THE DAILY DIARY

Argyle News Sites:

The Daily Diary is a compilation of Argyle news, with help from these and other Argyle-related sites.

Plymouth Argyle FC

The Herald

Western Morning News

News Now

On This Day:

For the three most recent days, facts from Argyle's history.

Friday 9th May 2008

Paul Sturrock believes it is now 'the proper time' to enter into talks about extending the contracts of Peter Halmosi and Krisztian Timar. He said: "I'm not a great believer in negotiating contracts when there are games of football to be played. Now there are not any more games, it's the proper time to sit down and re-negotiate. We would like to re-negotiate with both of those players and it's something that we are going to get right into, starting now." Timar should have surgery by tomorrow at the latest and Sturrock added: "Krisztian looks as though he has got a long-term injury. He was going to be playing for Hungary later this month and that has been taken away from him now. But I think he will benefit from the rest and we will know in due course how long he's going to be out." Halmosi suffered with a knee injury towards the end of the season, and Sturrock believes it is important he rests over the summer. He said: "I think we saw that being a factor in the last three or four games Peter played for us. Obviously, he has picked up niggling knocks as well, and he seems to have not been able to get rid of anything for the last couple of months. He's really struggling with these problems, so we will be in discussions with him and the Hungarian national team about his situation. That will be done in the next couple of days." Sturrock insisted that rest, not surgery, would be the best cure for Halmosi's knee trouble. He said: "His knee has a lot of old injuries in there, which he has played with for a long time. Nothing is going to change that. As for the knee injury he had at the end of the season, it's only time which will heal it."

Argyle's six second-year apprentices should find out today whether they will be offered professional contracts. Shane White, Lloyd Saxton, Shane Duggan, Damien McCrory, Toby Davis and Jarred Stevens will be told their fate by Paul Sturrock, who admitted it had been difficult to make decisions on the apprentices for a number of reasons. He said: "I made a conscious decision that I wouldn't release a player unless I had seen him half-a-dozen times, and I have near enough got to that stage. I wanted to be at least able to say that I had seen them a certain amount of times. I have made my decision now and if the wait has been a hindrance to the boys, I can only apologise to them. It has been a bit longer than I would have liked, but I hope they understand the reasons I wanted to do it this way."

Michal Misiewicz has been named in Canada's squad for an under-20 friendly international against Argentina on May 11th

On This Day:

1954: On their tour of the USA, St Louis All Stars 4 Argyle 8 (Neil Langman 6)

2004: The second civic celebration in two years; the day after joy at Home Park, the team travelled to the city centre on an open-top bus, welcomed by a sea of green. As Wottsy said, "We've only gone and done it again!" (... more on GoS).

8th

Krisztian Timar will have surgery within the next two days to repair multiple fractures to his skull and should all go according to plan, he will be allowed to return to Hungary at the end of next week to recuperate over the summer. However, he will not be able to head a football for up to five months, meaning he will miss the start of next season. Paul Maxwell said: "Everything should be straightforward, but Krisztian has got many fractures in his skull. There are also a couple in and around his left eye and his nose so, safe to say, he has had a fair old whack. The surgeon is one of the best in the country and he will do the operation tomorrow or Saturday. Then, all being well, he can go back to Hungary and have a good six weeks over there and just chill out. Obviously, Krisztian is concerned about the surgery - as anybody would be. It's not a nice thing, but he knows he has got to get it done. You are probably looking at five months before he can start heading a ball. I have spoken to the gaffer and told him Krisztian will be fine to do pre-season at the start of July. We will get him some sort of head protection which he can wear. The only things he won't be able to do in pre-season are heading the ball and certain aspects where there is any risk of physical contact. Apart from that, he should be fine to do what everybody else does. As I have told him, it's not like having an injured knee where you can't do the fitness work in pre-season that the other players can do. It's not a nice thing to have happened to Krisztian and it's a bad injury, but, on the positive side, it could have been far worse. He was given the option of having the operation done in Hungary but he's more than happy to do it here."

Paul Sturrock has put the ball firmly in Russell Anderson and Gary Teale's court to decide if they want to sign permanently for Argyle. He is hoping both have been impressed sufficiently with their time at Plymouth and will look to extend their careers at Home Park, and said: "Both players had to go back to their clubs because they have got another week to go. I'm hopeful they'll have conversations with their managers while they're up there. I've had a discussion with their management team and obviously had a discussion with the players. But until they have discussions with their management and then talk with their agents, there's nothing more that can be said at this moment in time. I know where I'm going with these players, but it depends on a lot of factors as to whether they'll be here next season." Sturrock praised Anderson for his performance at Wolves last Sunday. "I thought Russell was outstanding against Wolverhampton - he was absolutely excellent," he said. "He has done very, very well here, because obviously he had been injured a long time at Sunderland. There has been very few games when you could point a finger at any mistakes in games that he was involved in. I was really pleased with the standard of performance that he achieved at this football club. Gary Teale is a different kettle of fish because he's a winger - they're either hot, cold or indifferent. Gary's problem was on the injury front in that he kept picking up wee strains. That meant he couldn't get a consistent run in the team. But there were a couple of time when the people saw the real Gary Teale. If you could get that consistently, then you've got a good player on your hands."

Paul Sturrock has already seen some players that have got him, in his own words, ‘excited’. Sturrock was at Home Park yesterday in between jetting in and out of the country as he looks at a target pool that he hopes to eventually reduce to 30 players. "That's the idea, anyway" he said. "I would like to think that we will have at least three players lined up for each position we feel needs strengthening - an A, B, C choice. If we don't get our A target then we move on to B and C and if we don't get them then we panic!" Sturrock was in an upbeat mood yesterday and confident that he can unearth some gems, either in this country or abroad in the coming month. He will accompany Andy King to two games over the weekend to cast his eye over two players that have been recommended by his chief scout. "It has been a hectic week. I have watched so many games and so many players names have been chucked at me.," he said. "And I like to see the players once minimum, preferably twice, before I make a decision on them. I have been careering around the country - and out of the country - trying to get to see as many of the players. Over the next few weeks the rest of the leagues will close down because of the European Championship, which means we have got to batter out a few treks. I'm out of the country on Saturday night but then we have got games back here on the Sunday, that's the way it will be now. You know it's in a plane, off a plane, go to the game and then you're back in a plane again. That's the kind of short, sharp time frame I have got because I want to see everybody before I make a decision on which ones I am going to target. There's been a couple of players out with the ones that I have been sent to watch that have excited me. I have put feelers out now to see their availability as well as the ones that have been targeted." Sturrock was quick to dispel rumours that his trips may take him beyond Europe this week, and said: "I have got no need to go to the Far East. At the end there's been a lot of stuff in the papers about all sorts of players in Japan that has filled the back pages here but that's only normal for the time of year it is. Put it this way if I am signing a Japanese player I will be in Japan. There's no way I am bringing players over here without me seeing them. Any player that comes from that side of the world will have to be vetted by me before they are signed." As for the four players that Sturrock has offered new terms to - Mat Doumbe, Nadjim Abdou, Dan Smith and Luke Summerfield - he said: "We have made offers to them. I am very hopeful the four of them fit in to our budget. I will allow them another week. A week for them should be long enough to make a decision whether they are going to go out into the crazy world of football or re-sign here. That will allow me to know how many players I need. If those four don't sign I am going to need an awful lot of players."

On This Day:

1926: Probably the most remarkable match ever staged at Home Park - a team of Trade Unionists met a Police XI during the General Strike. A crowd of 10,000 saw the strikers win 2-1.

1952: Left winger Don Hutchins was born in Middlesbrough. Hutchins played 99 games, scoring 23 goals, between 1969 & 1972.

1999: Carlisle 2 Argyle 1; goalkeeper Jimmy Glass scored the last-seconds winner to save Carlisle from the big drop (video clip of the goal).

2004: The second Home Park celebration of the century, Argyle received the Tier 3 championship trophy in front of 19,868 who came to the party. Very incidentally, Argyle 2 Colchester 0 (... more on GoS).

7th

Luke McCormick hopes that Argyle have not seen the last of Russell Anderson. He said: "He was tremendous on Sunday, and he's been like that ever since he came in. He's a good influence on the pitch, and he reads the game ever so well. We'd welcome him with open arms, and hopefully the gaffer can pull a few strings in the summer so that he can be one of our players."

Gary Teale has admitted he does not know which club he will be playing for next season. Teale will have talks about his future with Paul Jewell over the next couple of days, but has already spoken to Paul Sturrock about the possibility of a permanent move to Home Park. He said: "I would definitely be interested, but I don't know my circumstances at Derby and what they are thinking about things. I haven't spoken to Paul Jewell yet, but I'm going back there today and I will know more from then on. I spoke to the gaffer last week and he asked me how did I feel about coming down. I have enjoyed my time there and it's just unfortunate that we didn't make the play-offs. We probably should have done, and we have only got ourselves to blame. But it's a great club and there is the potential to try to push for promotion next season." Argyle's draw against Preston in the penultimate home game ended their play-off aspirations, and Teale added: "We were 2-0 up in that game and had we won it we would have gone to Wolves with something to play for. We should also have won both of the home games against Sheffield United and Charlton. But the club finished higher than they did the previous year so that's something to build on again."

On This Day:

1977: Sheffield Utd 1 Argyle 0; Argyle were relegated to tier 3, the end of a sorry season that had seen the loss of Paul Mariner and Tony Waiters.

1982: Akos Buzsáky was born in Hungary, so 26 today. Tne first in a line of Hungarian imports, Buz both delighted and frustrated in his 105 appearances (8 goals) before his controversial departure to QPR, initially on-loan, in October 2007.

1994: The Pilgrims' best ever away win, Hartlepool Utd 1 Argyle 8.

2003: Tony Capaldi signed from Birmingham, his first day of four years with the club, making 153 appearances and scoring 12 goals.

6th

Krisztian Timar returned to Plymouth yesterday, and Paul Maxwell said: "He's been discharged and came home with Crudgie. We'll take Kris up to Derriford Hospital in the next couple of days and let the specialists have a good look at him before we decide on what course of action to follow. I think he'll be around for a couple of weeks so that we can monitor his progress, and we'll take it from there. It's not something that can be rushed, though. He will probably need an operation at some stage." The clash left Timar with a dent in his forehead the size of a £2 coin, and saw him bleed heavily from his nose and mouth. However, Maxwell says those symptoms were to be expected, and merely showed that Timar’s body was reacting perfectly to the trauma. "His forehead is like double-glazing, if you like" he added. "The outer part is cracked by the blow, but the inner part - the important bit - is unaffected. The bleeding is normal with a head injury of this type. The sinuses are damaged and this is the result."

