| 2008–09 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Paul Stapleton | ||
| Manager | Paul Sturrock | ||
| Championship | 21st | ||
| FA Cup | Third Round (knocked out byArsenal) | ||
| League Cup | First Round (knocked out byLuton Town) | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Paul Gallagher (13) All: Paul Gallagher (13) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 15,197 vs.Southampton (26 December 2008) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 9,203 vs.Swansea City (23 August 2008) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 11,533 | ||
The2008–09 football season wasPlymouth Argyle Football Club's 40th season in theFootball League Championship, the second division ofEnglish football, and their 104th as a professional club. It officially began on 1 July 2008, and concluded on 30 June 2009, although competitive matches were only played between August and May.
The team's shirt supplier wasPuma. The shirt sponsor wasGinsters.
The club began the 2008–09 season in the Football League Championship for the fourth successive year, following a highly creditable 10th-place finish the previous year.[1] However, this season they finished 21st in the league table, one position and five points above the relegation zone with a record of 13 wins, 12 draws, and 21 defeats from 46 games.[2] Their leading goalscorer wasPaul Gallagher with 13 goals in all competitions.
The club entered theFA Cup in the third round, where they lost 3–1 away to Premier League clubArsenal. They entered theLeague Cup in the first round and were eliminated away toLuton Town of League Two, losing 2–0.
Notable players to begin their careers with the Pilgrims this season includedCarl Fletcher,Alan Judge,Paul Gallagher,Karl Duguid andChris Barker. The club captain wasRomain Larrieu and the team captain wasKarl Duguid.
Legend
Win Draw Loss
| 9 August 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Fallon Seip | (Report) | Kightly Vokes | Attendance: 14,789 Referee: K Friend |
| 16 August 2008 | Reading | 2–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Madejski Stadium,Reading |
| Sonko | (Report) | Attendance: 19,202 Referee: R Beeby |
| 23 August 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–1 | Swansea City | Home Park,Plymouth |
| [1] | Scotland | Attendance: 9,203 Referee:Andy D'Urso |
| 30 August 2008 | Burnley | 0–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Turf Moor,Burnley |
| (Report) | Attendance: 10,032 Referee:Michael Oliver |
| 13 September 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–2 | Norwich City | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Gallagher Timar | (Report) | Lupoli Sibierski | Attendance: 11,185 Referee: A Woolmer |
| 16 September 2008 | Watford | 1–2 | Plymouth Argyle | Vicarage Road,Watford |
| O'Toole | (Report) | Duguid Summerfield | Attendance: 13,237 Referee: C Penton |
| 20 September 2008 | Crystal Palace | 1–2 | Plymouth Argyle | Selhurst Park,London |
| McCarthy | (Report) | Gallagher | Attendance: 14,209 Referee: N Swarbrick |
| 27 September 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–0 | Nottingham Forest | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Fallon | (Report) | Attendance: 12,594 Referee: K Wright |
| 30 September 2008 | Bristol City | 2–2 | Plymouth Argyle | Ashton Gate,Bristol |
| Akinde Noble | (Report) | Mackie Fallon | Attendance: 17,489 Referee: I Williamson |
| 4 October 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 4–0 | Sheffield Wednesday | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Beevers Gallagher Mackie Seip | (Report) | Attendance: 10,795 Referee: R East |
| 18 October 2008 | Derby County | 2–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Pride Park Stadium,Derby |
| Hulse Green | (Report) | Gallagher | Attendance: 28,495 Referee: C Webster |
| 21 October 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–0 | Preston North End | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Fallon | (Report) | Attendance: 9,824 Referee: A Penn |
| 25 October 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–3 | Ipswich Town | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Cathcart | (Report) | Garvan Lisbie Norris | Attendance: 12,294 Referee: P Miller |
| 28 October 2008 | Sheffield Wednesday | 0–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Hillsborough,Sheffield |
| (Report) | MacLean | Attendance: 16,515 Referee: G Laws |
| 1 November 2008 | Sheffield United | 2–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Bramall Lane,Sheffield |
| Beattie(pen) | (Report) | Attendance: 25,601 Referee: S Mathieson |
| 8 November 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–2 | Charlton Athletic | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Doumbe Mpenza | (Report) | Youga Gray | Attendance: 10,716 Referee: A Hall |
| 15 November 2008 | Coventry City | 0–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Ricoh Arena,Coventry |
| (Report) | Noone | Attendance: 18,528 Referee: N Miller |
| 22 November 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–1 | Cardiff City | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Mpenza Gallagher | (Report) | Chopra | Attendance: 11,438 Referee: P Taylor |
| 25 November | Southampton | 0–0 | Plymouth Argyle | St Mary's Stadium,Southampton |
