Exclusive: Sky pundit issues worrying claim on Tom Cleverley's Plymouth Argyle future | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle are on a worrying run of form

Tom Cleverley has suffered a tough start to his time as Plymouth Argyle manager.

The Pilgrims returned to League One with hopes of a promotion battle that could immediately restore their place in the Championship, but that hasn’t proven to be the case.

Argyle lost their first four league clashes of the season, which piled immediate pressure on Cleverley, before a run of four victories in their next third-tier outings rectified the situation somewhat.

There was hope that the worrying form present at the start of the term was simply a blip, and that Plymouth could now start to slowly progress up the table.

However, the Pilgrims have been defeated in their last three league matches, dropping them into the relegation zone with pressure now ramping up on Cleverley to turn things around once again.

Don Goodman fears for Tom Cleverley amid Plymouth Argyle’s poor form

In a division that has four sides relegated after 46 matches, no time can be wasted, affording managers more opportunities to turn things around if it becomes evident that they aren’t suitable for the job.

Cleverley was relieved of his duties as Watford boss at the end of last season after failing to impress and could soon suffer the same fate at Home Park if results don’t drastically improve.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World with the 36-year-old’s current form in mind, Sky Sports pundit and former EFL striker, Don Goodman, believes that Plymouth’s boss has shown shoots of promise in his current job, but admits that the most important thing is getting points on the board.

“It has been such a mixed bag of results for Tom Cleverley,” stated Goodman. "They have been so inconsistent just when you thought they were getting it going. It's turned a little bit sour again.

“You do fear for Tom. He’s been in the game so long, he knows that it's a results-based business and he knows that he needs to start winning games of football. The flip side of that is that Plymouth are notoriously patient with managers. You only have to look at Wayne Rooney last season.

“The difference is this is a different level and Plymouth are expected to be challenging at the top of League One, whereas they wouldn't have been last season in terms of the Championship; it was all about survival.

“It's a difficult situation. I hope they can turn it around, but Tom will know that unless results turn very quickly, he's going to be out of a job.”

Plymouth Argyle’s upcoming league fixtures aren’t favourable for Tom Cleverley

During such a tumultuous period in the season when Plymouth Argyle are in desperate need of a win, Cleverley would hope to look to the fixture list and spot some potential opportunities to get back on track.

However, the Pilgrims face Huddersfield Town and Bradford City in their next two matches, which could spell doom for the 36-year-old.

Both of these sides have immense quality in their ranks and also need to make sure they are beating Argyle to sustain promotion charges.

Getting a victory from either of these clashes will be tough for Plymouth and could end with them continuing their losing streak to five matches. In this eventuality, it would be increasingly tough for Cleverley to remain in his position.