Luke McCormick has admitted life at Home Park will not be the same without his best mate Paul Connolly. When Connolly arrived in Plymouth for a trial with Argyle in 2000, it was McCormick who was sent to meet him, and he said: "We have been mates for years and we have been through so much. I met him at the train station the first day he was on trial. I didn't have a clue who he was or what he looked like. Some scrawny Scouser turned up with a shellsuit on and his bag over his back and I took him up to the digs. We shared a lot in common from the start because we were both quite far away from home." Connolly was one of four departing players to be given a rousing send-off by the fans after the Blackpool game, and McCormick said: "It was really nice to see him get such a good reception. He's an absolutely fantastic lad and I wish him all the very best for the future." Another of the players leaving is Paul Wotton - someone who McCormick has a lot of respect for. He said: "I remember being a young lad and watching Paul Wotton as a professional. You have your odd run-in - I think everyone who has played with Paul Wotton has had a run-in with him to be honest - but that makes you into the player you are. You take bits out of people's game and you try to add them to yours. I think if I can show the same determination and passion that Paul Wotton plays with, I think I will be alright."

Russell Anderson is waiting to find out whether he has a future at Sunderland, and said: "I'm going back to Sunderland this week and we will just wait and see what happens. I have really got no idea at all, but I'm sure it will become clearer over the course of the summer. I will have to speak to Sunderland and basically see what they are saying." Anderson admitted he had enjoyed his three months at Argyle. "It has been really good and it has given me games, which I have desperately needed," he said. "I would like to think I have contributed to the team in some way." Argyle ended the season in 10th place, and Anderson added: "The league table doesn't lie. At the end of the season I think you usually end up where you deserve to. It shows we have been a top 10 team this season, but just falling short of being a top six side. Obviously, there has been an improvement from previous years but they will have to try to carry that on next season."

Paul Connolly has admitted leaving Home Park is not easy, but had feared his career would flounder unless he did so. He said: "It's a sad time for me because I have got so many friends in Plymouth, not just at the football club but in and around the city. I'm going to miss them. Argyle have been really good to me and gave me a stepping stone in life. I don't know what I would be doing now if I hadn't come down here as a scruffy 17-year-old from Liverpool. I can only think the worse. But I believe I need to move on so I can further my career. I have been here for eight years and for the last couple of seasons I could feel myself getting stale. I didn't want to stay here for too long and then be remembered for all the wrong reasons. I just decided it was time to leave. I want to experience being at a different football club, at a different training ground and with different team-mates." Connolly was offered a new contract by Argyle in the early part of the season, but it did not come up to his expectations. He was prepared to leave Home Park in the transfer window, so the club could get a fee for him. He said: "I was offered a new contract in October or November, which I wasn't too happy with. It didn't really value my place in the side so I thought, 'okay, I will sit tight and see what happens'. I told the club I wanted to be sold in January, just so they could get a fee for me. It could have been around £150,000 to £200,000. But I had a long chat with the gaffer and the club's directors and, between us, it was sorted out that I would stay for the rest of the season. We were pushing for the play-offs at the time and the gaffer wanted to keep me, rather than sell me for not a lot of money. He thought it would be impossible to replace a good right-back at that stage of the season. He wanted to get service out of me, and I was fine with that. I phoned all the clubs who were interested in me then and told them I would be staying at Argyle until the summer." Connolly was given his Argyle debut by Sturrock and believes the club can continue to progress under him. He said: "What the fans need to do is support Paul Sturrock and stick with him. I'm sure he will bring in the right sort of players. He has done it before and he can do it again. Players come and go - that's part of football these days - but the fans stay the same. If they can turn Home Park back into a fortress I know teams will not enjoy coming down here."

5th

Krisztian Timar was kept under observation in hospital last night after suffering damage to an eye socket and his forehead in the defeat at Wolves. Timar's agent, Sam Stapleton, spent much of last night with Timar, and said: "Kris is likely to need an operation in the next few days. He's in a stable condition after suffering damage to his eye socket and forehead. He was lucky in the fact that it could have been a lot worse. Kris is the sort of player that always gives 100 per cent and won't back out of anything and, sometimes as a result, these things happen in football. He will lose his summer holidays now, but the most important thing for him is that he is back for pre-season. Our thanks go to Maxie and the Plymouth and Wolves staff who helped him at the game and we hope he will make a quick recovery." Russell Anderson had a close up view of Timar's collision with Elokobi and said: "It was a nasty one. I don't think everyone realised the severity of it until we got to see him. It was a clash of heads. The guy has gone to flick the ball on and Krisztian, as ever, is fully committed and has gone to win the header. These things happen. I don't think there was any malice involved. It was just a full-blooded challenge. Timar coughed up blood as he laid on the pitch receiving treatment from Maxwell. It was quite harrowing to see it, to be honest, but Maxie sorted out it nice and quickly. Hopefully, fingers crossed, he will be fine."

Paul Sturrock was already looking forward to next season in the aftermath of the defeat at Wolves. "It would have been easy for us to come here today and just think it's time for holidays," he said. "I was pleased with the players' attitude to the game. They didn't go through the motions. They worked very, very hard. We have released a lot of players and had a lot of injuries, and we were forced on to the back foot; the way Wolves played for the 90 minutes made it very difficult. The tempo was high. Wolves were really up for it for the first half-hour, and we had to handle that. As the game unfolded it, I thought we were going to get away with it. I think we handled that and looked as though we might catch them on the break. I can't think of a save our goalkeeper had in the 90 minutes that he's had to have an incredible save off, which shows that we did our job properly. I'm just a wee bit disappointed with how we kept the ball in the first half. We seemed to give it away willy-nilly. I think we kept it a bit better in the second half. There were some decent performances from the younger players. The way we played today will be something we are going to have to bring into next season because there are a lot of teams who seem to have money and add a lot of players to their squads. So we have got to be fitter and more aware tactically, and I have got to freshen the squad up with new signings."

Peter Halmosi did not play at Molineux yesterday, and Paul Sturrock said: "Peter tweaked his groin on Friday and he was worried he might worsen it so, in the end, we took the decision not to play him." Jermaine Easter started the game but was substituted for Steve MacLean at half-time. Asked about Easter's substitution, Sturrock said: "I just felt the way we were playing we needed somebody that was going to hold the ball up. Jermaine likes to run beyond, and I thought Steve did a very good job at holding the ball up and took us up the football pitch." Argyle's two remaining loan signings, Russell Anderson and Gary Teale, were both involved against Wolves, but Sturrock was non-committal when asked about their futures. He said: "I have had discussions with their clubs and I have had discussions with the players and we will take it from there. I couldn't start Tealey today because he has been out for quite a long time but I thought he did okay when he went on. I'm waiting on word back from their clubs - probably this week." Argyle's four remaining out-of-contract players, Mathias Doumbe, Nadjim Abdou, Luke Summerfield and Dan Smith were all in the squad at Molineux, and Sturrock added: "We have put offers to all of them and they are thinking about it." Sturrock fitted in the game against Wolves between overseas trips to check out potential signings, and whilst he would not divulge his destinations, he admitted he had a busy time coming up. He said: "The next three weeks will be the most hectic because there are so many games going on in Europe. I'm trying to catch up with as many of my targets as possible because we have to bring certain types of players to this football club. There are certain areas we have got to strengthen in our team. I have been away and got late back, and I have been away again and got late back. There is a game on Wednesday which I will take in, and there are some next weekend as well, but I'm not the only one away. The coaching staff are as well, and Kingy was in another country today watching three games."

4th

Paul Sturrock was waiting on news of Krisztian Timar after the defeat at Wolves. Timar was taken to hospital after clashing heads with George Elokobi during the second half of the game. Sturrock said: "We don't know how serious it is. He's been rushed to hospital. It doesn't look good." Early indications were that the centre-back faces a long lay-off but Sturrock said: "It would be very unprofessional for me to try to guess what it is. We'll wait to see what the doctors, the specialists come back with." Sturrock refused to place any blame for the injury on Elokobi, who came to the Argyle dressing-room after the game to request Timar’s mobile phone number. "It looked like an accident to me, to be fair," he said. "It looked as though Kris headed the back of the Wolves' player's head. I think that's what happened. Kris was a wee bit agitated and suffering from something." Sturrock also refused to blame the subsequent reshuffle to his defence for Wolves' winner, and added: "A certain player was told to do a certain job on the boy who scored and another player told him he would take Olofinjana as he came forward, he didn't take him, and Olofinjana finishes up right down the middle. We had handled his runs most of the game. It just shows when a lack of communication or a misunderstanding occurs."

Argyle lost 1-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Argyle: McCormick, Doumbe, Timar, Anderson, Sawyer, Clark, Abdou, Summerfield, Easter, Fallon, Mackie. Subs – Teale, MacLean, Folly (not used – Larrieu, Smith). Attendance - 26,293

3rd

Argyle travel to Wolves in tomorrow’s final game of the season on Sunday and Kevin Summerfield can't wait to see how our young squad members cope with the pressure. "It is an absolute dream game to play in," he said. "It is one of the best stadiums and a lot of pressure on their side. It will be really interesting to see how our youngsters deal with it. I have been to a full Molineux quite a few times and it is a great atmosphere, and that should bring out the best in both teams. To be fair, there is a lot of pressure for us as well because we want to finish the season on a high and take it on from last week. If we finish higher than last year, it shows improvement. It has been at the back of our minds for the last couple of weeks and so it should be. We are looking to play well and whatever we get out of the game is a bonus." Jim Paterson has been ruled out with back trouble but Peter Halmosi and Gary Teale are both fit to play. Dan Smith and Ashley Barnes have also been included in the squad. Summerfield said: "Paterson is really struggling with his back, so his season is over but Peter and Teale are both ok. The 18 that are left, including Barnes and Smith all trained yesterday, and are fine, so that will be the 18 going to Wolves. Dan had a little taste last week, possibly a bit overdue and he has got to show us what he can do, if he gets the chance." The extra spice to the game will be the familiar face of Sylvan Ebanks-Blake in the Wolves side, and Summerfield added: "We know all about him but he also knows all about us, although Russell might be different for him. Let's hope he has a bad day, but he has done really well for them, and has probably been the missing link they didn't have over the first part of the season. They were struggling to score goals and anybody who has seen Sylv play knows he is quality. He knows where the goal is, where to position himself in the box and will always score goals. We wish him all the best. He was a terrific player for the short time we had him and it would have been lovely to work with him over a longer period but, unfortunately, that wasn't the case."

It is not clear whether Paul Sturrock will be in the Argyle dug-out at Molineux tomorrow. Sturrock has been checking out potential transfer targets over the past couple of days, and that could continue tomorrow. "His schedule is changing all the time," said Kevin Summerfield. "Paul has got lots of games lined up, but one or two have bitten the dust because of players who are not going to be involved. It's pointless trekking all over Europe if the targets that have been highlighted by Andy King and the other scouts are not playing in the games."

