Time To Go

After another loss, this time at home, Adam Price has reached the tipping point.

Yesterday’s 2-1 defeat to Swansea City has acted as a tipping point for many, and I now include myself in that conversation. The conclusion is simple: Wayne Rooney is not the right man to take Plymouth Argyle forward.

Rooney is one of the best players this country has ever produced. I have huge respect for him trying to forge a career on the sidelines, appearing at a club many with his fame and fortune would consider unfashionable. And based on what we’ve seen and heard since his arrival, he seems to be a perfectly likeable bloke. But he’s no manager.

The results tell an abundantly clear story, particularly away from home. Argyle started this season with a 4-0 bulldozing against Sheffield Wednesday, with the balance of play suggesting that score could easily have been doubled. I honestly thought it would take a decade or more to see a worse performance by an Argyle side, but Rooney’s team have run it close on numerous occasions.

In recent weeks, the diabolical performance at Hillsborough has been joined by a 5-0 humbling in Cardiff, who started the day bottom of the league, as well as 6-1 and 4-0 thumpings at the hands of Norwich City and Bristol City respectively in the space of a week. There was also a 3-0 defeat in Leeds, where the Greens failed to muster a single shot. No shots! It was a surrender of gargantuan amplitude, and not befitting of a club who claim to belong at this level.

I do accept that there are a few mitigating factors in Rooney’s favour. For example, injuries have hamstrung his side in recent weeks, and have undoubtedly played some sort of role in the downturn in form. It’d also be unfair not to mention that Rooney has overseen some excellent home performances against the likes of Sunderland, Luton Town, and particularly Blackburn Rovers.

Alas, both points are easy to argue against. On the injury front, I’d point to the fact that Steven Schumacher had to battle injuries in his Championship spell at Home Park, with the likes of Michael Cooper and Ryan Hardie regularly absent, along with Hardie’s supposed replacement Mustapha Bundu. Schumacher simply got more out of the players who were available. Sure, his squad had Finn Azaz, but I think he’d have killed to have even one of Michael Obafemi or Andre Gray at times last term.

As for the few positive results, I’d point towards the Ian Foster era. It quickly became apparent that Foster was not the right man for the job, but he still delivered some encouraging performances of his own, such as a 3-1 win at home to Cardiff and an excellent 2-0 victory in Middlesbrough. But those fleeting glimpses weren’t nearly enough. For many, a home defeat to Preston North End was enough to convince them that Foster had to depart. And for me, the Swansea defeat has done the same for Rooney.

I’d also like to mention that whilst Rooney has been unlucky in some areas, in others he’s been remarkably fortunate. He’s managed to maintain a surprisingly decent home record, but much of that has been built on a freakish run of late goals that was never going to be sustainable, as the Swansea game proved. A lower level of stoppage time this season may have seen Argyle sitting on 11 points, and starting to be cut adrift at the bottom of the table.

Ultimately, I’ve totally lost faith in Rooney’s ability to turn things around. Swansea are a bang average Championship side, but Argyle never looked like taking the points against them, even at their own ground. I was also perturbed by Rooney’s comments in the aftermath of the Bristol City debacle, where he effectively suggested he’d tried everything but still couldn’t get the players to perform away from home. Some coherent tactics, perhaps?

I’m not suggesting Rooney must take the entirety of the blame for the current situation. Difficult conversations also need to be had about those further up the food chain. I do not, for example, think director of football Neil Dewsnip’s job should be safe after the last 12 months. However, there is a decision that can be made immediately, and as of now it simply has to be taken.

Schumacher is available, and based on all we know it seems certain he’d take his old job back in a heartbeat. Mr Hallett, make the right call.