Since the turn of the century, clubs in the South West have enjoyed many great highs and lows.
From promotions to relegations, final day deciders and memorable cup runs and for some even administration, the last two decades has seen it all.
I will now look back at the period by choosing our list of top ten managers who have taken charge of Plymouth Argyle, Exeter City, Torquay United and Yeovil Town since 2000.
Firstly, before I reveal numbers ten to six, I believe it is only right that I acknowledge the managers who just missed out on the list. They include former Torquay United managers Roy McFarland and Ian Atkins and three of our current managers Ryan Lowe (Plymouth Argyle), Matt Taylor (Exeter City) and Darren Sarll (Yeovil Town) who could all yet feature in a similar list in the future.
10. John Sheridan (Plymouth Argyle 2013-2015)
Former Republic of Ireland and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder John Sheridan was appointed as Plymouth Argyle in January 2013 following the dismissal of Carl Fletcher on New Year's Day 2013.
The impact of ex Chesterfield and Oldham Athletic boss Sheridan was immediate as the Pilgrims only lost once in their opening five games, but it was their form in the month of March 2013 that ultimately made the difference for Argyle. The Pilgrims won four games from a possible six - including a 1-0 Devon Derby victory over Exeter City - a sequence that proved to be instrumental in helping them to avoid the drop.
In his first full season in charge, Sheridan guided the Pilgrims to a 10th placed finish before leading them to their first play-off campaign since the 1995-96 season, where they were beaten in the semi-finals by Wycombe Wanderers. Sheridan resigned shortly after the Pilgrims' second leg defeat to the Chairboys and then went on to manage Newport County, returned twice to Oldham, Notts County, Fleetwood Town, Carlisle United before returning to Chesterfield where he was sacked earlier this season.
9. Paul Buckle (Torquay United 2007-2011)
Paul Buckle took charge of Torquay United in the summer of 2007 and set about rebuilding the Gulls' fortunes following their first ever relegation from the Football League in the 2006-07 campaign. In his first season in charge, United missed out on an immediate return to League Two as they lost to local rivals Exeter City in the play-offs and they also reached the final of the FA Trophy, where they were beaten 1-0 by Ebbsfleet United. Buckle's second campaign in charge - the 2009-10 season - proved to be more successful as the Gulls went one better to clinch a return to the Football League through the play-offs with a 2-0 win over Cambridge United at Wembley in the final, with goals from Chris Hargreaves and Tim Sills.
After finishing 17th in their first season back in the Football League, the 2009-10 campaign, United were in the running for a second promotion in three seasons in the 2010-11 campaign, as they finished seventh to qualify for the play-offs. The Gulls beat Shrewsbury Town 2-0 on aggregate - with Eunan O'Kane and Chris Zebroski scoring the decisive goals - faced Stevenage in the final at Old Trafford, which United lost 1-0. This proved to be Buckle's final game in charge as he left Plainmoor to take charge of Bristol Rovers. He later went on to manage Luton Town, Cheltenham Town and has also held several coaching positions in America.
8. Martin Ling (Torquay United 2011-2013)
In the wake of Buckle's departure, the Torquay United board settled on former Swindon Town midfielder Martin Ling as his eventual replacement. Ling, who was the last candidate to be interviewed by the United board, was no stranger to the Westcountry as he had started out at Exeter City before joining Swindon later in his career. As a manager Ling had won promotion from League Two to League One with Leyton Orient and had then kept them up and it was hoped he could do the same at Plainmoor.
After a slow start, United soon got into their stride as they completed their first league 'double' over Plymouth Argyle; the first being a Eunan O'Kane inspired 3-1 win at Plainmoor in November 2011 which was followed by a 2-1 win at Home Park on January 2nd, 2012. A 3-2 defeat against Hereford United on the final day of the 2011-12 season saw the Gulls miss out on automatic promotion and condemned to the play-offs, where they were beaten 4-1 by Cheltenham Town in the semi-finals.
The following summer saw the departures of goalkeeper Bobby Olejnik to Peterborough United, O'Kane to AFC Bournemouth and Mark Ellis to Crewe Alexandra, so Ling set about rebuilding his side. Midway through the season, Ling went absent through illness and was later replaced by Alan Knill on an interim basis before Knill was appointed as his permanent successor at the end of the 2012-13 season. Ling later had a 15-match spell in charge of Swindon before resigning due to health reasons.
7. Leroy Rosenior (Torquay United 2002-2006 & 2007)
A few eyebrows were raised when Leroy Rosenior replaced Roy McFarland as Torquay United manager in 2002 after the former Derby County and England defender resigned in the wake of the collapse of the ITV Digital deal. However, after a strong pre-season and a 2-1 win over Bristol Rovers on the opening day of the 2002-03 campaign, with one of his first signings Martin Gritton equalising for the Gulls after Guiliano Grazioli had given the Pirates the lead.
Rosenior harnessed the attacking talents of Jason Fowler, Alex Russell and David Graham to produce a scintillating brand of football not seen at Plainmoor for many years. In his first season in charge, United narrowly missed out on the play-offs, finishing ninth. The following 2003-04 campaign proved to be one of the most memorable in the Gulls' history as they clinched automatic promotion for the first time since the 1965-66 season with a 2-1 win away against Southend United.
Sadly United's stay in League One only lasted for one season as a 2-1 defeat against Colchester United saw the Gulls condemned to a swift return to League One. Rosenior would later part ways with United midway through the 2005-06 season, but their paths would cross again in 2007 as he made a brief return and was reportedly sacked after ten minutes as chairman Mike Bateson sold the club to a locally based consortium.
6. Tony Pulis (Plymouth Argyle 2005-2006)
Had Tony Pulis remained at Plymouth Argyle beyond the end of the 2005-06 season then he would surely have featured in the top half of this list. The Welshman, who had already had spells at Bournemouth, Gillingham, Bristol City, Portsmouth and Stoke City under his belt, took over a Pilgrims' side that were struggling in the Championship under his predecessor Bobby Williamson and led them to a 14th place finish in the 2005-06 season. Pulis then opted to return to Stoke City, who he led to the 2011 FA Cup final, where they lost 1-0 to Manchester City, before moving on to Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough. Arguably his greatest parting gift to the Pilgrims was the signing of French midfielder Lillian Nalis, who became key figure for Argyle under his successor Ian Holloway.
