Hughes on his Contract Extension

On signing his extended contract, committing him to Argyle until 2027, Mark Hughes says he is loving life as the Pilgrims’ assistant manager.

Hughes joined Argyle in January firstly as a coach, then becoming Steven Schumacher’s right-hand man in May. Schumacher recently agreed a contract extension, and Hughes is delighted to follow suit.

“It’s a nice feeling,” he said. “I must be doing something right! With the manager signing his new deal, it’s a knock-on effect from there. There’s a plan at this football club; you can see it on a daily basis. It’s good to be part of the plan going forward.

“This is a great first job for me. I love my work every day, and I enjoy it. Why would I think of doing anything else? It was a no-brainer.”

As part of a coaching staff including Kevin Nancekivell, goalkeeping coach Darren Behcet and Director of Football Neil Dewsnip, Hughes has been part of a unit that has steered Argyle to top spot in Sky Bet League One, and lifted the lid a little on the working relationship between the staff, particular that between him and long-time pal Schumacher.

“We’re not on each other’s toes 24/7,” said Mark. “It’s actually the opposite. We give each other quite a bit of space. He has his own office, and we have our own, the coaching staff. I’ll go into his office and we’ll bounce a few ideas, and vice versa. That’s how we work.

“It’s not just me. It could be Nance going in, or the two analysts. He’s quite flexible like that. That’s the environment he has built. It’s not really a ‘me and him’ thing but a collective staff group. We just try to keep everything as simple and easy as possible.

“It’s been different – probably a little bit more stressful than playing, believe it or not. This is a results business and everything is scrutinised. But I have loved it.

“I know there are going to be tough times ahead, where you go through sticky spells, but all in all you have to embrace the challenge.

“It’s getting better by the day. This is a club built to go up rather than down. It’s built for the Championship: that’s the plan. Hopefully when it happens we can be part of it – we’ve made a good start.”