QPR display proves Wayne Rooney has Plymouth Argyle quality that Ian Foster didn’t: View | OneFootball

The Pilgrims were outstanding as they earned a point against QPR after finishing the match with nine men

Wayne Rooney may not have a league win as Plymouth Argyle manager yet, but the Pilgrims boss will have plenty to be pleased about after a battling 1-1 draw with Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

The Greens finished the match with nine men after both Adam Forshaw and Freddie Issaka saw red during the clash at Loftus Road but still managed to hold on to earn a valuable point on the road.

Despite a rocky start to life at Home Park, which saw his side go down 4-0 on the opening day of the Championship season to Sheffield Wednesday, Rooney has proven that he has the whole squad together as they head into the new campaign, which hasn’t always been the case at Argyle in recent times.

You only have to go back to the start of the year with the ill-fated reign of Ian Foster to see a squad that had been decimated of its confidence, but Saturday’s performance proved the former Manchester United man has helped the Greens turn a corner.

Ian Foster fails to succeed in Plymouth Argyle stint

There was plenty of anticipation after Foster’s arrival earlier in the year, with the former England youth coach having a healthy-looking CV as he took his first role in management.

Those hopes were soon proved to be unfounded though, with the 47-year-old winning just three of his 14 league matches in charge of the side, as Argyle slid towards a relegation battle.

The mood was bitter as the year went on with Foster at the helm, with early wins against Cardiff City and Swansea City proving to be a false dawn, with the club freefalling towards the relegation trapdoor as a result.

Having gone from the swashbuckling football of previous boss Steven Schumacher to a coach that seemed to suck any creativity and flair from the players at the club was a tough pill to swallow for the Green Army, with the side failing to score more than once in each of their final 12 league games.

With popular first-team players like Dan Scarr banished from the side, Foster did himself no good in trying to endear himself to the fanbase and his playing staff, with the fortunes of the club suffering as a result.

With their Championship status hanging in the balance and the feeling around the club continuing to worsen, the club were left with no option but to part ways with six matches of the season remaining, before turning things around to rescue their season on the final day.

QPR performance shows Plymouth Argyle are united with Wayne Rooney

There were sure to have been plenty of people who turned their noses up when Rooney was appointed at Home Park in the summer and they would have been loving every second of the capitulation at Hillsborough on the season’s opening day.

But despite that early setback, Rooney is slowly implementing his style of play on the Argyle side and has the full backing of his players and the fans to go on and try to achieve something with their football club.

That emotion was in full force on Saturday, as everyone pulled together to earn an impressive point against QPR, with each and every player giving their all to travel back to Devon without tasting defeat.

Rooney was proud of the side’s performance, telling the club’s website: “The determination, energy, aggression to get to the ball; I thought the back four and the goalkeeper were excellent, heading balls out of the box, getting blocks in. I felt it was a deserved point for the work we put in.

“The players who step on the pitch, they have to represent me and what I want. I want players to have character, have belief, put tackles in and play with energy. I felt we did that.

“We didn't quite manage to take the ball in the second half, but the other side of the game - defending the box. stopping crosses, blocks: I thought it was fantastic. Conor obviously helps us out with some big saves as well.

“Everyone wants to see entertainment and good football, but that other side of the game is just as good as well when you get that right.”

The Argyle boss was also keen to praise the travelling support, with the togetherness between playing staff and supporters back to where it belongs after Foster’s divisive spell at the club.

“The support was absolutely outstanding,” he said. “I think it was 4am this morning that they left. They pushed the players on towards the end when it got difficult.

“I'm sure every fan who was here watching the game, and fans who were watching the game on TV, would be proud of the team today because I felt we kept going, under difficult circumstances.

“As a fan, you want to see a team who's together and a team who are putting the effort in who deserve to wear the shirt. I felt they saw that today. The noise they were making and the reaction at the end to us getting the point.

“Of course, we wanted to come in and get three points, but with everything that happened in the game, I think the point caps an excellent performance.”