"The Argyle board will be keen" - Plymouth Argyle: Claim made on Steven Schumacher return | OneFootball

FLW's resident Plymouth Argyle fan pundit outlined his ideal candidate to replace Wayne Rooney

Plymouth Argyle have been encouraged to strike a reunion with former boss Steven Schumacher following the unsurprising exit of Wayne Rooney, who was relieved of his duties at the end of last month.

The Pilgrims are now on the search for their fourth permanent managerial hire in just over twelve months after parting ways with head coach Rooney on New Year's Eve.

Naturally, the decision to hand Rooney his marching orders came as an unsurprising one, with many supporters feeling the club should have taken such measures even sooner. Rooney ultimately left off the back of a nine-match winless streak, which was stretched by a dismal 2-0 defeat away to relegation rivals Oxford United in his last game in charge as he was booed off by travelling supporters, and with Plymouth rooted to the foot of the Championship table.

Plymouth's away record under Rooney was a particular source of concern, as they routinely suffered heavy defeats on their travels - six of which came by a margin of three goals or more.

They're currently four points shy of 21st-placed Portsmouth, who have a game in hand, meaning Argyle run the risk of finding themselves cut adrift before long and may need to source a replacement for Rooney sooner rather than later.

A popular candidate, then, would surely be ex-boss Schumacher, who has been out of work since September after being contentiously sacked by Championship rivals Stoke City.

According to a recent report in the Telegraph, Schumacher is in contention for the job alongside Ryan Lowe and it will certainly be interesting to see just how that plays out in the coming weeks.

Steven Schumacher's Plymouth Argyle career

Schumacher proved a real hit during his two-year stay in the Home Park dugout, which came about when Lowe - whom he had worked under as an assistant - left to join Preston North End in December 2021.

Plymouth missed out on the League One play-offs by just three points during Schumacher's first season, although they romped to the third-tier title the following year - his first full campaign in charge.

Schumacher, who was named as League One Manager of the Year, guided Plymouth back to the Championship for the first time in more than a decade as they finished the season with 101 points, beating off Kieran McKenna's Ipswich Town for the title.

Schumacher was extremely popular with supporters, and his quick attacking brand of football was a big reason why so many got onside with him quickly even when the results were not always positive. That was the case in the Championship too, where Plymouth were always going to struggle somewhat, although they did have their heads above the water under Schumacher.

The Liverpudlian had Argyle 16th in the division when he left for Stoke in December of last year, and while that decision eventually backfired for him, his return to Plymouth would be hugely welcomed.

Plymouth Argyle encouraged to reunite with Steven Schumacher following Wayne Rooney exit

We asked our resident Argyle fan pundit Chris to name a first-choice, yet realistic candidate to replace Rooney, and he duly went with Schumacher.

Football League World.

"However, it's key that it happened before the January transfer window to allow the opportunity for the club to bring in new players and also new management staff to hopefully put us in a better position come the end of the season.

"Although there are many names flying about already now the news has broken, I believe the one name that's going to be on a lot of Argyle fans' lips is Steven Schumacher.

"Recently departed from Stoke City, he's available as either a manager or a first-team coach. He has experience at Championship level, managing both ourselves and Stoke, he knows many of the players and staff still at Argyle as well as having great ties with the city.

"His family are believed to still be in the area, as well as the opportunity for him to rekindle his love for the club. I believe many Argyle fans will be keen to see him return to the dugout, as well as some of the staff who used to work with him.