| (Report) | Attendance: 14,895 Referee: A D'Urso |
| 29 November 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–2 | Blackpool | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Gallagher | (Report) | Dickinson | Attendance: 9,969 Referee: T Kettle |
| 6 December 2008 | Doncaster Rovers | 1–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Keepmoat Stadium,Doncaster |
| Stock | (Report) | Attendance: 10,187 Referee: R Beeby |
| 9 December 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–1 | Birmingham City | Home Park,Plymouth |
| (Report) | Carsley | Attendance: 10,446 Referee: K Wright |
| 13 December 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–1 | Queens Park Rangers | Home Park,Plymouth |
| MacLean | (Report) | Helguson | Attendance: 10,747 Referee: K Friend |
| 20 December 2008 | Barnsley | 2–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Oakwell,Barnsley |
| De Silva Campbell-Ryce | (Report) | Walton | Attendance: 10,944 Referee: D Whitestone |
| 26 December 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–0 | Southampton | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Fallon Summerfield | (Report) | Attendance: 15,197 Referee: R East |
| 28 December 2008 | Cardiff City | 1–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Ninian Park,Cardiff |
| Bothroyd | (Report) | McNamee | Attendance: 19,145 Referee: S Attwell |
| 17 January 2009 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Plymouth Argyle | City Ground,Nottingham |
| Earnshaw Anderson | (Report) | Attendance: 20,392 Referee: K Stroud |
| 27 January 2009 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–2 | Bristol City | Home Park,Plymouth |
| (Report) | McIndoe Fontaine | Attendance: 11,438 Referee: P Taylor |
| 31 January 2009 | Ipswich Town | 0–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Portman Road,Ipswich |
| (Report) | Attendance: 20,333 Referee: D Deadman |
| 3 February 2009 | Preston North End | 1–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Deepdale,Preston |
| Parkin | (Report) | Mackie | Attendance: 10,660 Referee: A Haines |
| 7 February 2009 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–3 | Derby County | Home Park,Plymouth |
| (Report) | Teale Hulse | Attendance: 10,893 Referee: S Cook |
| 14 February 2009 | Charlton Athletic | 2–0 | Plymouth Argyle | The Valley,London |
| Racon Bailey | (Report) | Attendance: 21,876 Referee: T Kettle |
| 17 February 2009 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–3 | Crystal Palace | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Sawyer | (Report) | Danns Lee Oster | Attendance: 10,710 Referee: R Shoebridge |
| 21 February 2009 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–2 | Sheffield United | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Fletcher Gallagher | (Report) | Webber Halford | Attendance: 10,044 Referee: A Woolmer |
| 28 February 2009 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Molineux,Wolverhampton |
| (Report) | Gallagher | Attendance: 25,710 Referee: C Boyeson |
| 3 March 2009 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–1 | Watford | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Gallagher(pen) | (Report) | Smith | Attendance: 9,529 Referee: N Miller |
| 7 March 2009 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–2 | Reading | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Gallagher Mackie | (Report) | Pearce Kebe | Attendance: 14,014 Referee: A Bates |
| 10 March 2009 | Swansea City | 1–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Liberty Stadium,Swansea |
| Scotland | (Report) | Attendance: 13,103 Referee: I Williamson |
| 14 March 2009 | Norwich City | 1–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Carrow Road,Norwich |
| Mooney Russell | (Report) | Attendance: 25,064 Referee: F Graham |
| 21 March 2009 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–2 | Burnley | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Judge | (Report) | Caldwell Blake | Attendance: 11,246 Referee: R Booth |
| 4 April 2009 | Blackpool | 0–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| (Report) | Sawyer | Attendance: 8,103 Referee: M Haywood |
| 11 April 2009 | Plymouth Argyle | 4–0 | Coventry City | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Barnes Mackie Judge Seip | (Report) | Attendance: 12,568 Referee: C Oliver |
| 13 April 2009 | Birmingham City | 1–1 | Plymouth Argyle | St Andrew's,Birmingham |
| Queudrue Taylor | (Report) | Gallagher | Attendance: 19,323 Referee:Michael Oliver |
| 18 April 2009 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–3 | Doncaster Rovers | Home Park,Plymouth |
| (Report) | Spicer Hayter Heffernan | Attendance: 11,100 Referee: P Crossley |
| 25 April 2009 | Queens Park Rangers | 0–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Loftus Road,London |
| (Report) | Attendance: 14,779 Referee: N Miller |
| 3 May 2009 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–2 | Barnsley | Home Park,Plymouth |
| Sawyer | (Report) | Hammill Campbell-Ryce | Attendance: 14,529 Referee: C Penton |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 50 | 65 | −15 | 53 |
| 20 | Barnsley | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 45 | 58 | −13 | 52 |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 44 | 57 | -13 | 51 |
