Plymouth Argyle competed in the Football League Championship in the 2005β06 season, having finished 17th place in the season prior. They underwent a change in their manager, replacing Bobby Williamson with
Tony Pulis in the hope of seeing an improvement to the previous season. The "Green Army" finished 14th in the league and made it to the 3rd round of the FA Cup.
After a poor start to the season, which made relegation a likely outcome,
Argyle fired manager
Bobby Williamson and brought in
Tony Pulis.[1] Argyle regrouped under Pulis and regained a solid place in the middle of the league standings. The team's performance was one of contrasts. Argyle conceded only 46 goals, which made it the fifth (tied) best defense in the league although they only scored 39 goals, which made it the third (tied) worst attack in the league. It meant a lot of 0β0, 1β0, and 0β1 games β results that are synonymous with Pulis' style of football.[2] However, under new manager Pulis, Argyle were never in any significant danger of relegation.[citation needed]
Notable events
In August, Argyle opens the season by defeating
Reading 2β1 at the
Madejski Stadium. It would be Reading's only home loss in the Championship all season. Victory at Reading is followed by a draw and four losses in the Championship.
6β23 September, manager Bobby Williamson is fired.
Jocky Scott is named caretaker manager. Tony Pulis is named as the new manager.
SeptemberβOctober, Pulis's first shores up the Argyle defence and achieves a record of one win, one loss, and five draws in first seven games under his management.
22 November β 18 February, young central defender
Elliott Ward comes to Argyle on loan from
West Ham. He stays for three months and proves successful on the field and popular with the fans. In 15 games with Ward, Argyle concede only 15 goals and achieve a record of 6 wins, 5 draws, and four losses in the Championship. Argyle move up to mid-table and while not safe from relegation, it seems very unlikely.
18 February, striker
Vincent Pericard, on loan from
Portsmouth, scores a hat trick against
Coventry City in a 3β1 victory. This was the biggest win of the season by low-scoring Argyle.