Plymouth Argyle's stunning team they could name today had they kept their best players | OneFootball

The dream Greens XI has plenty of stars who have delighted the Home Park faithful over the years

Plymouth Argyle have had their ups and downs over the past ten years, with the club coming out of the other end of their financial collapse, to rise back through the divisions into the Championship.

Along the way, many a fine star has graced the turf at Home Park, with the Green Army treated to some of the finest football seen at the Theatre of Greens for quite some time.

As is the case in football, players come and go, but it won’t have stopped Janners dreaming about the kind of team they could have put together if their superstars hadn’t moved on quite so soon.

Looking back over the last decade, we took a look at the Argyle dream team since the 2013/14 campaign, and shine the light on the great and the good who have played in green over the years.

GK: Michael Cooper

It is no surprise to start off with Michael Cooper between the sticks, with the Argyle academy graduate proving himself to be a top level goalkeeper during his time with the club.

Prior to his move to Sheffield United earlier this year, the local lad had established himself as number one at Home Park, with his cat-like reflexes and ability with the ball at his feet, setting him apart from the majority of shot-stoppers in the EFL.

Having watched him grow from boy to man in front of their eyes, Argyle fans knew it was only a matter of time before their custodian moved on, and so it proved, as the Blades came calling back in August.

With over 100 appearances to his name, Cooper played a massive part in the 22/23 League One promotion campaign, and will forever be remembered as an Argyle great, with Pilgrims fans watching his career progress with interest as the years went by.

RB: Joe Edwards

Plenty of players and managers have tried to dislodge Joe Edwards from his slot on the right side of defence in recent years, but nobody has succeeded yet.

The former Walsall man continues to lead by example in the Argyle setup, with his professionalism and dedication to the cause never in doubt for one second during his time in Devon.

Having signed a contract extension earlier this year, the defender is still proving to be pivotal to everything at Home Park of late, and with over 200 appearances for the club, no one can come close to taking the right-back slot.

CB: Sonny Bradley

Plucked from Crawley Town while the Greens were in League Two, Sonny Bradley immediately came in and toughened up the Argyle backline, and helped earned promotion in his first season at the club, as well as earning a well-fought 0-0 draw against Liverpool at Anfield.

Another stellar year in the third tier followed, with the defender’s prowess at attacking set-pieces adding to his influence at both ends of the pitch, with eleven league goals during his two years for the club.

From there, the centre-back moved on to Luton Town, and played his part in the Hatters’ miraculous journey up the footballing pyramid, having helped steer them to the League One title in 2018/19.

Having contributed to the Town team that eventually got to the Premier League two seasons ago, Bradley has proven himself as a top EFL centre-back, and his influence at both ends of the pitch would have been welcomed over recent years.

CB: Lewis Gibson

Since his arrival last summer, Lewis Gibson has been a mainstay in the Argyle backline, and has proven himself to be a top level Championship centre-back.

His positioning, his attitude, his ability with the ball at his feet, the former Everton defender wouldn’t look out of place in a side pushing for promotion in the second tier, such are the standards of his performances.

More blocks than any of his teammates last season shows just how much he is prepared to put his body on the line, while he also led the side in passes completed, as he provides a base for attacks to begin from his central position.

LB: Bali Mumba

He may be a right-back by trade, but Bali Mumba has proven to be adept at filling in on the left-hand side in the current campaign, and is a step above what Argyle have had in the past.

While the likes of Ben Purrington and Gary Sawyer will get honourable mentions, Mumba’s ability to charge forward with the ball at his feet is unparalleled on that left side, even if his defending can be questionable at times.

He may play his best football as a wing-back, or even further forward than that, but this dream XI only has room for four defenders, and Mumba is comfortably in the side given his performances over the past two seasons.

Initially signing on loan from Norwich, he became the club’s joint-record signing last summer for £1 million, and continues to excite and excel down the left flank when given the opportunity to roam forward.

CM: Adam Randell

A Plymouth Argyle academy graduate calling the shots in the heart of a Championship midfield, you say? Oh, go on then.

There are a number of players who could rival Randell for this spot, namely fellow Devon lad Paul Wotton for his fire and desire for all things Green, while Antoni Sarcevic, David Fox and Panutche Camara have all had a hand in Pilgrims history down the years.

But the development in Randell over the past few seasons has been a joy to behold for the Green Army, as one of their own continues to flourish in the second tier.

Keeping the likes of Adam Forshaw and Jordan Houghton out of the team at the moment, Randell’s defensive attributes and passing range with the ball at his feet continue to improve as time goes on, while his impact on games grows at the same time.

