Miron Muslic's first words in the Press conference after Plymouth Argyle's 5-0 drubbing by Burnley at Home Park were that he took 'full responsibility' for the result and performance.

I disagree with that. Completely. This was only Muslic's third match as head coach. Whether he turns out to be a success in his role or not, it is far too early to say. What we do know with certainty is that this Pilgrims' squad is not good enough, plain and simple, both in terms of ability and, perhaps most damning, effort.

I do not think anyone would argue that Argyle's 2022/23 League One title winners were a better team than the current crop of players, who are the ones who should be taking 'full responsibility' for the humiliation against Burnley.

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READ MORE: Morgan Whittaker 'didn't show up' says Plymouth Argyle boss Miron Muslic

I do not use the word 'humiliation' lightly either, but no team should lose 5-0 (with all the goals coming in the first half, remember) at home to opposition in the same division as them. No ifs, no buts.

This was a shambles, and reflects the mess that Argyle have got themselves in and will almost certainly result in their relegation from the Championship back to League One. It seems not a case of if, but when.

Muslic must be wondering what he has walked into. Less than two weeks after his appointment the 42-year-old has so many issues to try to sort out it must be hard to know where to even begin.

Argyle have had so much success since 2019, rising from the depths of League Two to the relative heady heights of the Championship but as Rotherham United discovered last season, and as other clubs have done in the past too, it can be a ruthless, unforgiving league.

The way it has unravelled so comprehensively for the Pilgrims is heart breaking to see given all of the time and effort put in by so many people over recent years. Not so long ago, the club were lauded for being so well run, and deservedly so.

However, they have got into the habit of making bad decisions - risky choices over head coaches, player signings which have failed dismally - and that, combined with their lack of spending power compared to virtually of their Championship rivals, has led to them being in such dire straits.

They also let defender Lewis Gibson leave for Preston North End at the start of the month, albeit in a £1.5 million transfer which represented good business for them after signing him for free, but did not have a replacement for him lined up.

I am sure I hardly need to remind you Argyle are on a winless run of 14 Championship games. Their last victory was on November 5. They have just four wins from 28 matches, have conceded 60 goals and are six points from a position of safety - although it is seven, effectively, given their abysmal goal difference.

I take no satisfaction from pointing all this out. I know what Argyle means to this community, to the city of Plymouth, and to the wider south-west. The vast majority of fans are fiercely proud of their club and what it stands for. They are in despair over how this season has fallen apart.

There is no getting away from the fact that the head coach appointments of first Ian Foster and then Wayne Rooney have backfired on Argyle. So while the board of directors rightly received a lot of credit for the 2019/20 and 2022/23 promotions they have to accept the criticism now coming their way over those two crucial decisions.

Of course, they did not intend it to turn out this way. They will be feeling the pain of the Pilgrims' current struggles, and also hoping that Muslic can somehow stabilise the club over the coming weeks and months so there is a platform to build from going forward.

That leaves the players. Argyle were outclassed and beaten 4-0 at Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day of the season in August, and that has most emphatically proved not to be a one-off.

Heavy defeats have become commonplace - 5-0 at Cardiff City, 6-1 at Norwich City, 4-0 at Bristol City, 4-0 at Coventry City and now 5-0 in front of their own fans against Burnley. While the latter clearly had more quality than Argyle they also possessed more fight than them as well. It has become a common theme.

Then there was the high-profile absence of Morgan Whittaker, who has starred so brightly for the Pilgrims in the past but who according to Muslic 'didn't show up' for the game against Burnley, one of the two clubs to have made a bid for him in the January transfer window.

There are two sides to every story, but it was not a good look at all, for anyone, and such a shame that Whittaker's time at Home Park is almost certainly coming to an end on such a sour note.

Muslic is going to have to carry out a major overhaul of the Argyle squad. Many of the players will not be at Home Park beyond the end of this season but they should still have some professional pride to represent this unique and special club, which has overcome so many challenges over the years and is such a part of the fabric of Plymouth life. That is the least we should expect from them.

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