What Tom Cleverley said after Plymouth Argyle's loss to Mansfield has fans reacting - “This confirms he’s not been sacked” | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle fans have reacted on social media to their side's 2-0 away defeat to Mansfield Town on Tuesday evening

Plymouth Argyle were defeated 2-0 at the hands of Mansfield Town at the One Call Stadium on Tuesday night, meaning the Pilgrims have slumped to three defeats in a row and sit in the relegation zone in League One, third from bottom.

To say that it has been a miserable return to League One for Plymouth would be an understatement.

Having spent two seasons in the Championship between 2023 and 2025, the Pilgrims were ultimately relegated back to the third tier at the end of last season under former boss Miron Muslic, who was expected to remain in charge ahead of this campaign.

However, with every expectation that the Bosnian manager would stay at Home Park for this campaign, the former Cercle Brugge gaffer had his head turned by German second division side Schalke, and would swiftly leave Devon for Gelsenkirchen.

This left the Pilgrims in a difficult situation where they were now scrambling for a new manager, and made their disappointment in Muslic known, with a statement reading, "Despite regular communication since the end of the season, and no mention of any issues, Miron has now made it clear that, after extended periods away from his family, this opportunity provides him the chance to be closer to them after four years on the road.

"We are frustrated by this decision, having implemented clear structures, processes and personnel to aid Miron and his coaching staff as we look to return to the Sky Bet Championship at the earliest opportunity.

"Not only that, the club have also moved quickly to bring in new signings and received repeated verbal promises from Miron that he was committed to Argyle and would do everything to help the club bounce back to the second tier.

Plymouth moved for former Watford boss Tom Cleverley, and appointed the 35-year-old on a three-year contract; it hasn't gone exactly to plan since.

Following their loss at Mansfield, Plymouth have slipped into the relegation zone, with pressure increasingly mounting on Cleverley to turn results around sooner rather than later.

In response to Cleverley's post-match interview, Argyle fans did not hold back their disdain for the situation that the club currently finds itself in, with a large portion of the flak being directed towards the former Manchester United and England midfielder.

The Mansfield defeat is seemingly the straw that has broken the camel's back for this Argyle fan, with defeats away at rivals Exeter City and at home to AFC Wimbledon before this match.

Before the beginning of the season, Plymouth would have held real ambitions of an immediate return to the Championship following relegation, but having gone behind first seven times already this season without coming back to earn a single point, there is a clear mentality issue at Home Park that immediately needs addressing.

It's a damning state that the club finds itself in, having defeated both English champions Liverpool and Premier League outfit Brentford just last season, they now find themselves comfortably beaten against Mansfield, as fan expectations have come crashing back down to earth.

Tom Cleverley is running out of time to save his post at Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth is just Cleverley's second job in management, having taken charge of former club Watford for 52 matches between April 2024 and May 2025, averaging 1.27 points per match.

With a record that isn't necessarily anything to write home about, he emerged as the favourite for the Argyle job this summer following Muslic's departure, and was swiftly appointed.

Under his watch, the Pilgrims sit in 22nd place in League One, with four wins, one draw, and nine defeats from 14 matches, leaving them in the drop zone at this stage.

With 25 goals conceded already in the league, that is the joint-most in the entire EFL alongside Cheltenham Town and Bristol Rovers of League Two and crisis-club Sheffield Wednesday of the Championship, with it also being the worst record in League One.

Cleverley must find a way to make his defence more watertight if he is to keep his job, as if they continue to concede goals at this rate, they will be pushing towards nearly 90 goals conceded across the entire campaign.

Three consecutive away trips to Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup, Huddersfield Town in the league, and Bristol Rovers in the League Cup are up next for Argyle, and there is an air of doubt as to whether Cleverley will be in charge for any of them.