Thoughtful but also quiet and considered, is Watford's loss Argyle's gain?

WE SPEAK TO ANDREW FRENCH TO GET THE FULL LOWDOWN ON NEW HEAD COACH TOM CLEVERLEY

- By CHRIS ERRINGTON

TOM Cleverley has had two Press conferences since his appointment as Plymouth Argyle head coach last month, the first his official introduction and the second last Friday before the squad set off for their training camp in Austria this week.

On both occasions, the 35-year-old former Watford boss spoke well, with clarity and conviction, and the reaction of the Green Army to what he had to say was generally very positive. It will soon be time for the fans to start seeing Cleverley's Argyle in action, firstly for those who are making the trip to Austria to see the Pilgrims play German Bundesliga 2 side Eintracht Braunschweig in St Johann in Tirol tomorrow evening.

Then on their return to the UK, Argyle are scheduled to have away preseason games against Truro City on July 16 and Torquay United on July 23, before hosting Bristol City on July 26. The following Saturday they will begin their League One campaign against Barnsley at Home Park.

So to get an idea of what the Green Army can expect from their new head coach and his Argyle team, Herald Sport has spoken to Andrew French, who reported on Watford during Cleverley's time as the Hertfordshire club's first team boss for the Watford Observer.

What were your overall impressions of Tom Cleverley's time as head coach at Watford, both interim and full-time?

In my opinion, Tom did about as well as could be expected in the circumstances, both when he came in as interim and then when he took over permanently.

He's a thoroughly decent bloke, and while that's no guarantee of success, it's a good start. His longstanding links to the club meant he understood the importance of rebuilding the connection between team/club and fans. He did that very well, and the fans really got behind him.