Wayne Rooney, the new manager of Plymouth Argyle, has expressed his hopes of guiding the club closer to the Premier League. Rooney, who was appointed as the head coach of the Championship club in May, began his work at Home Park this week. This is his first role since being sacked by Birmingham City earlier this year. Last November, Argyle owner Simon Hallett outlined his ambitions for the club to compete at the top end of the Championship within the next five years.
Rooney acknowledges the need for a realistic approach and states that the club needs to be clever in their strategy. He aims to build on the progress that Argyle has made over the past five years and improve upon their performance from last season. While he doesn’t set a specific timeframe for reaching the Premier League, he hopes to get closer to that goal within a reasonable timeframe.
Rooney’s decision to join Plymouth Argyle, despite his previous roles at Birmingham City and DC United, is driven by his love and passion for football. He jokes about not wanting to become the next Gary Neville and emphasizes his desire to get back into management. The last few months have been strange for him, and he wants to return to what he knows best.
Plymouth Argyle narrowly avoided relegation to League One last season and were under caretaker guidance during that time. With a whole summer ahead to work on the team, Rooney saw this as an opportunity he couldn’t turn down. He wanted to start with the team during pre-season to have enough time to get his ideas across and ensure the players perform well.
Rooney’s coaching philosophy is focused on attacking play and entertaining football with control. He wants his teams to be well organized while also playing attractive football. Scoring goals is a priority, and he plans to work with the players over the next few weeks to implement his style of play before the start of the season. He believes it’s important for the players to understand the positional aspects of the game and wants them to have the ball at their feet during pre-season training.
Plymouth Argyle will kick off their 2024-25 Championship campaign with an away game against Sheffield Wednesday on August 11th. Rooney will be looking to make a positive start to his tenure as head coach and continue the club’s upward trajectory.