Play Nooney!

With Plymouth Argyle needing to string a run of wins together to avoid relegation is it time for Pilgrims’ boss Paul Mariner to adopt a more adventurous style of football and play winger Craig Noone?

Noone has always had a positive influence on the team when he’s been introduced as a late substitute so let`s see him finally start a game on the left of midfield. New striker Kenny Cooper would thrive on crosses into the box from Noone`s left-foot.

It is still early in Mariner’s managerial career at Home Park but he does seem to favour similar defensive tactics to previous Argyle boss Paul Sturrock who had a reputation of being ultra-cautious, preferring to leave the so-called flair players on the bench and introduce them late in the game if the score-line is not going Argyle’s way.
This approach adopted by both Mariner and Sturrock has seen Argyle attempt to grind out results in front of their own fans but this tactic backfires when the opposition score first because the players find it difficult to change from the mindset of defending.

It’s now been over two years since Argyle have come back to win a game after going behind, surely this statistic highlights how difficult it is for the players to suddenly change from their well-drilled defensive plan to all-out attack?

Mariner has regularly selected players who will play ‘shape’ and work to a team pattern, there’s no room for mavericks, highlighted by Alan Gow’s absence from the team and eventual departure to Hibs.
The present team is a hard-working functional unit but just imagine how good the team can become with the addition of a few attacking match winners?

A good example of this defensive approach is the regular inclusion of Chris Clark for home games. Clark is a gritty Scotsman who will ‘bite and scratch’ for the cause but is never going to turn a game or be a match winner.

Why the cautious approach for home games? Travelling teams used to dread coming to Home Park, it was such a long way to come with little chance of picking up points, but now opposition managers have worked out how to overcome the defensive tactics and the results have proved this.

Let the opposition worry about Argyle and play Craig Noone from the start!