Hello friends and as metioned over the weekend with the weather so cold in Toronto the final chapter of this season wouldn’t be too far away being stuck in doors most of the time. So here it is…
April 2015
The month started off with some bad news that Zeytulaev would be out for at least 5 weeks which was pretty much the rest of the season. So we headed north to take on Newcastle and threw caution to the wind with a fluid mentality in order to survive relegation. Marc Pelosi who swicthed to the right found some space down the flank but instead of crossing pulled the ball back to RB Colin Watson who floated the ball into the box and out of nowhere Jaguare glanced it in with his head to give us the lead after 22 minutes. Yu Hai then began an inspirational performance on the the left side being brought down in the box with Geynrikh scroing from the spot after the half hour.
Early in the second period with Livermore and Coady breaking everything down Newcastle could throw at us,Livermore’s long ball to Hai found the Chinese international all alone but his effort went agonizingly wide of the post. Minutes later Hai’s turn of speed created another penalty but this time Geynrikh was lazy in his approach and missed. It didn’t matter as Newcastle were reduced to 10 men in the 63rd minute and they were done and dusted giving us an anstonishing away win!
We weren’t so lucky at home to Blackburn where after taking the lead through a converted penalty by Genyrikh we threw away all three poiints with some slack marking allowing the visitors an equalizer four minutes from time.
Next was away to Chelsea and a brillant defensive effort saw us go into the interval at 0-0 but after the break we lost all confidence with our passing going astray and our full backs shying away from tackles. Chelsea took full advantage and ripped us part like a bunch of Viking raiders scoring four, though we did manage a consolation goal from the spot as Yu Hai was brought down in a rare attacking opportunity.
The final game of April was at home to Man United who had crushed us 7-0 ealrier in the season. Any hope of scoring against them was severely reduced as both my strikers Genyrikh and Rodrigues were injured in training so it would be up to 17 year old Iosif Baesue to lead our attack. We gave a vailant performance in the 1st half just as we did as Stamford Bridge but one moment of lost concentration saw United take the lead 10 minutes into the second half from a corner.Who dares wins, so we went on the attack, pinned United back but didn’t quite have the edge to upset the United back four and so another defeat.
May 2015
Four games left then in our inaugral Premier League season and would it once and done in the top flight? Two points above the drop and away to Wolves next and we will finsh the season back in the Midlands at Birmingham.
We got off to a fantastic start at Molineux as a brilliant individual run by Brazilian Jaguare saw his shot curl around the Wolves keeper and into the back of the net after just 11 minutes. That would be the one and only shot on goal as Wolves completely shut down our attack keeping us on the back foot and coming up with an equalizer early in the second half. Three Wolves players were left ummarked as we were too busy watching the right winger who had the ball before creating the goal. Still, we came away with a point to aid our survival.
The following game meant a trip to London to face West Ham and we couldn’t have asked for a better start as Yu Hai’s vicious low driven cross defelcted off a West Ham defender and it was 1-0 after 8 minutes. Even with the return of Genyrikh we struggled to make anything happen up front which is becoming somewhat of a concern and just before half time we gave away a penalty which Tevez struck…. and was brilliantly saved by Loris Karius!! That seemed to deflate West Ham who in the second period were reduced to ten men and handed us another own goal four minutes from time leaving us needing just one point to stay in the Premier League!
Table after West Ham game.
With only a point required to stay up we were about to play what could be our penultimate game in the Premier League and it was at home to Arsenal. Within the first 20 minutes 2 midfield players were injured and I took off Zeytulaev ( who had just returned from injury) as he seemed to have picked up a knock.The game was totally lost in midfield as Arsenal had no real urgency to attack and at the other end Yu Hai came the nearest to scoring. Despite the drearyness on the field we got the point we needed to the relief of the Home Park Fans and we were staying up in the EPL!!
Birmingham have two games to play but can’t catch us!!
The final game of the season was purely academic now as Birmingham were already relegated and it was lucky for us as they played their hearts out in front of their home fans winning this seven goal thriller. Of course the winning goal would naturally come from a corner kick.
Final Table:
So we made it but only just!
Our final place in the table did come with a tidy little payout of £4.2million that the board immediately put towards a stadium expansion which was totally unexpected. Our capacity will now be around 24,500
Our Premiership survival also attracted a new sponsorship deal, almost double that than before.
Finances:
The top flight has indeed been good for our bank balance, now sitting at over £11 million. We’ve come a long way financially over the past few years. I like that!
The last piece of news for this update is the intial budget for next season. A slight increase in salaries but a whopping £25million for players. Where did we get 25 million from? I may though adjust this in early June to bolster the salary budget to get closer to 200k that I would prefer.
