Plymouth Argyle and Millwall situations feel very similar: View | OneFootball

and Millwall are both currently embroiled in an intense Championship relegation battle.

Millwall have picked up in recent weeks, and it has seen them gain a cushion between them and the bottom three. They are currently in 19th place and are four points clear of the relegation zone.

Plymouth, meanwhile, are in a torrid run of form. They have won just once in their last eleven league games, which has seen them slide from a relatively safe place in mid-table to being in 21st and just one point clear of the relegation zone.

Their decline from starting the season in mid-table to then has been in part due to their change of managers and subsequent playing style, with both sides’ seasons looking very similar.

Millwall started the season with Gary Rowett in charge, who had been in the Lions’ hot seat for four years, until his departure in October.

Wanting to draw themselves away from the more defensively solid, pragmatic style that Rowett likes to play. So they appointed former England U20 manager Joe Edwards.

Edwards liked to play a more progressive, possession-based style, something that is essentially more modern.

Plymouth, meanwhile, saw Steven Schumacher be poached by Stoke City in December.

This saw them also turn to another former England U20 manager in Ian Foster, who plays a similar style to Edwards.

However, despite their pedigree, both appointments would go on to be disastrous, leaving their clubs in a much worse place than when they found them.

Edwards was appointed in November at Millwall and would be sacked by February. He would only win four of his 19 games in charge and left with Millwall in 21st position, and just one point clear of the relegation zone.

On the other hand, Foster was appointed in January but was sacked in April after 16 games in charge, and also winning just four.

He also left Plymouth in 21st position and one point clear of the relegation zone. Both Foster and Edwards' time in the Championship exactly the same.

Foster and Edwards can not be judged on these job roles

Despite their poor seasons, they can not be judged too harshly for these.

They are both very young managers who have done very well at international level. The Championship is a very tough division for any manager to come into, so for them, it was always going to be hard.

They will also learn from their mistakes and become better. Coming in mid-season and trying to completely change a team’s style of play was always going to be a hard task for Edwards in particular.

The players they had at their disposal did not suit their way of playing, and the managers failed to play to their strengths, which was a major factor in both of their tenures going poorly.

If given a summer to implement what they want to, they could go on to be very good managers. Sadly for both, their roles at Plymouth and Millwall were not to be.