#6 Watford v ARGYLE
- A Second Chance
- The Opposition
A SECOND CHANCE
Not impressed after last week, us Argyle fans will we hoping that Tony Pulis' side seize the chance to steal some headlines, in similar fashion to the opening day at Reading. The Bobby Williamson era saw Plymouth's away form hit an ultimate low and now Tony Pulis is the man to try and put it right. Some convincing away displays resulted in good draws at Southampton, Luton and QPR to give Pulis a fantastic start as manager, but last Saturday's showing against Coventry did not go down too well. So how will Plymouth gun down the high-flying Hornets? Well, for one, whoever Pulis picks is going to have to work harder than ever and start proving their worth to the team. Argyle seem to have no buzz about them at the moment, literally because without Hungarian International Akos Buzsaky, the team seems to lack that extra quality now required at this level. Again, the former FC Porto playmaker will be absent, meaning that Plymouth may once again have to rely on the in-form David Norris. The Argyle No.7 has been indispensible recently, chasing every ball and giving 100% whilst players like Tony Capaldi and Nick Chadwick are simply not producing at the moment. Now would be an ideal time to shine, as Akos and probably Bojan Djordjic, another man sorely missed, will not be involved at Vicarage Road.
THE OPPOSITION
After languishing down in the lower reaches of the division last season, with Plymouth, very few would have predicted Watford's excellent progress under new manager Adie Boothroyd. As it turns out, the Hornets are one of the Championship's most feared sides, sitting fourth in the table. Watford were the first visitors to Home Park this campaign, Ashley Young inspired a second-half comeback from 3-1 down to claim a share of the points. Argyle, then under the stewardship of Williamson, were critisised for letting their two-goal cushion slip. Then, after four consectutive league defeats without scoring, the Scot was dismissed. Watford will certainly provide a stern test for the Greens, but will be without 10-goal Ashley Young who has been ruled out with a hip injury. Fellow-striker Darius Henderson is also unavailable due to a persistant pelvic injury which has kept him on the sidelines for most of the season. A third man, Dominic Blizzard, is also unavailable this afternoon with a virus but Argyle must be aware of the prolific Marlon King, who has rediscovered his goalscoring form with the Hornets this season after a disappointing spell with Nottingham Forest. The former Gillingham man has also bagged 10 goals this campaign. Key players with a Premiership pedigree like Paul Devlin and Jordan Stewart, right and left-flankers respectively and also the unpredictability of promising young talents like Anthony McNamee and Alhassan Bangura. Much-travelled veteran Les Ferdinand could also feature. Watford have pace in attack and the Plymouth backline will have to stay focused throughout.
- A Second Chance
- The Opposition
A SECOND CHANCE
Not impressed after last week, us Argyle fans will we hoping that Tony Pulis' side seize the chance to steal some headlines, in similar fashion to the opening day at Reading. The Bobby Williamson era saw Plymouth's away form hit an ultimate low and now Tony Pulis is the man to try and put it right. Some convincing away displays resulted in good draws at Southampton, Luton and QPR to give Pulis a fantastic start as manager, but last Saturday's showing against Coventry did not go down too well. So how will Plymouth gun down the high-flying Hornets? Well, for one, whoever Pulis picks is going to have to work harder than ever and start proving their worth to the team. Argyle seem to have no buzz about them at the moment, literally because without Hungarian International Akos Buzsaky, the team seems to lack that extra quality now required at this level. Again, the former FC Porto playmaker will be absent, meaning that Plymouth may once again have to rely on the in-form David Norris. The Argyle No.7 has been indispensible recently, chasing every ball and giving 100% whilst players like Tony Capaldi and Nick Chadwick are simply not producing at the moment. Now would be an ideal time to shine, as Akos and probably Bojan Djordjic, another man sorely missed, will not be involved at Vicarage Road.
THE OPPOSITION
After languishing down in the lower reaches of the division last season, with Plymouth, very few would have predicted Watford's excellent progress under new manager Adie Boothroyd. As it turns out, the Hornets are one of the Championship's most feared sides, sitting fourth in the table. Watford were the first visitors to Home Park this campaign, Ashley Young inspired a second-half comeback from 3-1 down to claim a share of the points. Argyle, then under the stewardship of Williamson, were critisised for letting their two-goal cushion slip. Then, after four consectutive league defeats without scoring, the Scot was dismissed. Watford will certainly provide a stern test for the Greens, but will be without 10-goal Ashley Young who has been ruled out with a hip injury. Fellow-striker Darius Henderson is also unavailable due to a persistant pelvic injury which has kept him on the sidelines for most of the season. A third man, Dominic Blizzard, is also unavailable this afternoon with a virus but Argyle must be aware of the prolific Marlon King, who has rediscovered his goalscoring form with the Hornets this season after a disappointing spell with Nottingham Forest. The former Gillingham man has also bagged 10 goals this campaign. Key players with a Premiership pedigree like Paul Devlin and Jordan Stewart, right and left-flankers respectively and also the unpredictability of promising young talents like Anthony McNamee and Alhassan Bangura. Much-travelled veteran Les Ferdinand could also feature. Watford have pace in attack and the Plymouth backline will have to stay focused throughout.