| 22 | Norwich City | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 57 | 70 | −13 | 46 |
| 23 | Southampton | 46 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 46 | 69 | −23 | 45 |
Pld = Matches played;W = Matches won;D = Matches drawn;L = Matches lost;GF = Goals for;GA = Goals against;GD = Goal difference;Pts = Points
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 51 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 31 | 35 | −4 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 22 | −9 |
As of games played 3 May 2009[3]
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | D | L | L | D | L | W | W | W | D | W | L | W | L | W | L | D | W | W | D | L | L | L | D | L | W | L | L | L | D | D | L | L | L | D | W | W | D | L | L | L | W | W | D | L | D | L |
| Position | 10 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 20 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 |
Third round
| 3 January 2009 | Arsenal | 3–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Emirates Stadium,London |
| van Persie Bendtner | (Report) | Duguid | Attendance: 59,424 Referee: M Jones |
First round
| 12 August 2008 | Luton Town | 2–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Kenilworth Road,Luton |
| Jarvis Plummer | (Report) | Attendance: 2,682 Referee: R Shoebridge |
Key
# = Squad number;Pos = Playing position;P = Number of games played;G = Number of goals scored;
=Yellow cards;
=Red cards;GK =Goalkeeper;DF =Defender;MF =Midfielder;FW =Forward
Statistics do not include minor competitions or games played for other clubs. All players who were provided a squad number during the 2008–09 season are included.[4]
| No. | Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | Discipline | Notes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | [5][6][7] | |||||
| 1 | GK | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | [8] | |
| 2 | MF | 39 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 41* | 2 | 4 | 0 | [9] | |
| 3 | MF | 7+10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8+10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | [10] | |
| 4 | MF | 12+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13+1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | [11] | |
| 5 | DF | 13+8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14+8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | [12] | |
| 6 | MF | 30+6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31+6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | [13] | |
| 7 | MF | 5+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6+1* | 0 | 0 | 0 | [14] | |
| 8 | MF | 6+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [15] | |
| 9 | FW | 11+10 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12+11 | 2 | 4 | 0 | [16] | |
| 10 | FW | 2+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [17] | |
| 11 | FW | 36+4 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37+4* | 13 | 6 | 0 | [18] | |
| 13 | DF | 21+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21+3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | [19] | |
| 14 | FW | 26+18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 27+19 | 5 | 6 | 0 | [20] | |
| 15 | DF | 38+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40+2* | 0 | 1 | 0 | [21] | |
| 16 | DF | 5+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5+5* | 0 | 3 | 1 | [22] | |
| 17 | MF | 3+18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4+18* | 1 | 1 | 0 | [23] | |
| 18 | DF | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | [24] | |
| 19 | DF | 41 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 3 | 4 | 0 | [25] | |
| 20 | MF | 28+1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 29+2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | [26] | |
| 21 | GK | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6* | 0 | 0 | 0 | [27] | |
| 22 | DF | 29+1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31+1* | 1 | 1 | 0 | [28] | |
| 23 | MF | 15+2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15+2* | 2 | 2 | 0 | [29] | |
| 23 | MF | 1+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+5* | 0 | 0 | 0 | [30] | |
| 24 | FW | 12+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12+3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | [31] | |
| 25 | MF | 35+8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 36+9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | [32] | |
| 26 | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [33] | |
| 27 | GK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [34] | |
| 28 | MF | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13* | 1 | 3 | 0 | [35] | |
| 28 | DF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [36] | |
| 29 | DF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [37] | |
| 30 | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | [38] | |
| 31 | FW | 3+6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3+6* | 2 | 0 | 0 | [39] | |
| 33 | DF | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15* | 0 | 2 | 0 | [40] | |
| 35 | FW | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+2* | 0 | 0 | 0 | [35] | |
| 37 | MF | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1* | 0 | 0 | 0 | [41] | |
The following players have been named in the most starting line-ups. This line-up may differ from the list of players with most appearances.
