With Argyle looking to change their fortunes following four defeats from four in Sky Bet League One, Head Coach Tom Cleverley is endeavouring to alter things for this weekend.
The Greens play Blackpool, at Home Park, on Saturday, trying to get their first points on the board. This week, just before Tuesday’s game against Leyton Orient, defender Alex Mitchell came on board, and he has been joined in the squad by fellow centre-back Mathias Ross.
Cleverley is hopeful more acquisitions could be on the horizon, and that their arrival could help generate an improvement in mood and results.
“There’s a freshness about new players into the environment, there’s a fearlessness about them, and there’s a belief in them that they can change it,” Cleverley told Argyle TV. “I’d expect a couple more before the end of the window.
“The biggest thing our football club needs – no secret – is a win. It was a game on Tuesday that could have gone either way. At the minute, those games are going against us; we’re getting punished for every micro-mistake, for every refereeing decision.
“We still have to do everything we possibly can for a top performance to take chance out of it. I think the addition of new players helps with that chance.
“The big challenge is transferring from the training ground, onto the stadium, where the consequences are a little bit more. I’ve tried helping the lads with a few techniques to do that. Experience helps with that, and we’ve got a lot of new players, young players who are desperate to prove themselves.
“These things will take time. I’m positive we’ve given them enough emotional support to deal with that for Saturday, and they’re in a good frame of mind to perform.”
Blackpool’s start has not been much better than Argyle’s. They won 3-2 at home to Huddersfield Town last Saturday, but have lost their other three league games, and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Port Vale.
Having lost 2-0 at Mansfield Town on Tuesday, Blackpool now head to the South West, with Cleverley hoping that Home Park comforts will help his side – though he knows that it is the team that need to lead the way.
“I’m sure Steve Bruce’s message to his players will be similar to mine,” said Tom. “When you are a team that is maybe not happy with performances or form, you strip it back to basics. What can you control as a player and do to the best of your ability?
“For me, the advantage we have on Saturday is a home crowd. We shouldn’t become complacent about that; we should be the catalyst to create a good atmosphere. Supporters will always react to players doing the basics well. You want to run hard for this club, tackle hard, fight for your team-mate, put your body on the line.
“I feel we are more than that, and becoming more than that might take a little bit more time than we expected. But if we do the first bit, I’m sure the supporters will be right behind us, connected to us. That is what I want to see, and what I expect to see.”
