- Plymouth Argyle F.C.
-
Plymouth Argyle 
Full name Plymouth Argyle Football Club Nickname(s) The Pilgrims[1] Founded 1886, as Argyle F.C. Ground Home Park, Plymouth
(Capacity: 18,000[2])Chairman James Brent Manager Carl Fletcher League League Two 2010–11 League One, 23rd (relegated) Website Club home page 
Home colours
Away colours
Current seasonPlymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.
Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the club's 42nd in the second tier of English football. The team holds the record for most championships won in the third tier, having finished first in the Third Division South twice, the Third Division once and the Second Division once.
The club takes its nickname from an English religious group that left Plymouth for the New World in 1620. The club crest features the Mayflower, the London-based ship that carried the pilgrims to Massachusetts. Former League club Boston United are also known as the Pilgrims and feature the Mayflower on its badge; Boston was the starting point on the pilgrims' journey. Plymouth Argyle were the only club to play in a principally green home strip until 2003 when Yeovil Town gained promotion to the Football League. After Hull City earned promotion to the Premier League, the city of Plymouth is now the largest in England never to have hosted top-flight football. They are the most southern and western League club in England.
Contents
History
Main article: History of Plymouth Argyle F.C.Stadium
Outside view of the Devonport Stand
The original ground of the professional club at Home Park was destroyed by German bombers during The Blitz on Plymouth in World War II. Having been rebuilt after the war, Home Park was largely demolished as part of an extensive process of renovation, and the first phase of a new stadium built by Barrs plc was completed in May 2002. The new Devonport End was opened for the 2001 Boxing Day fixture with Torquay United. The other end, the Barn Park End, opened on the same day. The Lyndhurst stand reopened on 26 January 2002 for the game against Oxford United. Plans are currently under discussion regarding the completion of the refurbishment of the ground with the replacement of the Mayflower stand. The ground is situated in Central Park, very near to the residential area of Peverell. Towards the end of the 2005/06 English Coca-Cola Championship season, the club decided to buy the stadium for £2.7 million from Plymouth City Council, releasing the ground from a 125-year lease. This purchase was concluded in December 2006.
In the summer of 2007, the club, having failed to persuade the UK authorities[3] of the case for retaining a standing terrace, decided to add 3,500 temporary seats to the Mayflower enclosure.[4] This is likely to drop the capacity to just under 20,000 from 20,922 (an exact figure is not yet available). Former Argyle chairman Paul Stapleton stated that work on a new South Stand at Home Park was to finally start in 2010. However, after England failed to be chosen for the 2018 tournament, and Plymouth Argyle entering administration plus selling the stadium back to the council on the 14th of October for £1.6 million [5], this project is now in serious doubt.
Rivalries
Further information: West Country derbyThe club's traditional rivals are fellow Devon side Exeter City; other rivalries exist with Bristol City, Bristol Rovers and Portsmouth (the Plymouth–Portsmouth game is known as the Dockyard Derby)[6] Although the rivalry with Exeter City has been blunted for a while due to a difference in divisions, Argyle's relegation into League One, coupled with Exeter City's survival, reignited the tensions. A distinct rivalry arose between Argyle and Luton Town after inflammatory comments made by Joe Kinnear who was manager of The Hatters during the 2001–02 promotion season, although this mutual antipathy has now somewhat abated. Similarly, after the departure of Ian Holloway to Leicester City in November 2007 a noticeable mutual dislike arose, culminating in Argyle's 0–1 victory at the Walkers Stadium in early February 2008 although this mutual antipathy has now similarly subsided.[7] In the 1990s, Argyle had a rivalry with Burnley as the Clarets beat them in a Division Two (now League One) play-off semi-final in 1994, and relegated them on the last day of the season four years later. However, the rivalry has subsided over the past few years, especially after Burnley's promotion to the Premier League in 2009.
