Sometimes throwaway comments can reveal a lot about a
person’s inner thoughts.
One such comment made by the recently departed Plymouth
Argyle manager John Sheridan could possibly reveal his decision to end his
tenure as Pilgrims’ boss, as he looks to move closer to his family in the north
of England.
Before Argyle’s League Play-off semi-final second leg
against Wycombe Wanderers, Sheridan - when asked about Chairboys’ striker Paul
Hayes, who he had previously had on loan at Home Park said: “He’s in a vein of
form; He’s probably living with his missus and kids. That’s a massive part of
performing well. You are going home to your loved ones and it is a big thing.
If results don’t go your way and you are stuck somewhere and you are not going
home, it’s difficult.”
It was a scenario that Sheridan could relate to, as he
himself - during his two-and-a-half years in charge at Home Park – was
splitting his professional life - which was in Plymouth as Argyle manager –
with his personal life, as his family remained in West Yorkshire.
It is understandable from Sheridan’s respectively why he
decided to do that; his children it is understood were all in their early to
mid-teens and at an age where exams are a big part of their lives.
Any upheaval at that time can cause massive disruption to
their educational progress and to uproot them because of their father’s career
as a football manager, a profession where job security is becoming increasingly
volatile, could have done just that.
In fact, to the best of my knowledge, one Premier League
manager - from the season which has just passed – is believed to live in a flat
overlooking his club’s training ground, whilst his family home is in another
part of the country. This evidence suggests such an arrangement is one of the
sign of the times in the modern game.
Upon his arrival, he steered the Pilgrims away from
relegation to the Conference in the 2012-13 season, and won the manager of the
month award for March 2013, thanks to four wins from a possible six during the
month. The highlight of that run included a 1-0 home win in the Devon derby
against Exeter City.
The following campaign saw the Pilgrims end the season in 10th
place, their first top half finish in any division since the 2007-08 season,
when they finished 10th in the Championship under Paul Sturrock -
following the departure of Ian Holloway.
This was followed up last season by a seventh placed finish,
which ensured that the Pilgrims would be involved with the end of season
Play-offs for the first time since the 1995-96 season.
Nothing could reflect the change in Argyle’s fortunes better
than the atmosphere during their first leg at Home Park, as the Green Army sang
‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley to help inspire a late comeback through
goals from Zak Ansah and Jason Banton to reduce their arrears against Wycombe
Wanderers from three goals to one.
One criticism of Argyle under Sheridan could be the fact
they have failed to clinch victory after conceding first since beating Barnet
on March 2nd 2013 at Home Park. However, it could be argued that the result in the Play-off first leg against Wycombe almost felt like a win thanks to the euphoria it generated and the fact that
there were no points at stake to be lost.
All in all, it could be said that Sheridan guided the
Pilgrims out of one of the darkest times in their history.
It is now down
his successor – whoever that might be – to lead Argyle into the light.
