Plymouth Argyle pipped Ipswich Town to the League One title last season, but the two teams have been fighting at opposite ends of the table in the Championship. Alex Jones takes a look at the Pilgrims ahead of today's game.
Managerial madness
Plymouth fans know that sinking feeling. Everything’s going well, you’re over performing, then the news hits. Your exciting young manager is about to move to a different club.
It happened with Ryan Lowe, who left Home Park to join Preston North End in December 2021. His replacement, Steven Schumacher, guided them to promotion last season, but he was poached by Stoke City.
Lowe came under immense pressure earlier in the season, but now has Preston challenging for a top-six finish once again. Schumacher, on the other hand, is currently sitting in the relegation zone with the Potters, seven places and five points behind his former team.
It shows that the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere, but clubs with more history, bigger transfer budgets and better facilities will appeal to most managers. It often splits the fanbase, with some understanding the decision to move on while others harbour resentment as a result. It’s always hard when a manager leaves your club high and dry out of nowhere, especially for a side that look to be in a worse position on paper.
Luckily, the Pilgrims have a very good record of finding replacements.
A slick transition
When Lowe left for Deepdale, assistant manager Schumacher was the obvious choice to step up. When Schumacher left for Stoke, finding a replacement wasn’t as easy.
Scott Parker was the clear favourite at the time, with Gus Poyet, John Eustace, Michael Duff and former Town boss Paul Cook all listed by the bookies. Many supporters were keen on Neil Warnock, who led Argyle to promotion from the Third Division back in 1996.
In the end, they went for Ian Foster, who spent most of his playing career in the lower leagues of English football. His coaching pathway started in Ireland at Galway United and Dundalk, but he returned to England in 2012, citing family circumstances.
His biggest success came at Coventry City, where he began working with the Under-18 and Under-21 squads before being appointed first team coach following the departure of Mark Robins in 2013. He oversaw development of a number of players who went on to earn full international honours, including James Maddison, Callum Wilson, John Fleck and Cyrus Christie.
A stint at Portsmouth, ironically working under Cook, preceded his time at with the FA, where he worked his way through numerous roles. He managed England from Under-18 to Under-20 level, while also assisting Phil Neville during his time with England Women. He ended up leaving to join Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq in July 2023, but left after just five months.
Arriving at Plymouth, Foster made the decision to stick with a winning formula. He hasn’t changed too much of what Schumacher had done in the first half of the season, and the transition has been pretty seamless as a result. The appointment looks be to be a success based on his first two months in charge.
Look up or look down?
Plymouth are currently stuck in a weird position. As mentioned, they sit five points above the relegation zone, but they’re also four points off the top half. What battle are they fighting?
The play-offs seem far-fetched. Overturning a 15-point gap with 12 games to go would be a monumental achievement. That being said, there’s no reason why they can’t finish in the top 12, which would be fantastic for a club with their resources.
It’s important to remember that this is a club that lost Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Finn Azaz and Luke Cundle in January. All three were recalled from loan, forcing Plymouth to act fast in the transfer window. Of course, those losses have hurt, but they haven’t let it derail their season.
That being said, a couple of bad results could see them dragged into the relegation battle. The likes of Blackburn Rovers, Huddersfield Town, QPR and Sheffield Wednesday have begun to find some form, while Millwall are expected to have a resurgence with new boss Neil Harris.
They certainly have to be wary of what’s going on below, but they have more than enough quality to seal their spot in next season’s Championship.
Key players
With Azaz out of the building, Morgan Whittaker is the star man. The 23-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements by Swansea, who allowed him to leave after a successful loan spell at Home Park. The Welsh club might be regretting that, as he has 17 goals and seven assists to his name so far this season, attracting attention from the Premier League and Serie A.
His success means that Ryan Hardie has gone somewhat under the radar. The Scottish striker has played just 28 games so far this season, but he‘s managed to register 12 goals and four assists.
Former Norwich City man Bali Mumba has seen his minutes cut since Foster’s arrival, but his quality is clear for all to see. Town fans won’t forget the 93rd-minute screamer at Portman Road last season, but he did score an own-goal in the reverse fixture back in October.
Although Mustapha Bundu has started just three games for Argyle, his incredible backstory is worth a mention. Born in Sierra Leone, he obtained a student visa to study at Hartpury College after starting his youth career at the now defunct Craig Bellamy Academy.
Whilst visiting a friend, he made a single appearance for Newquay on 23 August 2015, scoring twice off the bench in a 2–2 draw against Ivybridge Town in the South West Peninsula League. Their manager, Sash Wheatman, said Bundu was ‘the best player he's had the privilege of watching at this level of football’, adding that his introduction was ‘like bringing on Ronaldo or Gareth Bale’.
He went on to join Hereford, but work authorisation restrictions meant that he couldn’t play for a club higher than step five of the English non-league pyramid. As a result, he left the country to move around Europe, playing for the likes of Anderlecht and Copenhagen before joining Plymouth on transfer deadline day last summer. His career to date has been truly remarkable.
Team news
There isn’t a great deal to report in terms of team news for Plymouth. Adam Forshaw remains an injury doubt, although the former Norwich man could still make his return today after missing the trip to Teesside.
Whether Foster opts to shuffle the pack after beating Middlesbrough remains to be seen. The back three of Julio Pleguezuelo, Lewis Gibson and Brendan Galloway is unlikely to change, while Adam Randell and Jordan Houghton have established a strong partnership in midfield.
It leaves left wing as the only real question mark. Leeds United loanee Darko Gyabi started there against Michael Carrick’s men, but Alfie Devine has been the regular starter. It’s also hard to look past Mumba despite his lack of game time, given his extra motivation to play against Ipswich, but does he change a winning formula?
Foster has certainly got some tough decisions to make.
Possible XI: 3-4-3: Hazard; Pleguezuelo, Gibson, Galloway; Sorinola, Randell, Houghton, Miller; Whittaker, Hardie, Gyabi
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