Editing Plymouth Argyle F.C. (section)

===Decline and financial issues (2008–2018)===
[[File:Plymouth Argyle Football Club - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Match at Home Park in 2008]]The club finished 2008 in 15th place–now 8 points adrift of the play-offs. On 3 January 2009, Argyle travelled to the recently built [[Emirates Stadium]] to play against [[Premier League]] giants [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] in the FA Cup third round.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2009-01-03 |title=Arsenal 3-1 Plymouth |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/fa_cup/7803232.stm |access-date=2023-05-05 |archive-date=5 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105140458/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/fa_cup/7803232.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Striker [[Robin Van Persie]] scored his second of the game five minutes from time to give Arsenal a 3–1 win.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Channon |first=Max |date=2018-04-20 |title=ARSENE WENGER RESIGNS: Remembering when Argyle took on Arsenal in the FA Cup |url=https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sport/football/arsene-wenger-resigns-remembering-argyle-1481005 |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=PlymouthLive |language=en |archive-date=5 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505072316/https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sport/football/arsene-wenger-resigns-remembering-argyle-1481005 |url-status=live }}</ref> The club finished 21st in the league table, five points and one place clear of the relegation places–Argyle's first season which didn't improve its league position for eight years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sparks |first=Gordon |date=2018-03-12 |title=Green Barmy: Paul Gallagher's goals kept Argyle in the Championship |url=https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sport/football/green-barmy-paul-gallaghers-goals-1330432 |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=PlymouthLive |language=en |archive-date=5 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505073149/https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sport/football/green-barmy-paul-gallaghers-goals-1330432 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Paul Sturrock's second stint in charge came to an end on 10 December 2009, when a press conference confirmed he was relieved of his managerial duties due to two years of poor results and fan unrest.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Burnton |first=Simon |date=2009-02-20 |title=Pilgrims' regress leaves Sturrock sweating on second-tier survival |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2009/feb/20/plymouth-argyle-championship-football |access-date=2023-05-05 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=11 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711052918/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2009/feb/20/plymouth-argyle-championship-football |url-status=live }}</ref> However, Mariner lost his first two games–his first fixture resulted in a 2–0 loss at [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]] and then Argyle was defeated 1–0 at home to Coventry, leaving the Pilgrims bottom of the table and six points adrift of safety. Argyle ended the season as the second lowest-scoring team in the division.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2010-04-20 |title=Argyle relegated : Have Your Say |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/devon/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8631000/8631622.stm |access-date=2023-05-05}}</ref> The club's six-year stay in the second tier of the Football League was over. On 20 November, following a 1–2 home defeat to [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]], newly relegated Argyle was 20th in League One, just one place and three points above the relegation zone.

On 23 November, Argyle came from 0–1 down to beat fellow strugglers [[Dagenham & Redbridge F.C.|Dagenham & Redbridge]] 2–1 at Home Park, lifting them up to 15th. However, just 4,960 were present at the game. That was Argyle's lowest league attendance since playing in the bottom tier.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patterson earns Argyle late win |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/plymouth-argyle-vs-dagenham-redbridge/report/216205 |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Sky Sports |language=en |archive-date=5 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505072302/https://www.skysports.com/football/plymouth-argyle-vs-dagenham-redbridge/report/216205 |url-status=live }}</ref> Not long after, the Pilgrims were presented with a winding-up order by HMRC and appeared in court on 8 December, only to earn a 63-day adjournment so they could pay the taxes they owed. Relegation was later confirmed on 2 May, following a 3–1 home defeat against [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13184984.stm "Plymouth 1 – 3 Southampton"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503040629/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13184984.stm |date=3 May 2011 }}. [[BBC Sport]]. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2011.</ref>

[[File:Homepark2.png|left|thumb|Match at Home Park in 2017]]

James Brent's Akkeron Group agreed to a deal with the Administrators to buy the club with [[Peter Ridsdale]] also confirming that he would leave the club when the deal had been completed.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15100530.stm "Administrators agree Plymouth Argyle sale"]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15035687.stm "Peter Ridsdale to leave Plymouth Argyle"]</ref> Further problems occurred with the Administrators threatening to quit the club.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15314429.stm "Plymouth Argyle administrators threaten to quit"]</ref> Argyle agreed to a deal to sell [[Home Park]] back to [[Plymouth]] council on 14 October for £1.6m and had to pay £135,000 a year in rent.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-15354187 |title="Plymouth Argyle Home Park stadium deal agreed" |work=BBC News |date=18 October 2011 |access-date=22 June 2018 |archive-date=20 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020053254/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-15354187 |url-status=live }}</ref> The team's form greatly improved after the takeover, and while the eventual League finish of 21st was the lowest in the club's history, the club still secured survival with three games to spare, which was quite an achievement considering it had been well adrift at the bottom for the first half of the campaign. In the following season, the club was again narrowly saved from relegation, and finished 21st for a consecutive season. Sheridan then agreed a three-year contract to continue as Argyle manager, and in his first full season in charge, the club finished 10th. Argyle had a far stronger start to its fourth consecutive season in League 2, winning 4 games consecutively for the first time since 2008.

The team had the chance to go up as champions. But the title was handed to [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] via goal difference.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32362789|title = Plymouth Argyle 3-2 Tranmere Rovers|work = BBC Sport|access-date = 4 May 2023|archive-date = 16 June 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150616123739/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32362789|url-status = live}}</ref> The Pilgrims got off to an appalling start to their [[2017-18 EFL League One|League One]] campaign, gaining only 5 points in their first 11 games and sitting rock bottom, already 4 points from safety after only 11 games. And a 2–1 defeat at home to [[Fleetwood Town F.C.|Fleetwood]] added to Argyle's woes, extending the winless run to 10 games and earning just 2 points from a possible 30 in that time. Some fans disputed the board sacking [[Derek Adams]] even after taking them up in the previous season, due to poor tactics and game management. From December 2017, through 2018 saw Argyle record 16 wins, 6 draws and only 5 losses to escape relegation and finish 7th, only missing out on a play-off spot by 3 points.