Olympic star invited to give Plymouth Argyle team talk

MANAGER Carl Fletcher would welcome Olympic rowing hero, and Plymouth Argyle supporter, Greg Searle giving a team talk to his players.

The opportunity could come as soon as the away game against Barnet next Saturday, depending on whether Searle (left) can attend the fixture at Underhill.

The 40-year-old rower, winner of a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and bronze at the Games in London this summer, lives in Buckinghamshire.

He attended the 1-1 draw at Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday as a guest of Argyle owner and chairman James Brent.

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Searle and his Plymouth-born father, Paul, were also at Argyle's 0-0 draw away to Dagenham and Redbridge in August.

Fletcher has yet to meet Searle but hopes to get the opportunity to do so in the near future.

Searle is a practice director at a Buckinghamshire-based company who work with a wide range of organisations around the world helping individuals and teams reach their fullest potential.

Fletcher told Herald Sport: "Maybe if he's at Barnet, it would be great for him to come in the changing room before the game.

"I think listening to the experiences of people who have been in the Olympics, and also people who have maybe been in the Army and been away to war, puts a different perspective on going out and playing a game.

"I remember when I was playing at West Ham, the tea lady had been there for about 30 years and the manager (Alan Pardew) got her to do our team talk before one of the games.

"It was just different, and it eased the tension slightly. It puts a different perspective on things.

"She was as nervous as anything. She had written it all out and everything but she did really well.

"The lads loved it. We saw her every day and she was always around. She was part of the club and the family as a whole.

"It was very interesting and it was something that I would take on and use."

Fletcher added: "Greg has achieved a lot in sport, which the players can relate to, but it's a different kind of sport and a different kind of challenge.

"You have to have respect for people that perform in the Olympics."

Argyle are in 18th position in League Two after their draw against Wycombe.

They have lost only one of their last seven games, but four of those have ended in draws and just two have been wins.

The Pilgrims will take on managerless, 22nd-placed AFC Wimbledon at Home Park tomorrow (3pm).

Fletcher said: "You get disappointed because you have had so many draws, but it picks you up a bit because you have only had one defeat. It's up and down, really.

"Obviously, we would like a few more wins, and we probably haven't got what we deserved from the performances, especially in a couple of games where we have been 1-0 up at home.

"But then again, it's only one defeat so we are being hard to beat and we keep going until the end.

"We want to get those wins as quickly as possible, and hopefully we can start that tomorrow."