Double Plymouth Argyle manager decision turned into a Home Park nightmare | OneFootball

Simon Hallet and the Argyle faithful will want to forget two recent managerial mishaps

After regaining their Championship status in the summer of 2023, Plymouth Argyle looked to immediately consolidate their position back in the second-tier after a lengthy spell in the EFL's lower reaches.

The Green Army had steadily rebuilt themselves from a struggling League One and League Two outfit at the turn of the decade, winning promotion from the fourth-tier in 2019/20 before steadily progressing into the third-tier under Ryan Lowe and his assistant, Steven Schumacher.

After Lowe opted for a move to Preston North End in late 2021, Argyle narrowly missed out on a play-off berth during Schumacher's first half-season in charge, before asserting themselves as serious and sustained promotion contenders the following season.

After landing major coups such as Bali Mumba, Morgan Whittaker and Finn Azaz - all of whom would eventually become permanent buys - the Devon club edged Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday to the title in one of the most pulsating promotion races ever seen, returning to the Championship after accumulating 101 points.

After a respectable start to the 2023/24 season, it was no surprise that Schumacher, already highly-rated, was gaining attention from clubs with greater aims and reputations, eventually moving to Stoke City in December 2023.

However, those at Home Park - specifically Simon Hallet - won't want reminding of two high-profile managerial mishaps which followed, starting a downward spiral.

Despite the shock of losing Schumacher, it was a welcome gamble when Ian Foster was appointed as his successor, with Argyle sat 16th at the time.

Foster had previously overseen the development of some of English football's current stars in charge of the Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 age brackets for the Three Lions, winning the European Championship with the latter in 2022.

After defeating Sutton United in the FA Cup Third Round, there were also early signs of promise as the Whiston-born man accrued seven points from his first three Championship matches - including victories over Swansea City and Cardiff City, which pushed the Greens up to 15th in the table.

However, that would prove to be as good as it got for Foster in his first full-time managerial role at league level, with Plymouth emerging victorious in just one of his final 11 games in charge as they slid further and further towards the possibility of an immediate return to League One.

Less than three months after his first game in charge, the 48-year-old was relieved of his duties after winning just three games from a possible 14, with Kevin Nancekivell overseeing the final six matches and a final-day escape from the drop-zone after a 1-0 success over Hull City in May 2024.

After preserving the club's second-tier status, supporters hoped that the club would appoint a manager or head coach with proven success at the level. However, Hallet opted for yet another gamble and an even more high-profile name, and it backfired once more

Plymouth Argyle failed to resurrect Wayne Rooney's managerial career with a dismal short-term spell

Just weeks into the off-season, it was confirmed - to the surprise of many - that Wayne Rooney had been given a managerial reprieve by the Devon side after mixed fortunes at Derby County, D.C. United and Birmingham City.

Rooney emerged with credit at Pride Park for giving the Rams a fighting chance of survival after being docked 21 points for entering administration, yet was pinpointed as the catalyst for Blues' downfall from sixth-place to relegation at Plymouth's expense, winning two games out of 15 between October 2023 and January 2024.

“We know that his win-loss ratio is not particularly attractive, but actual results are not a terribly good way of looking at how much of an impact a manager has had on a team," Hallet stated at the time.

After being on the end of a 4-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday during his first game in charge, Rooney was given the occasional glimmer of hope with victories over Sunderland, Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers at Home Park.

However, the last of his four victories in charge would come against Portsmouth in early November, with his side accumulating just three further points in the following nine games, during which 26 goals were shipped.