Plymouth Parkway appoint their new manager

Chris McPhee wants to take Plymouth Parkway to the next level after being named as their new manager yesterday.

The 41-year-old leaves his role as a coach within the Academy at Exeter City to succeed Lee Hobbs, who tendered his resignation at Bolitho Park after guiding the club to safety with a 1-1 draw at Beaconsfield Town on the final day of the season. McPhee will be assisted by former Bristol City and Swindon Town striker Lee Peacock.

Parkway enjoyed great success in Hobbs’ seven years in charge, going from a mid-table South West Peninsula League team to the Southern League Premier Division. Now, McPhee wants to build on those three promotions and take the club into the National League South.

“For the last couple of years, it has been on my mind where becoming a manager is something I always aspired to and get back into men’s football,” McPhee said. “I have spent the last ten years within the Academy at Exeter City and coaching their younger players and helping them to develop and become professional football players.

“Having given up my own career and playing on a Saturday, trying to win three points, it is a different environment and I want to get back into men’s football, fighting for three points, feel the atmosphere and trying to outwit your opponent. That’s the thing that’s been missing from my coaching career.

“The opportunity (at Parkway) arose, I made an approach and the guys down here have been fantastic in listening to my thoughts and ideas and it is a really exciting time. I have always wanted to become a manager at some point in my coaching career and now seems a good time to make the leap and I am really grateful for the opportunity.”

McPhee added: “The last seven years, the club has really progressed in a really good manner and there are some fantastic foundations at the club at the moment. It is something that really attracted me to it, in terms of the club is in a good position, it has had great progression around the stadium and it has progressed through the leagues as well. The foundations are there and I hope to build on those foundations and take the club to the next level.”

McPhee’s playing career saw him start out at Brighton & Hove Albion, where he made 69 appearances between 1999 and 2006. He spent time on loan with Aldershot and Swindon Town in that time as well before swapping the Seagulls for the Gulls following his release by Brighton, and joining Torquay United.

McPhee only spent one season with the Gulls before joining Ebbsfleet United, but after spells with Weymouth and Kidderminster Harriers, McPhee returned to Plainmoor in June 2011. He wound his career down at Salisbury and Frome, which he combined whilst coaching in the Grecians’ Academy.

During that eight-game loan spell with Swindon, though, McPhee first came into contact with Peacock, now 47. The former Scottish striker started his career at Carlisle and took in spells at Mansfield Town, Manchester City, Bristol City, Sheffield Wednesday, Swindon and Grimsby Town.

Peacock then turned to coaching and has spent the last seven years working within the Academy at Swindon Town prior to his move to Parkway.

“Lee Peacock is a lad I have known for about 12 years, we first came across each other when we were both at Swindon,” McPhee said. “We both shared the same values in terms of on and off the pitch, but also the same vision in how we like to approach games and hoe we want to play.

“We both have a big background in player development and one of the things we really want to do is work with the players and improve them as much as possible on and off the pitch and help them understand their roles within the team to get that collective performance on a matchday.

“We will complement each other and Peacs has a very, very good record in terms of his coaching at the top end of the pitch and set pieces and a lot of that work is what he will focus on. Some of the defensive work and organisation and patterns of play will come from my end.

“I trust him wholeheartedly, we have always got on really, really well and we are really close. He has just moved down to the area as well, so it is a perfect fit. When he first came down, I got him a casual role within Exeter City’s Academy, which he has really enjoyed and as soon as I applied and was offered an interview, I said straight away that Lee Peacock would be perfect and it was a natural choice for me.”

With the Parkway players having just returned from an end of season trip abroad, the challenge now facing McPhee is to meet his players and resolve any outstanding contract issues before constructing a squad that can be competitive in the Southern League Premier Division.