Anyway, that’s it. Another season is done and Plymouth will once again play in the EPL next season. I hope you have enjoyed this update and the season as a whole and even though we didn’t win anything I trust the story itself made up for that.
Thanks for reading this and I look forward to your comments.
David Wiggins
17 января, 2012 at 01:29
well done Kevin! Staying in the premier league is probably an even bigger achievement than the successive seasons to get there!
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 19:28
Hi Dave
Yes, I’m just delighted to have stayed up and it feels good…finally!
CsAtlantis
17 января, 2012 at 01:38
Aww, poor Brum got relegated, I have some attachment to them as I had a successful long term save with them in FM2011
Anyway Kevin, congratulations on staying pretty much clear from the relegation spots, you had a couple of points margin too
Things should really improve from now on for your team with the Premier League money coming in :D
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 19:39
Hey CsAtlantis
I’m hoping to attract some better players with a bigger transfer budget and make a big push up the table next season
Johnny Karp
17 января, 2012 at 03:25
Congratulations Kevin, you deserved to stay up and I’m very happy that you did. Things can only improve from now on ;)
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 19:42
Thanks for your support and encouragement all season long. It was more tiring than all the other seasons put together.
vaibhavc
17 января, 2012 at 03:26
Yes, you stayed up! That was really good Kevin. Next season you should aim for a mid-table finish. And its good to see I am not the only one having troubles defending corners, Any solutions for this?
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 19:42
Hi vaibhacv
Mid table is where I’m thinking and I’m still trying to figure out the corner problem still.
Bhargav
17 января, 2012 at 03:39
What and exciting finish! I am thrilled that you get to stay up, congrats Kevin! I am quite surprised at how well Southampton did. Also, I saw that you mentioned a Tevez playing from West Ham. Is that by chance Carlos Tevez?
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 19:47
Hi Bhargav
Yes, that Carlos Tevez for West Ham and I’ll try and aim to be above Southampton next season!
Lye
17 января, 2012 at 04:07
Hi Kevin,
I know you can make it and that’s good news. With the top flight status secured, i believe the 25.8 million transfer will bring you more quality players to fight for a better finish next season. Can’t wait to see who you will bringing in.
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 20:00
Hello Lye
I think I need at least 5 or 6 better players for next season so I hope Plymouths reputation will be big enough to attract a few.
MVB
17 января, 2012 at 07:36
Congrats on the fantastic achievement!! Looking forward to seeing you push on now and have no fears for you and the dreaded 2nd season syndrome
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 20:03
Hi MVB
Thanks a lot mate and with 25 million I hope to push on at least a little!!
John Martin
17 января, 2012 at 09:50
I knew you could do it kevin, well done! some fine results after a shacky start and this is just the begining. 25 million will help you bring in some quality players to finish in a possible mid table postion next season. Good luck and cant wait for the nest post
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 20:10
Hi John
The change in fortunes was due to a whole new tactic based on FC Twente in Holland. That cash will hopefully improve our league position next season as the relegation battles are tough on the nerves
John Martin
17 января, 2012 at 09:52
Great work Kevin,well done great improvment after christmas! 25 million! This will helpyou big time! well done and good luck!
Darren Smith
17 января, 2012 at 12:25
Wow great stuff Kevin, you survived the drop and secured EPL status. And with such a budget I’d expect you to start making moves up the table soon…the leap in quality from Championship to EPL is because of money in my opinion and now you have a little buying power I think you’ll be able to secure Plymouth as a top flight club. Well done, excellent end to the season.
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 20:14
Thanks Darren
Improving league position is the first priority and 11th or 12th would do nicely and take it from there. I’m hoping Plymouths reputation is good enough to attract some better players.
siavosh
17 января, 2012 at 13:50
good job mate! You will be in the EPL for another season good,it’s good news.
Surly you can sign better players this season and with good players you have you can aim an mid table finish this season(you need a little luck too.)
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 20:22
Hi siavosh
Thanks for your support and now the hard work begins looking for those who are willing to come to Devon!
Malhar Bhadbhade
17 января, 2012 at 15:11
We are staying up, say WE ARE STAYIN’ UP! great work kevin, i’m delighted that you managed to survive relegation. congratulations!!! your budget is great and you should manage to stay up comfortably in the epl now that you have the chance to spend some money and get some decent players. you’ve done the hard yards and got plymouth into the epl…next step would definitely be getting a top-half finish and then eventually getting into europe. best of luck for the next season…hope you are able to sign some decent players. great news about the stadium expansion and sponsorship deals..proofs that plymouth argyle is going places!! cheers!
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 20:57
Hi Malhar
Yes we are and I’m delighted that you are so happy about it!!
