QPR (H) | Scarr's Preview
Few at Argyle have had it easy in recent weeks and months, but it has been a particularly rough period for defender Dan Scarr.
Since Scarr’s arrival at Home Park in the summer of 2021, he has played at the heart of the Argyle defence on a regular basis, a key member of the team that was promoted as champions in 2022/23.
However, under former head coach Ian Foster, Scarr’s appearances in the side dried up. Scarr started January’s games against Huddersfield and Cardiff City, but aside from a substitute appearance against Leeds United in the Emirates FA Cup, Scarr had been an absentee, often not even included in 20-man squads.
At Rotherham United on Friday night, with Neil Dewsnip and Kevin Nancekivell at the helm, Scarr was thrust back into the team, and could not have had a better night. Argyle won 1-0, obtaining a crucial three points, Scarr being part of a defence that kept a clean sheet, and was given the fans’ man-of-the-match award.
Speaking to Argyle TV, Scarr outlined some of his emotions of being out of the team, returning to the fold, and the good feeling permeating the football club at this moment.
He said: “The first couple of weeks were mentally tough because…I don't know whether it's maybe because I'm a senior player, or I feel like I have a lot to offer, but you probably don't expect to find yourself not in the squad.
“I'll never have a problem with a manager choosing somebody else. When he did choose somebody else, I never said anything. The lads were playing well, so I never even once said ‘I should be playing’, because I always want what's best for the team and for the lads to do well.
“After that, it started getting a bit mentally tougher, but I just tried to remain as professional as I could, to help the lads when I can and try and be around them as much as I can to offer ideas and things like that.
“I was trying to do extras in training to try to stay fit, trying to get extra staff to do stuff with me, which is harder because we didn't really have enough staff at the time.
“[Winning at Rotherham] was a nice feeling. It was nice to see the lads happy and enthusiastic. Not just the lads, the staff; we have such a good relationship with the staff at this club, and that's why we've done so well all the time.
“To have that taken away from us, and a bit of a wedge driven between that, it was probably where we were struggling a bit, but it was nice to see everyone back together. It was nice for me, for the lads and the fans as well.”
Argyle are quickly back in action, facing Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday night at Home Park. QPR, who lost at the weekend, are just above Argyle in the league, and a victory for the Pilgrims will see them jump above the West Londoners.
Scarr is expecting to see a similar game to the Rotherham affair but is confident that Argyle can see the game through in similar fashion.
“We didn't play the best [at Rotherham],” said Scarr. “I think we had spells where we played a lot better, and we showed glimpses of how strong we can be and how we were earlier in the season. It was always going to be a scrappy game. At some point they were always going to have the up and being at home.
“They're fighting for their lives, as are we, so the game was always going to go like that, but I think the fact that we had to dig in and grind it out. Sometimes a 1-0 win, especially away from home, means a lot. I think that does the world of good for confidence.
“I think at times [Tuesday night] will be similar. I think there'll be times where we can play and there'll be times where we probably are going to be backs against the wall a bit, as are all these teams that are down in this situation.
“No-one's really pulling away, everyone keeps getting dragged back into it, which is, I suppose, good for us. We just need to take the confidence from Friday and roll it into Tuesday night, give it a good go and play with freedom, take the shackles off.”
