What. On. Earth….has just happened. Not my most conventional opening, but one that pretty aptly sums up my feelings about the return of enigmatic manager Derek Adams to Home Park as Director of Football, six and a half years after the abruptest of abrupt departures.
Chairman Simon Hallett has finally listened to supporters who wanted him to appoint a promotion-winning former manager, but possibly not the one they were expecting back in January! Nor, indeed, in the role of manager.
It’s not that I don’t get it. Argyle’s problems on the field are well known to us all and clearly with the recent departures of Andrew Parkinson, Tom Randle and Stuart Webber, it was inevitable that someone would come in, in an executive role, to assist the clearly overworked David Fox.
But Adams? The man who left in such acrimony in 2019? Maybe it isn’t as crazy as it sounds…
The first thing we can probably all agree on is that this role needs to be filled. I joked in May that only Argyle could conduct a five-month-long search for a Sporting Director only to decide not to fill the role.
Key Takeaways:
- Derek Adams returns to Argyle in a shock move, bringing authority and fan excitement but also past controversies.
- The club gains much needed structure and long-term vision through his experience in modernising recruitment and culture.
- His impact on results and squad morale is uncertain, but his leadership could shape both short-term survival and future success.
Over the summer, the aforementioned quartet of Fox/Parkinson/Randle/Webber all filled the role to some extent although none of them officially had the job title. Now that four have been whittled down to one inexperienced Head of Football Operations, it’s clear somebody is needed to run the football side of the club at a back office level.
Structure & Leadership
Neil Dewsnip wasn’t perfect, but nobody could accuse the club of lacking structure. He was in charge, and everyone knew it. It’s encouraging that some sort of structure and leadership is back. Adams is very clearly no wallflower and will want to similarly set his own agenda.
It is however, impossible to look past the shock and sheer symbolism of Adams’ return. What does it mean for us as a club? Seven years ago, when the club changed ownership, we were at the bottom of League One with Adams at the helm. Now, we are in a very similar place with probably at least triple the budget.
What also can’t be ignored is the nature of his personality. We went down to League One in a blaze of acrimony and bad feeling. Those of us who were at Accrington that fateful day of his final game can hardly forget the vitriolic reception as he left the field.
He had already banned local media from press conferences and refused to speak to the press outright after that final disastrous game. Players had been frozen out and in one case actually mocked the manager on social media. It was the sign of a man who’d totally lost the fans, press and squad.
His intensity clearly created a range of interpersonal issues that were tough for the club to navigate. It’s difficult to know how the new job title could either mitigate these issues or even exacerbate them. There is a chance that given a back office role more removed from the field of play, Adams will be able to take a detached role with less external interaction.
However, even then, there are no guarantees it won’t go sour. A role with more seniority and power gives him more of an opportunity to mould the club in his image.
It’s no secret that Tom Cleverley is under huge pressure and may even be out of his post by the time you read this if results don’t pick up fast. If, like Dewsnip, Adams picks someone who’s essentially his own satellite as new head coach, that could end just as badly. Would it surprise anyone if he essentially appointed himself?
Adams was famous for feuding with his fellow managers during his first tenure at Home Park (and later at Morecambe). Who, really, is going to be keen to take any potential job with an old rival as your boss?
Quite aside from his dominant personality, there is also the question of how smart the appointment actually is. Yes, he’s had successes in management, but in this role Adams is functionally another rookie in the post.
And really, since leaving Argyle, his CV is nothing to write home about. Disastrous spells at Bradford and Ross County have been sandwiched by two Morecambe relegations which, to be fair, had far more to do with the state of their club. It still remains the case that he’s not done well outside of Morecambe since early 2018.
His mode of football too, is often pretty dull and long ball oriented. I don’t say we should necessarily be above that, but it doesn’t fit the previously stated ‘Argyle Way’ mission statement.
All of that being said, I can absolutely see a way it could work. Despite the many drawbacks of his style, most Argyle fans reacted to the hire with overwhelming positivity.
He was given the nickname ‘King Derek’ for a reason. When times were good, they were very, very, good indeed. The run from 24th to 7th with the attacking genius of Carey/Lameiras, for example, demonstrates how multifaceted his football can be.
This is critical, precisely because he’s going to need to take the fanbase with him to succeed. One thing you can’t doubt about Derek Adams is his commitment. Rightly or wrongly, fans feel that too many players in the current squad don’t care enough about losing and aren’t playing to the required standard.
Long Term Leadership
The Scotsman will need the support of the fans if he decides to move on those who aren’t pulling their weight – and the evidence suggests he has exactly that support.
Finally, it’s worth noting that Adams built a club last time not just a team. He implemented analysis, nutrition and modern recruitment techniques to great effect whereas the previous manager John Sheridan was much more old school. These kinds of ‘club-building’ techniques lend him well to the role. He laid the groundwork on which Lowe/Schumacher built.
Really, there are two questions to be asked. Will he provide a significant short-term boost as either Director of Football or caretaker manager to lift the club out of the drop zone?
And then, will he be able to provide the right long term leadership that allows a thriving culture of success such as that which we had in the early 2020s?
It certainly won’t be boring to witness!
