Claim made on what Simon Hallett has done at Plymouth Argyle - it's "not just bad luck" | OneFootball

FLW's Pilgrims Fan Pundit was asked how happy he is with the current ownership situation at the club - and he didn't hold back

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Simon Hallett has been given a disappointing "4 out of 10" rating as Plymouth Argyle chairman, with claims he’s made some "pretty poor decisions".

In truth, it’s perhaps hard for Argyle fans not to be frustrated with the decision-making that has overseen one of English football's most recent collapses over the past two seasons.

That’s why FLW spoke with our Pilgrims Fan Pundit, Luke Hodge, who was asked how happy he is with Hallett’s current ownership situation on a scale of 1-10 and why.

Plymouth Argyle's ownership situation under Simon Hallett is "really poor"

Hodge acknowledged that whilst he respects Hallett's tenure overall, the recent years have been troubling. "I'd have to give that a four," the Fan Pundit said when asked to rate the current ownership situation on a scale of one to ten.

"It's tough because I really like Simon Hallett and I think he's done a fantastic job since he's been in," Hodge added.

When Hallett switched from Argyle’s majority owner to chairman in 2018, he did so with huge ambition. The American-based businessman and his wife Jane had committed substantial resources - including £4.1m for the new Grandstand at Home Park - to bringing the Greens back to the Championship for the first time in decades.

Yes, that goal was ultimately achieved before the recent collapse, but the path Argyle has been on since reaching the second tier has proven a disaster, with Hodge claiming Hallett is to blame for Plymouth's decline.

Hodge said: "The current situation, over the past two or three seasons, it’s been really poor.

"There have been some really poor decisions made and, you know, it’s pretty evident with the decline on the pitch the club’s found itself in."

The reason why Plymouth Argyle are in a "mess" with Simon Hallett

Plymouth won promotion to the Championship in 2023, yet have since been relegated back to League One after two seasons and now find themselves very close to the fourth-tier.

For Argyle fans like Hodge, the scenario of back-to-back relegations would’ve appeared unthinkable just eighteen months ago, which the Fan Pundit did not just put down to "bad luck".

"From Championship football, some really good players, and now nearly bottom of League One, looking like we’ll potentially be getting relegated down to League Two," Hodge explained.

"That’s not just bad luck, that’s just some pretty poor decision-making from managerial appointments to recruitment."

The Devonshire-based club has turned to four different managers across the past two years - and this revolving door approach has left the fans clearly frustrated. The longest-serving out of Ian Foster, Wayne Rooney, Miron Muslic and Tom Cleverley has been the final, which seems to sum it up.

As for recruitment, no players signed under either Foster or Muslic are still at the club, and the only Rooney signing that remains in Devon is Kornel Szucs. Given the fact that their club-record signing Michael Baidoo is no longer at the club as well, and he only joined last January, recruitment has been dire.

"It's just been a bit of a mess over the last couple of years, and as it currently stands I'll have to give it only four out of ten," Hodge concluded.

Ultimately, the four out of ten suggests neither complete rejection nor confidence in ownership, but rather a recognition that the current trajectory under Hallett is deeply concerning.