Players
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No. Position Player 1 
GK Romain Larrieu (club captain / player-coach)[10] 2 
DF Durrell Berry 3 DF Robbie Williams 4 
MF Carl Fletcher (player-manager)[11] 6 DF Curtis Nelson 7 MF Luke Daley 8 MF Simon Walton (team captain) 10 
FW Craig Sutherland (on loan from Blackpool) 11 
FW Warren Feeney 13 DF Ladjie Soukouna 14 
DF Onismor Bhasera 15 MF Luke Young No. Position Player 17 FW Jared Sims 18 MF Jordan Copp 19 DF Ben Gibson (on loan from Middlesbrough) 20 
MF Conor Hourihane 21 MF Will Atkinson (on loan from Hull City) 22 DF Maxime Blanchard 23 GK Jake Cole 24 FW Isaac Vassell 25 DF Jordan Pearce 26 MF Jed Harper-Penman 27 FW Matt Lecointe 28 DF Paul Bignot (on loan from Blackpool) On loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No. Position Player 16 DF Jamie Richards (at Barnstaple Town until 1 December 2011) — MF Damien Johnson (at Huddersfield Town until 30 June 2012) No. Position Player — FW Rory Patterson (at Linfield until 30 June 2012) Retired numbers
- 12 – The Green Army (supporters)[12]
Reserves
The club's reserve team, up to the end of the 2010–11 season, played in the Football Combination. The club also entered a team in the South Western League, but withdrew from that competition after one season in 2007. The club confirmed their withdrawal from the Football Combination on 27 June, alongside 18 other Football League clubs. The club will now arrange reserve fixtures on dates of their choice, rather now follow a fixture list.[13]
The reserves' honours include the Southern League Championship in 1922, 1926, 1929, 1934 and its League Cup in 1933, 1934 and 1936; 1934 was the first Southern League Double.[14]
Player of the Year
Main article: Plymouth Argyle F.C. Player of the YearYear Winner 1966 Johnny Newman1967 Norman Piper1968 Pat Dunne1969 David Burnside1970 Derek Rickard1971 Jim Furnell1972 Dave Provan1973 Neil Hague1974 Ernie Machin1975 Paul Mariner1976 Paul Mariner1977 Neil RamsbottomYear Winner 1978 George Foster1979 Fred Binney1980 George Foster1981 David Kemp1982 John Sims1983 Gordon Nisbet1984 Gordon Staniforth1985 Tommy Tynan1986 Kevin Hodges1987 Tommy Tynan1988 Steve Cherry1989 Tommy TynanYear Winner 1990 Nicky Marker1991 Kenny Brown1992 
Dwight Marshall1993 Steve McCall1994 Steve McCall1995 Marc Edworthy1996 Mick Heathcote1997 Chris Billy1998 Martin Barlow
Carlo Corazzin1999 Mick Heathcote2000 Paul McGregorYear Winner 2001 Wayne O'Sullivan2002 Graham Coughlan2003 Paul Wotton2004 Mickey Evans2005 Paul Wotton2006 David Norris2007 Lilian Nalis2008 
Krisztián Timár2009 Romain Larrieu2010 Carl Fletcher2011 Carl FletcherNoted former players
Main article: List of Plymouth Argyle F.C. players- Richard Morris[15]
- Bob Jack
- Jack Peddie
- John Sutcliffe
- Harry Wilcox
- Septimus Atterbury
- Fred Craig
- Moses Russell
- David Jack
- Jack Leslie
- Frank Richardson
- Sammy Black
- Jack Cock
- Ray Bowden
- Pat Jones
- Bill Shortt
- Alex Govan
- George Dews
- Gordon Astall
- Jack Chisholm
- Neil Dougall
- Maurice Tadman
- Johnny Williams
- Wilf Carter
- Johnny Newman
- Barrie Jones
- Mike Bickle
- Johnny Hore
- Steve Davey
- Norman Piper
- Bobby Saxton
- Colin Sullivan
For details on former players who have a Wikipedia article, see: Category:Plymouth Argyle F.C. players.
Team of the century
For the centenary celebrations, an all time best team of Plymouth Argyle players was chosen by fans of the club.[16]
1 GK Jim Furnell 2 DF Gordon Nisbet 3 DF Jack Chisholm 4 DF Graham Coughlan 5 DF Colin Sullivan 6 MF Ernie Machin 7 MF Kevin Hodges 8 MF Johnny Williams 9 FW Paul Mariner 10 FW Tommy Tynan 11 MF Sammy Black & MF Garry Nelson Manager:
Paul SturrockWorld Cup players
The following players were chosen to represent their country at the FIFA World Cup while contracted to Plymouth Argyle.
Club officials
- Club President: Chris Webb
Boardroom
- Chairman/Owner: James Brent
- Chairman of Football Operations: Peter Ridsdale
- Finance Director: Martin Baker
Management
First Team
- Manager: Carl Fletcher
- First Team Coach: Romain Larrieu
- Coach: Kevin Nancekivell
- Goalkeeping Coach: Rhys Wilmot
- Prozone & Fitness Coach:
Scott Russell - Physio: Paul Atkinson
- Chief Scout: Bob Shaw
Youth Team
- Manager: Kevin Hodges
- Physio: Steve Brown
- Centre of Excellence Manager: Allan Evans
- Youth Development Manager: Gordon Bennett
- Youth Development Officer: John James
- Chief Scout: Peter Distin
Managerial history
Main article: List of Plymouth Argyle F.C. managers- 1903 Frank Brettell
- 1905 Bob Jack
- 1906 William Fullarton
- 1907
Committee - 1910 Bob Jack
- 1938 Jack Tresadern
- 1947 Jimmy Rae
- 1955 Jack Rowley
- 1960 Neil Dougall
- 1961 Ellis Stuttard
- 1963 Andy Beattie
- 1964 Malcolm Allison
- 1965 Derek Ufton
- 1968 Billy Bingham
- 1970 Ellis Stuttard
- 1972 Tony Waiters
- 1977 Mike Kelly
- 1978 Malcolm Allison
- 1979 Bobby Saxton
- 1981 Bobby Moncur
- 1983 Johnny Hore
- 1984 Dave Smith
- 1988 Ken Brown
- 1990 David Kemp
- 1992 Peter Shilton
- 1995 Steve McCall
- 1995 Neil Warnock
- 1997 Mick Jones
- 1998 Kevin Hodges
- 2000 Paul Sturrock
- 2004 Bobby Williamson
- 2005 Tony Pulis
- 2006 Ian Holloway
- 2007 Paul Sturrock
- 2009 Paul Mariner
- 2010 Peter Reid
- 2011 Carl Fletcher
Honours
Plymouth Argyle's list of honours include the following.[17]
Honour Number Years League Football League Second Division Champions 1 2003–04 Football League Third Division Champions 2 1958–59, 2001–02 Football League Third Division Runners-up 2 1974–75, 1985–86 Football League Third Division South Champions 2 1929–30, 1951–52 Football League Third Division South Runners-up 6 1921–22, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27 Football League Third Division Play-off Winners 1 1995–96 Southern Football League Champions 1 1912–13 Southern Football League Runners-up 2 1907–08, 1911–12 Western Football League Champions 1 1904–05 Western Football League B Runners-up 1 1906–07 South West Regional League Champions 1 1939–40 Domestic Cups FA Cup Semi-finalist 1 1983–84 FA Cup Quarter-finalist 1 2006–07 Football League Cup Semi-finalist 2 1964–65, 1973–74 Records
Main articles: List of Plymouth Argyle F.C. records and statistics and List of Plymouth Argyle F.C. results by opponentClub records
- Record attendance at Home Park: 43,596
- vs Aston Villa, Second Division, 10 October 1936.
- Joint Record victory: 8–1
- vs Millwall, Second Division, 16 January 1932, Home Park.
- vs Hartlepool United, Second Division, 7 May 1994, Victoria Park.
- Joint Record victory: 7–0
- vs Chesterfield, Second Division, 3 January 2004, Home Park.
- Record League defeat: 0–9
- vs Stoke City, Second Division, 17 December 1960.
- Record FA Cup victory: 6–0
- vs Corby Town, FA Cup Third Round, 22 January 1966.
- Record FA Cup defeat: 1–7
- vs Tottenham Hotspur, FA Cup First Round Replay, 19 January 1910.
- Record League Cup victory: 4–0
- vs Portsmouth, League Cup Second Round, 9 October 1973.
- Record League Cup defeat: 0–6
- vs West Ham United, League Cup Second Round, 26 September 1962.
- Most League points (2 for a win): 68
- Third Division South, 1929–30.
- Most League points (3 for a win): 102
- Third Division, 2001–02.
- Fewest League points (2 for a win): 27
- Second Division, 1967–68.
- Fewest League points (3 for a win): 41
- Championship, 2009–10.
- Most League goals: 107
- Third Division South, 1925–26.
- Third Division South, 1951–52.
- Most goals in a season: 33
- Jack Cock Third Division South, 1926–27.
- Most goals in one match: 5
- Wilf Carter vs Charlton Athletic, Second Division, 27 December 1960.
