There is nothing I would rather do on a freezing cold Boxing Day than make a 500 mile round trip to watch some clown dismantle a game of football before it has had a chance to get going. Thank you Tony Leake, you have done the referee’s profession proud with one of the most incompetent displays I have ever had the misfortune to witness.

Coming off the back of three defeats Holloway would probably have been looking to shake things up. Illness and injuries no doubt hampered this so he went in with Day in goal behind the usual back four of Bignot, Shittu, Santos and Padula. Rowlands lined up wide on the right with Miller partnering Bircham in the middle. Cook returned on the left with Gallen pushing forward to partner Furlong in attack.

The game was stop start from the off as Leake seemed determined to test out his new whistle. The slightest bit of physical contact was punished and as such neither team had the chance to string more than three passes together. Despite this it was Plymouth that made the brighter start to the game with both Marino Keith and Tony Capaldi testing Day in the opening stages.

When Plymouth took the lead after thirteen minutes it was no surprise and the goal was an absolute corker. As seems to be the Rangers way at the moment Santos and Shittu failed to clear the ball on more than one occasion and it wound up with Bjarni Gudjonsson on the right edge of the box. He calmly rolled it into the path of Pilgrims skipper Paul Wotton and he unleashed a fierce curling drive that smashed high into the net with Day helpless. It was a wonderful strike from a player that has proved time and again that in his right boot he possesses a piledriver. Perhaps one of our central midfield pairing could have got closer to him but this would be out of keeping with a poor performance in that department.

Rangers were thrown a lifeline after seventeen minutes with the sending off of Plymouth centre back Graham Coughlan. He and Furlong jumped for a high ball and Coughlan clattered into his back. As Furs went down Coughlan seemed to catch him again, whether it was deliberate or not it is hard to say but Leake had seen enough. The red card was out so quickly he nearly gave Coughlan a paper cut on his nose. It seemed a crazy decision even amongst the Rangers fans and given his display until the end of the half I think he knew he had dropped a bollock.

Rangers finally had a half effort at goal when Rowlands blasted a freekick straight at the wall before Gallen sliced the rebound horribly wide. At the other end Wotton came close again with another screamer that luckily found the midriff of Day. If it had been either side I am sure it would have gone in such was the ferocity of the strike.

Lee Cook coughed up a gilt edged chance to put Rangers on terms shortly before the half time break. Storming upfield following a corner, Cook found himself one on one with Romain Larrieu. He needed to jink his way past and would have been left with a gaping goal at his mercy but he didn’t and Larrieu smothered, perilously close to the threshold of his area. Moments later and the numbers were evened up as the Plymouth crowd finally wore down the hopelessly weak Leake.

Santos had found himself in the book for a tug back on a Plymouth attacker when he surged forward to try and influence the play. Having already burst through one would be tackler he was faced by David Friio and hit him hard, winning the ball in the process. There was nothing wrong with the challenge, it was honest and firm but not dirty but such was the reaction of the Home Park crowd and the am-dram of Friio the idiot Leake quickly flashed a second yellow at Georges and off he went. This was a poor decision yet again but no doubt he will get a pat on the back from his assessor as he did what all ref’s are supposed to do these days, make themselves the centre of attention and stick two fingers up to the crowd and the players in the same motion.

At the break Miller was withdrawn and replaced by Leon Best, who should have started the game anyway in my opinion. Gallen dropped into midfield and Holloway decided that three at the back was the best option given that we had to try and get back into this match or face a seventh straight away defeat.

The task facing Rangers got evermore difficult only four minutes into the half when Ginsters spokesman Mickey Evans made it 2-0. Paul Connelly took advantage of the space on the left of the Rangers defence and swung over a cross to the far post. Evans had pulled away from Shittu and positioned himself behind Bignot and the diminutive right back had no chance. He will have felt Evans’ pie fuelled belly resting on his shoulders as he drifted a header across Day and just inside the far post. A terrific finish and an example of how to play on your opponent’s weakness.  

Rangers were back into it four minutes later when Paul Furlong lashed home his fourteenth of the season. Leon Best set off on a buccaneering run from the half way line, evading three attempted fouls before Wotton dragged him down at the edge of the area. Gallen rolled the freekick into Furlong’s path and he fizzed a low shot past Larrieu’s right hand into the corner of the net. Having done precious little for most of the game, Rangers suddenly burst into life and went on to dominate for long periods.

Larrieu denied Gallen before Rangers had the ball in the net for a second time. Good build up down the right saw the ball fall into the path of Furlong ten yards out and he steered the ball home via the post. The linesman’s flag had already gone up though and the goal was chalked off. That lino had been very quick with his flag all afternoon unlike his opposite number who couldn’t even get a throw on decision right when the ball went out by a yard not three feet from him.

Shittu did well to steer a cross over the bar when it seemed certain that Plymouth would add a third and Bignot and Padula were providing constant cover for the big man as he tried to head everything that came his way. Biggy in particular was outstanding all afternoon.

As the game entered its death throws Martin Rowlands twice forced saves from Larrieu having been switched from right to left to accommodate Ainsworth. On another day one of these would have flown in but we did not have one ounce of luck all day. You could argue that we did with the sending off of Coughlan but I do not see refereeing incompetence as luck.

A seventh away defeat on the bounce was confirmed at the final whistle and as was the case last week it was probably a little harsh on Rangers. The problem we have is that Furlong is our only true threat, Gallen was anonymous up front and it beggars belief that Best was left on the bench. He showed what he can do when he came on and surely he must get the nod against Crewe.

Now, I love refs as many that read my reports regularly will know. Never had a bad word to say about one in my life…but Tony Leake, man alive, what a clown this bloke is! Two farcical sendings off, a game ruined for 19,000 people and no doubt a queue of managers and coaches outside his door at the final whistle. It wasn’t so much the decisions he made it was the manner in which he made them. After sending Coughlan off you could almost see the brown streaks on the backs of his legs as a vociferous Home Park crowd began to ref the game. Fair play to them, they could see he was as weak as a kitten and they jumped all over him. One decision brought home just how bad this bloke was and it was something as trivial as a throw on. Capaldi went to take a throw and managed to commit such a foul throw that the ball actually bounced on the floor and went back out of play behind him. Now, if this was a foul throw it should go to Rangers, if it wasn’t then it should be a throw to Rangers. Leake manages to come up with a throw to Plymouth! You couldn’t make it up!

Crewe at home now await and without a second recognised centre half to play alongside Dan it could be a fifth defeat on the bounce. Olly will probably play Edghill there or perhaps draft youngster Ryan Johnson into the side but I suspect it will be the former. Dean Ashton must be licking his lips at the prospect.

simon@qprnet.com