Luke McCormick has set his sights on promotion to the Premier League after signing an extended contract at Argyle. He said: "I'm very pleased to have signed the new contract. The club approached me and I didn't have to think about it for one second. I have come to the stage where I'm really enjoying my football and I feel the club are moving in a positive direction. I want to be part of what's going on at this club, so it was an easy decision. I have been here for a long time and I think the best is still to come from me. I would like to play my part in, hopefully, seeing this club move up into the Premier League. Argyle tied up the future of McCormick before he entered the final 12 months of his previous deal, and he added: "I think the club lost a few players in January they would have preferred to keep, and maybe that spurred them into coming and talking to me. Like I say, it was an easy decision. It's some extra security for myself, and gives me the chance of playing at a very good club for the next two years." Romain Larrieu also signed a new two-year contract and McCormick said: "If you look back, there were times last season, and probably at the start of this season, where you thought 'can the two of us carry on like this?'. But when you look at the bigger picture, it's all about the club. And I'm confident in what I can do. I know Romain has got a lot to offer as well. Hopefully, together we can help this club achieve what we want to achieve." By the time Argyle return for the start of pre-season training, the squad will be radically different, but that prospect that does not concern McCormick. "I think there are exciting times ahead," he said. "The success we had when Paul Sturrock was the manager before was because he built a good core. We had a magnificent team spirit and he created that. I think he knows the kind of players that he needs to create that again. We should all be very excited about what is to come for Plymouth Argyle."

2nd

Paul Sturrock has admitted 'one or two players' from the Far East could end up signing for Argyle, following Yasuaki Kagami joining the board of directors. He said: "They have lots of contacts with certain players who are playing in the Far East - it's not just Japan. We understand the criteria to bring them over here is that they have to play in 75 per cent of the internationals for their country. We are looking into that side of it, and I'm sure K&K are as well. It's a relationship that I think will benefit the football club in the long term. But I don't think it's going to make a massive difference all of a sudden." Sturrock met K&K advisor, Tony Campbell, at a board meeting last Thursday, and said: "Tony goes over to Japan for six months of the year. I think a lot of his business interests are between there and here. He has a reasonable grasp of Argyle, so there is a benefit to all that."

1st

Paul Wotton has spoken of his pride at what he achieved during his 13 years at Argyle, and insisted he is excited about making a fresh start. He also revealed there have been a couple of inquires about him from other clubs. "I'm immensely proud of what I have achieved at Plymouth Argyle," he said. "I'm leaving behind good friends and great memories. I'm proud that I can walk around the city with my head held high, knowing I have never let anyone down, on the pitch or on the training ground. I have always given my best, and I don't think you can ask any more of anyone. But I want to emphasise how excited I am by a fresh challenge as well. It's not the end of Paul Wotton. People were saying to me on Saturday, 'Are you going to quit now?' I'm only 30 years old. I do believe a lot of people think I'm older than I am because I have been playing for so long, but I'm 30 and I should be in my prime now. My knee is sound so I have got five or six good football years left in me. It's by no means the end of Paul Wotton. I have got a wonderful, beautiful family and we are all ready to move. It's not going to be a case of staying local. It's not a problem to us and we are so excited by a new challenge." Paul Sturrock admitted he had done 'a lot of soul searching' before deciding not to offer Wotton a new contract, and the midfielder insisted he did not hold any grudges. "The gaffer is going in a new direction," he said. "Paul Sturrock knows what I think of him. I have got nothing bad to say about the man. He has helped me in my career more than any manager. What has happened at Plymouth Argyle has been awesome, but it has finished and as one door closes another one opens. My future is obviously going to be at a new club. I don't know where that is going to be yet, but there has been a little bit of interest already. It will be a case of deciding what is best for myself and my family. The best memory for me at Plymouth Argyle was just playing for the team who I supported as a kid. Obviously, the championships were beyond our wildest dreams. But, for me, every time I played for the team, and especially when I was captain, it was always a very special honour." Wotton described his send-off on Saturday as 'emotional' and added: "I'm glad I didn't just walk away. It was special." However, Wotton wants to concentrate on the future now. He said: "My knee is fine, I'm back playing, I'm fit and I have got bits of interest. Come August 9 I will definitely be kicking off the season with a football club. At the moment, I don't know what level that is going to be, and I don't know who it's going to be with." Asked whether he would relish the prospect of playing against Argyle in the future, he replied: "I would love it."

Argyle under-18s friendly at Liskeard Athletic was cancelled last night due to the poor weather

Lee Hodges is ready for the next chapter in his career following his release by Argyle. He said: "I'm not ready to finish yet and I'm looking forward to seeing what is around the corner. I still think I have got a lot to offer. Where? I don't know. I haven't spoken to anyone yet. But, hopefully, I will be playing next season." Asked whether he was prepared to move away from the South West, Hodges replied: "We are settled here, but a job is a job and you just have to get on with it. If I could stay I would, but we will wait and see what comes in and then I will take it from there." Hodges believes it will take substantial investment for Argyle to make a serious push for the Premier League. He said: "If they chuck a bit of money at it, who knows what could happen. I can't really see it without spending quite a bit. I think they are going to need to get some experience in for next season. But I will always look out for their results and if I'm still living down here, hopefully, they might give me a spare ticket to come and watch now and again." Hodges’ first appearance in his second spell with Argyle was as a triallist in a friendly at Bridgwater Town in August 2001, and he said: "I left Reading and had nothing in the summer, and then the move to Plymouth came about. To have had seven years here, and to have enjoyed it so much, has been good. I remember playing in that friendly. Before I had got off the pitch Paul Sturrock was offering me a contract. That wasn't bad because we had just had our first child, so that helped." Hodges spent one month on loan at Home Park from Tottenham Hotspur in 1992/93, but on his return found the club at a low ebb. He said: "My first game was at Hull and we drew 0-0, and everybody was going crazy in the changing room afterwards. They were jumping around and I said, 'We have just drawn 0-0 at Hull'. And they went, 'No, no, this is brilliant, we don't get any points away from home'. I did think for a minute, 'What have I joined?' But now, seven years later, we have just missed out on a play-off place for the Premier League. In only a few seasons, this club has got much bigger. It has been very pleasing to be part of it." Hodges’ highlights of his time at Home Park were the two title-winning seasons of 2001/02 and 2003/04, and he added: "It was fantastic to be involved in the two championships, and playing a major part. I was involved in most of the games in those two seasons, and that was really enjoyable." Hodges also takes a lot of pride from the fact that he played in every position for Argyle, from striker to goalkeeper. He said: "To play every position for the club is an achievement in itself. I'm sure there are not too many players who can say they have done that. It also means a lot to me that the managers had the confidence to put me in all those places as well." It was not all good times for Hodges as he faced the prospect of retirement because of a persistent back injury that showed no signs of improving. He said: "The back injury was probably the one bad side to my time at the club. I was very close to retiring. I wondered if it was ever going to heal. We had one last chance so we went down this particular route and it worked. Then I just had to get back into the swing of things again because you do pick up little niggles now and again. This season I haven't been injured at all. I was out for a week with a cold and I had a sore Achilles for a day, but that was about it, really."

30th April

Paul Sturrock expects Argyle to be linked with countless players during the close season, and he is sure to be busy in the transfer market. "The fans are going to hear a lot of rumours and speculation, which will not be answered by me," he said. "At the end of the day, I just don't want to have the hassles I have had in the past and, obviously, there are expectation levels. When the players arrive, our fans will be the first to know through the media." Sturrock, Kevin Summerfield and John Blackley are going to be busy over the next month checking out potential transfer targets, both at home and abroad. He said: "We will be working tirelessly over the next four to five weeks. June will probably be a quiet month, but from now until the end of May and from July 1 onwards up to August 31 we will be trying to bring the proper players to the football club for the new challenge next season. If I can sign some people before the end of May, I will do." Asked whether he thought a lot of his signings would be from overseas, Sturrock replied: "It's hard to say, but I'm going to be travelling abroad a lot. We have had Britain scanned and we do know the free agents who are going to become available. In an ideal world, we would have six Championship players coming into this football club. By that I mean six British players who are already playing in the Championship, but that's in an ideal world." Sturrock is aiming to have a squad of between 20 and 22 players next season. He said: "With some utility players you can bring your numbers down, and then you can use one or two younger ones as development players. It is a difficult league to call. You have to bring athletic players to the club and there will be a pot of about 30 players I will be trying to bring them from." One of the problems Sturrock faces is convincing any identified targets, and their partners, that Argyle is the place to be. He said: "There will be all sorts of reasons why some of them don't come to the football club and that is the difficulty of managing Plymouth Argyle. A high percentage of it is financial but there are other criteria as to why we cannot bring players to the club, such as geography and wives. It is a silly thing to say that a lot of people won't understand but wives can dictate where a man plays his football. In the time I have been here, this time and last, I have lost a lot of players through wives deciding where their man is going to play." Despite the difficulties Sturrock has promised not to be rushed into any panic-purchases. He said: "I want the right people and, if I can't get the right people, I am not going to just take Joe Bloggs for the sake of body count - that slows things up in the end. We are fishing in a pool and, if I do exactly the same and rush out there, we are going to lose the fish. If I can't get a 2lb trout, I am not going to take a minnow. I am going to contradict myself because there are nuggets out there and I understand that, and it is also something we have to do. We are Plymouth Argyle and we have to take a chance on one or two players. My budget will enable me to do that: take a chance on a Jamie Mackie or a similar scenario. The key players, Championship standard players, are what we need for the team."

Argyle’s youth team won their final match of the season 1-0 at Swansea City, the goal scored by Toby Davis. The team have won the Youth Alliance South-West Conference, currently holding a fourteen point lead over Swansea and Swindon Town

Argyle under-18s play Liskeard Athletic in a friendly at Lux Park tonight. It is the last chance for second-year apprentices Lloyd Saxton, Shane White, Shane Duggan, Damien McCrory, Toby Davis and Jarred Stevens to stake a claim for a professional contract next season

Mickey Evans was tired, but elated, after his testimonial match at Home Park last night. Mickey's All Stars beat Luggy's XI 4-2 in front of 5,437 fans. He said: "It was a brilliant night. Nearly 5,500 people turned up even with Manchester United on the TV, so I can't complain. It has been absolutely fantastic and I think the lads really enjoyed it as well. You could see that on the pitch. It has still been professional out there tonight, though. There were a few interesting tackles going on. I'm really chuffed to bits. If you had said to me we would get 5,500 when we started preparing for this I would have ripped your arm off. Everyone involved has done a magnificent job. It went really smoothly and I would like to thank the club for helping us tonight as well. All in all, it was really, really good." Mickey's All Stars: Manager - Kevin Hodges. Romain Larrieu, Paul Connolly, Mick Heathcote, Paul Wotton, Jon Beswetherick, Martin Barlow, Lee Hodges, Lilian Nalis, Ian Stonebridge, Matt Evans, Mickey Evans. Subs - Rhys Wilmot, Darren Garner, Martin Gritton, Kevin Wills, Jason Rowbotham, Phill Gill, Kevin Hodges, Gordon Nisbet, John Uzzell, Nathan Lowndes, Pat College (competition winner). Luggy’s XI: Manager - Paul Sturrock. Luke McCormick, Gary Clayton, Andy Morrison, Mathias Doumbe, David Worrell, Hasney Aljofree, Ronnie Mauge, David Friio, Steve Castle, Matt Le Tissier, Sean McCarthy. Subs - Gary Penhaligon, Chris Harrison, Tommy Tynan, Andy Rogers, Shaun Jutson (competition winner). Referee: Neil Warnock. Goals: Mickey's All Stars - Mickey Evans (pen) 32 mins, Beswetherick 42 mins, Gritton 56, 66 mins. Luggy's XI - Tynan (pen) 25, 46 mins

