Accrington Web - 2016/17 Prediction League; Game 21 v Plymouth Argyle (home)

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Plymouth Argyle

2016/17 Prediction League; Game 21 v Plymouth (home)

I have some good news .................. well, slightly good news; over the last 10 League games we are NOT the worst team in League Two as regards points gained .............that honour falls to Notts County, who’ve won 1, drawn 2 and lost 7 (5 points); we’ve won 1, drawn 3 and lost 6, for 6 points; we are, therefore, statistically merely the SECOND worst team in League Two ............so that’s all right then .................... mind you, 2 points and 2 goals in our last 7 doesn’t make automatic promotion look a likely prospect any time soon ..................

On the same theme, we should be safe from the relegation places for another week, at least, since we’re on 21 points with a -6 GD, and 23rd-placed Cheltenham are on 18 points with a worse GD (-10) – unless, of course, we get a tonking come this weekend, which isn’t going to happen ..................is it, Santa?

Plymouth, you’ll have seen, are back on top of the Division, with 41 points from 20 games; they’re the only team to have won 13 times in the League – against our 5 – and one of only two to have won more than half their games, Donnie with 12 being the other. Bearing in mind that we beat Donnie (at home) – and how long ago was THAT! – and that they and Plymouth have both lost 5 times, is it, mayhap, our turn to turn the tables? (Nice idea!) ...........We did, after all, beat them 2-1 at home in March, with a 85th minute penalty from Billy Whizz and a 93rd minute headed winner from Shay McCartan, after being one down for over an hour (Jake Jervis)

Having lost out in the playoffs last season (snap!), Plymouth have been up at the sharp end of the table most of this season, although they did have a recent wobble, losing three in a row (3-0 to Grimsby, 2-0 to Barnet and 2-1 to Morecambe) before stabilising the ship with a 2-0 defeat of Donnie - who they replaced at the top once again, last time out; they’ve scored 31(5th best) and conceded 21 (3rd best), with seven clean sheets and the same number of strike-outs (including their first three games of the season, all of which they lost!)

Goal-machine Reuben Reid turned down a new contract in the Summer, and eventually moved to the flesh-pots of Exeter; two other players – AM Tyler Harvey and RB Kelvin Mellor also rejected new terms (sounds like us, this!) and joined Wrexham and Blackpool respectively; former Oldham and Oxford striker Deane Smalley was released, as were three others, and four went out on free transfers, best know being LW Gregg Wylde, who went to Millwall, CB Peter Hartley (love your jam, Pete!), who went to Bristol (R not C), and GK James Bittner, now at Waterlogged Spa FC (aka Newport); CB Curtis Nelson brought in a handsome £1/4 million from Oxford .......... They brought in CB Nauris Bulvitis from Spartaks Jurmala (a Latvian side only founded in 2007), plus strikers David Goodwillie (Aberdeen), Ryan Donaldson (Cambridge), Jimmy Spencer (also Cambridge) and Jordan Slew (Chesterfield), Crawley defender Sonny Bradley, Bolton MF Oskar Threlkeldand Crewe’s CM David Fox (formerly of Blackpool, Colchester and Norwich), plus a few more that I know very little about .................. Jimmy Spencer broke his ankle in mid-November and will be out until at least February, and they’ve got a couple of other long-term absentees as well, including Ryan Brunt; Spencer had become first-choice central striker after loanee Paul-Arnold Garita was injured; leading scorers are MF Graham Carey with 9, Jake Jervis with 6, and Jordan Slew (see “Chesterfield” above) who has 4; Goodwillie and Brunt have none each, and Nauris Bulvitis (anyone know the Latvian for “man on!” – apparently it’s “cilveks uz”!) has three ..............(or “tris”, in Latvian)

They’re at Newport in the second round of the FA Synchronised Swimming Cup next week, having put out the Stags 2-1 away in Round 1; they went out of the EFL Cup 2-0 at Reading (Jaap’s Stammereres) in the first round, and managed to lose two out of three in the EFLTroffy, to Swansea u21s and AFC Wimbledon (again!)

Deadline for entries this week is, as always, scheduled kick –off time, which is 3.00pm on 17th December (and those who remember at 2.59 that they haven’t posted need to tie a knot in their hankies! )...............So; ”Are we downhearted?” ” Bloody right we are!” “Are we going to put it right?” “Hope so ..............” It’s getting to the point where some people who never did (including me) have started predicted defeats in some games (but in my case not in anything like as many as we’ve actually lost, which now (League only) matches the whole of last season (9)) ......... Come on lads; no-one minds a joke, but this is getting a bit silly now!

Good luck to everyone! ............ Keep the Faith! .............and Thanks for Playing ................ And, from Me and My Mate Chimer, may we wish You and Yours Peace, Health, Happiness, Prosperity and everything that you wish for yourself; may we wish all Asst Referees new specs and a copy of The Laws of the Game for Christmas; that Our Enemies May Perish, and plagues of insects may infest their kit; that Mourinho may shut up for a whole 48 hours; that our desserts may be more plums and less duff; and that our players may be too ...........................

A Very Happy Christmas to friends old and new, near and far; and Stanley for the Cup!

:alright::alright::alright: