Club News
Home of the Brave
7th April 2014
ARGYLE manager John Sheridan called for his players to show hunger and be brave as they attempt to get their Sky Bet League 2 play-off push back on track at Newport on Tuesday.
Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at promotion-chasing Burton Albion left the Pilgrims five points outside the play-off zone, following a draw and a defeat in their previous two games.The visit to Wales in midweek is a game in hand on all their play-off rivals for Argyle, who would be right back in the mix with a three-point haul from the Principality – a message that John drove home to his players in a lengthy post-match dressing-room inquest at Burton.
“I’ve said to them: ‘Are you hungry to think you can get in the play-offs?’,” he said. “It’s down to the players. They are the ones that go out on to the pitch. I wish they could just go out and think, for two hours, ‘I want to be a winner – I want to go out and win’.
“I have got to stick with them and get the best out of them because we are letting a good opportunity slip away.”
Callum McFadzean scored the only goal of the game at Burton after the Pilgrims’ three-man back-line made a mess of bringing the ball out of defence.
“It’s comical, isn’t it?” said a clearly exasperated John. “If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.
“I like players to be brave. We play 3-5-2. You have got to pass the ball in a 3-5-2. I just don’t think we were brave enough to get in areas and cause [Burton] a problem –all over the pitch. The one time we tried to play out of the back...geez.
“No-one can tell me anything about system and players – every time we’ve won away from home, I’ve played that system; every time we’ve had a good performance. Everyone knows how to play it.
“I’ll always stick up for my players – they know that – but I said to them ‘I’ve got to go out there and explain. What do you think I should say to the Press?’ I didn’t get an answer off anyone.”