WOTTON DRIVEN TO SUCCEED AS GULLS BOSS

Described by a former manager as a 'small club with a big heart' - Torquay United have spent much of its 126-year history outperforming or holding their own against clubs with bigger budgets. 

In order to do this, United have often needed a highly driven character in charge as manager, who have often, metaphorically of course, breathed fire into the club. Amongst the names that would spring to mind for many supporters would be the likes of Frank O'Farrell (1965-1968, 1976-1977 & 1981-82), Cyril Knowles (1987-1989) and Paul Buckle (2007-2011). 

After a promising first season in charge, after exiting Administration, with a second place finish in National League South, Paul Wotton has certainly followed suit.  

In addition to this, it could also be argued that Gary Johnson did the same between 2018 and 2021 befor e that fire gradually became extinguished after that infamous day at Ashton Gate. Kevin Hodges and Leroy Rosenior were also different kind of characters, who managed the club in a slightly different way.  

The first three names listed were all big personalities who extracted the maximum from the players available to them with great success. 

O'Farrell led United to promotion from the 'old' Fourth Division (now League Two) in his first season (1965-66) before leading the Gulls to their highest ever league finish of fourth in the 'old' Third Division in 1967-68. Knowles took a United side who had secured the Football League survival with a 'Bryn the Police Dog inspired' draw with Crewe Alexandra to a two-legged play-off final against Swansea City in 1987-88 and then onto their first ever Wembley appearance in 1989. Buckle of course led United to only to a return to the Football League two years into his reign in 2009, but also to a League Two Play-off final appearance two years later in 2011. 

Wotton himself had a reputation of being a strong personality from his playing career with Plymouth Argyle (twice), Southampton and Yeovil Town, which saw him captain many of the teams he played for to success on a number of occasions. 

He has taken that mindset with him into his managerial career, first with Truro City and now with the Gulls. After missing out on the league title to Truro on goal difference, United were then beaten in the play-offs by eventual winners Boreham Wood. 

In the early stages of the season, Wotton ensured his team was tough to beat with a strong back three consisting of Jordan Dyer, Sam Dreyer and Jay Foulston, but he later added more flair with the additions of Jordan Young and Matt Jay.  

With his summer recruitment, Wotton has looked to strengthen in the areas where he felt the Gulls were weak last season. Of course it's early days yet, but the Plainmoor faithful have grounds to believe that Wotton can guide them to success come the end of the 2025-26 campaign.  

 

STANSFIELD FEATURES IN ENGLAND UNDER-21S EUROS TRIUMPH

 Former Exeter City loanee Jay Stansfield helped the England Under-21 side defeat their German counterparts to retain the UEFA European Under-21 Championship title and create history by becoming the second England team to do. 

Lee Carsley's young lions successfully defended the title which they won in 2023, as they won 3-2 after extra time against Germany - emulating Dave Sexton's side of 1982 and 1984 - in the final in Bratislava. 

Goals from Liverpool's Harvey Elliott and Ipswich Town's Omari Hutchinson had given England a two-goal cushion, as they seemingly sliced open the Germans at will in the opening half hour. However, Germany pulled one back in first half injury time through Nelson Weiper. 

Stansfield, who currently plays his club football for Birmingham City, featured until the 62nd minute when he was replaced by Brooke Norton-Cuffy, shortly after Paul Nebel's shot had taken an unfortunate deflection off him for Germany's equaliser.  

Despite the Germans striking the crossbar late on, Carsley's side regained their composure in injury time as Jonathan Rowe, who plays for Olympique Marseille in Lique 1 in France, headed home a cross from Liverpool's Tyler Morton to score what proved to be the winning goal in the 92nd minute.

Aside from Stansfield, there was another link to the South West in the Under-21 side as Brighton and Hove Albion's Jack Hinshelwood is the nephew of Paul Hinshelwood who played for Torquay United in the 2007-08 season.  

 

FIVE FACTS ABOUT TOM CLEVERLEY

 In the wake of Tom Cleverley's appointment as Plymouth Argyle manager, we will now look at five facts about the former Manchester United, Everton and England midfielder. 

1. Although Cleverley grew up in Bradford and came through Bradford City's youth set-up before joining Manchester United, he was actually born in Basingstoke. 

2. He made his professional debut during a loan spell with Leicester City in the 2008-09 season in a League One fixture with Yeovil Town at Huish Park that the Foxes won 2-0. Cleverley also netted his first professional goal a few weeks later in a 4-1 victory over Walsall. In the end, he ended up making 15 appearances for Leicester, scoring twice, which earned him a League One title winner's medal at the end o the campaign. 

3.  Further loan spells followed with Watford and Wigan Athletic before he made his competitive debut for Manchester United in the 2011 Charity Shield against Manchester City, where he provided the assist for Nani's equaliser as United won 3-2. 

4.  In the 2012 Olympics in London, Cleverley was an ever present in the Team GB football team, which reached the quarter finals of the competition. 

5. Cleverley also won his first England cap in August 2012 in a friendly against Italy; he would also create a small piece of history in October 2012 against in a World Cup qualifier against San Marino, as he made 165 touches -  a record for an England player at the time - and made two assists. 

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.