- Fastest five goals
- Argyle defeated Chesterfield 7–0 at Home Park to record their joint biggest win. In the process they also broke the English record for the fastest five goals scored in a professional game–after just 17 minutes. The goalscorers were: Lee Hodges (4 minutes), Tony Capaldi (11 minutes), Nathan Lowndes (12 & 17 minutes) and David Friio (16 minutes). Friio went on to complete his hat-trick, scoring in the 36th and 89th minutes. Football League Second Division, 3 January 2004.
Seasons
Main article: List of Plymouth Argyle F.C. seasonsCurrent
Main article: Plymouth Argyle F.C. season 2009–10Argyle improved their finishing position in the league every season from 2000–01 until 2007–08.
Recent seasons
Season Tier League League Record FA Cup League Cup Top Goalscorer Attendance P W D L F A Pts Position Name Goals League Average 1998–99 4 Third Division 46 17 10 19 58 54 61 13th R3 R1 Dwight Marshall 12 5,322 1999–00 4 Third Division 46 16 18 12 55 51 66 12th R4 R1 Paul McGregor 16 5,371 2000–01 4 Third Division 46 15 13 18 54 61 58 12th R1 R1 Ian Stonebridge 12 4,944 2001–02 4 Third Division 46 31 9 6 71 28 102 1st R2 R1 Graham Coughlan, David Friio 11 8,788 2002–03 3 Second Division 46 17 14 15 63 52 65 8th R3 R1 Marino Keith 12 8,980 2003–04 3 Second Division 46 26 12 8 85 41 90 1st R1 R1 David Friio 15 12,654 2004–05 2 Championship 46 14 11 21 52 64 53 17th R3 R1 Paul Wotton 13 16,419 2005–06 2 Championship 46 13 17 16 39 46 56 14th R3 R2 Paul Wotton 9 13,776 2006–07 2 Championship 46 17 16 13 63 62 67 11th QF R1 Barry Hayles 14 13,011 2007–08 2 Championship 46 17 13 16 65 32 64 10th R4 R3 Sylvan Ebanks-Blake 13 13,000 2008–09 2 Championship 46 13 12 21 44 57 51 21st R3 R1 Paul Gallagher 13 11,533 2009–10 2 Championship 46 11 8 27 43 68 41 23rd R3 R1 Jamie Mackie 8 10,316 2010–11 3 League One 46 15 7 24 51 74 42‡ 23rd R1 R1 Bradley Wright-Phillips 13 8,613 ‡ 10 Points deducted for entering administration
Most appearances
# Name Argyle career Appearances Goals 1 Kevin Hodges1978–1992 620 87 2 Sammy Black1924–1938 491 184 3 Fred Craig1912–1915
1919–1930467 5 4 Johnny Williams1955–1966 448 55 5= Johnny Hore1965–1975 441 17 5= Pat Jones1947–1958 441 2 7 Paul Wotton1995–2008 438 63 8 Michael Evans1990–1997
2001–2006432 81 9 Jack Leslie1921–1934 401 136 10 Moses Russell1914–1915
1919–1930400 6 Most goals
# Name Argyle career Goals Appearances Goal/game ratio 1 Sammy Black1924–1938 184 491 0.374 2 Wilf Carter1957–1964 148 275 0.538 3 Tommy Tynan1983–1985
1986–1990145 310 0.467 4 Jack Leslie1921–1934 136 401 0.339 5 Maurice Tadman1947–1955 112 253 0.442 6 Jack Vidler1929–1939 103 256 0.402 7 Fred Burch1906–1915 92 239 0.384 8 Kevin Hodges1978–1992 87 620 0.140 9 Ray Bowden1927–1933 85 153 0.555 10= George Dews1947–1955 81 271 0.298 10= Michael Evans1990–1997
2001–200681 432 0.187 Sponsorship
The club's current sportswear manufacturer is Puma, having signed a contract in 2011 to take over from Adidas.[18] The club's main sponsor is WH Bond & Sons, a company specialising in agriculture, who signed an agreement to sponsor the club in the summer of 2011 to take over from Ginsters.[19] Shirt sponsorship was not introduced by the club until 1983.[20] Beacon Electrical were the first company to have their name on the shirt of Plymouth Argyle, but it lasted just one season. Ivor Jones Insurance was the next sponsor and their agreement with the club lasted for two seasons. National & Provincial (now merged with Abbey National) were sponsors for the 1986–87 season before the club signed an agreement with the Sunday Independent which would last for five seasons. Rotolok Holdings plc became the club's major sponsor in 1992, which was owned by then Pilgrims chairman Dan McCauley. This lasted for six seasons before the club linked up with local newspaper the Evening Herald. This would last until 2002 when the club accepted a deal put to them by successful local pastry firm Ginsters, which looks set to continue until at least 2012.[21]
