TOM CLEVERLEY called the ultimate helpline when things were going badly for Plymouth earlier this season — Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Plymouth boss is plotting a late dash for the play-offs in League One as they travel to Wimbledon on Saturday.
But when things got tough at Home Park with the club on a seven-match losing streak last year, he asked for the advice of his former Manchester United manager.
Cleverley, 36, said: “He’s still giving me nuggets — especially through the tough times over this season when he was there on the end of the phone.
“He told me how to behave on the training pitch and give players direction of how the situation was going to get better.
“These were all things I was practising, but to hear it from him and really give you encouragement was something special — to be able to learn from the best and then put it into practice.”
The ex-midfielder came through the ranks at Old Trafford — and Fergie once tipped him to be the heir to Paul Scholes.
That did not quite pan out but Cleverley did makes 79 appearances under the great man before he went on to play for Everton and Watford. He also had spells on loan in the Prem at Wigan and Aston Villa.
Cleverley — the SkyBet League One manager of the month — said: “The word manager isn’t used as much as it was, but Sir Alex epitomised that. He was a leader.
“The way he’d manage his players with real personal relationships is something I’ve taken from him.
“He taught me the need to always be honest with players and to be connected to them, because your words are important to them and their careers.”
Cleverley’s playing career was not always paved with gold. It was littered sometimes with the kind of vitriol that would have broken a lesser man.
But going through those dark days have helped him to get others through theirs.
Back in 2014, while still a United player, Cleverley became the ultimate scapegoat for a nation’s frustrations.
A staggering 10,000 fans signed a petition to ban him from England’s World Cup squad.
He was mocked, and hounded off social media — he even deleted his accounts.
But when Argyle striker Aribim Pepple was the victim of racist abuse on Instagram after missing a penalty in the Vertu Trophy in September, Cleverley was able to help him.
He said: “My own experience was so suffocating and horrible, but something good did come from it.
“I’ve had players who have suffered from different kinds of abuse this year and feel like I’ve had an impact in helping them through that by talking about my own experiences.
“Bim is one of them. He has gone from a sticky start here and hurtful words from various individuals to scoring 15 goals so far — and now being called up for Canada in a World Cup year. It’s something I’m proud to be a small part of.”
Cleverley joined Argyle after 14 months in charge at Watford, where he had also spent seven years as a player. He became yet another of their managerial victims.
Although he was sacked, it was a badge of honour that he was their first boss since Walter Mazzarri in 2016 to complete a full season at Vicarage Road.
He said: “I’ll always have a huge place in my heart for Watford — for what they gave to me as a player, captain, academy coach and head coach.
“It was a great learning curve — learning about player management and motivating different groups of players from different cultures. We had 16 to 17 nationalities.
“Selling players is a big part of Watford, so you have to develop and showcase them to make sure that part of the club is always healthy.
“But now I’m at Argyle and loving the challenge of trying to help this club get to where they want to be.”
On Saturday they travel to London with the third-best away record in League One.
It is a far cry from having the worst away record last season in the Championship, when Cleverley’s former United team-mate Wayne Rooney was in charge.
Cleverley said: “We have recruited well.
“Everyone has invested in the challenges that come with playing at Argyle. They all have the right mentality.”
