I hate football: Through the wringer we go again

One last dance

This is so hard to write because in effect there's nothing left to say. The challenge is laid bare – we know the permutations.

Birmingham must win to stay up, against playoff incumbent Norwich, who must get a point to ensure their play-offs status.

Hull need to win to stand any chance of getting into the playoffs. Argyle can lose and stay up, but if Birmingham win, so must we.

After the shambles at Stoke, we’re now in the unthinkable position that should Argyle be relegated, Jay Stansfield survive to dance on our grave. What’s even worse, is that his fingerprints will be all over our relegation. His unwavering commitment to the hatred will surely see him score against Norwich, too.

By rights this is where we should be. With our budget, with this squad, over a 46 game season, staying up in any form would be a success. In fact, I’ll go further. If we stay up, with the challenges faced this season, it would be an astonishing achievement.

So why doesn’t it feel like that?

I made a resolution to enjoy the season even if we got relegated. What should have been a season of fun, fast-flowing football has ground everyone to dust. Even the players, who have been through so much this season – despite what some say – have given everything.

The mental energy of playing in this league, at this level, with this schedule – even without the chaos behind the scenes – must be draining. And we’ve asked a nucleus of players to shoulder an intolerable burden of minutes. It’s been too much.

Regardless of the outcome, there will be a postmortum, here on this newsletter. Questions must be posed to the board, and lessons must be learned. How we can be so threadbare as a squad, and our options so limited? How did we allow Azaz to go unreplaced. And why did we abandon so many of the principles that earned us our place in the Championship in the first place? These are all questions for another time.

We did not, in fact, “get our Argyle back” as I wrote after the Leicester game. The team as it is now doesn’t resemble the Argyle that started this season. But it’s a one-off game, and there’s no reason why this team can’t produce the Leicester performance one more time.

There are good omens. We’re at home, and Nance has an imperious record at Home Park. Secondly, Hull must score and win. A draw is not good enough for them. They will leave gaps as they push forward. It’s not in Argyle’s interest to go guns blazing for the win. Frustrating Hull, being patient, exploiting gaps at the back and being ruthless when they appear will be crucial. It’s a game made for Ryan Hardie.

Fortress Home Park might now be a the footballing equivalent of Charles Church, largely destroyed, but its scorched walls can rise again.

For all that is holy Argyle, please bring this home.