Exclusive: Sky pundit makes Plymouth Argyle claim ahead of Exeter City - "Tom Cleverley's not daft" | OneFootball

The Greens will hope to use Thursday's 'Devon Derby' as a springboard for momentum

Sky Sports pundit and EFL expert Don Goodman believes the Plymouth Argyle hierarchy should remain patient with Tom Cleverley, irrespective of what plays out in Thursday night's 'Devon derby' against bitter rivals, Exeter City.

The upcoming televised clash at St James Park will be the first meeting between the Grecians and Pilgrims since 15th April 2023, when a Matt Butcher strike saw the visitors claim a vital three points as they closed in on the League One title under the management of Steven Schumacher.

However, fast-forward two-and-a-half years, and the Greens are yet to showcase their potential as a dominant side within the third tier once again after being relegated out of the Championship alongside current leaders, Cardiff City and fellow inconsistent outfit, Luton Town.

Plenty of eyes have been cast on developments at Home Park as a result, particularly after Cleverley was intriguingly named as Miron Muslic's successor in pre-season, just weeks after the 36-year-old became one of the latest victims of the Pozzo family's scattergun approach to proceedings at former club, Watford, despite a dismal run of form in the latter stages of last season at Vicarage Road.

Luck hasn't fully been on Cleverley's side since taking the reins in the South West, either.

Several injury and suspension absences haven't enabled the former England international midfielder to call upon a settled starting lineup across all departments, which has led to an extremely inconsistent opening two months of his reign.

Such fortunes only continued last weekend with a 2-1 home defeat to AFC Wimbledon. However, Goodman believes he should be afforded the time to address the situation and make Plymouth an eventually uber-competitive force.

It is so often viewed in the lead-up to a local derby that prior form goes 'out the window'. However, that isn't quite the outlook which Goodman has taken when assessing the Greens' current predicament, with Cleverley's men ranked seventh in terms of points accumulated across the past six league encounters - the same tally as Cardiff, who top the table at this moment in time.

After being handed a three-year contract in June, the ex-Manchester United man also oversaw a major squad overhaul, with a handful of new signings already making significant impressions - in particular, Lorent Tolaj, who has scored seven times in his first 10 appearances since moving from Port Vale.

As such, Goodman exclusively told Football League World that he has full confidence in Cleverley to become a Home Park success over time, despite the fact they are currently 11 points behind the play-off places.

"There's no doubt that the Devon derby against Exeter is a huge game," he said. "It always has been and it always will be.

"I do think Plymouth are a club that are very patient with their managers, and you've got to remember this is a new manager and a group of lots of new players still finding their feet, who got off to the most horrific start.

"Over the last eight games, I think Cardiff have taken the most points in League One (16) along with a few other clubs, and Plymouth have taken 13," Goodman explained. "So, only three points less than the best teams in the league over the last eight games.

"You need to look at the big picture. It's a project. Tom Cleverley's not daft, he's been around football a long time now, and he knows that time eventually runs out.

"The expectations of Plymouth this season would be to be challenging towards the top, and it's a results-based business. Tom will know that results are required.

"I think it's way too early to start pressing, or thinking about pressing the 'panic' button," the Sky pundit explained.

"I think patience should be the order of the day. And, I'm confident that Tom Cleverley would be able to turn this situation around."

Exeter City clash could provide a much-needed spark for Plymouth Argyle

As far as seasons go for Plymouth and Exeter, the Devon derby is, undoubtedly, the biggest game of the season as a stand-alone occasion, and it could provide a springboard for either team to kick on after inconsistent starts.

Ironically, the two sides have a near-enough identical record, aside from the fact Gary Caldwell's side have played one more league encounter than Argyle due to international call-ups which saw a recent away clash with Mansfield Town rescheduled.

When assessing the two squads on paper, many would argue that Cleverley has the better at his disposal, albeit Exeter have plenty of experienced figures among their ranks that will certainly play their part in an entertaining matchup.

However, there's no doubt that, should Argyle take maximum points from this game, it would certainly ease the early pressure on Cleverley's shoulders and provide a potential springboard for momentum with 33 games remaining afterwards.