Plymouth Argyle F.C.


Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2020–21 season, the team will compete in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, known as the "Theatre of Greens", since 1901. Argyle are one of two Devon clubs who compete in the Football League, the other being Exeter City, Argyle's local rivals.
The club takes its nickname, "The Pilgrims", from an English religious group that left Plymouth for the New World in 1620. The club crest features the Mayflower, the ship that carried the pilgrims to Massachusetts. The club has predominantly played in green and white throughout their history, with a few exceptions in the late 1960s and early 1970s when white was the colour of choice. A darker shade of green, described as 'Argyle green', was adopted in the 2001–02 season, and has been used ever since. The city of Plymouth is the largest in England never to have hosted top-flight football. They are the most southerly and westerly League club in England and the only professional club named Argyle.
Originally founded simply as Argyle in 1886, the club turned professional and entered both the Southern League and Western League as Plymouth Argyle in 1903. They won the Western League title in 1904–05 and the Southern League title in 1912–13, before winning election into the Football League Third Division in 1920. Finishing as runners-up on six consecutive occasions, they eventually won promotion as Third Division South champions under the long-serving management of Bob Jack in 1929–30. A 20-year stay in the Second Division ended in 1950, though they returned again as Third Division South champions in 1951–52. After another relegation in 1956 they again proved too strong for the third tier, winning the Third Division title not long after in 1958–59.
Argyle were relegated out of the Second Division in 1968, 1977 and 1992, having won promotion out of the Third Division as runners-up in 1974–75 and 1985–86. They were relegated into the fourth tier for the first time in 1995, and though they would win immediate promotion in 1995–96, they were relegated again in 1998. Promoted as champions under Paul Sturrock with 102 points in 2001–02, they secured a record fifth third tier league title in 2003–04, and would remain in the Championship for six seasons until administration and two successive relegations left them in League Two by 2011. In 2016–17 Argyle won promotion to League One, and again in 2019–20 following relegation the previous season.

Name

Much speculation surrounds the origin of the name Argyle. One explanation is that the club was named after the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, an army regiment with a strong football side of its own. Another theory is given by the local geography–suggesting the name comes either from the nearby public house, The Argyle Tavern, where the founder members may have met, or from a local street Argyle Terrace.
The club adopted its current name when it became fully professional in 1903.

History

The club was founded in 1886 as Argyle Football Club, the first match taking place on 16 October 1886.
The club was disbanded 1894, before being resurrected in 1897 as one part of a general sports club, the Argyle Athletic Club. The club joined the Southern League, effectively the English 3rd tier, in 1903 becoming professional in the process. Argyle won the Southern League in 1912–13, then in 1920–21 entered the Football League Third Division as a founder member, along with most of the Southern League, where they finished 11th in their first season.
Between 1921–22 and 1926–27, Argyle finished second in the new Third Division South six seasons in a row, thereby missing promotion. Argyle eventually won promotion to Football League Division Two in 1929–30, when they topped the Third Division South, with attendances that season regularly reaching 20,000. Manager Bob Jack resigned in 1937, having spent a grand total of 27 years in charge of the Pilgrims.
Argyle's 20-year stay in Division Two came to an end in 1949–50 after finishing 21st – two points short of survival. They were back in Division Two before long, after winning the Third Division South in 1951–52. The closest they ever came to playing in the Football League First Division was in 1952–53, when they reached fourth place in the Football League Second Division, their highest finish to date. They were relegated again in 1955–56, just 3 points behind Notts County. The Pilgrim's reputation as a 'yo-yo club' continued after they won Division Three – by then a national league – in 1958–59. Argyle returned to Division Three after relegation in 1967–68.
After spending six years in Division Three, Argyle finally returned to Division Two in 1974–75, but they were back down again in 1976–77.
Since then, the team has wavered between the 2nd and 3rd tier, before being double relegated in 2010–11. That was directly due to the club having been declared insolvent, following which they were deducted the 10 points they needed for survival. The club returned to the 3rd tier after finishing second in 2016–17.
On 14 August 2018, it was announced that shareholder Simon Hallett had purchased part of James Brent's stake in the club, and had become the new majority shareholder and owner, and that former director, David Felwick, would return to the club as chairman when Brent stepped down on 31 October 2018. However, on 10 October 2018, it was reported that David Felwick was unable to take over as chairman, citing personal reasons, so on 1 November 2018, Hallett became both majority owner and chair of Plymouth Argyle.

