Football without fans is ‘rubbish,’ insists Lowe
PLYMOUTH Argyle manager Ryan Lowe has described football without any fans at games as ‘rubbish’ and hopes they can return as quickly as possible.
All five of the Pilgrims’ fixtures at the start of the 2020/21 season have been played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Argyle issued a lengthy club statement on Wednesday where they called on the Government to allow a return of fans to grounds from October 1, as originally planned.
In it, the financial repercussions for football across the country with no fans at games was clearly spelt out.
The EFL has estimated that its member clubs have lost a combined £50 million in revenues as a result of the curtailment of the 2019/20 season, and the 2020/21 campaign beginning behind closed doors.
Nine EFL games this weekend are being used as test events, where crowds of 1,000 will be permitted.
Four of those are in League One, but they do not include Argyle’s away game against AFC Wimbledon at their temporary home ground of QPR’s Loftus Road.
On the test events, Lowe said: “I’m pleased to see anyone in really. It’s a start in the right direction that we want to go in, and the test events whenever we can get ours on.
“The quicker we get the fans back the better. When that will be, we don’t really know.
“You know yourself being here, it’s rubbish isn’t really without any fans? We will wait and see when it comes.”
He added: “We want the fans in. There are going to be times where they are going to need to help us.
“That’s why we want them because they are our 12th man. We need to make sure that when they are here they will do that and they stick with us - and I know that for a million per cent they will.
“It’s tough isn’t it because there is no-one in and there are no fans?
“Even family and friends who come to games, you want them around you, you want them to get the same buzz as you.
“At the moment, the buzz for us is being new into League One, and we want to keep that going.
“We need the buzz for when the fans get here as well, and it’s packed to the rafters, and they singing the lads songs and they are geeing the boys on.
“That’s what we want because that’s what this football club is about.”
Meanwhile, Lowe is in no rush to sign another defender after the injury to Argyle captain Gary Sawyer.
The ankle injury to the Pilgrims’ 35-year-old club captain is not as severe as first feared.
Argyle are awaiting further medical assessment on how long Sawyer will be out of action before Lowe decides whether he needs to bring in another defender.
Clubs in the EFL have a deadline of Friday, October 16 to complete any more signings for their squads.
Sawyer was hurt during Argyle’s 3-2 EFL Trophy defeat by Norwich City Under-21s on September 8, when an opposing player fell on his left leg as he defended a cross into the Pilgrims’ penalty area.
Subsequent X-rays revealed the ankle had not been broken, and Sawyer then had a MRI scan on Monday.
Lowe said: “It’s better than first thought in all honesty because we thought it was a bit of a bad one. He’s going to see a specialist tomorrow.
“There is definitely no breaks in there, as we have known. There is ligament damage in there and we want a specialist opinion on it.
“Hopefully, touch wood, it’s not going to be too long,” added the Pilgrims’ boss.
When Lowe was asked whether he would look to sign another defender as cover for Sawyer, he replied: “Possibly, yeah, but it has to be the right fit and it has to be the right amount of money because of the salary cap, and everything else.
“We are not really in a major rush. We will see where Gaz is at and see how long he’s going to be.
“We have got room for manoeuvre for one or two more (signings) potentially, that’s only if needed, though.”
Meanwhile, Argyle are looking into whether goalkeeper Luke McCormick will have a shoulder operation. The 37-year-old has been sidelined at the start of the 2020/21 season after he was injured in a training game against Middlesbrough three weeks ago.
That led to the Pilgrims bringing in Jack Ruddy as cover and competition for first choice ‘keeper Mike Cooper.