WOTTON'S SUMMER RECRUITMENT GOING TO PLAN SO FAR

 Whether it was contacts, contacts and contacts as former chairman Tony Boyce described it, or recruitment, recruitment, recruitment as outlined by ex player, manager and chief executive Colin Lee, signing the right players has always been important to Torquay United. 

After enjoying a promising first season under current manager Paul Wotton which saw the Gulls miss out on the National League South title on goal difference before losing in the play-offs at the semi-final stage to Boreham Wood, Wotton is busy preparing his squad to go one better in 2025-26. 

Parallels can be drawn with the scenario facing Paul Buckle when, after losing out to Exeter City in the Conference play-off semis in the 2007-08 campaign, set about rebuilding a side that would go one better a year with a 2-0 win over Cambridge United at Wembley. 

The summer of 2008 had seen Buckle add the likes of Nicky Wroe (York City), Wayne Carlisle (Exeter City), Mark Ellis (Bolton Wanderers) and Lee Hodges (Plymouth Argyle) et al to his squad. Wroe and Carlisle also played key roles in setting up Tim Sills' crucial second goal - cue Steve Bower's now immortal line Carlisle, he checks instead, he's looking for Benyon, SILLLLS!' 

Fast forward to 2025, and Wotton has added Zimbabwean central midfielder Monashe Sundaire from National League side Tamworth, experienced winger Louis Dennis from Bromley and former loanee Callum Dolan has returned to Plainmoor following his release by Fleetwood Town. 

Sundaire has experience of winning promotion from National League North with Tamworth and is making the transition from part-time to full-time on joining United. Dennis brings the experience of winning two promotions across his two spells with Bromley (from the NLS in 2014-15 and the NL in 2023-24) as well as stints in the EFL with Portsmouth and Leyton Orient. 

Dolan meanwhile is a familiar face to the Plainmoor faithful from his loan spell from Fleetwood under Gary Johnson in October 2023. Over the course of six games in all competitions, he scored twice - once in the FA Trophy against Yeovil Town and once in the league against Eastbourne Borough. 

With three teams coming down from the National League into National League South (Dagenham & Redbridge, Maidenhead United and Ebbsfleet United), plus a number of well financed clubs who either missed out in the play-offs or fell short. Therefore the Gulls are set to be battling out with several sides with equivalent budgets or greater. 

United finished second in the division last season without having one of the biggest budgets in the league. How you spent a budget has always been more important than its size, and it's an adage that Wotton will be looking to prove true come next May. 

CLEVERLEY LOOKING TO REBUILD HIS REPUTATION WITH THE PILGRIMS

 When choosing a successor for the Schalke bound Miron Muslic, Plymouth Argyle turned to a former England international who can count Manchester United and Everton amongst his former clubs. 

However, whilst Tom Cleverley doesn't quite have the same profile as his immediate predecessor bar one Wayne Rooney, he arrives at Home Park looking to rebuild his managerial reputation. 

Whereas as Rooney took charge of the Pilgrims with spells at Derby County, DC United and Birmingham City on his CV, Cleverley only has a one-year spell in charge of Watford to his name. Nevertheless, given how the Hornets have gone through managers since the Pozzo family took over the club in 2010, a stint of over 12 months is relatively long compared to some of his predecessors. 

In some ways Cleverley's appointment bears some similarities with the appointment of Ian Holloway in 2006. Like Cleverley today, Holloway joined the Pilgrims following a reasonable spell at Queens Park Rangers, who he had led to promotion to the Championship before guiding them to a respectable 11th place finish and looking to prove that he was still a good manager. 

Holloway then steered the Pilgrims to an 11th place finish in the 2006-07 season and they were fourth in the Championship at the time of his departure to Leicester City. 

Although the challenge facing Cleverley is slightly different, as promotion from League One is his target after Argyle were relegated from the Championship in 2024-25. However, if the Pilgrims do bounce back at the first attempt, it will go down as a fine achievement nonetheless, and one which will see him prove a few of his doubters wrong. 

RUSSELL WINS ANOTHER SENIORS WORLD CUP WITH ENGLAND VETERANS

 Former Torquay United and Exeter City midfielder Alex Russell has helped England Veterans win a seventh Seniors World Cup in Thailand. 

Russell, 52, who was still playing in Australia for Cairns-based side Leicchardt Lions in the Football in Queensland Far North and Gulf Premier Division until December 2024, was near ever present for the Senior Three Lions in a squad packed with Football League experience. 