Stadium

The original ground of the professional club at Home Park was destroyed by German bombers during the Blitz on Plymouth in World War II. Having been rebuilt after the war, Home Park was largely demolished as part of an extensive process of renovation, and the first phase of a new stadium built by Barrs plc was completed in May 2002. The new Devonport End was opened for the 2001 Boxing Day fixture with Torquay United. The other end, the Barn Park End, opened on the same day. The Lyndhurst stand reopened on 26 January 2002 for the game against Oxford United. Plans are currently under discussion regarding the completion of the refurbishment of the ground with the replacement of the Mayflower stand. The ground is situated in Central Park, very near to the residential area of Peverell. Towards the end of the 2005–06 Championship season, the club decided to buy the stadium for £2.7 million from Plymouth City Council, releasing the ground from a 125-year lease. This purchase was concluded in December 2006.
In the summer of 2007, the club, having failed to persuade the UK authorities of the case for retaining a standing terrace, decided to add 3,500 temporary seats to the Mayflower enclosure, dropping the capacity to 19,888 from 20,922. In December 2009 it was announced that the stadium was to be one of 12 chosen to host matches during the World Cup 2018, should England's bid be successful. The then Argyle chairman Paul Stapleton stated that work on a new South Stand at Home Park would start in 2010. However, England failed to be chosen for the 2018 tournament, and Plymouth Argyle entered administration in March 2011. After selling the stadium back to the council on 14 October 2011 for £1.6 million, this project was in serious doubt.
The club was then taken over by local business owner James Brent, who submitted fresh plans to build a new Mayflower Grandstand with a 5,000 seating capacity, and an associated leisure complex. The plans include an ice rink with 1,500 spectator seats, a 10 screen cinema complex with an iMax screen, a 120 bedroom hotel and 4,200m sq retail units. Planning permission for the project was granted on 15 August 2013. The development was due to commence in September 2013, with the demolition of the old stand planned for late October 2013 after the Portsmouth home match. As of June 2015, the plans have been withdrawn, though planning permission still remains.
The family section of the stadium was moved from block 1 of the Devonport End to the 'Zoo corner' between the Lyndhurst Stand and the Barn Park End, with a kids activities zone in the concourse.
In January 2017, director Simon Hallett invested £5,000,000 into the club, along with all other directors exchanging previous loans into equity, with the intention on using the money for renovating the Mayflower Grandstand. No immediate timeframe was put on the renovations, but chairman James Brent indicated work is planned to start in 2018, finishing in 2020 ahead of the Plymouth 2020 Mayflower celebrations.
Later that month, temporary seating was once again put in place on the Grandstand, this time as a one-off for an FA Cup 3rd round replay vs Liverpool. The seating was kept in place for the next home match, a League 2 game vs Devon rivals Exeter City, but tickets were not on sale to the general public. Shortly after this game, the seating was removed.

