Plymouth Argyle struck gold on man who ended Home Park nightmare | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle hit the jackpot by hiring Derek Adams as their manager in 2015.

Plymouth Argyle supporters were handed a reminder of when they struck gold with the appointment of Derek Adams, as the Scot sat down for a lengthy interview with popular EFL reporter Gab Sutton.

The 50-year-old has been out of work since the summer, having been very harshly dismissed from Morecambe under their new ownership, in favour of new head coach Ashvir Singh Johal.

In the meantime, Adams sat down with EFL expert Gab Sutton to discuss his career, which provided a wonderful reminder of his excellent stint at Home Park, which still sees him recognised as a cult hero to this day.

The story of the former Ross County man's time at Argyle is one of stability and success, as he finally ended the club's six-season stint in League Two, and then took them agonisingly close to the League One play-offs the following season.

With Plymouth currently struggling on the pitch, we thought we'd take a look back at a more positive time in the club's recent history, reliving Adams' time with the Greens.

Derek Adams landed gig at Plymouth Argyle after watching one of his former players

Prior to his appointment as Argyle boss, Adams had been a huge success in Scottish football, particularly with Ross County, winning two promotions in two separate stints with the Staggies.

After leaving County in 2014, the Scot told Sutton that he realised the potential of Plymouth when watching a former player of his, Steven Craig, play for Wycombe Wanderers against the Greens in the 2014/15 League Two play-off semi-finals.

A week after Argyle were defeated by the Chairboys, the opportunity arose for Adams to have an interview with the Devon-based side, and the free agent manager jumped at the chance to take on the project.

Adams revealed what caught his eye about the Pilgrims after watching them on TV in the interview, saying: "Plymouth Argyle, the stadium, [and] the atmosphere was fantastic. I thought 'OK, is there more about this football club?

"I spoke to my agent and said, look, this opportunity has come up. Would it be possible to try and put my CV in and find out if we get an interview? And that's what happened."

The interview turned out to be a huge success, with Adams landing the job, citing his ability to work under a budget, which he displayed at Ross County, as the main factor for landing the role, which was his first in English football.

Adams ended Plymouth Argyle's League Two nightmare

Plymouth's faith in Adams and his ability to work on a shoestring budget certainly paid dividends. Free agent Graham Carey was signed, having previously worked with the Scotsman, and would go on to play a crucial role in the side, along with other free signings such as Jake Jervis and Gregg Wylde.

Their new manager would lead them to a play-off final in his first season in charge, after seeing off Portsmouth in the semi-finals with a stoppage-time winner from Peter Hartley, but they would end up losing out to AFC Wimbledon under the arch.

Despite this setback, Adams went on a spree in the summer with his free agent signings, and would pick up even more important players for his squad in the likes of Sonny Bradley, Yann Songo'o, and Jordan Slew.

This would pay off, as Argyle wouldn't need to go through the play-offs this time, finishing second and gaining automatic promotion. His new signings coupled with the form of key players such as Carey and Jervis proved to be the catalyst to finally gaining that elusive promotion.

For his third season in charge, the strategy was the same, retaining the nucleus of the squad, whilst adding quality from the free agent market, which again proved to be a huge success.

Portuguese superstar Ruben Lamerias was signed from Coventry City on a free, with Joe Grant swapping the red of Exeter City for the Green of Plymouth upon the expiration of his contract.

Whilst many newly-promoted sides look to beat the drop in their first season in a new division, Plymouth were very close to getting out of it the right way, finishing seventh, just three points outside the play-offs in their first season back in the third tier for six years.

Adams had really proven his worth at Home Park, with three years of continuous improvement, which resulted in the club finally ending their nightmare six-season spell in League Two.

Adams interview is a wonderful reminder of his sensational stint at Home Park

Whilst Adams' time at the club didn't end as hoped, as he departed towards the end of the 2018-19 after a wretched campaign which saw the Greens relegated, but it certainly doesn't overshadow the stunning work he did to breathe new life into the club.

The 50-year-old's legacy is still talked about at Home Park to this day, with some of his signings becoming cult heroes and even legends, all whilst he respected the constraints of a tight budget.

Adams was the perfect man for the role when it became available in 2015, and Brent played a masterclass by bringing him to the club, and is most likely very grateful he decided to tune in to watch Steven Craig play for Wycombe against the Pilgrims.

Not only did Adams work wonders with the signings, but the way his team played really matched the expectations of the Green Army, playing with confidence and a clear identity, which certainly made him popular with supporters.

He also boasted a tremendous home record, turning Home Park into a fortress which teams feared coming to, utlising that atmosphere he spoke of before taking the job to his side's advantage, which saw the players and supporters in perfect harmony.

All-in-all, the interview with Sutton is a great reminder for the Green Army about how Adams completely revolutionised Plymouth, and built the foundations for Ryan Lowe and Steven Schumacher to take the club even further in the future.