Hello friends and thanks for stopping by to review the latest update in my Plymouth Football Manager Story. As you know things have been tough for The Pilgrims in our first EPL season so lets see if things improved as we entered 2015.
December 2014
The first news to come out of Home Park was our financial report which had taken a massive boost over the last two months with now close to £6million in the bank; the board have to be happy with those results even if our on the field ones were atrocious!
Our first game of the month saw us visit Old Trafford and was indeed a memorable one at least for the United fans as we were crushed 7-0! To say that we were totally outplayed would be an understatement and highlighted how much of a gap there was between us and the elite teams.
We returned to Home Park to take on West Ham and we took the lead after 16 minutes with a good interchange between Rodriguez and Genyrikh which Rodriguez fired home into the corner of the net. The usual slew of opportunities breaking down outside the box then followed before West Ham equalized on the hour mark. It was looking like the same old story – we would throw away the second half but it wasn’t to be as ML Marc Pelosi on the very last kick of the game sent the ball screaming into the roof of the West Ham net and we had won!!!
Up next was a bottom of the table clash with Wolves which we couldn’t make use of home field advantage resulting a bore draw for both sets of supporters. Our third home game in a row saw the arrival of fellow strugglers Birmingham and we took the lead through a magnificent diving header by Ryan Shotton and once more we were desperately unlucky in front of goal but that single effort proved to be enough for three points.
The final game of 2014 saw us travel to London to take on league leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. I was expecting a similar fate to that we experienced at old Trafford but we played remarkably steady though were eventually beaten by a single goal in the 82nd minute
After that defeat I was surprised to see that we were not bottom of the table at the end of the year.
January 2015
We found ourselves drawn away to Championship side Wigan in FA Cup Third Round which was a dull and boring affair for both sets of fans and ended in a 0-0 draw. Back at Home Park we began our reverse EPL fixtures with the visit of Everton who systematically took us apart scoring three goals whilst at the other end they blanked us out. The long trip to Sunderland saw old flashes of brilliance from Alexander Geynrikh who bagged himself a first half brace only for our defenders to throw all our good work away as Sunderland snatched a draw from two free kicks.
FA Cup 3rd Round Replay
Expectations were high amongst supporters as we hosted Wigan in the 3rd round replay but by half time the fans were feeling very lethargic as we failed again in the final third to make any serious threat on goal. By the hour mark things were looking dubious but a break down the right and an in-swinging ball by Zeytulaev caught Wigan by surprise and an own goal put us in front. Six minutes later the old Uzbek partnership struck pay dirt for the first time this season with Geynrikh hammering the ball into the roof of the net off a Zeytulaev through ball. We then closed down Wigan and coasted through into the next round.
After dispatching Wigan out of the cup it was back to league action and the visit of 6th place Bolton. We absolutely dominated the game with Yu Hai putting in a magnificent performance and he was unlucky not to get a goal himself. However, Geynrikh did from the penalty spot after Zeytulaev was brought down in the area early in the second half and that converted penalty was enough to take all three points.
For the first time this season we were temporarily out of the relegation zone!!!
The last two games of the month were both against Fulham; the first in the league at Craven Cottage where a brilliant first half performance by Zeytulaev saw the Uzkek set up a goal for his fellow countryman after 8 minutes and score two himself, killing off this game before the interval. The second game was the FA Cup 4th Round at Home Park where Fulham turned the tables on us taking a 2-1 lead before half time. With 11 minutes left in the game Ryan Shotten’s long throw into the box was turned into the net to force a replay.
Geynrikh has been on fire recently after a very dismal start in the EPL and that’s probably down to the fact that he is now leaving on a free at the end of the season joining Turkish side Karsiyaka. I had decided to sell him off by November and even at a cut price I couldn’t get anyone to buy him in January
I’m hoping though this youngster will make up for Geynrikh’s departure. My scouts were very excited about this former Leeds United player and he has the potential for becoming a future member of the England senior team. I thought he was a great capture for Plymouth
League Table
So the fightback has began and lets hope we can continue this surge up the table and move away from the «death zone»
Fixtures:
We start off at home to Man City and this will be a game where I’ll deliberately put out a weaker team as I want to save my best players for the key games against West Brom and Stoke which are games we could now possibly win.
