Football League World
·4 December 2024
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·4 December 2024
The Greens' boss has struggled to get his side firing away from Home Park so far this season
Wayne Rooney is a man under fire at Plymouth Argyle at this moment in time, with the mood at Home Park in danger of souring even further if things continue the way they are.
While the Greens are currently unbeaten in their last six matches in front of their own fans, ten games without a win on the road this season has left the Devon outfit sitting perilously close to the relegation zone as we reach the festive period.
A 6-1 defeat to Norwich City was swiftly followed up by a 4-0 loss at Bristol City within the last week, which has left swathes of the Green Army losing faith in their boss, with performances well below that expected of a Championship club.
With that in mind, we take a look at all the latest surrounding the former Manchester United man, with his managerial career likely hanging by a thread as things stand.
According to a report from The Telegraph’s John Percy earlier in the week, Rooney is fighting to save his job after an abysmal week on the road which saw his side ship ten goals in two games.
While he has been hampered by a lengthy injury list which sees his without a number of first-team starters, numerous changes to the starting lineup has seen the Argyle boss cutting off his nose to spite his face of late, and if results don’t pick up, he could well be on his way out.
As bad as they have been on the road, the Pilgrims continue to find a way to eek out results in front of their own fans, and it could well be that Home Park fortune that keeps the 39-year-old in a job until the new year, with Oxford United and Swansea City making the trip to the southwest over the next week.
Those two clashes look to be pivotal in Rooney’s future as Argyle boss, with just two points separating them from the bottom three as it stands, and if the results start drying up at the Theatre of Greens, there is likely to be trouble ahead, as the away form looks unlikely to turn around soon.
Speaking at a fans' forum event, Hallett said, via Plymouth Live: "Clearly, we are all under pressure. We are not playing well, we are not doing on the pitch what we wanted us to do.
"So we are all feeling the pressure. Fans are feeling the pressure, the board is feeling the pressure and Wayne is feeling the pressure. What we are going to do is not think about getting rid of him and changing him. We are thinking about how we can support him.
"So there are no conversations going on about replacing Wayne but there are conversations going on about how we can support him to help him become the great coach we think is in there.
"Is he under pressure? Absolutely, we are all under pressure. But there has been no conversation about changing the head coach, none at all. There has been lots of conversation about can we give him the best possible support. We will do that.
"What is it he needs? Do we need a sports psychologist? Do we need a set piece coach? Do we need this, do we need that? What is it around him that is going to best help him succeed? We are looking at any way we can to support him."
It remains to be seen whether that view will be maintained through Christmas and beyond, but as it stands, it looks as if Rooney has done just about enough to stick in his job, with the hope being that a strong January transfer window will boost Argyle’s chances of survival come the end of the season.