Lowe and behold, it’s actually happened! For the first time in 15 years (since the club appointed Bobby Williamson from Hibernian), Argyle’s managerial appointment has come at the expense of another football club. It’s a surreal feeling, being especially happy with the club at the expense of somebody else.
As it turns out, Ryan Lowe’s arrival from Bury is perhaps a touch more than ‘at the expense of somebody else’. After all, they’re a club in a complete and utter crisis. Stealing their club legend and perhaps the best manager they’ve had in years does not bode well for them, especially considering the 40 year-old would no doubt have remained at Gigg Lane had the situation there been more stable. It’s a great shame for their supporters who certainly don’t deserve any of this – no football fan does. And yet, I couldn’t be happier with it.
All credit must go to the key figures at Argyle who have made this appointment. They wanted their man and they got him, whatever that took. At the point you take the decision to appoint a particular individual, nothing else matters. Nobody else is important. It is a seriously impressive appointment for League 2 for the club to go out and do whatever they had to in order to bring through one of the hottest young managers in England.
I mean, this is a bloke who moves to Plymouth with a philosophy that literally adopts a 3-1–4-2. A 3-1–4-2! Don’t forget, Bury scored over 100 goals last season. I can deal with conceding a few more from time to time if that’s the reward. Considering that Argyle had one of the worst defensive records in League 1 last season, countering that by scoring a few more would certainly be a welcome addition.
I wouldn’t wish to get carried away too much, but this appointment excites me. This is a young manager with what is possibly a big future ahead of him, a clear and defined footballing philosophy, evident tactical nous and approval from a manager who’s literally got Andy Robertson, Jordan Henderson and James Milner to go toe-to-toe with the greatest Premier League side to grace history thus far. That manager just won a Champions League as well, if you hadn’t noticed.
I’m also not interested in the moans (uncharacteristic at Argyle, I know) from supporters who are not happy that he’s taken so much time to make the decision. For me, I couldn’t be happier that he’s been patient and calculated. I want the club to know that this man is fully behind what we want to do and where we want to go. Rather that than get to Christmas, him feel homesick and the club have to start the process of finding somebody new all over again.
After the world’s most pointless relegation, it’s fair to say things are looking up again at Home Park. People are right to be confident and excited. Much of the criticism for Adams came – rightly or wrongly – due to his tactical stubbornness and the fact he was never willing to start more than one striker. There are no absolute right or wrong ways to manage a football team, but at the very least it looks as if the profile that the club wanted of ‘a manager with a philosophy and who plays entertaining football’ has been fulfilled.
I would hate to go overboard but I am now fully convinced Argyle will return to League 1 complete with 35-goal a season striker Freddie Ladapo and League 2’s record points tally. Whatever does actually happen next, it’s sure to be a very exciting and intriguing season at the club and I, for one, cannot wait.