Well that’s about it my friends and as you can see I’ve turned things around a bit and we now have a chance of possibly staying up in the Premier League and maybe an extended cup run too!
As always thanks for reading and there’s still no snow in Toronto for me to shovel…what a bonus!
Luke M
12 января, 2012 at 01:54
Pelosi’s last second goal seems to have given your team a new confidence!
If you can keep your scouting growing larger Kevin, i think regens will win you some major silverware in the next few years.
That young forward is already technically better than most of the England national team.
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 17:11
Hey Luke
Thanks for your comment and you’ve made a good point about that last minute goal.I’m just delighted to have captured McLaughlin
CsAtlantis
12 января, 2012 at 05:39
Nothing like an injury time goal to spark a revival, you’re out of the relegation zone but need a few more good results to push out and avoid getting sucked into a tussle to avoid the drop just in case your results turn against you
Good to see that your team seems to be performing more solidly, your defending could use some improvement, maybe switch to defending set pieces focus for games against teams who have lots of tall strong headers?
Good luck Kevin, I believe you can steer Plymouth clear of relegation trouble, and also good luck with the FA Cup
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 17:12
The job’s not done yet for sure and defending set peices is something that the team is working on. Thanks for your support!
Malhar Bhadbhade
12 января, 2012 at 06:19
hey Kevin,
you’re out of the relegation zone!!! i was delighted to see that. the youngster is also a very decent signing for your side. hopefully he can spark your side to a few important victories that will help you stay in the premier league. i think the key is to survive in the epl for a couple of season before you can actually start building a side that can challenge for europe. anyway, good luck for the rest of the season, hope your fortunes keep improving! and happy snow shovelling :D
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 17:15
Hey Malhar
I was happy to see our league position also — it was such a relief :) I’m very excited about my new youngster and think he can add immediate value to our relegation battle.
Johnny Karp
12 января, 2012 at 07:40
Now that’s more like it! Losing against the big teams is something that can’t really be avoided at this point but the results against «normal» teams have improved quite a bit. I think you need around 15 more points to avoid relegation and I’m sure you will be getting them. Good luck and fingers crossed for a nice cup run as well!
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 17:17
I didn’t mind seing United score 7 goals :) Very happy with the improvements particularly in Janaury and I’ll aim for those 15 points as suggested!
Alex
12 января, 2012 at 08:43
I’m delighted to see you turn it around. It’s very tight in the bottom half of the table and if you want to be really positive you could look up and aim for 11th, you’re only one point off! Staying up in any capacity would be a great achievement though.
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 17:32
Hi Alex
Thanks for pointing out that we are only one point off 11the place. I was so busy looking the other way I never even saw that…LOL!
mvb
12 января, 2012 at 08:44
GREEN ARMY!
looks like your turning it round at the right time thanks to the drama against west ham, ill b watching with interest for the next installment
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 17:33
Glad I’m able to provide you with some excitement!!
Lye
12 января, 2012 at 11:03
Hi Kevin,
It’s great to see you pulling off the results against the teams around your pedigree. Now that is the morale boost the team need and hopefully they can go on from there and start climbing up the table. Mclaughlin is a magnificent capture and you need to give him some playing time to aid his development.
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 17:38
Hello Lye
Thanks a lot. The improved results have certainly helped morale for sure and with McLaughlin onboard I think that will add to the positivity on the field. We may just survive!
Darren Smith
12 января, 2012 at 11:46
That was a much better month Kevin, your fight back up the table was excellent and has set you up for a thrilling end to the season. I just hope the momentum continues to rise. It would be an enormous achievement to stay in the EPL after so many consecutive promotions.
Marcko
12 января, 2012 at 14:14
Hey Darren and Kevin,
I was just wondering, but how do you guys manage to keep playing as a ‘fringe’ team? I tried starting accounts as Swansea and Wolves but kept losing interest because they werent my favourite club and because I couldnt get the best youngsters/youth facilities there. Any tips? thanks!:D
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 18:11
Hi Marko
Perseverance my friend. My favorite team is Man U but where’s the fun or even challenge in playing as them. I like smaller teams, less pressure to succeed and you can build them up. Plymouth won’t invest in youth facilities so I don’t bother looking for players to develop only those that can enter the Senior team straight away.
