Plymouth Argyle – the southernmost team in the entire EFL are facing themselves with the prospect of back-to-back relegations following their dismal start to the 25/26 campaign. But what has caused such a decline for the Pilgrims?

A Look Back At Recent History

It was only two and a half years ago that Argyle travelled up to Port Vale in early May 2023 and confirmed themselves as champions of League One, breaking 100 points in the process – a feat that had not been achieved in the third tier since Sheffield United did the same in 2017.

Under Steven Schumacher, The Greens were a force to be reckoned with, scoring goals for fun and winning games of football with ease. With no Argyle player scoring over 13 league goals in the season, it was a testament to Schumacher’s style of play and his formation, which allowed for goals to be spread across the team resulting in a special season and one that saw Plymouth promoted back to the Championship for the first time since 2010.

Argyle’s first season back in the second tier saw them struggle to pick up results on a consistent basis and as many had predicted before a ball had been kicked, they were in a relegation battle.

However, by far the biggest change the club had to deal with was Stoke City securing the signature of Steven Schumacher midway through the season. This unexpected change proved challenging for Plymouth as Ian Foster ,followed by Neil Dewsnip, took the reins for the rest of the season.

After a 1-0 victory over Hull City on the final day, it meant they had avoided the drop by 1 point and sent Birmingham City down to League One.

A fresh start was clearly there for all to see ahead of the 24/25 season at Plymouth after a turbulent year at the club. Former Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, was given the task of steadying the ship in Devon – an appointment that would go drastically wrong.

Four league wins in twenty-four games saw Rooney given his marching orders amid fan discontent at the performances on the pitch, leaving Argyle in a precarious position inside the relegation zone.

After being replaced by Miron Muslic, the fans saw a slight improvement in both performances and results but ultimately the club fell just short of survival in the second tier seeing Plymouth Argyle’s two-year stay in the division come to an end.

Sacked In The Morning?

After Muslic left in the summer under unpleasant circumstances for both parties, Argyle were in search of another permanent manager – their 6th in the last 3 years.

Tom Cleverley was chosen to be the man for the job by the board in the hope that he would turn the fortunes of the club round again.

A former Manchester United academy graduate, Cleverley swapped his playing career for a coaching one in the summer of 2023 as head coach of the Watford-U18s. In March 2024, he was rewarded with the task of first-team manager in what would be his first taste of men’s football from the dugout.

Cleverley failed to inspire many in his only full season on the job, guiding Watford to a 15th place finish before being sent packing from Vicarage Road.

Many did not know what to expect from Plymouth this season under a new manager and several new players being acquired but even the most pessimistic fan could not have envisaged how it has played out so far.

Argyle currently sit 21st in League One, joint on points with the three sides above them. Back-to-back 1-0 victories over Wycombe and Rotherham has given The Greens renewed hope that survival could be on the cards for them this season.

However, the consensus among the majority of the fan base is that Cleverley is not fit for purpose in Devon and that they believe a new man should be given the opportunity at the helm.

 

Is it All Cleverley’s fault?

Many would argue that the main problem at present for Plymouth is Cleverley’s current status, but should the board and players themselves be taking more of the heat?

A side that ultimately fell short in the Championship was in need of a rebuild this summer with the mood around the club deteriorating by the day.

The arrival of Lorent Tolaj from Port Vale in a deal worth in excess of £1 million was the clear marquee signing from the board. The departures of both Ryan Hardie and Mustapha Bundu emphasised the gaping hole for a number nine in the Plymouth squad.

Tolaj has had an up and down start to his Argyle career, scoring 8 goals in 17 appearances in League One but a red card in his last league outing, a 3-0 home defeat to Northampton, has seen the striker suspended for the last three matches.

Despite this, the problems lie at the other end of the pitch as Plymouth have conceded the second highest number of goals in the entire league. After conceding a whopping eighty-eight goals in the previous season, this was an area of recruitment that Argyle could not afford to get wrong.

The incomings of Brendan Wiredu from Fleetwood Town and Mathias Ross on a free transfer from Galatasaray are yet to have the desired impact that The Greens were hoping for as they will hope the goals conceded will soon dry up for opponents in the coming weeks.

 

The Extra Mile

It is without doubt that Plymouth Argyle fans have the shortest straw when it comes to travelling for away games and are recognised for having one of the most loyal fanbases within the entire country, but it is evident this mileage also affects the players on the pitch.

Argyle have actually picked up 4 wins from 10 on the road this season in league action which is a decent return so far this season. In previous seasons, this has not been the case.

In their previous 2 seasons within the Championship, Plymouth managed to only record 5 wins across a combined 46 league away games – which for any team makes the task of survival that much harder.

Excluding the local derby with Exeter City this season, Argyle’s next closest away game was a trip to the Cardiff City Stadium – a 320-mile round trip. For the majority of other clubs within this division, this would be among their furthest trips.

Their worst form of the season so far understandably came off the back of 6 straight away games in all competitions due to cup draws and international postponements. This period saw Plymouth lose 5 out of the 6 games, scoring 2 goals in the process and only managing 1 win.

A hand dealt to no other club in the ninety-two but one Plymouth have had to overcome throughout their entire existence and one that will not be used as an excuse if Argyle were to be relegated into the fourth tier for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.