Inside the Chaos: How it All Went Wrong for This South-Coast Club

Inside the Chaos: How it All Went Wrong for This South-Coast Club

It is starting to become a regular feature for EFL clubs to suffer back-to-back relegations, but for Plymouth Argyle – a team who had such high hopes for a successful season back in League One – it has come as a huge surprise.

A poor start to their League One campaign sees them in 22nd place after 14 games - having won just four while losing nine. Young boss Tom Cleverley has cited many different reasons as to why his side's performances are not up to scratch, all of which we are about to dive right into, so strap in and get ready for the sad decline in Plymouth Argyle.

”So Far Off Level”

This is what Cleverley had to say following his team’s miserable exit from the FA Cup last weekend, as their poor season continued with a first-round defeat at Adams Park to Wycombe Wanderers.

It was a game where Plymouth really lacked any finishing or attacking quality - they were outplayed by the better team, as a second-half Cauley Woodrow double put the Chairboys into the hat for round two at the expense of Argyle.

One major thing that Cleverley has admitted is that the quality from the Pilgrims hasn’t quite been shown so far this season, saying to PlymouthLive: ”From a quality perspective I thought they were much better than us.”

He also said, “We wanted a reaction from our last three league games, we needed a reaction, and I think we were nowhere near it in any respect.”

Unsavoury scenes at full time

Shame #pafc pic.twitter.com/yFWJgjMvkU

— Owen (@DykesyPAFC) November 1, 2025

The defeat to Wycombe was enough for the fans, who are quickly beginning to believe that Cleverley has had his time and that there are not enough obvious signs that the ex-Manchester United midfielder will turn things around. Boos are ringing in the away end, and now there is huge pressure on the Argyle board to make the right choice and decide Cleverley’s future.

The bitter scenes at full-time showed Plymouth players Conor Hazard and Lorient Tolaj in a tense exchange with the angry away supporter, with the players having to be pulled away by teammates.

Youth Recruitment Not Working

Argyle achieved signatures of 15 new talent this season – one was 33-year-old Jamie Paterson; however, 11 of these players were all 24 years of age or younger, showing their emphasis and trust in the youth system.

Furthermore, of course, Cleverley, 36, signed as manager for the 2025/26 season, showing the Plymouth higher-ups were not afraid to trust the youth in management roles either.

However, this recruitment strategy simply has not worked, not even partially. We have seen these types of recruitment strategies work at other clubs around the world; however, in leagues as competitive as those encompassed by the EFL, with how demanding a season is and how tough it can be mentally, we are clearly seeing how badly it can all go wrong for a club with such high aspirations.

Another issue with the Pilgrims' signings is their ability to gel and play with one another. They put pen to paper with players arriving from clubs such as Coventry, Bristol City and Charlton (all currently top eight in the Championship), and even Galatasaray, yet these players are unable to work in tandem and earn results.

Ability for Comebacks

Yet another worrying sign for Plymouth is the lack of fight they show when playing from a losing position. Although they have dropped just five points from winning positions – a number which is perfectly respectable at this stage – they have won a total of zero points this season when falling behind in games.

They did defeat Queen’s Park Rangers despite going two goals down in the EFL Cup; however, they are yet to show any fight when falling behind in the league. This could be for many reasons – but what comes up again is the young heads in the squad.

This abundance of young players in the squad have no experience in fighting back after going down a goal or two, a trait, or lack thereof, that affects the team as a whole. Even in big rivalry matches such as their visit to Exeter, Plymouth showed no real signs of getting back into the game, and the goals they conceded were really poor.

Can Things Improve?

The Pilgrims’ goal differential currently stands at -8, having scored 17 goals. This goal frequency is not a number to worry about, considering they have netted more goals than eight of the bottom 10 in League One.

Their issue lies in the 25 goals conceded. This has been a problem since last season, when they conceded 88 goals in the Championship, 15 more than any other side, and it is an issue which still hasn’t been resolved. Investment must be put into a stronger defensive coach or some proven defensive talent who can form a more stubborn backline less likely to fold at the first sign of trouble.

Plymouth have shown their quality at times, and they certainly attain the ability to compete and string wins together; however, time is running out for Cleverley, and the fans have definitely shared their thoughts.

This next month will be crucial for the Pilgrims, as they play a mixture of sides ranging from relegation rivals to ones pushing for promotion early on. It would be devastating to watch a club like Plymouth fall back into League Two, and I personally do not want to see this happen. This is why an immediate decision on Cleverley's future is paramount - if they fire him soon and potentially find someone proven in the division to lift Plymouth back up the standings into a safe position.