29th

Despite Argyle's failure to reach the play-offs, Paul Sturrock feels it has been a season of which to be proud. "As far as this season is concerned, I took stock of it all over the weekend," he said. "The disappointment for me is that I would have loved to have had something going into the last game and we were one second away from doing that. Hindsight is a fantastic thing and, had we not lost that goal against Preston, we would be playing the last game of the season with an opportunity to reach the play-offs. That was everybody's dream and I was disappointed we could not finish off that dream, but the dream is still alive." Sturrock returned to Argyle in November described the job as the 'hardest in football' and the 'biggest challenge' of his career. He said: "Never, ever, ever, ever in the time I have been here were we a top-four team. That was a dizzy height and I believed there were better teams than us that were lower in the league. As it has transpired, circumstances have arisen and January made a big contribution to the problems that we had. I am a realist to appreciate that fourth was fantastic but when I looked at our squad and then looked at the opposition, I did not feel we were a top-four side. We were one second away from being a top-six side. What we want to achieve is to be competitive every year in the right part of the league. We have had a taste now. The minimum we can now finish is 11th, which would be identical to last season - that is with last season's team winning their last five games to achieve that position in the league. What I am trying to point out is that, wherever we finish this season, we will be working tirelessly to ensure there is progress again at the football club." Despite an inconsistent end to the season Sturrock remains confident that the players he brought in during the transfer window will prove their worth. "A hasty January can affect your football club," he said. "People will point the finger at some of the signings I made in January. January was a hasty month, a necessity month, and sometimes mistakes can be made. In the end, I am very confident the players I brought to the club will progress to the potential they can achieve. Some of them have not reached that potential yet. It is up to them, through pre-season training and settling down in the area, to come to the show next season, and I am confident they will do that. We have had people from Scotland who have had to bed themselves into a completely different environment. Even the style of play is completely different, but I am sure they will all achieve that. With any budget at any football club, the fewer mistakes you make the better. We have got to do it methodically and slowly. We have got to bed a team down that is hardworking, tactically aware and super-fit. If we add those ingredients to the Championship players I would like to bring to the club, then we will progress. That is the only word I want to use - I would like to progress next season."

A new five-year plan is essential to the future development of Argyle, according to Paul Sturrock. He said: "In the next couple of Board meetings, I will be emphasizing that, in my opinion, a five-year plan is something a club like Plymouth Argyle should have in place. I am a great believer in short-term goals and long-term goals. The short-term goal is to keep this team competitive every year, and the long-term goal is to get to where we want to be, and try to hold ourselves in that position. When I came here last time, the short-term goal was to keep ourselves up and the long-term goal was to establish ourselves in the Championship. It is something that has been achievable and I am delighted the club has kept itself on the straight and narrow as far as that is concerned. The club has changed now. We have had three managers here since Paul Sturrock was here in the past and things have been converted and turned around to the way Paul Sturrock would have them done. Since I first came here, we have progressed through the years from League Two, to League One, to the Championship, and every year that we have been in the Championship, we have finished higher and higher. I will be taking stock over the next month as regard the running of this football club and will be reverting back in time to how he ran the club in the past, e.g. the players will start to go through the same routines we had in the past. I will oversee and have discussions on the development of the club. There are certain things I would like to see in that department as well. There are certain things I would like to add to the club statistically. The dissecting of games is now a must in a Championship team. It is something we will hopefully be investing in through the close-season. Personnel changes were forced upon me, but I have not changed much else. I have very much gone down the road of what they have been used to doing. Now, we will have a wee turnaround on how things are done in the football club - a wee birl. There will be some things that will upset people but, hopefully, they will be appreciative that I am a manager who wants it done in a way I have had reasonable success with in the past. I am trying to put my footprint back into the football club."

The future of Argyle's four remaining out of contract players should be clearer by the end of the week. Paul Sturrock said: "The chief executive is in negotiations with all of them. Hopefully, by the end of the week we will have a clearer picture of who has accepted our terms and who hasn't. We have listened to their thoughts and we have discussed it among ourselves and we are putting deals together, if at all possible. I haven't ruled any of them out of being here next season." One of the out of contract players is Luke Summerfield, and Sturrock said: "Summers was very impressive against Blackpool, and he has got that ability. The problem is that Summers has got a range of standards, due to his age and everything else. I thought he was very good against Hull in the FA Cup but when we played them in the league only four weeks later he didn't have one of his better games. It may seem strange for me to say, but I still feel Summers is a development player. A lot of people will argue he should be in the team at his age, but there are very few of them playing in the Championship. You could probably count on two hands the boys of that age who are regulars in the Championship." Summerfield has made only six starts this season and Sturrock is well aware he needs as much match experience as possible. "I have got to make a decision whether that's playing regularly with the first team," he said. "Or, if that's not going to happen, I can't really trust the reserves' league so I would have to think about a loan of some sort. But people have got to be happy about that." Meanwhile, Sturrock is also in discussions about the future of Russell Anderson and Gary Teale. He said: "I have spoken to both players and they have left their options open, like I would imagine anybody in their position would do, but they have not said 'no' to me."

Argyle will play nine pre-season friendlies this summer, but only one - on August 2nd - at Home Park. They will play at Tiverton Town on July 14th, Weston-super-Mare on July 16th and then Kidderminster Harriers on July 18th before flying out the following day for a week-long training-camp in Austria. Whilst abroad, the team will play two games, with opponents and dates yet to be confirmed. They will then face Yeovil Town on July 29th, Truro City on July 30th and Swindon Town on August 4th. The opposition for the home game is yet to be confirmed

28th

Rory Fallon scored two of the goals in the 3-0 win over Blackpool on Saturday, and has had a strong finish to the season, but Paul Sturrock believes there is more to come from the striker. Sturrock said: "He's beginning to appreciate the workrate he has got to do and the aerial threat he has got to give for the team. He does a lot of good things away from the ball that people don't notice. He's a good team player now. I have tried both things, but I think the stick has worked much better than the carrot, so he will be getting more of that next season. A couple of times I have given him a wee verbal, just to gee him up. I think Rory hasn't achieved as much in his career as he should of. At the end of the day, his attitude to football was a problem to him. Now the penny has dropped. I think he now appreciates what he has got to do, and he's enjoying his football because of it. He has got more value to the team than just goals. Any time he comes to the show, we normally win the football game." Fallon's two goals came courtesy of Luke Summerfield, and that point was not lost on Sturrock. He said: "We had worked on our set pieces on Thursday and Friday and his delivery was good. Luke is a good player. There are certain things in his game we are going to have to sort out, but you can see the talent is there. His use of the ball and his workrate today was second to none. I think Jimmy and him complemented each other in the middle of the park." Summerfield is one of four out-of-contract players whose futures are still to be resolved, and when asked whether the midfielder would still be at Home Park next season, Sturrock replied: "That's a discussion that me and Luke have still to have." Gary Sawyer returned at left-back for Argyle because Jim Paterson had a back problem and Sturrock also revealed that Jermaine Easter and Peter Halmosi had played even though they were not fully fit. He said: "Jermaine has got tendonitis and he has had to lower his training because of the pain he's getting. And Peter is feeling something as well, really tight around the thigh and his hamstring. So I have got big decisions to make for next Sunday." Jamie Mackie started on the left side of midfield against Blackpool, and Sturrock said: "I chatted to him before the game about getting his body position right. I think he worked really hard on that in the first half. He's much more comfortable on the left than he is on the right, but he does give us another string to our bow. I expect Peter to play on the left next season, and I think if you asked the boy Mackie he would want to play centre-forward." Sturrock added: "It was nice to score off a couple of set pieces today because that's an area where I think we could have done a lot better this year. It's something we will be working 100 per cent harder on next season."

Krisztian Timar was delighted to be named Argyle’s player of the year, and said: "I'm very proud to have won this award, especially as this has been my first full season in England. It's a big thing for me. I was the captain as well so it was a very good day for me, and I think it has been a good season for the team." Timar was told by Paul Sturrock that he would be leading the team out an hour-and-a-half before kick-off. He said: "It was a little bit strange, but it was very good for me. My English is getting better now so I can speak more to my team-mates. I have been a captain a few times before, but not too many. It's a big thing for me because this is my first full season in England and now I'm the captain of Argyle. It has been a good season for me, and for the team as well. If we had been a little luckier, and if our squad had been a bit bigger, we could have pushed on for the top six." Peter Halmosi, who finished second in the voting, has also made an outstanding contribution to Argyle this season, as Timar was keen to point out. He said: "Peter has had a very good season and I'm very happy for him. Second place is also very good and, as two Hungarians, we are very proud to be in the first two. I love the supporters here, and I think they love me. I always work hard for the team and I think they appreciate that. Hopefully, we can be much better next season and finish further up the league table so that every year we keep improving. We have to have belief in the board of directors and the coaching staff that they can bring in some quality players for next season." Argyle's convincing victory over Blackpool was their first home win in five attempts and Timar added: "We wanted to win the last home game of the season so that's why we worked hard. We are very happy with the clean sheet and the three goals."

Rory Fallon has made a dozen starts for Argyle this season, and has scored seven goals in those 12 games - including two on Saturday. "It was a great way to finish," he said. "We really wanted to send the fans off happy and get a good win, and we did that. It was a little too late for the play-offs, but we can build on it next season, when we might have pretty much a brand-new squad. We got off the blocks really quick and got a couple of goals up. Everyone worked really well." Fallon's two goals were headers, and both were set up by Luke Summerfield. Fallon said: "We had worked on those set-pieces in training on Friday, so it wasn't a fluke. I'm telling him what I want and he's telling me what he can give me. It went well." Argyle will soon turn their thoughts to next season, and Fallon added: "Next season coming up is my big one. It's the last year on my contract, and I really have to do well - and I want to do well for the team as well. The gaffer has given me a chance and has put me back in there, and I just want to repay his faith and work hard for the lads. Everything else will come. For me, it was disappointing not being in the play-offs. We were up there almost all season, but you have to overcome it, do what you can and be professional."

