Wayne Rooney’s start to life as Plymouth Argyle manager couldn’t have got off to a worse start.
Following mixed spells in charge of Derby County, DC United and Birmingham City, the Manchester United record goalscorer was appointed Plymouth boss in May.
The Pilgrims had a mixed pre-season under Rooney, beating Cheltenham 5-1 either side of a 2-2 draw with Orlando Pirates and a 2-1 loss to Bristol Rovers. However, optimism was still high that the 120-time England international could help further establish them as a Championship side.
But Rooney’s first competitive match in charge of Argyle ended in disaster with Sheffield Wednesday inflicting a 4-0 defeat.
Jamal Lowe opened the scoring in the 35th minute before a 52nd-minute own goal from Brendan Galloway left Plymouth with a mountain to climb. Late strikes from Josh Windass and Michael Smith finished the job at Hillsborough on Sunday.
The defeat understandably left Plymouth fans concerned about the campaign ahead, with some even predicting a swift exit for Rooney.
When Rooney does get the boot, what sane manger would actually want to take the job? #pafc
— argyletweets (@argyletweet) August 11, 2024
Rooney ‘angry’ at Plymouth performance
Rooney himself was left both furious and confused by his side’s performance and he didn’t mince his words when reflecting on the match.
“I’m disappointed, angry, surprised,” Rooney told BBC Radio Devon. “I think from everything we’ve seen from the players throughout pre-season today was a surprise to me.
“We knew it was important to try and get through the first 20 minutes and then try and get some composure and some calmness to the game, and we didn’t manage to do that.
“I think the basics of the game today was not good enough and for me that’s not acceptable.
“Whether that’s getting to the ball, tackling, being aggressive and staying with runners — we knew Sheffield Wednesday were one of the best teams in the league last season at crosses and cutbacks and it was four goals from crosses and cutbacks, which we worked a lot on throughout the week, so I’m really disappointed.”