Rivalries

The club's traditional rivals are fellow Devon sides Exeter City and Torquay United; other rivalries exist with Portsmouth, Bristol City and Bristol Rovers. The rivalry with Portsmouth was heightened in May 2016, when the two teams met in the League 2 playoff semi-final and Argyle prevailed. The playoffs have also engendered a mutual dislike of Wycombe Wanderers, after Argyle's loss in the 2014–15 playoff.
Although the rivalry with Exeter City has been blunted for a while due to a difference in divisions, Argyle's relegation into League One, coupled with Exeter City's survival, reignited the tensions. A distinct rivalry arose between Argyle and Luton Town after inflammatory comments made by Joe Kinnear, who was the manager of the Hatters during the 2001–02 promotion season, although that mutual antipathy has now somewhat abated. Similarly, after the departure of Ian Holloway to Leicester City in November 2007, a noticeable mutual dislike arose, culminating in Argyle's 0–1 victory at the Walkers Stadium in early February 2008. Although that antipathy has somewhat subsided, some fans remain feeling betrayed and angry at the manner of his leaving.
In the 1990s, Argyle had a rivalry with Burnley, because the Clarets beat them in a Division Two play-off semi-final in 1994. There was also a defeat by Burnley on the last day of the season four years later, which led to Argyle's relegation. However, the rivalry has subsided over the past few years, especially due to Burnley's promotion to the Premier League in 2014.

Players

Current squad

Retired numbers

Through the 1960s and 70s, Argyle's Reserve team played in the Plymouth & Devon Combination League, with their home games at Cottage Field, next to Home Park. Argyle later entered into The Football Combination, before withdrawing from the Combination in mid-season in 1981–82, for financial reasons. In 1982 the side entered the Western Football League, leaving at the end of the 1992–93 season.
The club had also entered a team in the South Western League, but withdrew from that competition after one season in 2007. The club's reserve team, up to the end of the 2010–11 season, played in The Football Combination, and confirmed their withdrawal from it on 27 June 2011, alongside 18 other Football League clubs.
The reserves' honours include the Southern League Championship in 1922, 1926, 1929, 1934 and its League Cup in 1933, 1934 and 1936; 1934 was the first Southern League Double.
For the 2015–16 season, Argyle entered a team into the South West Peninsula League Division One West, with home matches originally planned to be played at Bickleigh Barracks, before a change of plan saw them played at Seale-Hayne, dubbed 'Hodges Park' after club legend Kevin Hodges, outside Newton Abbot. After applying for promotion and finishing 2nd behind Mousehole, the reserves side were promoted to the Premier Division for the 2016–17 season. The team again moved grounds, playing their games at the home of the Devon FA, Coach Road, in Newton Abbot and finished 6th in 2016–17.
In April 2019 it was announced that Argyle Reserves were pulling out of the South West Peninsula League at the end of the season. A new development team, run by the Argyle Community Trust would enter the new Devon Football League for the 2019–20 season.

Apprentices

Player of the Year

YearWinner
1966 Johnny Newman
1967 Norman Piper
1968 Pat Dunne
1969 David Burnside
1970 Derek Rickard
1971 Jim Furnell
1972 Dave Provan
1973 Neil Hague
1974 Ernie Machin
1975 Paul Mariner
1976 Paul Mariner
1977 Neil Ramsbottom
1978 George Foster
1979 Fred Binney

YearWinner
1980 George Foster
1981 David Kemp
1982 John Sims
1983 Gordon Nisbet
1984 Gordon Staniforth
1985 Tommy Tynan
1986 Kevin Hodges
1987 Tommy Tynan
1988 Steve Cherry
1989 Tommy Tynan
1990 Nicky Marker
1991 Kenny Brown
1992 Dwight Marshall
1993 Steve McCall

YearWinner
1994 Steve McCall
1995 Marc Edworthy
1996 Mick Heathcote
1997 Chris Billy
1998 Martin Barlow
1998 Carlo Corazzin
1999 Mick Heathcote
2000 Paul McGregor
2001 Wayne O'Sullivan
2002 Graham Coughlan
2003 Paul Wotton
2004 Mickey Evans
2005 Paul Wotton
2006 David Norris

YearWinner
2007 Lilian Nalis
2008 Krisztián Timár
2009 Romain Larrieu
2010 Carl Fletcher
2011 Carl Fletcher
2012 Maxime Blanchard
2013 Onismor Bhasera
2014 Reuben Reid
2015 Luke McCormick
2016 Graham Carey
2017 Sonny Bradley
2018 Graham Carey
2019 Rúben Lameiras
2020 Antoni Sarcevic

Noted former players

For details on former players who have a Wikipedia article, see: :Category:Plymouth Argyle F.C. players.

