Miron Muslic vs. the board: The power struggle inside Home Park

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And so relegation was finally confirmed. A valiant run-in packed full of guts, fight, and even the odd outbreak of watchable football wasn’t enough to survive – but enough to stop total humiliation.

A week ago, I was ready to accept relegation and spend the summer enjoying mild positivity about the improved position of the club, our finances, and the form we showed through the run-in. But there’s something heavy in the pit of my stomach. And it’s the realisation that Argyle’s chaotic banter era may not be over – in fact, if Muslic and his entire coaching staff were to leave, it could only just be beginning.

Apologies for the lack of newsletters these last months. I couldn’t keep up with the “it’s so over/we’re so back” cycle of ups and downs represented by the below meme. The season seemed to make so little sense. How can you write about the absurdity without driving yourself mad?

Narrator: “It’s now over”

To me, this relegation hasn’t been about the ceiling of our ability. It’s not because we weren’t good enough to stay in the Championship, it was because of our floor. We were too bad, too often.

Too bad on the pitch. Too bad in the boardroom. Too bad on the training pitch. Across the club, we have failed to execute anything to the required standard of professionalism. Whether it’s Wayne Rooney’s defensive shape sessions and boozy nights out, our interview processes, or handling of staff and contracts. And that last point is now the backdrop to a bizarre drama that’s unfolding between Miron Muslic and the Argyle board.

A war of words has broken out between Muslic – the king of comms and a man who chooses every word with the utmost care – and Andrew Parkinson, whose latest communication has gone down like a Leeds fan in the Devonport End.

And the result of that struggle could make or break the club.

Muslic on the warpath

After 18 months of turmoil, upheaval, shocking decision-making, and barely competent coaching, the board happened upon Miron Muslic.

Muslic’s tenure hasn’t been simple. Legitimate question marks remain over his style of football, results in the run of six-pointers that should have kept Argyle up, and his handling of crucial internal issues. But his points tally and progression in performances speak for themselves. And finally, it feels like we have the coaching set-up and footballing accumen that we deserve.

But under questioning over his future in three successive press conferences, Muslic has gone to war with the board – and for reasons that aren’t completely clear.

His now viral diatribe contained curious, selective facts and contradictions, which make his intentions unclear.

“This is still a hard question for me, not because of the lack of commitment or conviction. I'm still here without the sporting director. I'm still here without the recruitment department. That makes a job for the head coach very, very difficult; that makes success, regardless of the competition, almost impossible. So I would love to answer these questions and to have also clarity from my point of view.

“I believe, and I truly believe, in every strong organisation, regardless of the competition – Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two – you need a triangle of a sporting director, of recruitment and head coach. I'm alone for four months.”

Parking the main crux of his argument, Muslic asserts that he worked “alone for the last four months.”

In a follow-up statement issued by Andrew Parkinson after the final game against Leeds, he rebuffed this point and claimed that the club had supported Muslic with an interim sporting director and recruitment consultants while the search for a full-time replacement continued.

“We are in the final stages of finalising our new structures within the football department and will be able to announce details of this soon.

“We have brought in very experienced external support to assist with recruitment operations during this period of transition. They have been working closely with Miron and the wider football leadership team, and our summer rebuild plans are in a very good place.

“While discussions have taken place with several members of the current squad about extending their time at the club, we recognise that no longer playing in the Championship can add complexity to those conversations. We remain focused on building a competitive squad within that context.”

The inconsistencies continue. In the Leeds pre-match interview, Muslic criticises the club for moving too slowly. In the post-match, he says that he will return straight to his family after the game, and we have “all the time in the world” for contract negotiations and hirings.

In the pre-match presser, Muslic followed up his criticisms by admitting that he and Andrew Parkinson had a productive, “very positive” meal and were looking forward to unveiling news in the coming “days and weeks.” So why drag the club for that very thing? Why make the initial public complaint? Something doesn’t add up.

What are Muslic’s intentions?

The real question is what Muslic is trying to achieve. For a man who chooses his words so carefully, why air these grievances in public?

So there are, in my opinion, a limited number of reasons:

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1. A call to arms as defender of the Green Army

Taking comments fully at face value, perhaps it’s genuine frustration at the pace of change and the current state of the club structure. Muslic has firmly put the spotlight on the summer’s challenges. And perhaps we should thank him for that.

I’m certainly not against Muslic demanding higher standards of football governance. It’s been five months, and it seems that interviews for sporting director candidates are ongoing. It’s not good enough.

But we should remember that it was Muslic himself who, allegedly, caused a rift with Jimmy Dickinson. And why not go further in committing your future in that case?

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2. Financial posturing

Muslic’s comments have put the Green Army firmly on his side – and in direct conflict with the board and leadership that ultimately presided over this relegation.

Parkinson’s end-of-season letter was met with derision on social media for a lack of culpability for the relegation, and I wager this was intensified by Muslic’s comments.

The vociferous support he now enjoys makes it hard for the board to picture a future without Muslic and his staff. Aside from the perspective of damaging pre-season upheaval (which would be significant) but from fan sentiment. Parkinson and Hallett would experience a full-on fan revolt should Muslic leave. Miron, the king of comms, holds all the cards.

So perhaps this paves the way for Muslic to renegotiate staff wages to Championship levels, or improved terms. It feels like a logical explanation.

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3. Preparing an exit

If Muslic’s future is uncertain (odd, given that he is six months into a 3.5-year contract – albeit with the potential for relegation clauses), many see this as the beginning of the end of his tenure.

Is this simply preserving his legacy? Or making his position untenable ahead of a “mutual consent” departure?

Could Muslic be protecting his personal brand, so his legacy becomes that of a man forced out by a club not run to his standards, rather than one who walks away from the challenge?

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Hallett and Parkinson can’t afford to lose Muslic

But the upshot is that Hallett and Parkinson can’t afford to lose Muslic and his staff.

With players on run-down or expired contracts, a rebuild is necessary, and the club likely cannot afford to start a new head coach recruitment.

It would be almost impossible to change coach (and potentially style) once again, go through yet another long process, and be in good shape for the season ahead. And that’s bearing in mind that we are currently without a recruitment team, and the scores of other vacancies that have mysteriously appeared in the past few months.

Let’s face it: who has the energy?