Tom Cleverley told to quit Plymouth Argyle job - he's been "more disappointing than Wayne Rooney" | OneFootball

FLW's Plymouth Argyle fan pundit has compared Tom Cleverley's time with the club to Wayne Rooney

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…

Tom Cleverley’s position at Plymouth Argyle remains under intense pressure following their 3-1 loss to Huddersfield Town this past weekend.

The Pilgrims have endured a miserable start to life back in League One, having been relegated from the Championship last season.

Cleverley was appointed as manager in the summer, taking charge after Miron Muslic departed, and he was tasked with the aim of guiding the Devon outfit back to the second tier.

But just four wins from their opening 15 fixtures has left them bottom of the table, four points adrift of safety in these early stages of the term.

Plymouth have lost their last four league games in a row, and have not won any of their last six fixtures in the third tier - and fans are calling for Cleverley's dismissal as head coach.

Tom Cleverley urged to quit Plymouth Argyle as Pilgrims go bottom of League One

When asked if Cleverley has been a worse appointment as manager than Wayne Rooney, FLW’s Plymouth fan pundit Luke Hodge claimed that the current manager has been more disappointing.

He believes that Cleverley has not been good enough from the opening 15 league games, particularly due to the expectation that had been set through his time at Watford, and has been told to resign.

“I wouldn't necessarily say he’s been a worse appointment than Wayne Rooney because that didn’t go particularly well,” Hodge told Football League World.

“But, for me, it’s definitely more disappointing than Wayne Rooney because Cleverley came with a season at Watford where, to stay that long at that club is unheard of because they change managers for fun.

“And also, the feeling from the Watford fans when he went, they were gutted, and I understand why because he is a top bloke, always comes across as a really nice bloke.

“But, managerial-wise, 15 games in, it's been incredibly disappointing.

“The most losses, the most goals conceded, we don’t know what team he’s going to put out from one week to the next.

“I know he’s had injuries and a lot of changes on and off the pitch, which hasn’t helped him, but he keeps banging on about going back to basics, yet one week from the next we’re tweaking formations, we’re playing different players in different positions, we’re playing right-wingers sometimes at right-wing-back and it just seems to be all over the shop.

“And the table doesn’t lie.

“He was asked to be judged over 15 games, well it’s 15 games now and unfortunately he needs to walk or we need to get rid, because I think he lacks the motivation and the characteristics to be able to get this side out of the hole they’re currently in."

Hodge has cited recruitment issues as a significant factor behind the team’s decline in recent months, and believes a more experienced manager is now needed in order to turn things around.

“I still genuinely believe that we have the quality to be out of that bottom four, we have got four or five players that were regularly playing under Miron Muslic last season where we actually played quite well.

“And then you’ve got the likes of Lorent Tolaj, Bradley Ibrahim, there’s other players, Tegan Finn coming through the ranks and whatnot, Law McCabe, that are well capable of holding their own in a League One division.

“What’s really hindered us is the recruitment in terms of physicality and experience, that’s glaringly obvious.

“We’re getting bullied in games and this young side, the lack of experience the minute we go one down they go hiding, their lack the rabbit in headlights.

“We could say that’s just down to recruitment, but it’s also down to Tom Cleverley to pick these people up, dust themselves down and do what he’s got to do to get the team back on track.

“And at the moment he looks broken, it’s gone from bad to worse.

“For me, he needs to walk or we need to get rid as soon as possible, and I wish him well in whatever he does in the future.

“But we need an experienced manager to come in now, we’ve spent too long trying to get that young, up and coming manager, and find that gem.

“But, for us, we need to change it and get an experienced man in and get us out of the hole we’re currently in.”

Plymouth have earned 13 points from their opening 15 fixtures in League One, which has left them bottom of the table and four points behind 20th place Leyton Orient.

Next up for Cleverley’s side in the third tier is a trip to face Port Vale on 22 November in a 12.30pm kick-off, giving them some time to prepare for their next league clash.

Plymouth Argyle have been far below expectations under Tom Cleverley - Fans have turned on him

There are more factors behind Plymouth’s disappointing form than just Cleverley’s work as manager, but he is still a major contributor.

A change in manager might now be needed, as he’s not shown much in 15 games to suggest he has a handle on the squad or an idea of how to get the best out of them, and Plymouth are seeing both Blackpool and Peterborough United turn their fortunes around after hiring Ian Evatt and Luke Williams respectively.

Cleverley did well enough with Watford relative to his predecessors, but his time at Home Park has almost been as bad as Rooney’s.

It’s been a real mixed bag for managerial appointments at Plymouth between those two and Muslic, so perhaps going for someone more experienced would help get the club out of this situation in the short-term.