Team of the century

For the centenary celebrations, an all-time best team of Plymouth Argyle players was chosen by fans of the club.
Manager: Paul Sturrock

World Cup players

The following players were chosen to represent their country at the FIFA World Cup while contracted to Plymouth Argyle.

Boardroom positions

Club officials

Coaching positions

First Team
PositionNameNationality
Director of Football:Neil Dewsnip English
Manager:Ryan Lowe English
Assistant Manager:Steven Schumacher English
First Team Coach:Kevin Nancekivell English
Goalkeeping Coach:Rhys Wilmot Welsh
Fitness Coach:John Lucas English
Head Physio:Dave Galley English
Physiotherapist:Abner Bruzzichessi Brazilian
Club Doctor:Dr. Paul Giles English
Performance Analyst:Jimmy Dickinson English
Chief Scout:Sean Kimberley English
Kitman:Neil Lunnon English
Assistant Kitman:Sean Porter-Nail English

Youth Team/Academy
PositionNameNationality
Academy Manager:Phil Stokes English
Academy Centre of Excellence Manager:Alex Bressington English
Head of Academy Coaching:Lee Hodge English
Under 23s Manager:Karl Curtis English
Professional Development Phase Co-ordinator 17–21:Darren Way English
Youth Development Phase Co-ordinator 12–16 :Jamie Lowry English
Youth Development Phase Co-ordinator 5–11 :Dan Thompson English
Academy Goalkeeping Coach :Rhys Wilmot Welsh
Academy Physiotherapist:Tom Hunter English
Academy Physiotherapist:Pete Geller English
Academy Sports Scientist :Alex Booth English
Academy Fitness Coach :Ryan McClements English
Lead Video AnalystLewis Borlase English
Academy Head of Recruitment:Chris Beard English
Youth Administrator:Pete Bellamy English

Managerial history

Plymouth Argyle's list of honours include the following.

Records

Club records

Most appearances

Most goals

Sponsorship

The club's current sportswear manufacturer is Puma. The club's main sponsor is Ginsters. Shirt sponsorship was not introduced by the club until 1983. Beacon Electrical was the first company to have its name on the shirt of Plymouth Argyle, but it lasted just one season. Ivor Jones Insurance was the next sponsor and their agreement with the club lasted for two seasons. National & Provincial were sponsors for the 1986–87 season before the club signed an agreement with the Sunday Independent which would last for five seasons. Rotolok Holdings plc became the club's major sponsor in 1992, which was owned by then Pilgrims chairman Dan McCauley. This lasted for six seasons before the club linked up with local newspaper the Evening Herald. Between 2002 and 2011 the club was sponsored by Cornish pasty-makers Ginsters.
In 2011 with the club still in administration, local timber merchant WH Bond Timber sponsored Argyle's kits at first for the 2011–12 season and until the end of the 2013–14 season. Local construction access company LTC Group87 then sponsored Argyle from the start of the 2014–15 season, having their LTC Powered Access branch's logo on the shirts. Cornwall-based company Ginsters then came back for a second spell as main sponsor in the 2016–17 season.
PeriodSportswearSponsor
1975–1976UmbroNone
1976–1978PilgrimNone
1978–1980BuktaNone
1980–1982AdidasNone
1982–1983PilgrimNone
1983–1984PilgrimBeacon Electrical
1984–1986PilgrimIvor Jones Insurance
1986–1987PilgrimNational & Provincial
1987–1990UmbroSunday Independent
1990–1992RiberoSunday Independent
1992–1996AdmiralRotolok
1996–1998Super LeagueRotolok
1998–1999ErreaEvening Herald
1999–2002PatrickEvening Herald
2002–2003PatrickGinsters
2003–2005TFGGinsters
2005–2009PumaGinsters
2009–2011AdidasGinsters
2011–2014PumaWH Bond Timber
2014–2016PumaLTC Powered Access
2016–PresentPumaGinsters