REVEALED: Plymouth Argyle players will be fined £250 for not singing, £10 for wearing flip-flops in the shower, £50 for phones going off in meetings… and £20 for forgetting to bring in BIRTHDAY CAKE

• Plymouth Argyle stormed to the League One title last year picking up 101 points 
• The Pilgrims are firmly in mid-table after securing a return to the Championship 
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’ 

Clubs putting together lists of fines to keep players in line is nothing new in football, but Plymouth Argyle’s much-discussed list of encroachments perhaps takes that to a new level. 

Steven Schumacher’s side earned promotion from League One last season with a stunning campaign that saw them net an impressive 101 points, stealing top spot from Ipswich Town on 98. 

On their return to the second-tier, they have not quite reached the level of last year’s rivals, who are pushing Leicester at the top of the pile, but they have made steady going to sit firmly in mid-table. 

Four wins and three draws from 13 games is nothing to be sniffed at for a newly-promoted side, and the Pilgrims may have their boss’ rigorous demands in the dressing-room to thank. 

In a list that has now been circulated online, fans can now see how their stars are being punished for a variety of transgressions, from leaving a water bottle out on the training field to forgetting to bring in a birthday cake!

Plymouth Argyle’s fines list features 25 different potential transgressions ranging from £5-£250

The Pilgrims have made a solid start to life back in the Championship, currently in mid-table

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The fines range from £10 (leaving the gym in an untidy state, kicking a ball over the fence) to some £250 (missing the Christmas party, not singing). 

There is also a £5 fine for losing teams on a Friday, presumably in training, with £10 also to be paid by anyone nutmegged in a ‘boxes’ drill the day before a match. 

But perhaps the most eye-catching element of the list is just how many items feature on it. 

A grand total of 25 fines make the cut, with players having to walk a very line indeed to avoid a cash hit at training. 

Any player caught straying out of line will have until the following Friday to pay their fines, or else face the daunting prospect of seeing their punishments doubled. 

A particularly unfortunate player could feasible have to stump up £180 before a match day, should they leave a piece of clothing and a water bottle out on the field, lose in Friday training after kicking a ball over the fence and being nutmegged, turn up late to training and a team meeting – in which their phone then goes off -and then wear flip-flops in the showers.

The recently circulated list hearkens back to Frank Lampard’s notorious disciplinarian approach when in charge of Chelsea back in 2019, although the fans the club legend set out were somewhat dearer.

Lampard’s charges were fined £20,000 for turning up late to training, and suffered a £500 hit for every minute late to a team meeting, as well as some £1,000 for reporting to team duties in the wrong kit or phones ringing during team meals. 

Steve Schumacher’s side romped to first place in League One last season finishing on 101 points

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