Carl Fletcher (free, Crystal Palace)
Plymouth are a club who have punched
well above their weight in recent years pushing for the playoffs
under Ian Holloway and Paul Sturrock but last year was a struggle
for them. They had a poor start failing to win
a game until mid September when a trip to Watford produced a 2-1
win. That gave them confidence and they were able to push on win
four of the next five games to have them nice and comfortable in
mid table. They sat in seventh place going into December with as ever a good shout for the playoffs but the form after that was not good as they began to lose frequently and by the end of February they found themselves in deep trouble just three points clear of the drop. They battled well to win at Wolves and at home
to Watford which gave them some breathing space but a run of three
defeats in a row left them back in trouble. They always had that little gap keeping them safe though and two wins in a row in April just about kept them safe with the 4-0 win over Coventry a real highlight. They failed to win again in the final four
games but results elsewhere made sure they had done enough to survive.
After a nervous time last season Plymouth
fans will be hoping for a better time this year and with new owners
and money to spend the chances of them doing better will be high. They have shown over the years they can more than compete at this level and if they can spend the money well they could well be in for a decent season. Paul Sturrock has looked for experience
so far this summer with Carl Fletcher a good signing in midfield
whilst Bradley Wright-Phillips (he should be in jail etc) has joined
and when he fancies it he can be a decent goal scorer. Despite signing Wright-Phillips and
having Paul Gallagher up front I still think they lack a bit up
front and will need to score more goals if they are to improve.
Home form also needs to be better as they lost far too many on their
own turf last season. I can see more of the same for Plymouth
to be honest, they have the ability to match most sides but over
a full season I can see them being dragged into trouble but just
about having too much to be relegated. Prediction: 20th in the Championship
Akos Buzsaky joined Plymouth from Porto in 2005 and was a star for them before joining QPR last season. Buzsaky had an instant impact at QPR scoring in his second game for the club and he ended the season as top goalscorer with ten goals and all of them were spectacular. Ian Holloway managed both clubs and will get different receptions should he ever return. He's still popular at QPR for the job he did at helping win us promotion and establish us back in the Championship. He joined Plymouth in 2006 and guided them to a top half finish and the FA Cup quarter finals. Last season he was on course for another top half finish before the ambition of the club was called into question following the sale of players and Holloway jumped ship to join Leicester, a decision he probably regrets now.
Rangers have faced Plymouth several times in recent years and have built up a friendly rivalry between the two sides. In the 2002/03 season Rangers faced Plymouth at Loftus Road days after lifelong QPR fan Daphne Biggs died. The club held a one minute silence before the game and it was brilliantly observed by the Plymouth fans which is something QPR were very grateful for. The game itself was a cracker. Plymouth went into a two goal lead but goals from Jerome Thomas and a last minute screamer from Richard Pacquette got us a point. The away game came as we were in the middle of a decent run to put us back in the playoff picture and Plymouth away was a big test. Pacquette got on the score sheet again and despite Lee Cook being sent off we held on for a 1-0 win. Last season the two sides met in top of the table battles. At Loftus Road Plymouth were top of the tree but two goals from Gallen and one from Thorpe got us a big 3-0 win and leapfrogged us over Plymouth to take us to top of the league. The game was voted best home match of the season on this web site. Away from home was another crunch game. A win for us would have put huge pressure on Plymouth whilst a win for them not only won them promotion but would win them the league. Plymouth won 2-0 and many of the 1,900 QPR fans stayed behind after the game to applaud Plymouth as they celebrated winning the league. in 2004/05 with both sides now promoted the games were again very close. When we met at Loftus Road it looked like it could be Ian Holloway’s last game in charge as pressure was mounting for the QPR manager. Ramon Diaz was being linked to the job and after a poor start Holloway needed a win to ease the pressure. Things didn’t start well when David Friio continued his habit of scoring against QPR with an early opener. The QPR fans were in great voice though and roared the team back into it when Paul Furlong equalised before half time. In a tight game, Rangers grabbed the lead when Furlong got the end of a long ball and lobbed the keeper from outside the box. A great run and cross by Kevin McLeod made the third goal as Kevin Gallen got on the score sheet. Plymouth pulled a late goal back but it wasn’t enough as Rangers seven match winning run was underway. The return game was on Boxing day, not the best one for travelling QPR fans and our away form was at rock bottom. An unstoppable shot from Coughlin gave Plymouth the lead before both sides had a player sent off. Micky Evans made it 2-0 after the break before Paul Furlong fired in a free kick to get us back in the game. It wasn’t enough though and Plymouth took all three points. In 2005/06 season it was Plymouth who came out on top. At Loftus Road Rangers trailed to a wonder goal from Buszacy with Plymouths only attack of the game. Kevin Gallen kept up his good record against Plymouth scoring a penalty to earn us a point. The return game was a easy win for Plymouth who were 3-0 up without breaking sweat against a lacklustre Rangers side. Shabazz Baidoo's first senior goal was the only highlight for QPR that day. In 2006/07 we faced Ian Holloway for the first time and on both occasions the games were drawn. Dexter Blackstock scored his first goal for QPR in a 1-1 draw at Home Park and during an emotional homecoming for Ian Holloway at Loftus Road we again drew 1-1 with Lee Cook scoring his last ever goal for QPR. In 2007/08 we didn't fair as well. Plymouth ran out easy winners at Loftus Road with a 2-0 win. The return game on Boxing Day saw SimoN Walton make his full debut and Rowan Vine gave Rangers a first half lead. We blew it though losing the game to late goals from Sylvain Ebanks Blake whilst a sending off after the final whistle for Leigterwood saw him banned for the next four matches. Last season saw two dull draws between the two sides. Heider Helguson scored his first QPR goal in a 1-1 draw at Home Park whilst at Loftus Road neither side did anything of note in a dire 0-0 draw. Click on the match for a report of the game from this web site.
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