United

TWO people speaking with one voice: Argyle’s temporary management team – RoNance in 21st century idiom? – could not have been more...

...united in thought or expression as the Pilgrims prepared for life beyond Carl Fletcher.

Romain Larrieu and Kevin Nancekivell paid due tribute to their predecessor and former colleague before addressing their team’s visit to high-flying Port Vale on Saturday.

“We were asked to take care of the team a year ago and really, really gave it as good as we’ve got,” said Romain.

“We still feel we are not far away, but we understand that results have not been going our way.”

“He will bounce back.”

Both Romain and Kevin were as impressed with the rest of the football world by the way Fletch responded to his dismissal in the immediate wake of Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers, which included relating the news to his players and holding a Press conference.

“That sums him up,” said Nance. “To come into the dressing-room, look everybody in the eye and shake their hand when he was clearly upset takes some doing. That’s the mark of the man.

“Once he had a little breather, recharged the batteries and spent some quality time with his lovely family, he’ll get the manager’s bug again and he’ll get work – he’s too good not to.”

Romain added: “He handled himself so well. Now he has gone, we have been asked to take care [of the team] and it’s ‘forget the past’. Football is ruthless.”

Kevin said: “We worked very closely, the three of us, and now, all of a sudden, one of us is gone. It’s strange, but, like Ro said, we have got a job to do.

“The chairman has asked us to take care of matters on a day-to-day basis until we are told different, and that’s what we’ll do – the club pays our wages and we’ll make sure that we move forward, prepare for Port Vale, and go well prepared to get a result.”