Paul Sturrock will go down as one of our most successful ever managers.  

In October 2000, he became the Argyle boss, with the Greens struggling near the bottom of the table, in the lowest division of English league football. Within four years, Argyle were playing in the second tier, to sold-out crowds. Sturrock was the architect to all of that.  

As a player, Sturrock spent his entire club career with Dundee United, playing 571 games and scoring 170 goals. He is regarded as one of the club’s greatest ever players. He also played 20 times for his native Scotland and was selected for their squad at two World Cups.  

Affectionately known as ‘Luggy’, Sturrock stayed at Dundee United in a coaching capacity after his playing days, before taking his first managerial job, at St Johnstone. After leading them to the Scottish Premier League, he returned to Tannadice to manage Dundee United, although he resigned after just under two years in the job.  

After a few months off, Sturrock returned to football with Argyle, and immediately set about repairing a club in disarray, and at its lowest ever point, to that stage.  

In his first season, Sturrock brought in players who would go on to play huge parts in the club’s subsequent success: David Worrell, Brian McGlinchey, David Friio and Romain Larrieu were all signed, and Michael Evans returned to the club after four years away. Argyle recovered to finish in 12th.   

The following season was a revelation. Even though the Pilgrims gained just one point from the opening three fixtures, they ended the campaign as champions, with a record-setting 102 points.  

The following season, Sturrock again tinkered with the squad, augmenting with players such as David Norris, Hasney Aljofree and Nathan Lowndes. Argyle finished eighth.  

The season afterwards, the Greens made it two titles in three seasons as they achieved promotion to tier two, but Sturrock, although essentially responsible for the rapid ascent, left before the season’s end, moving to Premier League Southampton in the March of 2004.  

His time at Saints was short, but he moved to Sheffield Wednesday and was successful in getting them promoted from League One to the Championship, then moved to Swindon, with whom he also achieved a promotion.  

He departed the Robins to return to Argyle where, although the success of the previous stint was not reignited, he did steer the Greens to 10^th in the Championship, having returned in October 2008.  

He departed Home Park in 2010, and returned to management with Southend United, then Yeovil Town. He still lives in the South West, and was inducted as a Forever Green Icon at a special event to honour the title-winning side of 2003/04.