Gutsy Neil Warnock call was the right one for Plymouth Argyle: View | OneFootball

When the decision was eventually made for Plymouth Argyle to part ways with manager Ian Foster, attention quickly turned to potential replacements.

The rumour mill began with names arising left, right and centre.

Amongst those people mentioned was a familiar face in the form of Neil Warnock, and Argyle made the right call in steering away from that much-fancied reunion.

On the surface, football can regularly be a sport of nostalgia that sees the heart of supporters take over.

Warnock returning to Devon having recently moved on from his role with Aberdeen would have been a prime example of this.

One supporter wrote this on social media: “An experienced manager proven at keeping teams in a division that wants to help”, and many have made similar observations in the last week or two.

He previously guided this club to promotion, and it would be a majorly romantic story if he were the man to right Foster’s wrongs.

The focus had to be on what is best for the players though, which is precisely why the powers that be steered the ship in a different direction.

There aren’t many managers with a better knowledge of the EFL than Warnock, but at the same time, Neil Dewsnip and Kevin Nancekivell are the duo best placed to ensure that Argyle retain their coveted Championship status.

The work of Dewsnip and Nancekivell

When Steven Schumacher departed the Devonshire club for Stoke City in December of last year, Simon Hallett and everybody else at the top of the hierarchy had a weighty task on their hands.

Before Foster was brought in to lead Argyle forward, Dewsnip and Nancekivell took charge of four league games.

There may have been no wins in this period, but the Pilgrims lost just once, pulling off three score draws against strong opponents.

Southampton were the team to win against Argyle’s interim pairing, whereas the draws came in clashes with Birmingham City, Cardiff City and Watford.

Nine goals were scored across those four outings, which is evidence of the attacking impetus that this side does possess, something which Foster seemed unable to utilise.

Nancekivell is a club legend himself and, so, the aforementioned romanticism does continue with him in charge.

His passion was there for all to see in the win away at Rotherham United on Friday night, fist-bumping the crowd and beaming with a smile at the same time.

Both Bali Mumba and Morgan Whittaker excelled in the victory over the Millers, the former on the receiving end of the latter’s cross. These are two of the key players for Argyle in the final third if they are to avoid relegation out of the second tier.

At the end of the day, very little can be achieved without the Green Army on side, though, and that’s what this managerial change allows - as the atmosphere at the AESSEAL New York Stadium suggests.

There are five proverbial cup finals still to come, beginning with the must-win home game against Queens’ Park Rangers, and the choice to stick with Dewsnip and Nancekivell over Warnock appears the first step in the right direction.

Of course, Warnock could've been the man to save Plymouth and most would have seen him as a safe pair of hands. There's no denying, though, that he would've been working in such a small window, working out his new squad and against the clock to get a plan in place to survive.

Dewsnip and Nancekivell have the advantage of having a foot in the door and knowing what they are dealing with on a day-to-day basis. If they can continue to lure out of Plymouth what we saw at Rotherham, the decision to snub Warnock will prove to be the right one.