Gary Penrice FINALLY Joins Plymouth

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GARY Penrice resumed a partnership with Ian Holloway that goes back to their earliest days when Penrice officially joined the Argyle back-room team this week. Penrice, 42, and Holloway were schoolboy friends in Bristol more than 30 years ago, and their paths have criss-crossed often ever since.

"He's like a missing bit of my personality," said Holloway, confirming the appointment of Penrice, whose chief role at the club will be that of chief scout. "We're that close.

Penrice will also have a coaching input and Holloway said: "Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world, but he needs someone to coach him, and Penny is as good as that with strikers. There's not a thing he doesn't know about centre-forward play, body-shape, finishing and all that. He knows it all.

"He also sees things slightly differently than anyone else, which makes him a bit special, and he's a fine man."

A pacy striker for much of his career, Penrice ended his playing days alongside Bristol Rovers' player-manager Holloway in the Gas central midfield which propelled the side to the 1997 Division Two play-offs.

He had begun his professional days at Rovers some 13 years earlier after moving up from non-league Mangotsfield, and fired 20 goals as Rovers reached the 1989 Third Division play-off final which they lost 2-1 to Port Vale.

He subsequently joined Watford for a then club-record £500,000 and was sold on to Aston Villa for twice that amount. His stay at Villa Park proved to be a short one before he was sold to another Premiership club, Queens Park Rangers, teaming up once again with Holloway and former Bristol Rovers manager Gerry Francis.

After another four years, he returned to Watford and adapted to a deeper lying role, before winding up his career back in the Westcountry.

In a career spanning 14 years, Penrice made 526 first-team appearances, scoring 121 goals.

He became Holloway's assistant manager at Rovers when Phil Bater took control of the youth team, and teamed up with his fellow Bristolian after Holloway took up the Queens Park Rangers' managerial reins.

Like Holloway, he was put on gardening leave by Rangers in February this year, following the installation of Gary Waddock as manager.
Plymouth