Every team loves one of their own doing so well, and Randell is the glowing example of an outfield player thriving at Home Park in recent years. It has to be him anchoring the midfield.

CM: Finn Azaz

It was debatable whether loan players should be included in this list, but given Argyle’s proficiency in borrowing top level players of late, it would be remiss not to include Finn Azaz in the lineup.

The current Middlesbrough man enjoyed a glorious 18 months at Home Park on loan from Aston Villa, as he played a massive part in getting the Greens up from the third tier, before excelling once in the Championship.

His ability to combine with his teammates, and play killer passes through the lines gave Argyle a zip to their attacking play that has rarely been seen since, with his qualities unlike many players ever to grace the Home Park pitch.

Not only that, but his eye for the spectacular also peppered his time in the South West, as epitomised by his final appearance in green; as a side-foot volley from the edge of the penalty area against Watford nestled in the back of the net.

In truth, he hasn’t really been replaced since. Rami Al Hajj could be that man, but Azaz’s antics were a step above anything seen in green over the past decade.

LW: Danny Mayor

There will be some Argyle fans that fail to recognise the talents of Danny Mayor while he was at the football club, but the wizard on the wing played his part in two successful league title campaigns during his time at Home Park.

The former Bury man could glide across the turf when he was in full flow, with his shoulders dropping and body slithering through the crowd like he was made of liquid. Pure melted gold.

His ability to drag the Greens up the field with his unmatched dribbling abilities so often got his teammates out of trouble, with his balletic feet a joy to behold during his Devon dalliance.

After regular goal gluts for the Shakers there would have been many expecting more than the six league goals across four seasons, but to focus just on that is to ignore the impact Mayor had on his teammates and the space he afforded them due to his danger with the ball at his feet.

CAM: Graham Carey

It had to be. The Magic Man. The player who could pull a rabbit out of the hat more often than most, and amazed Argyle fans for every single one of his 1,439 days at the club.

Wimbledon away. Newport at Home. Millwall. Cambridge. The Mansfield brace. The Devon Derby. Yeovil, Blackpool, and too many others to mention.

Such were the regularity of moments that Carey produced unbelievable moments of brilliance, that Argyle almost became used to the spectacular while he was on the pitch, while also regularly supplying his teammates to boot.

An absolute maverick, and a joy to behold. Graham Carey’s time at Home Park was like no other.

RW: Morgan Whittaker

Say what you like about his performances in the 24/25 campaign, but Morgan Whittaker has already played a massive part in making Plymouth Argyle a Championship side.

Initially joining on loan at the start of the 22/23 campaign, the wide man contributed towards 16 goals before being recalled by Swansea City in January, leaving Argyle fans wondering if they would ever see the maestro again.

But fast-forward to the summer, and as the Pilgrims prepared for the Championship, they forked out a club-record £1 million to bring him back to the club, and boy did he repay that investment.

19 league goals in the second tier helped his new employers stay in the division, with his plentiful long-range strikes making him one of the most sought-after players in the EFL over the summer.

He is still Argyle’s for now though, with the player of last season able to walk into an Argyle side in history, given the level of his performances.

ST:

With just the single frontman to choose from, there was always going to be ones that missed out in having the number nine role, with shoutouts to Ryan Hardie, Niall Ennis and Freddie Ladapo, who have all scored plenty of important goals for the Greens in recent years.

But if we go back a decade, and Argyle are a side who are happy just to be alive and kicking, given their financial struggles of the previous years.

Having stayed in the Football League by the skin of their teeth the season before, the Pilgrims were looking to get themselves out of a rut that had seen them finish no higher than 21st in any division for five straight seasons.

Step forward Reuben Reid, the former Argyle academy graduate returned to the club on loan from Yeovil Town in January 2013 to help the club stay afloat, before repeating the deal that summer to stay at Home Park for the season to come.

Under the tutelage of John Sheridan, the frontman comes alive, and nets goals left, right and centre as the Pilgrims get used to winning games once again, and start to regain the hope that had left over the past half-decade.

Reid would regularly bulldoze League Two players at will, with his physical nature causing mayhem among opposition backlines, and gave the Pilgrims back that fight and arrogance they had been lacking in recent times, with 35 goals over two seasons.

A hat-trick at St James Park to sink Exeter City in the Devon Derby is enough to secure him a place in this side alone, with the Pilgrims securing a first playoff campaign in almost 20 years, as they started to look up the league rather than down for the first time in a fair while.

He may not have the pace of Hardie or the technique of Ennis, but Reid had the heart and desire to do everything he could for the Greens, and his impact helped his side turn a corner when they needed it most, and put the foundations in place for the success of today.