New Plymouth Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley has guaranteed ‘an incredible amount of hard work’ as he targets long-term success at his new club.
The 35-year-old was named as Miron Muslic’s successor last week, just one month after he was shown the exit door at Watford. He was widely praised for the work he did at Vicarage Road, although this was a sentiment that wasn’t shown by the owners after they failed to reach the Championship play-offs.
The ex-Manchester United and England midfielder quickly emerged as the favourite to land the vacant role at Home Park. He eventually beat off competition from the likes of Jack Wilshere to make an almost instant return to the dugout.
Cleverley Targeting Long-Term Success
The Pilgrims are gearing up for a return to League One after a two year stay in the Championship. They will be amongst the favourites to achieve promotion, but will face a stern test in a division which has become renowned for its difficulty in recent years.
Cleverley knows it will be tough and is targeting a more measured approach to bring a degree of stability to the club. Speaking in his first interview, he said:
“I love how well-balanced and stable the club feels. That was both from looking at it from the outside, but when you meet Simon [Hallett], David [Fox] and Andrew [Parkinson], I felt well aligned. We’re in a results industry, we’re in a short-term results industry, but there has to be a long-term vision, a real process to bring you long-term success and stability and to make sure that your performances are sustainable. I think Simon’s someone who really understands that part of it.
“I think what I can guarantee the football club and its supporters is there’ll be an incredible amount of hard work for me and my staff to make sure that this is a success. Not a short success, not a medium success, but a long-term success. We’re a loyal group. We’re very hardworking and in my opinion, we’re a technically and tactically very good group, but that’s for us to prove.
“No one loves winning football games as much as me and we’ll prepare to win absolutely every single game, but we will also prepare something that I feel will give us real long-term stability, success and an exciting journey.”
Writer’s View
Tom Cleverley’s availability following his departure from Watford alerted a number of clubs. Plymouth were quick to swoop and will feel they have the right man to lead them forward. He is one of the most highly rated young coaches in the EFL and he’s certainly saying the right things. However, whilst he is targeting long-term success, he will know that he will be expected to deliver at least a promotion push to stand any chance of keeping his job beyond next season. That said, he is more than capable of that.
