Plymouth Argyle told Neil Warnock won't be the answer - Tom Cleverley recently retained backing | OneFootball

FLW’s Plymouth Argyle fan pundit has outlined whether he would welcome back a return to Home Park for Neil Warnock if the club sacks Tom Cleverley.

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…

Plymouth Argyle have had a disastrous start on their return to League One, and are firmly in a relegation battle.

After an overhaul of the playing squad and coach following relegation from the Championship, the Devonshire outfit have failed to adapt to the challenges of returning to the third-tier, currently sitting 22nd in the league and two points from safety.

Tom Cleverley’s men have been on a dismal run of form lately, which has seen the team be winless from their last four and suffering three straight defeats, including against bitter rivals Exeter City.

Few could have predicted Plymouth would fall this far under the former Watford boss, and calls are growing louder for the 36-year-old to be replaced.

However, in a club statement, Chief Executive Paul Berne said that Cleverley has the full backing to turn this around, believing further changing of personnel isn’t needed, given the club has suffered much instability since dropping out of the Championship.

But if results carry on the way they’re going, it could be very easy for the hierarchy to change their tune and pull the trigger, so some replacements must be considered in the event of this happening.

When in need of a firefighter, legendary manager Neil Warnock springs to mind. The now 76-year-old hasn’t been seen in the dugout since 2024, when he took on an interim role with Scottish outfit Aberdeen. Since, he’s been football adviser at Torquay United.

But Warnock does have a deep connection to Home Park, managing the team between 1995 and 1997, securing promotion to Division Two and being adored by Pilgrims supporters.

With this in mind, FLW’s Plymouth Argyle fan pundit has outlined whether he would welcome back a return for Warnock should the club relieve Cleverley of his duties.

Speaking to Football League World, Plymouth Argyle fan pundit Luke Hodge believes that appointing Neil Warnock wouldn’t be in the long-term interest of the club, and insists he isn’t the answer despite his legendary status at Home Park.

Luke said: “Neil Warnock isn’t for me.

“He’s been an amazing manager at Argyle in the past, and he’s done brilliantly in his career, but he’s 76-years-old now, and I don’t think it’s a step in the right direction.

“If it's in terms of getting someone to keep us, then I’d still give the job on a temporary basis to Kevin Nancekivell and Joe Edwards, but I don’t think Neil Warnock will be the answer to the long-term managerial position of the club.

“He’s a legend, but no, it wouldn’t be on for me.”

The toxicity at Plymouth Argyle is increasing with the poor run of results that have ensued under Tom Cleverley.

A continuation of this form and being further cut adrift from safety will make his position untenable, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Plymouth board searching for a successor very soon.

Neil Warnock would be the perfect replacement to help keep the club up to due to his saving graces in the past, most recently in 2023 when he helped steer Huddersfield Town to survival in the second-tier.

But the question is whether this would be just a season-long appointment. Warnock is now 76 and can’t commit to longer-term projects as he gets older.

Despite having such a fantastic bond with the supporters, we saw what happened with Huddersfield after Warnock left, and Plymouth would be running the risk of a similar fate, even if Warnock managed to turn their slide around this term.

If Cleverley is replaced, it has to be with a coach who is invested in a long-term project, but they will have to strike the correct balance between that and a figure who has had previous experience of digging teams out of a relegation-threatened mess.