Tom Cleverley was left frustrated and Plymouth fans took to vent anger at their side’s ‘disgraceful’ defeat to Bolton on Saturday.
Argyle struggled once again failed to register a shot on target and suffering their second loss in a row. A 3-1 defeat to Barnsley, now a 2-0 defeat to Bolton, the result leaving them 23rd in League One at this early stage.
Steven Schumacher defeated his former club Plymouth, Eoin Toal with the opener in the 20th minute, and Mason Burstow, on loan from Hull, sealing the win with a goal on the hour mark.
This was Bolton’s first win of the season, up to 13th, bouncing back from a 2-0 defeat at Stockport on the opening-day.
Video goes viral of Plymouth fan applauded after embracing stick he got from Bolton fans
Sanny Rudravajhala gave a summary / review of the game: “I hate to say it as a Bury fan, but that was a dominant display from Bolton. Really impressive.
“And I think they finally put last season and those six winless games to finish the season, followed by defeat last week, put all that behind them. Today was excellent.
“Got to give a big shout out though to the player of the match, Amario Cozier-Duberry who’s on loan from Brighton. Spent all the last season at Blackburn Rovers in the championship and the back end of that just as an unused sub. Well, he was a coiled spring today, ready to go.
“Fantastic down the flanks, really impressive, 20 years old. Think Brighton have got a really good player on the hands and especially at this level, at this age, he’s getting a good chance to show what he can do. And he’s set up Mason Burstow on the counter, down the right-hand flank, cross came in and Birstow was there to sweep home. Birstow himself by the way, on loan from Hull, was starting for them last season but needs a bit of an opportunity to get in the goals and get some minutes and he’s done that today.
“All that came after Bolton’s first goal just after 20. Floated in corner by Josh Sheehan, nodded home by Eoin Toal, captain’s armband this season. They say he gets the ball and scores a goal. If you’re nodding a header in with one touch, does that count? Well, anyway, it does.
“Overall Bolton, really really impressive. Argyle, no shots on target today. If you’re an Argyle fan I’d be pretty worried today. Really kind of offered not a lot at all.
“Caleb Watts, you know, technically really good. I think he’s their one kind of standout but he can’t do it all on his own. And yeah, just really lacking fight and I think that for an Argyle fan, that is very worrying indeed.
“Overall Bolton definitely put last season behind them now. Onwards and upwards for them for Argyle. It’s back to the drawing board.”
On the Move Match Review – Ep2
Bolton 2-0 Plymouth
Wanderers excellent to a man but one really stood out in Amario Cozier-Duberry.
Argyle out-thought out-fought and back to the drawing board for Tom Cleverley.
Reporting for @5liveSport in L1.#bwfc #pafc #efl pic.twitter.com/FPoltxERvm
— Sanny Rudravajhala (@Sanny_Rudra) August 9, 2025
That quote says it all… needs backing! #pafc pic.twitter.com/L2dkXFaQ0s
— Joe chapman (@joechapmann) August 9, 2025
Pieface meanwhile said on TikTok: “Oh, it can’t get much worse than this, I say. What a fucking shambles again. We are absolutely toxic and useless from top to bottom.
“There’s no teamwork, there’s no chemistry, there’s no leaders. And it all stems from the top. Such a disingenuined mismatch gone love of this football club. And it all stems with a board, Hallett and Parkinson, honestly, he couldn’t run a bath.
“It’s a shambles, but we’re the stupid mugs because we keep filling Home Park every week. Still not got a striker. We got more problems than a striker. We just, we got nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing.
“Again, just like, don’t even think we had a shot on target for 90 minutes. And everything again comes from the top of the club. It is so, so, so poorly run.
“We need a miracle because it’s so toxic. And you can see in the players, there is just, there’s no heart, desire, nothing. We got no leader. It’s like they’ve never played with each other before. I just don’t even know what’s going on.
“It’s just, I’ve never been so lost with Plymouth Argyle. I have never been so lost. And I honestly do not know how we can turn this around and save it. I have no fucking clue. Absolutely no clue. But hey. So I’m on another six hour journey home.”
@pieface23pafc This club is an absolute joke 🤬 #pafc #bwfc #awaydays #pieface #fyp ♬ original sound – Pieface23
Plymouth’s Tom Cleverley said, per the club website: “I think there are things to learn from both defeats.
“I thought last week we didn’t show personality. We took a backward step.
“Today, I couldn’t say we took a backward step, but we certainly didn’t take a forward one and really try to threaten their goal.
“The goal completely knocked us out of our stride last week, and the same’s happened again today. We looked flat, we looked a little bit short of ideas; quite a lot of control and possession, but we never want to be that team that doesn’t end up with a purpose.
“I need to address the mentality. There looked a little bit of an acceptance of defeat today. That comes from two years of treading water, and defeat being the most common result that this group suffered. Maybe [it was] the first signs of the hangover of relegation, and the mentality.
“We need to address that quickly, and that’ll start with all of us going through an internal reflection of the last two results, and work hard. Work harder.
“Up until our substitutes, I thought there was an acceptance of what was unfolding.
