Miron Muslic appointment could be a blessing for rarely seen Plymouth Argyle man | OneFootball

Jordan Houghton could be the trusted presence in the heart of the Pilgrims' midfield that the new Argyle boss is looking for

It speaks volumes that Plymouth Argyle will have felt hard done by to leave the Stadium of Light with only one point on Saturday, with the clash against Sunderland the finest example of Miron Muslic’s blueprint offering plenty to be enthusiastic about for those of a green persuasion.

Long gone are the forlorn trips across the country for the travelling Green Army that characterised the Wayne Rooney era, with the Pilgrims picking up as many points on the road since his departure on New Year’s Eve than they did under the former Birmingham City boss’ stewardship at the start of the campaign.

The showing at the Stadium of Light proved that Argyle are more than up for the fight for the remainder of the campaign, and proved to be the perfect response to the 5-0 humbling at the hands of Burnley in midweek, where pockets of Janners were already considering throwing in the towel and accepting their fate for the remainder of the campaign.

Muslic made five changes to the side for the trip to the North East, with a significant alteration in midfield having the desired effect, as Jordan Houghton thrived in a role he has performed so admirably for Argyle over the years, and the midfielder could well be in contention for a starting berth going forwards at Home Park.

Jordan Houghton could play crucial role after Miron Muslic, Plymouth Argyle appointment

There are no two ways about it, what Argyle need right now are hustlers, cloggers, and disrupters; players that can stick to a game plan and be disciplined in doing so, with every single member of the team giving everything they have got from first whistle to last.

In terms of philosophy, it couldn’t be much more different than that imparted under Rooney at the start of the season, with the departed man in the dugout emphasising the desire to play attractive, attacking football. A want that would ultimately prove to be fatal in terms of his time as a Pilgrim.

Argyle were too often found lacking when they tried to go toe-to-toe with their opponents through the first half of the season, with a fragility without the ball costing them dear time and time again, with their scarily high goal difference a nasty scar from those torrid times, with chastening defeats - mainly on the road - becoming something of a regularity.

In the first few outings after Rooney’s departure, things already started to look tighter, with a 0-0 draw at Stoke City followed up by that famous 1-0 win over Brentford in the FA Cup, before tight encounters with Oxford United and Queens Park Rangers in Muslic’s first two league games in charge.

It was in the latter of those two clashes where Muslic started to show his hand in terms of team selection, with Darko Gyabi hooked at half-time in the defeat to Rangers, with Houghton taking his place in the midfield for the final 45 minutes.

The former Doncaster Rovers man had been used to being utilised from the bench throughout the campaign, having failed to jump ahead of Gyabi, or Adams Randell and Forshaw in the pecking order, but the halftime switch was an obvious sign of Muslic’s intentions.

Leeds United loanee Gyabi had been sloppy in possession during the first half against Marti Cifuentes’ side; gifting the visitors possession on numerous occasions, and failing to administer the aggression and pressing tactics that his new manager requires across the board, which ultimately led to him failing to return for the second stanza.

Houghton offers that calming presence in comparison; while he is never going to be a player who breaks the press and surges towards the opposition penalty area, he can disrupt the opposition at will and retains possession for fun in the middle of the park.

That Burnley capitulation once again saw a weakness in the middle as Gyabi was recalled, with the former Manchester City player struggling to stay alert in his role without the ball, as he played his part in a first-half performance that saw the Clarets have shots at goal almost at will, and must have left Muslic calling out for more steeliness in the engine room for the remainder of the campaign.

Sunderland performance proves Jordan Houghton importance to Plymouth Argyle and Miron Muslic

Having been introduced in the second half once again in midweek, Muslic made the call to bring Houghton in from the start at Sunderland, with his tenacity in sticking to the task at hand obviously preferred over the unpredictable Gyabi.

Right from the off, Argyle set about their task of restricting the Black Cats, with Houghton offering a sturdy base to the midfield while providing a fulcrum when in possession, with no player in the starting lineup topping his 84.2% pass completion on Wearside.

A gargantuan second-half block summed it up for the 29-year-old, who busted a gut to get back to help his defensive teammates when the game was in the balance, with Dennis Cirkin looking likely to shoot on goal if he had not intervened.

It isn’t the prettiest of positions, but that sort of dirty work is exactly what you need when you are fighting at the bottom of the table, with positive results only going to come when the issues from a defensive point of view are sorted out.

Sitting alongside Randell, Houghton's presence can allow his midfield companion to roam forward more regularly, with the Argyle academy graduate’s energy in the middle of the park often being the spearhead for the Pilgrims’ forays forward, at the weekend and across the campaign in general.

Having not started a game since late November before the trip to the North East, Saturday proved that the midfielder could well have a bigger part than some imagined at Home Park between now and the end of the season.

With his current contract coming to an end in the summer, Houghton will be doing everything he can to prove himself worthy of a new deal in six months’ time, whether that be in Devon or further afield.

He has already proven he is more than up to the task and ready to give his all for the side when called upon, and with the new man in the dugout, he could well be the steadying presence in the midfield that Argyle have been crying out for all season long.