Plymouth Argyle have struck gold with off-pitch news - it can help stop relegation to League Two | OneFootball

Derek Adams has returned to Home Park at a critical time for the Greens.

Plymouth Argyle have endured the most disastrous and unthinkable start to life back in League One under Tom Cleverley, with back-to-back relegations a clear and obvious possibility.

It has been an extremely tumultuous 12-month period at Home Park, which was kickstarted by Wayne Rooney's departure last December after a nine-game winless run, before now-Schalke 04 boss, Miron Muslic, reinstalled some form of belief and optimism in this part of Devon.

Despite an eventual relegation from the Championship, the Austrian's departure came as a rather big blow, with Plymouth's instability, which has been evident ever since Steven Schumacher's departure two years ago, continued.

However, it's fair to say that Simon Hallet's appointment of Cleverley was met with an equal sense of optimism, with supporters believing the former England midfielder could turn the tide and mount an immediate play-off bid at the very least, despite the fact a summer of high turnover would ensue.

Yet, three months into the campaign, the former Watford boss, who was harshly treated according to some at Vicarage Road, is still yet to endear himself to an extremely tense, frustrated and divided fanbase, who are well-known for the lengths they commit to in order to follow their side.

A 3-1 defeat at Huddersfield Town on Saturday saw Argyle slump to the bottom of League One, with many continuing to call for Cleverley's head as a result.

However, the off-pitch appointment of former promotion-winning boss, Derek Adams, could be the spark required in order to immediately and drastically change the club's fortunes.

Derek Adams was largely successful as Plymouth Argyle manager

Throughout his managerial career, the Scot is best known for multiple stints in charge of Ross County and Morecambe, with the Glaswegian seeing his third spell with the Shrimpers ended in August following a well-documented takeover by Panjab Warriors.

However, whilst not everything fully went according to script during a three-year spell in Devon, Adams was still relatively successful during his tenure as Argyle boss.

After John Sheridan's reign ended with defeat to Wycombe Wanderers in the League Two play-off semi-finals, Adams was handed his first managerial role in the English game at Home Park in the summer of 2015, immediately making Plymouth a stronger force within the promotion race.

Unfortunately, his first season would end in heartbreak on two counts, as the Greens missed out on automatic promotion by just four points before losing to AFC Wimbledon at Wembley Stadium.

However, such disappointment would only add extra desire within Adams and his team, as they returned to League One for the first time in six years, coming second on goal difference alone, with promotion secured through a 6-1 demolition of Newport County in April 2017.

"The city is thriving, the population is around about 300,000-350,000 and that's only in close proximity. We had a full house of 14,000 [against Newport County] and we take on average about 1,000-1,500 to away games," Adams said afterwards.

"They've been in the Championship and they've fallen through the divisions after being in administration and they want to try to get back to League One and we've been able to deliver that."

Plymouth then came mightily close to achieving a play-off berth in League One the following year, before Adams' reign ended in dismal fashion, as he was sacked in April 2019 with relegation back to League Two inevitable.

However, he is now back in familiar surroundings after being appointed as Director of Football, and it could be a masterstroke with there still plenty of time left for Plymouth to climb the table.

Derek Adams' experience could be of huge benefit to Tom Cleverley

Adams' return to Home Park has split opinions, but it could certainly help Cleverley, who, in the eyes of many, has looked broken and defeatist in recent games.

The 36-year-old angered supporters with his post-match comments after Saturday's latest defeat in West Yorkshire, as they sit four points adrift of safety with 31 games remaining.

Luck regarding injuries and suspensions hasn't helped his case at times, with a largely new and inexperienced squad unable to fully mould as a result, despite the best efforts of summer recruit, Lorent Tolaj, who has netted seven times in 15 encounters.

Having a figure who understands what makes the fans tick and what is required to succeed at this level, despite mixed fortunes and expectation levels at Plymouth and Morecambe, makes this an extremely understandable appointment, in the short-term at least.

The January window is less than two months away too, meaning Adams will certainly have his feet under the table when it comes to identifying targets who can be of assistance to help Argyle out of the current situation.