans

I know some fans have been upset by the post-match comments from Foster. I’ve been sympathetic to him on this point. It’s also true that there have been plenty of good managers that have been introverts and speaking hasn’t come that naturally.

You could argue Schuey wasn’t the most comfortable public speaker. It’s also partly a function of the mad period in which Foster came in that he’s not had much chance to build a rapport with the fans.

But there is a sense from his comments and his general demeanour that he is more comfortable in a coaching role - yet whatever you want to call the job he has - head coach or manager - he is in a leadership role and he needs to reflect that.

Fans can see what is happening on the pitch. If things need changing, explain to them why and how that is happening. At least try to take them with you - or help them understand.

8. It’s ok to make a mistake

In 2021, Pep Guardiola played Ilkay Gundogan as a defensive midfielder in the Champions League final and lost the game. The greatest football coach of all time made an error - a bad one. But it’s ok, mistakes happen. Part of being a well run club, which I believe Argyle continues to be, is acknowledging and acting when things aren’t working.

I can totally see why Foster appealed. He has a wealth of on-the-grass experience. And bluntly, I can understand why talk of working with the likes of Phil Foden et al could turn some heads. To be completely fair to Foster, I think it’s entirely possible, likely even, that he is an outstanding out-of-possession coach. As part of a coaching team, you can see him bringing a lot to the party. But that is a world away from what he’s been entrusted with - a hard-won, easily crushed reputation for attacking football. 

If things don’t improve against Blackburn in what is now the biggest game of our season, the club will have to look at things. There is a chance that the change in set-up late on against Sheffield Wednesday will encourage the head coach to change things up. We must at least try. Win or lose, I want to see our beloved Argyle back again.