Plymouth Argyle's 5 worst managers ever (Ranked) | OneFootball

The Greens' financial issues over the years have seen a number of managers struggle to get results at Home Park

On the whole, Plymouth Argyle have recruited fairly well in terms of managers recently, with the club benefitting with two promotions in four seasons to get them from League Two to the Championship.

But things haven’t always been plain sailing for the Pilgrims, who endured back-to-back relegations a little over a decade ago, as financial troubles threatened the very existence of the club.

With that in mind, the Greens have had some managers that struggled to strike a chord with the playing personnel, some through their own fault, and some through the quality at their disposal.

Here we take a look at the five worst bosses in terms of points per game according to Transfermarkt, with a minimum of ten games required to be on the list.

Paul Sturrock is a man worshipped by the green half of Devon, and rightly so after masterminding two promotions in three seasons near the start of the century, with the Greens sweeping beside all that came before them en route to the Championship.

That incredible achievement earned the Scot a move to Premier League side Southampton, before the Home Park hierarchy came calling once again in November 2007 following his stints at Sheffield Wednesday and Swindon Town.

Things started well under the returning boss, with Argyle achieving one of the highest finishes in their history of tenth in the second division, before things took a dramatic nosedive with Luggy having his hands seemingly tied behind his back.

As players left the sinking ship, the former Dundee United boss had to soldier on in the dugout, claiming 13 wins in the 08/09 campaign to keep the Pilgrims up by the skin of their teeth.

As the issues got even worse for the Greens, a run of four wins from the first 17 matches of the following season saw Sturrock being moved upstairs, before the inevitable relegation followed.

For someone who is a club legend, it was a sorry end to his second spell at the club, although the Scot will always be held in the highest regard as he tried his utmost to help the club out when it was on its knees.

Mick Jones was assistant manager during Argyle’s one and only victory at Wembley Stadium, as Argyle won the fourth tier players with a 1-0 victory over Darlington.

Neil Warnock was the man in charge that day, but with the Yorkshireman given the boot a matter of months later, it was his number two that stepped into the role.

After helping to keep the Pilgrims up in the 96/97 campaign, Jones was unable to maintain the levels needed in the following season, with just 12 wins across the year seeing the Greens drop back into the bottom tier of the Football League.

Jones would be dismissed that summer, with his record in charge still one of the worst the club has ever witnessed.

3 Peter Reid - 0.95 PPG

Another from the administration era at Home Park, Peter Reid, gave his all to Plymouth Argyle during his 14 months in charge of the club, but was unable to halt the steady decline happening all around him.

With the club struggling to cover all sorts of bills, Reid even sold his 1986 FA Cup runners-up medal to help keep the club afloat, as well as pay the fuel bills.

But despite doing all he could for the Pilgrims, the former Sunderland boss was unable to get results on the pitch, with just 16 wins from his 60 matches in charge.

With a side full of waifs and strays cobbled together to try and compete in League One, the ex-England international was always going to be up against it, and was unable to stop the club dropping into League Two, having just been relegated from the Championship the season before.

While he will always be remembered for his altruism and dedication to the cause, it was a tough time for everyone involved with the club, with loss after loss sealing their eventual fate.

2 Ian Foster - 0.94

To have a point per game record lower than the number of managers that steered the club through its lowest ebb speaks volumes, and Ian Foster’s ill-fated spell at the club is as dark as they come.

With the success of Ryan Lowe and Steven Schumacher before him, the Argyle fanbase had every faith in the latest man to take the helm in January of this year, only for his appointment to backfire spectacularly.

An air of negativity seemed to follow the former England youth coach into the building, with his passive style of play causing much ire on the terraces, as results immediately began to tail off.

This was a boss who just didn’t buy into the football club he had joined, and the fractions between the supporters and management were apparent right from the off.

Janners are proud, passionate people, and will do anything to defend the club they love, while the man in charge would constantly revere his opponents week in, week out, which grew tiresome very quickly.

Results helping his cause either, with just four victories in his 17 matches in charge, which left Simon Hallett and the Home Park chiefs no option but to give him the boot just 87 days after being appointed.

To a man, it was goodbye and good riddance from the Green Army, with Foster’s tenure in Devon remembered for all the wrong reasons.

1 Paul Mariner - 0.93 PPG

Paul Mariner was very much the fall guy during Plymouth Argyle’s nadir, as a club facing financial ruin were still trying to compete against the very best in the Football League.

Appointed by the club to succeed Paul Sturrock, Argyle swapped one club legend for another in the hope of getting results, with former player Mariner making the move from New England Revolution in the MLS.

But the former England international can’t have known what he was getting himself in to, with the mood around Home Park darkening by the day, as the grim reality of what was happening off the pitch slowly started sinking in.

That feeling was soon transferred onto the grass, as the Pilgrims fought valiantly to avoid relegation, but to no avail, with Mariner picking up just seven victories from his 29 matches in charge.