27th

Paul Sturrock was very pleased after yesterdays win over Blackpool. He said: "Obviously it has been a disappointing time in the last few games we've let leads slip and paid the penalty with it because it took us out of the opportunity to go right until the last day. It has also not been a great week for myself because of the decisions I've had to make that were very difficult, so it was pleasing that we finish on a high at home and it was a good victory. Sturrock was also was pleased with the commitment shown by his players, and added: "We started very positively and we could have had a few others and, in the end, three-nothing was a fair result. We went about our job professionally and we now want to finish in the top ten." Despite having one more game left, Sturrock is already looking to next season. He said: "I'm looking forward now to getting things done the way I want them done. It was nice to score a couple of set-pieces today because that's an area where I think we could have scored a lot more this year, and it is something we'll be working on harder next season. It was an open, end of season game but at least we finished positively at home and we've now got to win the game at Wolves next Sunday."

Paul Sturrock paid tribute to his departing players following the win over Blackpool. After the game Lilian Nalis, Paul Connolly, Lee Hodges and Paul Wotton picked up commemorative items in front of the 12,000 fans and Sturrock said: "I'm very pleased that it went that way. I think that the Capaldi scenario that happened last year left a bad taste in everybody's mouth and I think it was the proper way that people from this football club should be remembered. They all deserved what they got today because they are all model professionals. They were definitely disappointed when I broke the news, but the next day they were professional and had a spring in their step. None of them will have a problem finding a football club, but when I first came here, I said that I would change the personnel and switch things, and I just feel that this is needed. I am the manager who has lost the backbone of the old team, so the new dawn and the new era begins today." The biggest surprise before kick-off was the inclusion of Lee Hodges on the bench as previously Sturrock had said that none of the departing payers would feature today. Sturrock said: "Hodgey was on the bench to give a wee twist in the tail. The other boys were thinking about getting injured, but Hodgey didn't really care about that and he fancied his five minutes at the end of the game, and I was down to the wire with the body count anyway."

26th

Argyle beat Blackpool 3-0 at Home Park, the goals scored by Jermaine Easter after 4 minutes and Rory Fallon (25 and 55). Argyle: McCormick, Clark, Timar, Anderson, Sawyer, Mackie, Abdou, Summerfield, Halmosi, Easter, Fallon. Subs – MacLean, Smith, Hodges (not used – Folly, Doumbe). Attendance - 12,911

Krisztian Timar has been named as Argyle's Player of the Season. Peter Halmosi came second in the vote with Luke McCormick third. Youth team captain Shane White was voted Young Player of the Season

Paul Sturrock will not play any of the five players he announced would be leaving the club in today's final home game of the season. He said: "They won't be involved on Saturday - they have played their last games for the club. I am not saying there won't be a proper farewell, but it won't be through playing. There are several reasons behind it. I would hate to think of people getting injured, particularly long-term injuries when they are going out of contract. They could finish up not being able to find another club. There is also the scenario of a person being told he is surplus to requirements having the mental approach for the game. I would be very happy with them all being there and something being done after the game, for them to be appreciated and for them to appreciate the fans." Sturrock plans to do some experimenting in the game, starting with Chris Clark playing at right-back. He said: "I will have a look at two or three players this week. Chris Clark will start the game at right-back. He has played regularly at full-back and he was more than competent in that position in the reserve game on Tuesday. He has mooted that full-back is a position he could fight for, so, let's have a look. Chris has unfortunately taken up the Jason Bent role - the play anywhere scenario. I'm glad to have one and I would love to have another one in the squad. They get the hard job of filling other people's boots. But I'm sure Chris is hopeful he's not that type of player and he can find a home. I am going to have a look at another pairing with my strikers and maybe have another look at my midfield shape. It won't be a different formation but we might position people a little differently. Peter Halmosi is fine but Gary Teale will definitely miss out. It is not his hamstring now - he pulled a calf when he came back into training on Monday."

Paul Sturrock is thrilled that Luke McCormick and Romain Larrieu have signed new contracts with Argyle. He said: "It's fantastic the two of them have decided to commit to the football club. We need two competitive goalkeepers. Romain has had this small problem, but it should be all sorted out by the start of the season and we will have two quality 'keepers. That's what I want right through the team - two people vying for the one slot. If I can get that then you have a very competitive and hungry squad." Sturrock revealed there could be an influx of players from Europe during the next couple of months. He said: "It's going to be a difficult summer for us because the quality we are looking for is competitive. Other people are looking for the same quality as well. There is going to be a lot of travelling abroad to tick the boxes on the standard of the European players we are looking at."

Lilian Nalis has vowed to continue his playing career, despite being released by Argyle this week. He said: "I definitely want to carry on playing so I will be listening to what is on the market. I hope I will find something and I keep on enjoying myself. I just want to listen to everything and take the right decision, but English football is so passionate that it would be hard to leave." Nalis was told by Paul Sturrock on Thursday he would not be given a new contract, and he added: "It's a strange feeling because I have been in football for a long time and I know how it works. You have to accept these kind of decisions sometimes. But, on the other side, I have enjoyed my two-and-a-half years down here and it's still in my heart." Nalis insisted that his departure had not come as a surprise to him. He said: "I wasn't playing and I knew the way things were going. I have got enough experience now to read what a manager is thinking. But I haven't got any problems with anyone. I wish the manager, all the staff and the players all the best. I enjoyed my time down here, and so did my son and my wife. When your family is happy, it helps with your football. When I arrived at the club, we were fighting for survival in this division and I have had two-and-a-half glorious years. There was the FA Cup run last season and we have improved our league position every year, so it has been fantastic for me. I wish everybody at my age could enjoy having a season like this. I had a smile on my face every day I came into training and when I went out onto the football pitch. I have got some great memories. The stadium was full for the FA Cup quarter-final against Watford, and the city was buzzing for the week before." Nalis admitted to being disappointed at the way Argyle's play-off push this season had fallen away in the last two months. He said: "You have to be upset at what happened because we were in a great position, but that's football. Sometimes things don't go the way you want them to go. It was a disappointing end to the season."

25th

Paul Sturrock met with a representative from K&K Shonan for the first time during yesterday's budget meeting. He said: "It is the first time I have met one of their representatives and there is a discussion to be had on that scenario, but today is more about the decisions I have made. I had an insight into the budget today and I am going to take right up to next week before I really dissect it as far as what it enables me to bring into the club. I think it has increased, but I don't want to discuss the budget until I have a real look at things." Sturrock’s search for new players has already begun and he added: "It is going to be a difficult summer because everybody is looking for quality and there will be a lot of travelling abroad. I have contacted 250 agents about free transfers who have answered back to me with the availability of certain players. That is a tenth of what I have received back and my job now is to sift through all of that, and make a list of those we would like to have discussions with."

Paul Wotton was told by Paul Sturrock yesterday afternoon he would not be offered a new contract, and it was not a situation either of the two found easy to deal with. Sturrock said: "I think everybody will appreciate that Paul Wotton and I have had a huge relationship over the years and it was a very difficult decision to make." When asked how Wotton had reacted, the Sturrock replied: "He was gutted. It's probably the worst conversation I have ever had to have with a player, but these things happen in football. Time doesn't stand still and you have got to look to the future as well." None of the players who are being released will play in Argyle's final home game of the season against Blackpool tomorrow, but Sturrock is keen for them to be given the opportunity to be get a send-off from the supporters. He said: "I would be very happy with them all being there and something being done for them, maybe after the game. I felt it was appropriate we got this out now because we have only got one home game left and I would like to see these players get the appreciation of the club and the city. It's a sad day, but a day a lot of managers have to go through." The situation reminded Sturrock of the end of the 2000/01 season, when he carried out a major shake-up of his first Argyle squad. "When I first came here there was a hue and cry when I let go Barlow, Leadbitter, O'Sullivan, McGregor and McCarthy," he said. "It was seen as terrible and it was the end of the world. I would imagine my postbag will be full with fans saying I have made some big mistakes again. But, in the end, I want to reshape the squad. I would like to go down the road of trying to get everybody here by a certain date so the pre-season training is all done together. That's going to make it really hard because we have got to do things very quickly."

Paul Sturrock has spoken to loan signings Russell Anderson and Gary Teale about the possibility of the two staying at the club on permanent contracts, but Argyle's other loan signing, Lukas Jutkiewicz, will be returning to Everton. Sturrock said: "I’ll have a word with Anderson and Teale to see their thoughts on the whole scenario. I'm going to talk to their agents and their football clubs in the next couple of days to see what sort of fees and wage structure would have to be paid."

Paul Sturrock endured several sleepless nights before concluding that the moment was right to call time on Paul Wotton’s Home Park career. "My decision not to offer Paul Wotton a new contract has not been taken without a lot of soul-searching," he said. "Wottsy was my captain during the 2001-02 title-winning season, and again two years later, when we won promotion to the Championship. He was pivotal to both campaigns. He was in the first Argyle side I ever picked, for an FA Cup-tie at Chester in 2000, and the fact that he was the last-man standing from that team - eight years and three divisions later - speaks volumes for the man. I can honestly say that I have never worked with a more dedicated or honest footballer. His commitment to his profession should be held up as an example to anyone who wants to play the game. Wottsy has reaped the rewards of that work-ethic and, as a result, has achieved success without precedent by an Argyle player. I toyed with offering him a short-term contract, but, in the end, I felt that would have been an insult to someone who has played nearly 450 games for the club. I have too much respect for him to do that. He may prove my judgment wrong - and that wouldn't be a first for him - and come back to bite us on the bum, but managers are paid to make big calls, however tough, and I have made mine. There is no room for sentiment in football. My one hope is that the soreness Wottsy may be feeling now does not cloud the love that he has for the club. He will always be a welcome visitor to Home Park. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a man so proud to wear the Green. He is a living Argyle legend, right up there with the all-time great Pilgrims. The phrase 'end of an era' is used far too glibly in our game, but, for once, it is entirely appropriate. Home Park - especially the dressing-room - will not be the same without him, and I wish Wottsy and his family all the best for their future."

Paul Sturrock struggled with the decision not to offer a new contract to Lilian Nalis. "Not offering Lilian a new contract was a choice that I did not make lightly," he said. "It has been a real pleasure to work with Lil, who rightly commands so much respect and affection, on and off the field. It was no fluke that he was our fans' choice as player of the season a year ago. He came to the club on a short-term deal in January 2006, and stayed for two and a half seasons, which tells its own story. He was the perfect captain in Wottsy's absence after Barry Hayles left, and my only regret about Lil is that I did not have the chance to work with him when we were both a bit younger. I'd like to thank Lil for everything he brought to the club, as well as to the team, and our best wishes for the future go to him and his family."

Lee Hodges has played in every position, including goalkeeper, during two spells with Argyle, and Paul Sturrock was fulsome in his praise of Hodges after his decision to not offer him a new deal. "I will not be renewing Lee Hodges' contract when it expires in the summer," he said. "That decision is not a reflection of my appreciation of him - no-one is more grateful to Hodgy than I am for the shifts he has put in on behalf of the club over seven seasons. I signed him at the start of the 2001-02 Third Division championship season, and he has been a valuable, and loyal, member of our squad ever since. When he went in goal at Scunthorpe recently, he said that he had played in every position for the club, and that, alone, shows what an asset he has been. He is a model professional and has also been a fine ambassador for the club off the field. Like all the players who are leaving the club, he has been a pleasure to work with, and I wish him and his family all the best for the future."

