Part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, this piece offers our FLW Fan Pundits their personal thoughts on the newest breaking news, teams, players, managers, possible additions, and more.

Goalie Dan Grimshaw of Plymouth Argyle has been compared to former Pilgrims hero Romain Larrieu due to his exceptional performances for the team after joining from Blackpool in the summer.

Following Conor Hazard’s injury, Grimshaw took advantage of the opportunity to become Wayne Rooney’s number one in recent weeks after joining Argyle from the Tangerines for a reputed £600k fee in August.

The 26-year-old was first signed by Manchester City as a young player, although he never played in the Citizens’ first team. In 2021, he left the Etihad Stadium when his contract expired and joined Blackpool.

During his three years at Pool, he made 96 appearances and excelled in both the second and third divisions, rapidly being known as one of the best goalkeepers in the EFL.

Grimshaw did not arrive to Home Park with a guaranteed starting spot, but Hazard, the team’s first pick, was sidelined until December due to an ankle injury. The 26-year-old has received a lot of plaudits for his outstanding performances since taking Hazard’s place.

Argyle fan pundit compares Dan Grimshaw to Romain Larrieu

Although Grimshaw hasn’t kept a clean sheet in his ten league and cup appearances for the Pilgrims, he has received praise for some excellent saves that have helped them win crucial games against Sunderland, Luton Town, and Blackburn Rovers. He also plays out from the back, which makes him a perfect fit for Wayne Rooney’s system.

After we asked Sporting director Neil Dewsnip for a current player at the club who reminds him of a former top player, Chris, a resident Greens fan pundit on FLW, compared Grimshaw to club legend Romain Larrieu, claiming that Argyle have “landed on (their) feet” with his signing.

“We have produced many players who we consider to be legends throughout Argyle’s long and illustrious history,” Chris told FLW.

Among the highlights are characters like Paul Mariner, Akos Buzsaky, and Tommy Tynan.

While many of the players in our current team aspire to be like some of these greats, I want to highlight one player in particular: Dan Grimshaw, our goalie.

“He has demonstrated a lot so far.”

“He (exhibited) his cat-like reflexes and was always eager to get the ball going very quickly to help build up attacking play. He was frequently our number one between the sticks.”

These are traits that I really admire in Dan Grimshaw.

Despite his brief tenure with Argyle, I think his attributes will carry over into his career and, ideally, elevate him to legendary status among Argyle supporters.

Emulating Larrieu would make Grimshaw a Plymouth hero

After being able to make just one professional appearance at ASOA Valence in the French second division, Larrieu was first brought to Argyle on a one-month trial contract after a six-month absence from football. This makes him the ideal illustration of not making snap judgements about new signings.

He quickly gained popularity among the supporters after landing a long-term deal at Home Park, and during his subsequent 11 years there, he never really looked back.

Unexpectedly selected as the starting quarterback for the 2001–02 campaign, Larrieu’s selection turned out to be a brilliant one as Plymouth won the third division, he allowed just 28 goals while keeping 27 clean sheets, and he was awarded to the league’s Team of the Year.

Although he continued to play regularly in goal, he sustained long-term injuries throughout the 2003–04 season as Argyle earned another promotion to the Championship. However, in 2005–06, he was selected first for the first time in the second division.

Larrieu was praised for playing a major role in Argyle’s survival and received the club’s Player of the Season award for 2008–09 as they avoided relegation to League One by five points.

He was crowned the team’s greatest-ever custodian in a fan-nominated starting XI in 2019, demonstrating that he has not been forgotten in the years since his departure. He stayed with the team until 2012, when his influence waned and the team fell back to the fourth division.

From an Argyle perspective, it goes without saying that Grimshaw is praised most when compared to Larrieu. If he can even approach the Frenchman’s performance at Home Park, the reported £600k fee paid in August will seem like a complete bargain.