After progressing through a group that contained hosts Thailand, Vietnam, Uruguay and Iran, England then went on to beat New Zealand in the semi-finals before defeating Australia in the final. 

In addition to Russell, who appeared for the Gulls between 2001 and 2005 and the Grecians between 2008 and 2010, former Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Luke McCormick also featured for the senior Three Lions along with former Exeter City duo Lee Elam and Jon Challinor and one-time Torquay loanee Jody Banim. 

It was Russell's fifth Veterans World Cup success after having won the competition with the senior Three Lions in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2023. 

LIFE AFTER MANAGING ARGYLE ISN'T ALWAYS PLAIN SAILING

With his move to Schalke complete, Miron Muslic has joined a long list of managers who have left Plymouth Argyle in recent years for a bigger challenge. 

The prospect of attempting of reviving the Gelsenkirchen based club, who have fallen into Bundesliga 2 in recent years, proved to be too good an offer to turn down for the Bosnian-born Austrian Muslic, who can count SV Ried in Austria and Belgian side Cercle Brugge amongst the previous clubs he has managed. 

Despite not being able to keep the Pilgrims in the Championship, Muslic can claim to have written his own chapter in Argyle history with the club's FA Cup third round win over Liverpool. 

Nevertheless, life after Plymouth Argyle has not always been plain sailing for all managers who have left Home Park for employment at higher profile clubs. 

Towards the end of the 2003-04 season, after leading the Pilgrims to the brink of the Division Two title, Paul Sturrock left to join Southampton, who were then in the Premier League. Unfortunately, Sturrock was sacked early on in the 2004-05 campaign, and later had spells with Sheffield Wednesday, Swindon Town before returning to Argyle in 2007-08. 

It was during his second stint with the Pilgrims that it was revealed that Sturrock was suffering from Parkinson's Disease. After briefly being promoted to an upstairs role following the arrival of Paul Mariner as head coach, Sturrock left Home Park in 2010 and later took charge of Southend United before finishing his managerial career at Yeovil Town in 2015. 

Tony Pulis completed an admirable job in keeping Argyle in the Championship during the 2005-06 campaign before he left to return to his former club Stoke City in the summer of 2006, who he guided to the Premier League in the 2007-08 season. Three years later, he led the Potters to the FA Cup final where they were beaten by Manchester City. 

Since leaving the Brittannia Stadium in 2013, Pulis carved out a career as a 'red adair fire fighter' figure with teams battling relegation such as Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion. 

Pulis' successor Ian Holloway was able to build on the foundations that he left behind in 2006, and after leading Argyle to a 11th place finish in 2006-07, there was genuine optimism that the Pilgrims could finally make it to the promised land of the Premier League. 

However, following Holloway's move to Leicester City during the 2007-08 season, Argyle finished 10th, after being fourth at the time of his departure. For Holloway, the grass didn't turn to be greener with the Foxes, as they were relegated to League One at the end of the campaign. Nevertheless, he bounced back with Blackpool in 2009-10 and led them to promotion to the Premier League with a play-off final victory over Cardiff City - leaving the Green Army wondering what might have had he stayed at Home Park. Holloway later repeated the trick with Crystal Palace in 2012-13, and later managed Millwall, returned to QPR for a second spell before managing Grimsby Town. He is currently in charge of Swindon Town in League Two. 

After leading Argyle to promotion from League Two in the Covid-19 hit 2019-20 season, Ryan Lowe helped to re-establish the Pilgrims in League One before he left for Preston North End in December 2021. Following league finishes of 13th, 12th and 10th, Lowe was dismissed after one game in the 2024-25 campaign. Lowe will be returning to Home Park next season in his current role as Wigan Athletic manager. 

Lowe's assistant Steven Schumacher was chosen to replace Lowe and he would lead the Pilgrims to the League One title in 2022-23 with a record points haul of 101. Then, after a strong start in the Championship in 2023-24, Schumacher also left Home Park to head north - this time to Stoke City. However, he wasn't able to revive their fortunes and he was sacked after five games in the 2024-25 season. Like Lowe, he will also be returning to Home Park as an opposition manager - when he brings his Bolton Wanderers side to the Theatre of Greens. 

Whether Miron Muslic proves to be a success with Schalke, but it is worth remembering that life after Plymouth Argyle hasn't always been plain sailing for many of predecessors.