Team at the Top
IT IS not just the Home Park stadium that is undergoing significant change in recent times, as changes at board level have also occurred this season.
Simon Hallett became the new chairman at Plymouth Argyle in November, succeeding James Brent, who remains a Director and second-highest shareholder. There will also be a change in the Chief Executive seat too, as Michael Dunford will vacate the position for Andrew Parkinson in May, becoming vice-chair in the process.
One position that remains constant, though, is Head of Football, and Derek Adams is looking forward to working with both Hallett and Parkinson moving forward.
“I was out with Simon Hallett, the chairman, and the previous chairman, James Brent, for two-and-a-half-hours [on Thursday evening],” said Derek. “We talked about a lot of things Argyle, and we have a lot of interest in things we want to see around the football club and how we want to move it forward. It’s always an enjoyable time, it’s something that I enjoy because we can speak about different areas of the football club.
“I think that both of them [Simon Hallett and James Brent] are going to be good for the football club. The Chairman will act differently from the previous chairman, that’s what happens. Some things will change, and we’ll move forward.”
The football club is a significantly different beast than the one Derek became manager of back in 2015. The core ethos, though, remains the same – to build a successful and financially viable football club that the city and surrounding area can be proud of.
“I came into the football club, four years ago now, and the club had come out of administration in 2011. From our point of view, it was all about building a football club that could be sustainable. At this moment in time, that’s what we’re trying to get to,” said Derek.
“This year’s been a difficult year for us, because, off-the-pitch, it’s been hard because of the grandstand and the associated costs with that. From a playing point of view, when we talk about budgets, we talk about ‘what can we afford as a football club’ and we try and spend what we can afford.”
As Head of Football, Derek assumes full control of the playing affairs at Argyle, and so he expects to work in partnership with incoming chief executive, Andrew Parkinson, to propel the club further forward in the coming years.
“Andrew’s obviously going to come in and oversee the aspects outside of the footballing side of the business, taking over from Michael Dunford in the summer,” said Derek. “Andrew’s obviously got the remit to improve the finances in the football club, to help not only the first-team, but reserve team, academy and the whole structure at the football club.
“The roles are very separate, he’s got one side of the business to look after, and I’ve got the other side, and that helps, but there’ll always be dialogue between us.”