Play It Down

DEREK Adams has no thoughts of guiding Plymouth Argyle into the Sky Bet League One play-offs this season.

The Pilgrims’ manager wants to keep the horse before the cart as far as the finances and ambition of newly-promoted Argyle are concerned and progress with caution.

In their first season back in the third tier, Argyle have won one and lost three of their opening five games, their latest loss coming in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Walsall. 

There was another good performance from the Pilgrims but the gulf between them and opponents who have been in League One for 12 successive seasons ultimately proved too much. 

Speaking exclusively to the club’s iFollow Argyle service after the game, Derek said: “We want to consolidate in this division. 

“People will talk about trying to get in the play-offs – well, they can forget about that because, at this moment in time, we haven’t got the squad capable of pushing for a play-off place and we’re not arrogant enough to think we can get there.” 

The defeat completed a frustrating week for the Argyle manager, who was thwarted in his attempts to land a transfer target before Thursday’s deadline. 

“He went to another club because they offered more wages than us,” said Derek. “That’s just the way it goes.

“I can’t do anything about it. I can’t compete with a lot of clubs in this division. That’s just the nature of my job and it has been since I’ve come to the football club.

“I’ve known about that. I’ve always had to overachieve. I did that in my first season here; I’ve done that in my second season; and I’ll continue to try to do that because we do not have the finances of any other club in this league. It’s a difficult league to compete in. 

“Walsall are the same. They are a club which is run the same way as us, very prudently, and I think it’s the way forward. 

“You have got to live within your means. We do that, as a football club, and we will continue to.

“We have to overachieve. People don’t like me saying that but that is a fact and, if they want to say anything about that, then just have a wee thought that other people in this division can pay a lot more money than we can to get players.

“We were looking. The ones that we wanted were of a good standard and, unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get that. 

“It’s difficult with the type of player we are going for and other clubs are able to finance it, which is fair enough.”