Birmingham City Perspective Given On Wayne Rooney At Plymouth Argyle

Rooney was appointed over the summer, taking on his first club since his disastrous spell at Birmingham City last season.

The 38-year-old lasted just 15 games in charge at St. Andrew’s before being dismissed, with the team going on to suffer relegation to League One.

There were concerns from a lot of people when he was appointed at Home Park due to the nature of his time with the Blues, but 11 points from nine league games is a decent return so far.

Wayne Rooney Premier League claim made

When asked whether he is surprised by Rooney’s start at Plymouth, and if he could even manage in the Premier League someday, FLW’s Birmingham fan pundit Mike Gibbs claimed that he didn’t expect this from the former England international.

However, despite the surprise at his start at Home Park, he feels he still doesn’t have the tools to go on and become a top flight coach in the future.

“I’m massively shocked he’s managed to do anything with that team,” Gibbs told Football League World.

“I think if you go on what we saw, he was absolutely dreadful, didn’t have any idea, didn’t really know how to get the best out of what he had.

“I’m not sure how much he’s been able to build that Plymouth side into his style, how many additions he’s been able to make, but he really couldn’t adapt with the players we had.

“So I’m massively surprised.

“Will he continue I think is the question I’d be asking cause he has to be able to do it over the season.

“Does he have the ability to go even further? My personal view is now just the coaching ability, but his lack of accountability, blaming the players, I think that just screams someone who is very immature in terms of his role as a manager.

“Maybe doesn’t have all the tools in his toolbox to get to the highest level, so my view, based on what I saw, is that no, he doesn’t have the capability to go to the next level.”

Plymouth’s start to the Championship season

Plymouth made a horrendous start to the new campaign with a 4-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday in their opening fixture.

But the team has regrouped well since this major setback, and has gone on to earn three wins from their next eight, as well as two draws.

Rooney’s side sit 14th in the table, four points clear of the relegation zone in this early stage of the term.

Next up for the Pilgrims is a trip to 24th place Cardiff City on 19 October.

Rooney needs to prove himself over full season at Plymouth

Things have gone well for Rooney in recent weeks, but he still needs to prove himself over the course of a full campaign before truly judging the work he’s doing.

Plymouth will be looking to avoid relegation this season, and they’ve made a good start to that pursuit in many ways.

But it’s still only been nine games, and it will take a lot for Rooney to shake off the disaster of Birmingham from the perception of him as a manager.

If he can help the club earn a mid-table finish this year, then that should put a lot of doubts over his ability as a manager to rest, yet there’s still a long way left to go before that might happen.