| No. | Nat. | Position | Name | Starts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Romain Larrieu | 42 | |
| 13 | DF | Mathias Doumbe | 21 | |
| 22 | DF | Craig Cathcart | 31 | |
| 37 | DF | Marcel Seip | 42 | |
| 15 | DF | Chris Barker | 40 | |
| 25 | MF | Jamie Mackie | 36 | |
| 2 | MF | Karl Duguid | 41 | |
| 20 | MF | Luke Summerfield | 29 | |
| 6 | MF | Chris Clark | 31 | |
| 14 | FW | Rory Fallon | 27 | |
| 11 | FW | Paul Gallagher | 37 |
| 2008–09 Awards | Pos. | Player |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year | GK | |
| Young Player of the Year | DF |
In
| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2008 | FW | Undisclosed | ||
| 15 July 2008 | DF | Free | ||
| 18 July 2008 | GK | Free | ||
| 1 August 2008 | MF | Undisclosed | ||
| 6 August 2008 | MF | Undisclosed | ||
| 9 August 2008 | DF | Undisclosed | ||
| 30 August 2008 | MF | Undisclosed | ||
| 1 September 2008 | FW | Free | ||
| 21 March 2009 | MF | Free |
Out
| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 July 2008 | MF | Free | ||
| 16 July 2008 | MF | £2,500,000 | ||
| 22 July 2008 | GK | Free agent | Released | |
| 31 July 2008 | MF | Free | ||
| 4 February 2009 | DF | Free agent | Released | |
| 31 May 2009 | MF | Free agent | Released | |
| 1 June 2009 | MF | Free agent | Released |
In
| Start date | Pos. | Player | To | End date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 August 2008 | DF | 25 May 2009 | ||
| 29 August 2008 | FW | 25 May 2009 | ||
| 1 September 2008 | MF | 1 January 2009 | ||
| 1 January 2009 | DF | 25 May 2009 | ||
| 29 January 2009 | MF | 31 May 2009 | ||
| 19 February 2009 | MF | 1 June 2009 |
Out
| Start date | Pos. | Player | To | End date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2008 | MF | 9 October 2008 | ||
| 25 September 2008 | FW | 9 November 2008 | ||
| 8 October 2008 | DF | 29 December 2008 | ||
| 24 October 2008 | MF | 21 December 2008 | ||
| 20 November 2008 | FW | 20 December 2008 | ||
| 22 November 2008 | MF | 2 January 2009 | ||
| 27 November 2008 | GK | 1 January 2009 | ||
| 27 November 2008 | FW | 26 January 2009 | ||
| 27 November 2008 | MF | 1 June 2009 | ||
| 28 November 2008 | DF | 28 December 2008 | ||
| 9 January 2009 | MF | 1 June 2009 | ||
| 22 January 2009 | MF | 1 June 2009 | ||
| 26 March 2009 | GK | 1 June 2009 | ||
| 26 March 2009 | MF | 1 June 2009 |