Period Sportswear Sponsor 1975–1976 Umbro None 1976–1978 Pilgrim 1978–1980 Bukta 1980–1982 Adidas 1982–1983 Pilgrim 1983–1984 Beacon Electrical 1984–1986 Ivor Jones Insurance 1986–1987 National & Provincial 1987–1990 Umbro Sunday Independent 1990–1992 Ribero 1992–1996 Admiral Rotolok 1996–1998 Super League 1998–1999 Errea Evening Herald 1999–2002 Patrick 2002–2003 Ginsters 2003–2005 TFG 2005–2009 Puma 2009–2011 Adidas 2011 Puma WH Bond See also
- Westcountry Derby
References and notes
Special thanks to BBC Devon: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/devon/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8303000/8303515.stm
- ^ "Plymouth Argyle". Football League. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ^ "Plymouth Argyle". Football Ground Guide. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ^ No Standing Room | Plymouth Argyle | News | Latest News | Latest News. Pafc.premiumtv.co.uk. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
- ^ Sit, See and Hear | Plymouth Argyle | News | Latest News | Latest News. Pafc.premiumtv.co.uk. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
- ^ BBC News | Plymouth Argyle Home Park stadium deal agreed Retrieved on 2 November 2011,
- ^ Fanning, Evan (28 January 2008). "Portsmouth 2 Plymouth Argyle 1: James keeps Pompey's hopes afloat". The Independent. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
- ^ Fanning, Evan (11 February 2008). "Leicester City 0 Plymouth Argyle 1: Holloway mulls legal action over Plymouth comments". The Independent. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
- ^ "First team". Plymouth Argyle. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^ "Squad numbers 2011–12". Plymouth Argyle. 29 July 2011. http://www.pafc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10364~2404675,00.html. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ^ "Romain Larrieu profile". Plymouth Argyle. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^ "Carl Fletcher profile". Plymouth Argyle. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^ "Number 12". Plymouth Argyle. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
- ^ "Reserve withdrawal". Plymouth Herald. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
- ^ Edwards, Leigh (1993). The Official Centenary History of the Southern League. Halesowen: Paper Plane Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 1-871872-08-1.
- ^ First international player
- ^ "Plymouth Argyle's Team of the Century". BBC. Archived from the original on 18 August 2004. http://web.archive.org/web/20040818140754/http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/sport/2004/may/plymouth_team_of_century.shtml. Retrieved 18 August 2004.
- ^ Achievements. Greensonscreen.co.uk. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
- ^ Adidas Agreement. Pafc.co.uk. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
- ^ Perfect Partners. Pafc.co.uk. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
- ^ Historical Kits. Historical Kits. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
- ^ Ginsters[dead link]
External links
- Official website
- Plymouth Argyle archive
- Plymouth Argyle at the Football League official website
- BBC Sport – Club news – Recent results – Upcoming fixtures – Club statistics
- Sky Sports – Club news – Fixtures & results – Club statistics – Video
- ESPN – Club news – Fixtures & results – Club statistics – Squad statistics
Plymouth Argyle Football Club The club History · SeasonsStadium Training ground Harpers ParkPlayers 100+ appearances · Player of the YearRivalries Head-to-head record · West Country derbyRelated articles 2011–12 Football League Two Accrington Stanley · AFC Wimbledon · Aldershot Town · Barnet · Bradford City · Bristol Rovers · Burton Albion · Cheltenham Town · Crawley Town · Crewe Alexandra · Dagenham & Redbridge · Gillingham · Hereford United · Macclesfield Town · Morecambe · Northampton Town · Oxford United · Plymouth Argyle · Port Vale · Rotherham United · Shrewsbury Town · Southend United · Swindon Town · Torquay UnitedCategories:- Plymouth Argyle F.C.
- Association football clubs established in 1886
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- 1886 establishments in England
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