Plymouth Argyle: Pundit makes Ian Foster sack claim as pressure mounts | OneFootball

Former England midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Plymouth Argyle will sack manager Ian Foster if the club are relegated back to League One this season.

The Pilgrims appointed the former England under-20 boss as their new manager at the start of January, as they needed a replacement for Steven Schumacher.

There were high hopes that Foster could continue the work of Ryan Lowe and Schumacher from the past few seasons, but it hasn’t gone the way they would have hoped.

So far, Foster has taken charge of 12 Championship games, during which the club has only won three, with their last win coming against Middlesbrough in February.

As a result of their poor form, pressure has started to mount on the Plymouth boss, as fans are unhappy as they continue to see their side fall down the table and closer to the relegation zone.

Carlton Palmer believes Ian Foster will be sacked if Plymouth Argyle are relegated

Here, we asked former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer for his thoughts on whether Plymouth Argyle should sack Ian Foster if the club is relegated to League One.

Palmer believes it has been a difficult job for Foster to take over from Schumacher, but he recognises the fans' unhappiness, and he thinks if the club is relegated, then Foster will lose his job.

Palmer told Football League World: “Ian Foster has had a difficult job to take over from the impressive previous manager Steven Schumacher.

“It is always difficult to follow somebody who has had so much success and I think it is unfair that he is being labelled as a failure at the moment.

“Plymouth are not on a great run of form, four defeats, one draw and one win in their last six games is not great reading. But you have to remember that they have one of the smallest budgets in the Championship and their priority was to stay in the league this season.

“They are on 41 points now, and they need to pick up a couple of results, and they need to pick them up quickly and if they stay in the division that would be seen as a huge success for a club like Plymouth.

“If they do go down, yes, I think Ian Foster will get the sack, just of the basis of the football that is being played as well.

“The supporters are not happy with the football that he is playing, the style of football they play, but unfortunately, in football you have to play a certain way to get results, not always the way you want to play as a manager.

“That’s not always pleasing to the eye. Obviously, they are going the way Schumacher used to play with his side, which was an all-out attacking brand, but you have to change your style of play when you are playing better opposition.

“So, it will be difficult if Plymouth Argyle are relegated for Ian to stay in his job, but hopefully, he can keep them in the division and kick on next year and give the fans a better style of football that they want to see.”

Plymouth Argyle’s league position

While the last few weeks and months have been difficult for Plymouth Argyle, it must still be remembered that they have done excellently well this season.

Most people would have expected them to be sitting at the foot of the table for the majority of the season, but that hasn’t been the case. In fact, it has only been the last few weeks where they have been dragged into more danger.

After 38 games, Plymouth are sitting in 18th place on 41 points, level with Steven Schumacher’s Stoke City, but more importantly, two points clear of third-placed Huddersfield Town.

The Pilgrims have failed to win in their last four games and now face a double header against Norwich City and Bristol City this weekend.

Plymouth could make Ian Foster call before the end of the season

Plymouth found themselves in a situation earlier this season that they didn’t want to be in and that was looking for a new manager.

The Pilgrims would have hoped that Steven Schumacher would have stuck with the job and looked to have helped Plymouth stay in the second tier beyond this season.

However, that didn’t happen, and Plymouth decided Ian Foster was the right man to replace Schumacher.

Unfortunately, for Plymouth, it is a decision that doesn’t seem to have paid quite off yet, and with them sliding closer and closer to relegation, a poor Easter weekend could mean the club could decide to act and replace Foster before the end of the season.