Pilgrims Podcast

Here we go, here we go, here we go! Yes, a depleted Burton. Yes, we beat them 4-0 away. But lovely to finish a busy festive season with a 3-0 win. Archie, Chris and Mark are joined by guest Sam Roberts to review a winning home start to 2026.Part One, the game. Lots to like, right from the start, with a contender for goal of the season the worth of the crossbar away. A goal from a set piece, good delivery on others, and (other than one kamikaze moment at the back), it felt like we were set up for a decent second half. And decent it was, with solid performances across the pitch: more set piece goals and a penalty dispatched in the style we expect from our striker. A doom-free zone and a deserved Ralls love-in. Lovely stuff.Part Two touches on a disappointing, by no means catastrophic, defeat for the women’s team. Thoughts then turn to the squad: the departure of Law McCabe, talk of an incoming in the week, does the club stick or twist with transfers? And with two weeks until the next league game, it’s hard to predict what’s next.Except when it’s dull, it’s never dull.

Games are coming thick and fast and Argyle pick up a point at Stevenage. Archie hosts and Chris and Mark are back to do their best to avoid doom. They try, they really do.The game: in isolation, more to like than not, with some shape and decent data in the first period. But does more holistic data suggest we should be going for it earlier? A predictable goal from a looping cross, some positive substitutions and an improved final thirty minutes leave some thinking it was an opportunity missed and others a point gained.In part two, the upcoming six-pointer at home to (checks notes) Burton FFS is the focus. Stick or twist? Will we build on momentum or revert to type at home? There is also a quick detour to discuss Tom Cleverley’s fascinating insight in a recent interview into his coaching philosophy and, as is New Year tradition, predictions for the next game and for the season.An extended break is to come when everyone will be back at work. Enjoy it while you can, Greens, whether you are glass half full or empty, you’ll miss the flood of games when they are gone.COYG

Good riddance to 2025. Alex, Chris and Mark review the first half of the festive season and look forward to 2026. Part One reviews two home games which frustrated more than excited. The Doncaster high comes crashing back to down to earth with an early sending off and a 10 minute panic. Despite a strong second half showing, there was momentum going into Wycombe. Which fell off a cliff, with a lucky late equalizer. Bah fricking humbug. Part Two tries to make sense of the first half of the season and look forward to 2026. A cry for positivity is balanced with a pragmatic view that Cleverley the player is manifesting as Cleverley the Head Coach. But with a league so tight, all hope is not lost. Buckle up for Schumacher Part 2, or resign yourself to boring the opposition into submission? Let’s wait and see….Happy New Year, see you in 2026. Or later this week as it’s also known. COYG

Argyle collect another win away from home but this time it’s a goal fest. Alex, Mark and Tom dissect a five-star performance from the Greens, who made mincemeat of their opposing Yorkshires: from the individual excellence from hat-trick hero Laurent Tolaj and his assister-en-masse Owen Oseni, to good shows of experience from the likes of Ralls, Edwards and Sorinola - and most notably the systemic changes of recent weeks to a 4-4-2.The panel also continue the conversation as to the extent of the influence of Derek Adams on first team results, what another high scoring win away from home says about the quality of player we have, and whether there corner has actually been turned this time, and the playoffs are in sight, or if the rollercoaster continues to twist and turn after Christmas.

Two wins in a row. So surely everyone is bouncing off the walls with pre-Christmas cheer. Well, not quite.Liam and Seve join regulars Archie, Mark and Chris, and in Part One pragmatism is the name of the game. Some outstanding performances at the back, slowly tapering the further up the field, punctuated by a great goal just before half-time. Should we expect more, or is it misery to do anything but applaud another back-to-the-wall effort? The bar is low, but we are starting to clear it.We also have a voice note from journalist John Duerden, sharing his full-time thoughts. John has a new website launching on 1st January: “An outsider's view of the ups and downs of Plymouth Argyle FC. Features, news, interviews & much more.” Part Two sees the return of the quiz! We look back a couple of years to a very different Rotherham game and pine for a squad that, in hindsight, had some absolute superstars. Having a copy of the squad from the season before is NOT cheating.Part Three tries to tie things in festive bows. Are we actually improving, or is this a false dawn? Should we be happy with what we’ve got, or demand more? Or should we take it all a little less seriously and enjoy the moment? The diversity of opinion reflects an unusual time for the club, where a slide down or a spring up seems equally possible.Six-pointer next at Doncaster. Let’s hope the rebuild continues…

A vital win in Buckinghamshire for the men's team, plus the Argyle women are flying too! (26:53) Christian Kent - Executive Lead for Argyle Women. To Wycombe and, football purists look away now, but three points in the road (again) provides increasing evidence that shape and solidity are helping, at least away. Chris, Mark and Tom review a game low on chances and skill, but high on heart, commitment and clinical finishing. Lots of 7/10 performances, bodies on the line and good old fashioned fight steal 3 points from a nil nil draw. Gareth Ainsworth (or a certain Mr Adams) would be very proud of the shithousery.Part 2 and focus turns - deservedly and belatedly - to the women’s team. Tom and Mark spend time with Christian to review a brilliant season to date and to discuss ambitious plans for the future.Finally thoughts turn to the weekend for Tom Cleverley's side. Build on the win with another rearguard action or take the momentum to try something a bit more footballery? Who’d be a Head Coach….?COYG

Running out of things to say, really. Slightly improved, yes. But the result is sadly, awfully, terribly predictable. Archie, Chris and Mark do their best to think of some original light to shine into the December gloom.Part One, the game. A bright start followed by a slow decline but some positives and some experienced heads did give some temporary hope that midweek cup success may have provided a platform. Instead, a soft penalty (we would absolutely have wanted it given for us) and very little else condemns us to a fourth consecutive home defeat. Should the youth players get more of a chance? Should we at least try to win?Part Two tries to zoom out a little. Relegation seems ever more possible but a few quick wins and the division is tight enough that it could all be okay. Or doomed by February. And a well constructed, well received Chairman’s Chat at risk of being undermined by actions and words on and off the field.What could be better than a trip to Wycombe next?

Archie hosts this special, mammoth-length edition of the Pilgrims Podcast, joined by Tom, Mark and James as the gang piece together a dreadful afternoon at PL2. A truly miserable home capitulation to Northampton, capped by Tolaj’s sending off and a second-half showing that drained what little apathetic, resigned energy remained inside Home Park.There’s plenty to chew over: the Fans Forum and what it did manage to clarify, the baffling continued backing of a head coach in Tom Cleverley who appears increasingly out of his depth, and the ever-more troubling details behind the club’s “perilous” financial situation.And yet, even through the gloom, there’s the faintest glimmer, the signs of life shown in that last-gasp win over Leyton’s O-Team, with BBC Radio Devon’s Michael McCann providing us his match report and thoughts. A rare bright spot that might just offer something worth clinging to.All that and plenty more as the pod crew recover from their long, painful trek to PL2, therapy microphones firmly switched on.COYG