The decision by Paul Connolly to decline new contract talks with Argyle came as no surprise to Paul Sturrock, who said: "I have known for some time that Paul Connolly has decided to leave the club when his contract expires in the summer. I would have liked Shelly to stay, but I have to respect his feelings. He has been at Plymouth since he was a teenager and has given this club good service. To be fair to him, he has continued to wear the green shirt with pride even though he has known that his future lies away from Home Park. I would hope that our fans join me in wishing him all the best in his new career, and will welcome him if and when he returns to Plymouth in different colours."

Nick Chadwick is leaving Argyle after an injury-blighted three and a half years at Home Park. Paul Sturrock said: "My decision to let Nick Chadwick go was, in some ways, a simple one: I just haven't seen enough of him to be able to offer him a new contract. I feel a wee bit sorry for Chadders because he's been really unlucky with some niggling injuries. They have hampered him seemingly throughout his entire time at Home Park, and have limited him to about a quarter-of-an-hour's play since I've been back. His record of 49 league starts in three years is a sad testimony to his problems. He's a good sort with a decent pedigree, and I just hope he can get over his troubles with his body and get his career back on track."

Luke McCormick is only 24, but having made his debut in 2001, has been at Home Park for a long time. After agreeing a new two-year contract he said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed this season and I feel like I have played better than I have done over the last few years. More than anything, I feel like I have really started to develop into the goalkeeper I'm going to be and I have also rediscovered my hunger for football. I just think maybe I'm maturing a little bit and I have really enjoyed being part of what, hopefully, will be a successful season for us." McCormick believes a top 10 finish would represent a good campaign for Argyle, and added: "Everyone is under no illusions we had a fantastic chance of getting into the play-offs this season. Unfortunately, I think it was down to ourselves that we didn't get there. But, at the same time, I think we can take our experience this season and make an even better push for it next year. I think our form over the last month or so has let us down. There is no hiding that. The people who have come and watched the games can see we haven't been at our best, and it has been disappointing. We haven't picked up enough points and we haven't played well enough, but we can only learn from that and, hopefully, come next season that will stand us in good stead." McCormick hopes they can finish on a high against Blackpool tomorrow. "The fans have turned out all season and they pay good money to come and watch so it would be nice to finish off on a bit of a high note," he said. "It must be a bit disappointing for them as well, because there was an expectancy we would be in and around the play-offs, but we have just fallen away from that. So it would be good to give them something to cheer about and, hopefully, get them to come back in their numbers next season."

24th

Paul Wotton will not be offered a new contract by Argyle when his current deal expires this summer. Lee Hodges, Lilian Nalis and Nick Chadwick will also all be released. Paul Connolly has chosen to leave despite the club being prepared to offer him a new and improved contract. Luke McCormick and Romain Larrieu though have both agreed new two-year deals whilst discussions are continuing with Mat Kouo-Doumbe, Nadjim Abdou, Luke Summerfield and Dan Smith. Argyle also confirmed that they will not be pursuing any interest in Gyorgy Sandor who did not make a first-team appearance during his loan spell. Reuben Reid, who has been on loan at Brentford, has been officially released having effectively left the club some time ago, and Jake Moult will also not be given a new contract

22nd

Argyle reserves beat Cheltenham Town 4-1 at Home Park this afternoon, the goals scored by Ashley Barnes (2), Dan Smith and Chris Clark. Argyle: Saxton, Clark, Hodges, Picard, Duggan, Abdou, Folly, McCrory, Summerfield, Smith, Barnes, Stevens. Subs - White, McCrory, Head (not used - McCaul, Davis)

Yasuaki Kagami has pledged to help Argyle reach the Premier League. He said: "We cannot promise immediate success, but I hope the Plymouth fans will view K&K Shonan Management LLC as a long-term dedicated shareholder, committed to the goal of bringing Plymouth to the next level. We believe that this is a process that has many steps, but, as long as we continue in the same successful direction the team has been moving for the past five years, we should be close to that goal. K&K Shonan Management was set up as both a strategic asset acquisition company and a company that is structured to be able to make more non-traditional investments than previously Maruka Corporation had historically entered into. Being smaller, but highly funded, allows us to be able to make quick decisions and have greater flexibility." Kagami was introduced to Argyle by Plymothian Tony Campbell, an Argyle fan. "The relationship started to evolve with a presentation we received from a business associate that has roots in Plymouth," added Mr Kagami. "As we began to study more about the market and about Plymouth, we felt that the investment was an attractive proposal that could lead to a positive impact to football here in Japan. By having a Japanese-backed club, it would make it ‘Japan's’, and would increase the awareness of English football, which has the best players in the world and so is the most exciting. It would become a platform for star players here in Japan, and also a venue for young Japanese aspiring players to further their skills with the youth team."

Jamie Mackie wants to build on the promising start he has made to his career with Argyle, and knows he still has a lot to learn but does not lack any confidence in his own ability. He said: "I have come from the Conference so I have made a massive leap. You have got to be realistic, you are not going to go straight into a strong team like this with experienced strikers and widemen. I have bided my time and worked really hard in training and I'm delighted the manager has included me as much as he has really. Next season is going to be a massive one for me. Whatever happens, I will work hard and I'm ready whenever the gaffer needs me." Mackie was given his chance against Preston at left midfield, rather than in attack, and he added: "I think I have been close to a start. I have worked really hard in training. I wasn't expecting it to come on the left wing, I have got to be honest, but wherever I play I'm happy."

21st

Jamie Mackie made the most of his first starting appearance at Home Park by scoring with a spectacular, albeit slightly deflected, long-range goal on Saturday. Despite the disappointment of the result, Mackie has promised that the team will try to finish the season on a high note with six points from their two remaining games. "We know what we need to work on and we'll stay strong as a group," he said. "We'll try and finish strongly. As a team, we'll deal with what went wrong, and we'll get better from it. It's been a massive season for the club, and next season we want to do even better. We're a team of hard-working players, and we work hard for each other. It's been very hard for the club this season, with all the personnel changes and the change of manager, but I think all the lads have adapted well. It has been frustrating. You never know if you're going to be up that high again. That's the biggest disappointment. It's easy to say we'll be all right next season, but we're going to have to work really hard to get to where we were. We had a massive chance and we've sort of given it up but, whatever happens, the lads have done really well this season. It's very hard to feel any pride in where we are at half past five on a Saturday afternoon after you've just given away a two-goal lead but, when the dust has settled at the end of the season, hopefully we can feel like we're going forward - as long as we can win our last two games." The game gave Mackie only his second starting appearance for Argyle, and when asked if he had been hoping for a place in the side, he said: "Yes. I think I've been close to a start. I've worked really hard in training and I've been chomping at the bit to get a start, so to get one today was great. Describing his goal he added: "It was a good bit of play. I drifted inside - naturally, I'm going to do that, because I'm right-footed - and I just thought I'd hit it. If you don't shoot, you're not going to score. It took a little bit of a deflection off their lad and that helped it on its way. I was delighted to score that early, and it was just a shame we couldn't hold on to it."

The new Japanese investor in Argyle is aiming to get the club into the Premiership, and has also pledged to invest in the new grandstand, players and a hotel at Home Park. Yasuaki Kagami, President of K&K Shonan, also had a special message in Japanese for the team and the fans: "Ganbatte midori (Fight on, Greens)," he said. Mr Kagami's right-hand man, K&K senior vice president George Synan said: "We want to make sure the team has adequate funds to bring in the players they need. We need to provide a proper grandstand - but it's also up to the fans. They need to support Argyle. Mr Kagami's message is that it's a two-way street. The more positive everybody is, the sooner we'll get into the Premiership." He said K&K Shonan was in it for the long haul. "We wouldn't want to lose money so we're prepared to put up the resources. We know that money is needed for the stadium. We're waiting to hear from Paul Sturrock about next year's player requirements. We have budgeted money." Reports have revealed that Yasuaki Kagami is the CEO of Maruka Corporation, which markets and distributes products across the world and based in Tokyo. Mr Kagami is also sole owner and president of K&K Shonan

20th

Paul Sturrock believes defensive frailty has been the main reason behind Argyle’s poor run of just one win in the last eight games. He said: "It was a comedy of errors today and what has cost us dear over the last seven or eight matches have been defensive lapses. We have been in winning positions in many games, only to shoot ourselves in the foot. Other teams have not stopped our progression to the play-offs. We have shot ourselves down as far as the play-offs are concerned. We have lost really soft goals and given away leads. It is something we pride ourselves on and one of my players ducks in the middle of the box for the first goal. That first goal was the killer because it came so soon after the penalty. It gives them hope and us apprehension." With victory essential yesterday Sturrock started with Jamie Mackie, Rory Fallon and Steve MacLean, and after the game said: "We played very open at the start today. We knew we had to go and win the game and Jamie came in with a solid performance. It has been a long season for a lot of our players. There was a settled 13 at this club and one or two of them looked weary-legged today. It sometimes happens with a lack of confidence as well." Despite the disappointment of losing a two-goal lead to Preston, Sturrock feels the 2-1 defeat to ten-man Charlton a fortnight ago was the killer blow. He said: "The Charlton game was they key to it all. It was a huge kick in the teeth. Our form has been very disappointing but not much worse than the rest of the top ten because everybody has been losing. Crystal Palace won anyway, so, even with three points, it would have been nigh on impossible. I am gutted for everybody involved with the club. Our aim now is to finish as high as we can and show progression. We can only do that by winning football games. We have another home game next week and this does enable me to maybe have a look at one or two, but we won't take our finger off the pulse as far as getting a result. I am disappointed because we have not been playing anywhere near the standards we were reaching before and getting to the bottom of that is very difficult."

Paul Sturrock is already planning for next season, but believes the current campaign should not be regarded as a total write-off and a top-ten finish would represent progress. "I want people to understand that, if we can finish higher than last season, it has been a good season," he said. "The disappointment has been how we have flagged at the end and that has been a combination of a number of things. It has been a learning curve for everybody at the club and I believe freshness is needed personnel-wise. It is key that we learn from the season and we must put an edge and freshness to the squad, and the only way we can do that is by bringing new players in. We have to be up and running for the start of August." A scheduled meeting with the board will determine Sturrock's immediate plans, and he added: "The budget will be a determination of how many changes will be needed and that will be discussed at Thursday's Board meeting. Once I know what the story is, I will be able to make solid decisions. There are a lot of hard decisions to be made over the next week. It is going to be a difficult week. There are going to be a lot of players being told their destiny. I will be starting with my thoughts tomorrow. I would like to think I have told everybody their fate before kick-off next Saturday. This will be our last home game, so it would be appropriate for the players to know before. I would imagine being a footballer is very difficult when you don't know your destiny at a club. I have tried not to go down the road of too many discussions on the subject because I wanted everybody focused on the job. It is not a week I am looking forward to. It can be a Catch 22 because you do it now and then can't find any new players to bring in."

