http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/New-Plymouth-Argyle-owner-backs-Carl-Fletcher/story-13721032-detail/story.html

NEW OWNER James Brent has given his blessing to Carl Fletcher becoming the full-time manager of Plymouth Argyle.

Brent told Herald Sport:

"I have been very impressed by what Carl has done with very limited resources.
"I think it would only be appropriate, in my view, to give him a chance to prove himself as the full-time manager.
"As far as I'm concerned, he is the manager of Plymouth Argyle and my hope is that he will be the manager who takes us forward to much greater things."

Well thats that then, no Sven

Who makes the decision on it though, the Riddler?

Sounds like Brent to me, but i guess he would have consulted Ridsdale. Fair enough he deserves a proper chance. Now get him an experienced coach and a decent striker and lets see.

Sounds like Brent to me, but i guess he would have consulted Ridsdale. Fair enough he deserves a proper chance. Now get him an experienced coach and a decent striker and lets see.

He needs more than that! He needs a decent right back, a commanding central defender and 2 strikers, then we might stand a chance of staying up! Good luck to him though, I'd be happy to see him get a proper chance.

Good move. If Fletcher is to have any chance of proving himself, he needs time, he needs resources to bring in one or two new players, and he needs the full support and trust of the new owner.

If we're still in the bottom two by mid Jan, then maybe a change can be considered then. But for now, let him show us what he can do when his players aren't skint and demoralised.

Teams in the bottom two in January normally get relegated.A big gamble to go with an inexperienced manager like Fletcher.I hope he does well.

Teams in the bottom two in January normally get relegated.A big gamble to go with an inexperienced manager like Fletcher.I hope he does well.

Agreed. And weren't pretty much the same things said about Mariner when he took over? Sorry, but for me, this is the wrong move. An experienced, respected manager who knows this league is what's needed - not another bleddy 'experiment' on the cheap. Fletcher and Ro are needed ON the pitch right now.

I hope he can succeed but I'm a little cautious.

I think we have time on our side so only right to let him continue to try and prove himself.

Well done fletch, now drive us forward.

A little of what Tuggy and Fordy said.

Reid managed 1 point from 9 games; Fletcher has chalked up 7 points from 7 games.

It may not be a spectacular record, but it's a significant improvement with exactly the same set of players who were (almost) pointless under Reid. I think he's earned a shot at the job under more favourable circumstances.

For me, the parallel of this situation is not Mariner but Steve McCall's short reign. Pulling the best player from playing duties to run the side is often seen as a logical solution - knows the squad and makes for a relatively smooth transition. Downside, of course, is the inexperience in coaching and tactics.

All the points about Fletch having one hand tied behind his back are vaild, but, as shown Saturday, if Ro has to play in goal due to Cole's injury, Fletch will have no choice but to omit himself from the starting line-up or bring in an experienced coach to oversee things from the bench.

The youthful team needs leadership on the pitch and needs someone on the side who can assess the game and look to alter things. Fletch can't be in two places at the same time.

The parallel, I draw, is that McCall took over at another turbulent time in our history. He refused an experienced "right hand man" and eventually was replaced by Russell Osman after a record of W3 D3 L9.

I think Fletch has until the early New Year (with or without new players) to prove he can improve the on pitch situation. It would be dangerous for the club to allow things to continue beyond that point with no clear evidence of results picking up.

Confirmed as full time http://www.pafc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10364~2501457,00.html

cheshiregreen... the McCall situation was slightly different in that we had a squad packed full of experienced players at that time; McCall just happened to be the most experienced. One day he was one of the lads, the next he was giving orders to players like Steve Castle, Peter Swan, Paul Dalton, Keith Hill, Mark Patterson, Kevin Nugent etc etc, all experienced pros. It was an impossible situation, and all involved later admitted that it was a bad call.

Fletcher, on the other hand, is by far the most experienced member of our current side, and therefore will have found it easier adapting to the 'promotion'. That he has managed to extract points out of an inexperienced squad lacking confidence suggests it might be working (let's see what happens when the new recruits arrive).

As I've said, though, I agree that January should be the watershed for a decision.