Adams happy to be support for Cleverley

DEREK Adams has explained he is ready to offer advice to Tom Cleverley in his role as Plymouth Argyle's new director of football but first team decision making will be down to the head coach.

- By CHRIS ERRINGTON

Adams wants to take away the pressure off Cleverley from dealing with other aspects at the club, such as talks with players' agents and transfers, which will allow the 36-year-old to fully focus on his squad and prepare them for matches.

He sees his role as providing support to Cleverley and made it clear that he had returned to Argyle, where he was the manager from 2015 until 2019, to specifically be the director of football and nothing else.

Adams officially started work at Argyle last Monday and watched the Pilgrims' vital 1-0 victory over Port Vale in a bottom-of-the-table League One clash on Saturday from the directors' box at Vale Park.

He told Herald Sport: "It's the first time I have seen the team live since I have been in the role. It's the second time live this season. I was at the Bolton Wanderers game (a 2-0 defeat) early in the season.

"Saturday was all about getting three points. It was really important to get the first goal and get the points that would enable us to move further up the table. I think there was grit, there was a determination from the squad that enabled us to get the victory.

"Yes, you would like to have free-flowing football but it wasn't that type of venue. Port Vale is a difficult venue to go to. Not only that, the position of both teams in the league table it was never going to be a free-flowing football match.

"We were able to come out on top, we were able to score a very good goal, but not only that we defended well, we got a clean sheet and that brings a great togetherness throughout the squad."

Argyle's winning goal was scored at the very start of the second half by Lorent Tolaj for his ninth goal in all competitions since his £1.2 million transfer from Port Vale in August.