When Argyle were 5-0 down at half-time against Burnley, in a game in January, Miron Muslic let his players know how unhappy he was.
They kept the Clarets out in the second half, and then, in the next four games, got a point at high-flying Sunderland before beating West Bromwich Albion, Liverpool and Millwall.
On Tuesday night of this week, Argyle lost 2-0 at Hull City, barely laying a glove on their relegation rivals. Head Coach Muslic, for the first time since that Burnley rocket, had to lay the situation on the line again to his side. Now, as Argyle gear up to play Sheffield Wednesday at Home Park on Saturday, the boss is hoping that his words have the same stirring effect that they did six weeks or so ago.
“It was not our night,” said Miron, reflecting on Hull. “We were far away from performing. We knew it was Hull City, so there was everything to fight for, and we were far away from that. This is why I was so disappointed.
“We’ve been very clear, as staff, to the team after the game and also [on Thursday] in our meeting. We have been very hard with them, in the meeting – and it was needed. The last time I was so direct and so demanding was half-time against Burnley. And then, the reaction was fantastic afterwards.
“The reaction already in training was good. They realise [Tuesday] was not good enough and we can do way, way better. This is the right way, and this is the only way.
“To get back on track, the next possibility is on Saturday and, at Home Park, it’s a different story.
“There, we have the support we need, we have the Green Army as a 12th man, they will create a wonderful, hostile atmosphere for us, and this will be the extra boost we need to try to keep the three points here.
“We know the importance of this game. We have to win this game to get close again. If we can achieve that, then we are back in.”
Argyle now find themselves six points adrift of the teams currently in the safe spots of the Sky Bet Championship, above the dreaded dotted line, but a win against the Owls, coupled with some friendly results elsewhere, could halve that gap. Argyle’s task is tricky, but there are 11 games to go, and things can yet change.
Sheffield Wednesday find themselves 13th, on 45 points. That makes them 14 points above the drop zone, so they are safe. They are seven points and seven places away from the play-offs, so it is possible, albeit unlikely, that they could break into that group.
Muslic said: “There is no pressure at all [for Wednesday]. They are playing a fantastic season, to be safe in mid-table.
“‘Battle’ is a word I like. We have to turn this into a battle on Saturday, get Home Park behind us, and then it will be difficult for Sheffield [Wednesday] to compete. This is the plan. We have to go all-in, we have to go fully. We have to sacrifice everything on the pitch from the first whistle.”
Three players who have missed games lately could be in contention for at least some minutes on Saturday – and what a trio.
They are three players who, across the whole squad, are in the top four of appearances made for Argyle. Between Ryan Hardie, Joe Edwards and Adam Randell, they have played for Argyle 636 times, through promotions and survivals, and know completely what the club is about. What a boost it would be to have them in the squad, never mind on the field.
“Joe will, for certain, be on the pitch on Saturday,” confirmed Muslic. “I can guarantee this already, regardless if we have to chase or if we have to protect.
“He's in a very, very good way and we will simply need his personality, his character, his charisma. Finally, also, some good news about Adam and about Hardie. Both are about to return, for sure on Wednesday, but there's also a shimmer of hope for Saturday.
“I'm very much looking forward to this because it's not only to get back performance players, it's also the personality and the character - and we need personality and character.”