I was quite stunned by both the transfer budget and stadium expansion which means the board have a positive outlook on things which is always good news.
Dino Ozbolt
17 января, 2012 at 15:28
nice work Kevin.
Hm, It makes me wonder how you managed to get such a transfer budget, as my team won 12 mil prize money and we also plan to expand new stadium.. I only got 17 mil of transfer budget :(
Good luck next season! With less annoying corner goals
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 20:58
Hey Dino
I was questioning the same thing as apparently we only have 11million in the bank so I will spend carefully just in case there’s a catch!
Imp_88
17 января, 2012 at 15:32
Great season! and a very bad time for Birmingham with three of the four teams going down lol that Tevez penalty save must have been a sweet moment…I cant wait to get my Lincoln team in the prem currently top of championship after 34 games but only 6 points clear of dropping out of the play-off places so long way to go. What are your goals for next season?
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 21:01
The Tevez penalty save was just brilliant, I couldn’t beleive it. My goals are mid-table finish, Find a better DMC and Striker with +15 anticipation.
Good luck with Lincoln
Imp_88
19 января, 2012 at 08:49
I got them up through the play-offs after switching to a solid 4-1-4-1. Any tips for the prem? I’m thinking of sticking with the 4-1-4-1 to just be solid but dont want to invest in players for this formation and then find that I just hardly create any chances due to one upfront. Also, did you find players were making ridiculous wage demands once you got to the prem? I have expanded my leagues now im up so guess I am going to have to squeeze everything out of my scouts!
Imp_88
17 января, 2012 at 15:33
Also, for corners I find I have conceded less since putting three quick players upfront when defending corners so the opposition have to leave 4 or 5 players back.
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 21:02
Thanks for the tip
Laxeyman
17 января, 2012 at 16:03
Congrats on staying up Kevin! Well done mate, you had a tough start to the season, but the last 6 months have been fantastic :) Looking forward to your pre season mate.
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 21:04
Cheers Laxeyman
It’s been my most gruelling season ever and I’m glad it’s over to be honest.
Sears
17 января, 2012 at 16:28
Congrats on staying up mate, I knew you wouldn’t get relegated! That strong finish should give your squad bundles of confidence heading into the new season. With some quality additions you can challenge for the top ten next season, best of luck!
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 21:08
Hi Sears
Just delighted at not going back to the Championship and hopefully I can encourage some better players to join us in Devon!
Woody
17 января, 2012 at 17:05
well done on surviving your first season in the premiership
but will you suffer with second season syndrome.
tidy transfer budget you’ve got there, don’t spend it all at once!
anyway well done and good luck
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 21:09
Thanks Woody!
I’m going to be very careful with that money which somehow seems too much?
TheZiggy
17 января, 2012 at 17:07
An excellent job there Kevin. You even managed to do it with a bit of room to spare.
Looks like you have been given a good budget for next season, so things should be somewhat easier and a mid-table finish would be a good job.
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 21:11
Cheers Ziggy
I’m aiming for mid-table next season and that cool 25M should help :)
Devilfish
17 января, 2012 at 17:41
Congratulations on staying up Kevin! Avoiding relegation was a terrific achievment! The 2nd season in the Premier League for a promoted side is difficult so I hope your team can stay in the league again next year, or maybe even more! Good Luck! :D
Kevin
17 января, 2012 at 21:13
Hi Devilfish
Thanks very much for your comment and support. Seems to be a theme about the 2nd season. Now I’m worried!
nielsneutron
17 января, 2012 at 18:20
Nice one…
Even though the loss of Zeytulaev was a loss you still stayed even with a game to spare..
Kevin
18 января, 2012 at 13:34
Zeytulaev was quite a key player to lose so I was happy the squad players could fill his role.
Tom Barnes
17 января, 2012 at 20:38
Fantastic news about staying up :D
Cant wait to read the next one with all those new players with your £25 Million budget :D
What I’d give for £25 Million right now lol.
Kevin
18 января, 2012 at 13:37
Hey Tom
That kind of budget was very pleasing especially for a small provincial club like Plymouth.
Martin - F.M.J.S
18 января, 2012 at 08:37
Hi Kevin
Congratulation on your survival in the Premiership. Hopefully you can buy some good players in the transfer window and be able to to have more succes next season. Good Luck.
Kevin
18 января, 2012 at 13:52
Hi Martin
Thanks for your support this season and I’m looking to hopefully improve our EPL Status next season.
PS I’m not really a «social network» type of person but thanks for the invite. You can always reach me here: kevin.mayo@transamerica.ca
qwerty
18 января, 2012 at 21:45
well done mate