Maybe look for a lower league team close to your home. Although I live in Canada now I’m from the West Country so usually go for those teams loke Swindon, Plymouth Southampton.
Marcko
14 января, 2012 at 06:40
well for me i dont live anywhere in europe, let alone near england! so i don’t exactly have a ‘local’ team because the league here isnt big at all(:
i’m trying to decide now for an EPL club, any ideas? one of the ‘smaller’ mid-table ones(: thanks!
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 17:59
Cheers Darren
There’s still a job to be done for sure but I’m feeling much better about our chances especially if we can keep this positive mood going in the dressing room.
Imp_88
12 января, 2012 at 13:25
Well done good turnaround for your team — I predict you finish 11th/12th as your players are not used to the EPL/new formation so will kick on from here. Also I reckon you will make Fa Cup semi’s!
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 19:28
Hi Imp_88
Well thanks for those predictions — I hope you are right.
TheZiggy
12 января, 2012 at 13:28
Well done, it’s great to see the turnaround in form. When I saw the list of fixtures in your previous post, I thought there were some matches there, which you could win, and that proved to be the case. I’m hoping you can continue to keep this going, with the Stoke and West Brom games being very important matches.
While losing to Man United 7-0 must have been painful, I wouldn’t worry about that too much at this time. The nature of the EPL means that kind of result can happen to almost anyone. You only to remember how this season in real life, City smashed United at Old Trafford. Once a good team gets on top, they will usually not let you go until they’ve completely ripped you apart.
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 19:38
Hi Ziggy
I was delighted to see that my change in tactic which I didn’t really comment on had paid off somewhat. Not too bothered about the loss to Man U, that was expected but I was happy we bounced back brilliantly from that.
Martin - F.M.J.S
12 января, 2012 at 14:05
Well done Kevin, much better results despite the United fixture but we can forget about that.:) Hopefully you can get a few more results and look forward to next season in the Premier League. Good Luck. :)
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 19:40
Hi Martin
Our fortunes have indeed changed so hopefully we can build on that until the end of the season.
Laxeyman
12 января, 2012 at 16:17
Much better form Kevin! Good stuff mate, some nice wins and draws, and if you can keep playing like that til the end of the season then you’ll comfortably avoid relegation, so hopefully you can keep it up :) Good luck!
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 19:45
Cheers Laxeyman
We seemd to be more of a solid playing unit now so I’m hopeful of survivial :)
vaibhavc
12 января, 2012 at 17:21
Other than the 7-0 drubbing, your team has managed to perform very well. You have won some crucial games, and that has helped you climb out of the relegation zone. Make sure you don’t drop back in!
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 19:57
Hi vaibhacv
I’ll do my best to stay up for you :)
John Martin
12 января, 2012 at 17:29
I told you results would come didn’t i? Great work
Kevin
12 января, 2012 at 19:58
Yes you did…thanks John!!!
siavosh
13 января, 2012 at 08:44
hi mate!
I’m so happy that you can gain some important points.I’m sure you can stay in EPL.
Good luck
Kevin
13 января, 2012 at 20:26
Hello siavosh
Thanks for the comment and your support!
Bhargav
13 января, 2012 at 10:55
Kevin, your story is making my palms sweat! Best of luck to you. I have faith in your ability to lead the team through the rough waters.
Kevin
13 января, 2012 at 20:34
You should see me mouse it is soaked :)
Sears
13 января, 2012 at 20:11
That’s a good turnaround Kevin, if things continue like this you will have no trouble avoiding relegation. Well done!
Kevin
13 января, 2012 at 20:36
Thanks Sears!
We just need to keep up this good form but I fear there is still trouble ahead!
Ana Garcia
13 января, 2012 at 23:06
I always had faith in you! :)
Seems you are turning a corner at the moment as results have really improved. Still need a few more wins but at least you have improved from your early season start.
Best of luck!!