"Neil Warnock is not the answer" - Pundit urges Plymouth Argyle against Ian Foster action | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle are dangerously close to the Championship drop zone and the availability of Neil Warnock places further doubt over the short and long-term future of Ian Foster.

Argyle have had a mixed season so far as they battle against relegation back to League One after just one year in the league. They won the title with an incredible 101 point tally last term but it was always likely that they would be in for a relegation scrap in their first season back, in part due to the finances and resources at the club's disposal compared with their second tier peers.

After a good start, Steven Schumacher left the club, and whilst Foster initially started off well, a downturn in form has left them just a few points above the relegation zone. Relegation is a real possibility, and Foster has come under increasing pressure at Plymouth, with supporters calling for him to be sacked after the 1-0 home defeat to Preston North End prior to the international break.

Foster left his role as Steven Gerrard's assistant at Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq to take over at Home Park in January, replacing Schumacher following his departure to Stoke City. Their form has declined significantly to worrying levels in recent weeks, with Argyle winning just one of their last nine league games.

The Pilgrims currently sit 18th in the Championship table, and they are back in action when they face sixth-placed Norwich City at Carrow Road on Good Friday.

Carlton Palmer's Neil Warnock verdict

The veteran manager is now 75 years of age and has already held two managerial positions this season, having started the campaign with Huddersfield Town for the opening eight games of the 2023/24 campaign but left the role for Darren Moore to take over in West Yorkshire.

Warnock then took the Aberdeen job in early February, but left after just 34 days only a matter of weeks ago. He'd won just two games with the club in that short time, but he did help the Dons to reach the Scottish Cup semi-final.

He previously managed the club for just under two years between 1995 and 1997, winning 37 of 92 games in charge, but his love for Devon and Cornwall area is well-documented, having fallen in love with the area while managing Plymouth all those years ago, which could make it an attractive proposition for the 75-year-old.

Ex-England international, Carlton Palmer, is urging the club to be brave, though, and to stick with Foster in the long-term, with Warnock too short-term of an option for his liking.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, he said: "Plymouth are 18th in the Championship and have lost Schumacher, but Ian Foster has taken over, and, yes, the results have been disappointing.

"Four defeats in the last six games with one win and one draw and currently only two points outside of the relegation zone.

"There's been talk that Neil Warnock is available, and the question is being asked of should Warnock come back to the club? "He's managed there before, he knows the job that needs doing. He did a fantastic job at Huddersfield when he went in there last season. "Personally, you've given Ian Foster the job, so let him see it out. "It's been difficult, we understand that, and the fans haven't been happy with the performances, but it was always going to be difficult after Schumacher left. "It was also always going to be difficult in the Championship, and survival has been their ultimate goal. "Neil Warnock is not the answer. He's a short-term manager. He's not the answer going forward with the football club. "I think that they have to be brave now and say - 'We believe we have the right man in charge at Plymouth, we stick with him, and we hope that he keeps us in this division'.

"That was the priority at the start of the season."

Neil Warnock or Ian Foster

The only counter-argument to Palmer is that the long-term gain of Foster is totally diminished if the club are relegated, but he's right to state that Warnock is nothing more than a short-term fix.

However, the form of Plymouth is worrying, especially with sides like QPR and Sheffield Wednesday improving in most areas of the pitch from back-to-front under their new managerial appointments.

That highlights the impact that a change can make, albeit it's a risk with so few games left in the campaign for anyone to come in and make wholesale changes.