19th

Argyle drew 2-2 with Preston North End at Home Park, the goals scored by Jamie Mackie after 12 minutes and Paul Wotton (75). Argyle: McCormick, Connolly, Timar, Anderson, Paterson, Abdou, Wotton, Halmosi, Mackie, MacLean, Fallon. Subs – Easter, Nalis, Teale (not used – Doumbe, Summerfield). Attendance - 10,727

Nick Chadwick will not play any part in the final three games of the season. Paul Maxwell said: "He has some bone bruising in the knee and it just needs to settle down. The specialist opinion is that there is no point in going on with his rehab. He will leave it for now and have a period of rest and then build it up slowly through the summer. Chadders has been away this week, but he will be back next week just to do some swimming and upper body strength work."

Argyle are hoping to arrange a friendly against Premier League opposition at Home Park on August 2nd, which will be the only home pre-season game, according to Paul Sturrock. He said: "We have contacted all the Premier League clubs and we are hopeful we will get word back. If not, then we will have to chase about and get something from somewhere else - maybe abroad. But, at this point, people are not committing themselves to friendlies." Argyle will play two games while they are in Austria in July, and have also arranged friendlies at Kidderminster, Tiverton, Swindon, and Yeovil, but the dates for Swindon and Yeovil have not been announced yet

Paul Sturrock has a sneaking play-off feeling that won't go away. He said: "It would be easy for me to just down tools but I still have this sneaking feeling in the back of my head. Three points tomorrow could do us a hell of a bit of business. There is just something niggling in my mind and, if there is an opportunity for this football club to have something to play for in the last game, then three points is a must. We have got a game on Saturday and, quite incredibly, whatever happens above us, it will still be mathematically possible to get in the hunt up to the Blackpool game. We have to go hell for leather on Saturday and hope some of the teams above get shot down by a sniper. If you take into consideration that Watford play Crystal Palace and Ipswich play Wolves on the same day we play Preston, we could still be going into the Blackpool game with a chance, and Crystal Palace play Hull next week as well. I just don't want to go out with a whimper. I am very disappointed with the last three games especially with what has transpired with other results meaning we could have been there or thereabouts. I would like to think we can put something together in the last three games and leave ourselves and the fanbase with a nice taste. The only way we can do that is by winning football games. I am very hopeful that 11 players will go out there in the same frame of mind as I am in - very positive."

Paul Sturrock has spoken of his regret that Lukas Jutkiewicz has not made much of an impact at Argyle during his loan move from Everton. He said: "Lukas did very well in training on Thursday. But the problem for him was the four months before that. He had this recurring thing where one day he was running about great and the next day he was having a problem with his breathing. I'm bitterly disappointed that I didn't get service out of him, although that's not to say he will not come into the frame today. But he hasn't played to the standard that I know he can. You have got to remember I had him for a year and a bit at Swindon before he moved on. I know what the laddie's potential is, but he hasn't come to the show like I know he should of. And I think if you talked to him, he would put his hand up and say that. At the time we signed him, I did feel that we needed that type of player, and I think he proved in the first couple of games when he came on as a sub, what he was all about. But he has not come to the races since then and, as a result, he lost his confidence, and I also think this niggling thing was a worry to him all the time. It has only been the last two or three weeks that he has looked much better in training, and looks back to what he was when he first got here." Meanwhile, time is running out for Gyorgy Sandor to make his debut for Argyle. Sturrock said: "He took his time to get back fit, and he has struggled dramatically to get to the pace of the game here. I'm not prepared to stick in him just for the sake of it. It's a very difficult one."

Paul Sturrock wants to see the very best of Peter Halmosi in today's game with Preston North End at Home Park. "I've looked at the tape of Peter's performance on Monday night," Sturrock said. "I've had a quick word with him, because I thought he looked a bit sheepish out on the park. He said he was carrying a wee niggling hamstring and a niggle at the back of his knee, but his knee was fine. If I decide to play him, I'm going to have to see the match-winning Peter. I felt he floated around the edges of the game on Monday." The Argyle management and medical staff had been considering sending Halmosi for an operation to solve the problem, a possibility that seems to have alarmed the player, who said to a Hungarian newspaper: "I don't understand the surgery story. I was surprised to read it, as at the end of the season you have pain all over your body. I have pain in my leg, but not in the knee. I felt pain under my knee and in my calf at times on Monday, but I think that was because I missed a lot of training when I was injured, and also because of the state of the Hillsborough pitch."

18th

Gary Teale will still be sidelined by a hamstring injury when Argyle take on Preston North End tomorrow. Paul Sturrock said: "Teale won't make it tomorrow, which is a big blow. He has had this hamstring strain and he should be available for next Saturday. I feel he would have influenced the game on Monday night, and I feel he could have influenced tomorrow's game as well, but that's football." Sturrock also revealed that Peter Halmosi's knee had not fully healed but, for the time being he would continue playing. "We do feel that some of the things the scan showed have been there long-term, since he was over in Hungary," said Sturrock. "So they are nothing to do with it, but there is a fresh injury in there. Probably now, rest will be the best thing for it. But we have got a game tomorrow and, quite incredibly, if we win it - whatever happens above us - it's still mathematically possible for us to get into the play-offs. So we have got to go hell for leather for three points tomorrow and hope some people who are above us get shot down by a sniper." Asked whether that meant Halmosi would play against Preston, Sturrock said: "I have actually looked at the tape of his performance the other night. I had a quick word with him yesterday because he looked a bit sheepish out on the park. He said he was carrying a wee niggling hamstring, but his knee was fine. If I decide to play him tomorrow, I'm going to have to see the match winning Peter. I felt he floated around the edges of the game the other night."

Marcel Seip had a double hernia operation in Holland yesterday. Paul Sturrock said: "I think he will have a week's rest there because I don't think they will let him travel on a plane until it settles down. Then he's back here for rehab. He will be doing rehab here like any other player would. I haven't heard of any football club that allows their players to rehab elsewhere. It would be disrespectful to our medical team."

Paul Sturrock has confirmed he hopes to tie up Peter Halmosi and Krisztian Timar to new long-term contracts with Argyle. He said: "We don't want to get caught out with some of the scenarios that have happened in the past at this football club. So it makes sense for us to go into discussions with some of our players who, I feel, have performed to pleasing standards. I have mooted to my board that I would be interested in discussing upgrading the contracts for those two, and that's as far as it has gone so far. But an upgrade of contract also means the length of contract is upgraded as well." Sturrock insisted there had been no inquiries from QPR for Halmosi and Timar, and added: "None at all. And I wouldn't expect anything at this juncture of the season. But, at the end of the day, I don't think a club that has any thoughts about selling players would be discussing about putting them on to more money and extending the length of their contracts."

Paul Sturrock has admitted he would be 'open minded' to the possibility of signing any Japanese internationals, following the news of K & K Shonan Management Corporation buying a 20 per cent stake in the club this week. He said: "We will cross that bridge when it comes. But these kind of markets are excellent for revenue and I would be open minded as far as that is concerned. You have got to remember anybody coming from that market will have to be an international player for them to be able to come into this country. I think there is a contact between this company and the Japanese FA, so I will wait and see what transpires. But it's only the elite 22 in the international squad who I can get my hands on, and I'm guessing more than 70 per cent of them will be playing abroad at this minute in time." Sturrock is not surprised by the Japanese involvement in Argyle because the club has a large catchment area in the South West. He said: "It's a global game and I can appreciate there are a lot of people trying to get into football in this day and age. I would imagine Plymouth's value has risen in the market and it seems a sensible choice. There is what you would call a hidden market here because we are a bit isolated from the mainstream."

Argyle's training session at Harper's Park yesterday was disrupted by a strong wind. Paul Sturrock said: "The wind caused mayhem, and the dry pitch didn't help things. If it's dry today, we will definitely water the pitch tomorrow. The problem is, if there is a wind it takes 20 minutes to dry out, so you need to put an ocean on there!"

17th

Paul Sturrock has welcomed the arrival of K & K Shonan Management Corporation on the Home Park Board. "Any investment in the football club is a positive step," he said. "There has been a lot said from the supporters about getting more investment into the club and I think the Chairman has listened to the views of people coming on the scene in the past. I am sure he will continue to listen in the future because the more people investing in the football club the better. As long as it benefits the club and suits the club, I see no problems. If people want to invest in the club, it shows we are going in the right direction. If there are more people with an inkling to be involved, get in touch with the Chairman. The more the merrier for me. There have obviously been negotiations going on for weeks and months, so the Board is clearly certain about it. It is a global game and there are a lot of people trying to get involved in football these days. Plymouth's value in the market has risen. There is a hidden market here, so far as we are very isolated."

Paul Sturrock is ready to start making decisions on the future of his out of contract players. He said: "Obviously, I'm going to have to start thinking about it, and start talking to certain players. Once I know the budget then I can decide which ones I'm going to keep and which ones I'm going to move on. The important thing for us is that we finish as high up the league as possible. The development of this football club is to keep going in the right direction. We are 10th at this minute in time, which is one place ahead of where we were last season. A nice win on Saturday would take us into an area of the league we want to be in." Sturrock agreed that it must be unsettling for many of his squad not to know their future beyond the end of the season. He said: "I can understand where they are coming from, but until we knew what league we were going to be in - and it's still mathematically possible we could make the play-offs - it was difficult to make a decision. I don't envisage me talking to any players before Saturday, because the board are going to have to make a decision on what the budget is. Once I know the budget and we get Saturday over with, it will then be important that I talk to everybody." Of Argyle’s four current loan players, it is thought they intend to complete a permanent deal for Gary Teale, and could also try to tempt Sunderland into selling Russell Anderson, using any money they receive from the sale of Marcel Seip towards the transfer fee

Argyle's failed to win at Sheffield Wednesday on Monday but Paul Sturrock was very happy with Luke McCormick’s performance. "I was pleased for my goalie," he said. "Luke got back on the rails, and I think he got a slight hand to the goal. Luke has been a great goalkeeper for us and he showed his character to come back after his disappointment of the last game." Peter Halmosi returned to action in the game after a two-match absence and scored his ninth goal of the season, but Argyle are still considering surgery. Sturrock said: "Peter is a top player. He was important for this game. We needed him and he came up with the goods, but we've got to make sure that knee of his is totally fine. We've got to decide whether to kick on, or go in and have a wee look."

