Plymouth Argyle warning issued to Tom Cleverley by ex-Premier League manager after Derek Adams return | OneFootball

Phil Brown believes Tom Cleverley's job at Plymouth Argyle could be under threat after the return of former manager Derek Adams.

Pundit Phil Brown believes Tom Cleverley should be fearing for his job at Plymouth Argyle after former manager Derek Adams returned to the club as director of football.

Cleverley took over as Plymouth head coach in the summer when he replaced Miron Muslic following the club's relegation from the Championship, but it has been a nightmare start to life at Home Park for the 36-year-old.

Despite being tipped to be one of the promotion contenders, the Pilgrims sit bottom of the League One table and are currently four points from safety, and they suffered their sixth straight defeat in all competitions as they were beaten 1-0 at League Two side Bristol Rovers in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night.

Cleverley received public backing from the Argyle hierarchy last month, but the vote of confidence has done little to improve his side's form, and as the Devon outfit attempt to turn around their fortunes, former manager Adams made a surprise return to the club this week as director of football.

Adams, who has been out of work since being sacked by National League side Morecambe in August, had a successful spell as Plymouth manager between 2015 and 2019, during which he led them to promotion from League Two, and the club claim he will "manage the men’s first-team structure" and provide "strategic guidance rather than day-to-day coaching responsibilities".

While Cleverley admitted that he is "not silly" and can see why people would see Adams' arrival as a threat to his job, he insisted that he feels "secure enough" at the club and is "looking forward" to working with the Scot, who he believes will be a useful "soundboard" for him and his coaching staff.

Phil Brown reveals Tom Cleverley fear after Derek Adams, Plymouth Argyle return

Former Hull City and Preston North End manager Brown, who is currently in charge of National League North side Peterborough Sports, urged Cleverley to accept the help Adams can provide given his vast experience in the game, but he admitted the Plymouth head coach should be worried about his position.

"He has to be looking over his shoulder, if he's not, he's being foolish because that's part of management," Brown said on the BBC's Football Daily podcast.

"You've got to know what's going on around you.

"He's got to accept that the board have brought Derek Adams in as a director of football to help, first and foremost, but he won't able to.

"He won't be able to think that way.

"He'll be thinking, 'hold on a second, a former manager is in town again, and he's coming in to help me, how's that going to happen?'

"He is obviously a young manager, he has to accept that.

"The help will come if he accepts it, but if he doesn't accept it, there's only one road and Derek will take over because he won't get the results.

"He's got to listen to people, he's got to trust people, he's got to understand that he's in a bit of a sticky situation, and the only way to get out of that is winning games of football.

"There's only one person at the football club who knows how to do that and that's Derek Adams."

Adams' time as Plymouth manager turned sour towards the end of the tenure as the club headed towards relegation from League One, but he is a hugely popular figure at Home Park, and his return as director of football has been widely welcomed by the fanbase.

Cleverley was backed by the Pilgrims' hierarchy just a few weeks ago, but as his side's losing run goes on, pressure from supporters is continuing to build, and it is difficult to disagree with Brown that the presence of Adams does put his job under increasing threat.

Given that Adams suffered relegation from League Two with Morecambe in his last managerial role, albeit in incredibly difficult circumstances, there are question marks over whether he would be the right man to succeed Cleverley if a change is made, but an experienced pair of hands could be exactly what Argyle need to get them out of their current predicament.