“I thought Pato (Jamie Paterson) came on, gave us quality. I thought young Tegan [Finn] did fantastically well. There’s one positive we can take out of today, is a bit more competition for places.
“After last week’s defeat, our squad being so thin, we could only make one change. Steven made five.
“Our substitutes came on for us and have made that team selection a much harder decision for Tuesday and Saturday.
“We have to get out of this acceptance of defeat.
“We have to change the mentality. We are up against a strong opposition, but we’re at home. We need to give those fans something back for our first two performances. Every chance you have to step over that white line, it’s a chance to impress; you’re playing for your livelihood.
“We need to stop being so affected by setbacks. In 46 games, you’re going to concede goals, you’re going to suffer setbacks.
“There’ll be a lot of learning from the last two games. The key to that is changing – and that needs to start as soon as possible.”
Bolton’s Steven Schumacher said, per the club website:
“It was an important win. We thought we did well, as I said, all week in the previous game. But we didn’t get the result that we wanted from it, so it was important that you don’t lose back-to-back games.
“We wanted to start our home run on a positive note. It was a really good performance in a game that was a difficult game against a good opponent, and we’ve managed to come out of it on top.
“I think the game changed after 15 minutes when Josh Sheehan ran back, sprinted back, put in a brilliant tackle and then set Mason away and that lifted our crowd. I told the players, the new players in particular, before the game that we’ve got to get this crowd behind us because when they get behind you it’s powerful.
“And that moment changed the game, I felt. From that moment on I thought we were in control, really, and got the goals in important times. We had a couple of other moments in the first half where we got into some really dangerous areas and then my only negative is we didn’t hit the target enough with our big opportunities.
“But that’ll come, the fitter that we get and the more rhythm that we get into. We just said in the second half we’ve got to keep on the gas and try and get the next goal to kill it off.
“In the main I felt we kept them at bay. We didn’t concede any real big chances and we probably could have had one or two other goals, especially Amario with some of the quality play that he showed.
“But it was pleasing. We kept a clean sheet, we looked organised and we looked a threat, so a good day. I think the first two performances in the league have been okay. We haven’t been perfect. Even today it wasn’t a faultless performance, but both games we’ve started well.
“We’ve continued our form from the pre-season fixtures where we set our stall out of what we’re going to try and do. So it’s an okay start and we have to go again on Wednesday and try and get into the next round of the (Carabao) cup as well.”
Sometimes I honestly wonder why we bother. The fans back this club, travel thousands of miles and this is how we’re repaid. Spend some money else we’re heading down again. Awful. #pafc pic.twitter.com/URSQVCZlmP
— Josh Tucker (@josh88tucker) August 9, 2025
Plymouth were shocking today! Felt for those 1,600 fans who made the 592 miles round trip.
Didn’t have a shot on target all day!
3 efforts all game…1…just 1 effort in the 2nd half when losing and it flew over in 84th min! #soccersaturday #pafc #fans 🟢 pic.twitter.com/uxmxLHRXsh— Neil Mellor (@NeilMellor33) August 9, 2025
As mentioned, Tom Cleverley was left frustrated and Plymouth fans took to vent anger at the ‘disgraceful’ defeat to Bolton…
@watson37uk: Disgusting , TC has been hung out to dry . Not backed in transfer Market , the goalkeeper would never be first choice signing with so many decent young loan keepers around
@TomSagee: The underinvestment is absolutely criminal. How are we starting the season with a majority of a defence that was the worst in the efl last Christmas and having a bench that gives 0 impact, it’s unbelievable, looking at relegation not promotion
@Ollie_Haggart: Do us all a favour. Don’t tweet for a week. Don’t want to hear “we’ll put it right” or “it’s not for the want of trying” and don’t want to see “smiley” fucking training ground photos. We want anger, guts, fight, and wins, not empty words. Until then, shut up and sign some players
@Ben48037650: 0 shots on target, this is just like the away days under Wayne Rooney but WORSE because we are in a league below, club is rotten top to bottom.
@Finley_bwfc: Going to be a long season for you lads. Sorry to say, but you don’t look great. 😬 Top fans tho. #bwfc
@MaccaSouth: What part of the 5 year plan are we on now @SimonHallett ?? Sell up, and take Parkinson, Randle and Fox with you. Randle and Fox cheap options in their role while they “learn” do it elsewhere! We’re becoming the softest touch in the EFL. Embarrassing. #pafc
@Moomooland12: Joint bottom, where is the top 6 budget. For goodness sake back the manager. Us fan’s spend a fortune on everything Argyle every year, just please back the manager, before only 2 games becomes 24 games! #pafc
@freddyharperdav: Hangover of relegation with a very different squad, I don’t really buy that to be honest
@PaFcZOOCORNER: How can you say the hangover of relegation hardly any of them players where here when we got relegated
@Kenyay: Those saying we don’t have any of the relegation squad. Our whole backline is still here and played today!
@pafcgoose: this guy knows what he’s doing very clearly, he’s need more quality in the team, back him all the way. our squad has no depth, get these signings done by NEXT WEEK. this man will do wonders for our club, he just needs to bring the right people in and have money available!!!
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