16th

Argyle today released the following statement: Plymouth Argyle Football Club announces that an agreement has been entered into with K&K Shonan Management Corporation to enable K&K to become an authorised representative of PAFC to negotiate commercial agreements in Japan, North America, Asia and Oceania for the benefit of the Football Club and K&K. The agreement is subject to a number of detailed conditions, not least of which is that in any new commercial agreements with K&K, there is a demonstrable and significant financial benefit to the Football Club. K&K has also purchased a 20% shareholding in Plymouth Argyle Football Club (Holdings) Limited from its existing Directors. Mr Yasuaki Kagami of K&K has also been appointed to the board of PAFC. Mr Kagami is involved in real estate and importing. Commenting on the new agreement, Argyle chairman Paul Stapleton, said: "This agreement results from extensive discussions and negotiations conducted with K&K over many months with the aim of increasing the marketing and commercial opportunities available to the Football Club. "We are excited about the future possible revenue streams from the Far East in particular and expanding the horizons of Plymouth Argyle. While this agreement has only just been concluded, it demonstrates the considerable appeal that Plymouth Argyle and our region has for companies with a global reach. We are also pleased to welcome Mr Kagami to the board and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship."

Argyle are ready to enter into new contract talks with Peter Halmosi and Krisztian Timar. Their agent, Sam Stapleton, said: "Plymouth have asked to discuss the possibility of new contracts for the pair of them. Peter and Krisztian are an integral part of the squad and, obviously, they want to keep them. We hoped that contract negotiations would have started in January but we will talk to each other and see if we can find an agreement. Both Peter and Krisztian's profiles as players have dramatically increased since Ian Holloway brought them to England and they both deserve to have new contracts that reflect this."

15th

Paul Sturrock felt Peter Halmosi's early goal at Hillsborough last night proved to be Argyle's downfall. "The worst thing we did was score in the first minute," he said. "How can a manager say 'The first goal killed us' when we scored it? But it definitely changed our mental approach. Mentally, it changed the whole complexion of the game and how we were going to play the game. It changed the whole thought-process about what we were going to do in the game, to sitting back and letting them lay siege on us. All we did was to try not to lose the game. We had been talking all week about being very positive and getting behind them, but we dropped back 20 yards and allowed Sheffield Wednesday to dictate the next 89 minutes. I am very, very disappointed because I did feel, had we got ourselves linking up with our front men, we could have caused them a lot of problems. Second half, we created a couple of chances. I thought my front two did well with not much support. They worked very hard together and looked dangerous at times. They got us up the pitch and created several half-chances. For the first 20 minutes of the second half, we got a grip of the game and got around their box, without really penetrating. I think Steve MacLean mis-controlled one when he was right through and we had a couple of other chances. We dropped back again, and then we decided to try to play tippy-tappy stuff in front of the back four and pass our way out of defence. If we'd just kept shovelling things down channels, they would have been no problem. Changing this [pointing to the side of head] is the hardest thing in the world, try nigh on impossible - you'd need to be Cesar Menotti on the sidelines to turn them around. The back four was so deep and Krisztian Timar had his worst game of the season - Deon Burton caused him all sorts of trouble and he just couldn't win a header, and he prides himself on being one of the top people in the air in the league. He decided to have one of those nights and we just couldn't clear our lines. It was always going to be a difficult game, because of the situation Sheffield Wednesday are in and how desperate they are for points. They were always going to put us under pressure. With ten minutes to go, it looked as though we might just weather the storm. The storm was made by ourselves. We allowed Sheffield Wednesday to come down on top of us because we decided we'd defend on the edge of our 18-yard box. It's something we are going to have to study, discuss and sort out for next season. If we play like that on a regular occurrence, I think I'd get an ulcer." The draw leaves Argyle's play-off chances all but dead but Sturrock promised: "We will not give up the fight. We will play until it's mathematically impossible not to do it. We need be very positive and to win our two home games and see where we are at our last game. Let's put six points on the board and see what happens. It's been a fantastic season for Plymouth Argyle and we want to finish above where we finished last season. It's vitally important for the club that we show everyone that we are going in the right direction, and the progression this club has made in the last five years."

Peter Halmosi was substituted in the 65th minute of the draw at Sheffield Wednesday, but Paul Sturrock confirmed he had not suffered any reaction from his knee injury. "Peter's legs had gone," said Sturrock. "He was out of training for a couple of weeks and I just felt he was getting a wee bit weary. I didn't want to push him too much because, obviously, we want him to play on Saturday."

Paul Sturrock said there was nothing sinister about Paul Wotton's absence from the team at Sheffield Wednesday last night. He said: "We needed to win the game. Paul's a very good player and has played well, but, at the end of the day, I felt we needed a different type of midfield mix if we were chasing the game. Nothing more than that."

14th

Argyle drew 1-1 at Sheffield Wednesday, the goal scored by Peter Halmosi after 2 minutes. Argyle: McCormick, Connolly, Anderson, Timar, Sawyer, Paterson, Abdou, Nalis, Halmosi, MacLean, Easter. Subs – Mackie, Clark, Fallon (not used – Doumbe, Summerfield). Attendance - 20,635

Steve MacLean used to be a fans favourite at Sheffield Wednesday, but tonight will hope Argyle win at Hillsborough. MacLean was an important part of Wednesday's promotion-winning squad of 2004/05 under Paul Sturrock, and scored a penalty at Wembley. Sturrock said: "Steve had 19 goals to his name before that game. On the 20th he was going to have a huge bonus paid by the club, and he scored the penalty at 2-1 with six minutes to go. So he put us into extra-time and he made himself a few bob. He scored a lot of goals for Sheffield Wednesday and his stats for this league were very high, but he did have some injuries." MacLean has been in and out of Argyle's starting line-up over recent weeks, and Sturrock added: "He has been looking at me over the last couple of days because, obviously, he wants to play up there." MacLean has come in for criticism from some Argyle supporters, but Sturrock has given the striker his full support. He believes that MacLean, as well as Chris Clark and Jim Paterson, will not show their best form until next season. He said: "We will see the best of Chris Clark, Jim Paterson and Steve MacLean next season. Their families are not in the town yet, due to all sorts of different circumstances. The day Steve signed for us, he had just moved to a brand-new house in Cardiff. Now they are trying to get schools sorted out before the summer. You have got to get people settled in their mind. There is still a lot of work to be done on these players. When they first came to the football club, you saw what they could achieve. I think there has been a dip of form of the three of them. But Halmosi had a wee dip in form when he first came here, and Timar definitely had the same problem, until they got their families here and they were settled."

Argyle’s youth team secured the Football League Youth Alliance title with a 9-1 win over Hereford United at Bolitho Park on Saturday. The goals were scored by Toby Davis (4), Damien McCrory (3) and Ashley Barnes (2). Mike Pejic said: "The lads were exceptional today, especially in the first half, and this is a reward for their hard work."

Argyle must beat Sheffield Wednesday tonight to keep their play-off chances alive, and Jermaine Easter insists the squad are not about to give up just yet. He said: "It has been disappointing to lose the last two games, but the other results have gone our way and we have still got a chance of getting in there. The lads are still positive and we want to go and win every game between now and the end of the season. A few of the teams have got games in hand on us, but it's points on the board that count. Sheffield Wednesday are a big club and they shouldn't be where they are in the table. They are going to be scrapping and fighting for their lives, so we will have to go there and put in a dogged performance and, hopefully, get back to winning ways." Easter made a slow start to his career with Argyle but has scored three times in his last six games. He said: "With some better finishing and a bit of luck, I think I could have been in double figures by now. I'm pleased the goals are going in at the moment and I just want to keep it going between now and the end of the season. I don't care who you are, whether you are playing in League Two or the Premier, as a striker you are judged on goals. To be fair, my goalscoring record over my career has been pretty decent, but since I have come here it hasn't been as positive as it has in the past. Hopefully, it's something I can rectify. Every striker will tell you, but me especially, when you are scoring goals your confidence is much higher."

12th

Paul Sturrock will be travelling around the country over the next month, as well as abroad, to check out potential transfer targets. Sturrock said: "We are going to be travelling the world over the next four or five weeks. I have been taking in two or three games a week over the last fortnight, and I expect to keep doing that. I will also be letting loose my coaching staff, and the scouting system is also going to kick in now, because we have to watch all our targets for next season three times. It's going to be hectic stuff." Sturrock will be travelling overseas on some scouting trips but the Euro 2008 finals have made that more difficult for him. "Everybody has condensed their league programme into a smaller timeframe, and I have got to get all that work done as well, so a lot of Sundays I will be travelling," he said. "For the next four weeks, I'm totally committed to looking at all our targets, which will enable me to have a clear picture of which players we are going to bring to the football club. It will also give me a clear picture of which of the players that are here I will be keeping, and which ones I will be moving on." If and when Argyle drop out of contention for the play-offs, Sturrock could miss some first team matches before the end of the season. "I have done it before, but it would be dependant on our situation in maybe two games' time," he said. Meanwhile, Argyle have still not offered new deals to any of the players who are going to be out of contract this summer, and Sturrock added: "I have done absolutely nothing on that." When asked whether any of the players had given an indication they would be leaving Argyle anyway, he replied: "There hasn't been a debate on anybody because of the importance of the situation we are in."

Paul Sturrock has played down talk he will have a point to prove when Argyle visit Sheffield Wednesday on Monday. He said: "I'm looking forward to going back. I have got a lot of friends there. I have got an affiliation with the supporters. They were fantastic with me. I brought a lot of the players in the team to the club, or I have worked with them. So there are a lot of people that I'm really looking forward to meeting again." Sturrock has guided St Johnstone, Argyle and Swindon Town to promotion, but he admitted Wednesday’s play-off final success against Hartlepool was especially memorable. He said: "The atmosphere at that game probably made it the best day for me, football-wise. To be 2-1 down, put three subs on and win 4-2 was just like a fairytale. And 41,000 Sheffield Wednesday fans were there. But I'm here now to gain three points for Plymouth Argyle, and that's the job we are going to do on Monday." Sturrock has had reports on Wednesday’s last game, which was a 2-2 draw at Sheffield United last Tuesday, but he said: "I don't think that would be an appropriate game to make any judgement on them. That's always a war. I heard they dominated most of the game and played very well, but that's a cup tie rather than a league game." Argyle know they must win at Hillsborough to stay in play-off contention, and Sturrock added: "It's a huge game for both teams, for various reasons. The way the results have gone this week, those three points would do us a lot of good with two home games coming up. If we don't get three points, it would definitely knock us out of the race. So, for us, it's a must-win scenario, and it's a must-win scenario for them, which should make good viewing on Sky."

Jamie Mackie could be a 'dark horse' when it comes to team selection for Argyle's visit to Sheffield Wednesday on Monday, and Paul Sturrock said: "I have not written off Jamie being involved on Monday. I think he would be an influential player to this game. The pitch isn't going to be the best. He's a dark horse. Nobody really knows him, but there are a lot of considerations for selection."

11th

Argyle are set to return to Austria again this summer for a pre-season tour. They will play a friendly against Kidderminster Harriers at Aggborough on July 18th, before flying to Obertraun for a training camp from July 19th to 26th

Peter Halmosi will be fit for Argyle's trip to Sheffield Wednesday on Monday. Paul Sturrock said: "Peter has trained the last three days with no reaction. A couple of boys dropped out yesterday with wee nigg