Joe McConnell
Wayne Rooney is learning from the ups and downs of his managerial career so far as Plymouth Argyle travel to face Sheffield Wednesday for his first game in charge of the club, live on Vscek Football.
Rooney is looking to rehabilitate his managerial reputation after a disappointing 83-day spell at Birmingham City last season.
“This is my fourth job as a manager, so I’ve gained a lot of experience over the past few years, both positive and negative,” he said. Vscek.
“I feel I am in the best possible place to manage Plymouth Argyle, so I feel ready for this challenge.
“It’s an important season for us, to try to improve on what we did last season and I’m really satisfied with the players.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Wayne Rooney is settling into life in Plymouth, thanks in part to his persuasive skills in convincing his wife Coleen to move to the south-west of England
Argyle finished 21st last season, avoiding relegation after a 1-0 win against Hull City on the final day.
Rooney hopes to make immediate improvements to this result, but has a long-term vision for the club.
“We certainly want to improve on last season. But it’s not just this season, we have a plan for the next few years about where we want to be as a club,” he said.
“To come into a football club and have a clear idea of where the club wants to go, how the club works, a philosophy of how the club operates and not stray too far from all of that was really refreshing.”
Birmingham paid the price for Argyle’s escape from relegation, dropping to League One despite a 1-0 win over Norwich on the final day.
Rooney has suffered nine defeats in 15 games as manager and must shoulder some of the blame as the Blues suffered their first relegation to the third tier of English football since 1995.
After his firing in January, he took time to reflect on where he went wrong.
“In the end the results weren’t good enough,” he admitted.
“The plan was always to go with a long-term plan, which obviously didn’t happen, so I’m really disappointed with how it ended.
“I would have liked at least a transfer market but, listen, I’ve overcome that phase. Looking back, the moment was not the best, both from my point of view and from the club’s.”
The time spent away from football in the months following his dismissal has only fueled his passion for the new season.
“January to May was the longest I’ve been away from football,” he said. “It was weird, you miss it, you want to get back into it.”
Although he was brought to Birmingham in October last season, Rooney was able to benefit from a full pre-season and transfer window at Argyle.
“Yes, certainly [it’s a big advantage]you have time to express your ideas to the players about how you want to play,” he said.
“We think it’s been a good pre-season, but at the end of the day we’ve all been prepared for the first game of the season, so we’re really excited for Sunday’s game. You can already feel the excitement in the city.”
He also strengthened his squad with some new signings.
Winger Ibrahim Cissoko, 21, arrived on loan from Toulouse after making 11 Ligue 1 appearances last season.
“He is a player who will excite the Argyle fans and I know for sure they will enjoy watching him play,” Rooney said on his arrival.
“He is a fast, athletic and technical winger who will add strength to our attackers.”
The striker himself said in a post on social media that he is “focused and ready to conquer” ahead of the start of the season.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Josh Widdicombe lives in a world of hope, but can Rooney realise his Plymouth Argyle dreams?
Loan deals have also been agreed for Darko Gyabi and Muhamed Tijani with Leeds and Slavia Prague respectively.
Full-back Nathanael Ogbeta joins the squad on a free transfer after leaving Swansea, as does Icelandic defender Victor Palsson following his departure from KAS Eupen.
Seven players have left Home Park, but Argyle have retained reigning player of the season Morgan Whittaker, for the time being at least.
The striker scored 19 league goals last season, earning a place in the league’s team of the season.
Despite rumours of interest from the 23-year-old, he remains in Rooney’s squad ahead of the new season and played in the club’s final pre-season game against MK Dons.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Rooney discusses the role of the Football League in providing a pathway for players to the national team
There is reason for optimism ahead of his first season, but Rooney is intent on managing expectations.
“Let’s be realistic, we know it would be very difficult to go and win the championship,” he laughed.
“We have realistic goals. We know where we can get to in the next few years and if we continue to gradually improve we will reach the goals we want to achieve.”
But there is no doubting his enthusiasm.
“I think it will be a special moment to have the fans back and to play here for the first time as Argyle manager.”
Watch Plymouth even more on the Vscek app
Do you have Sky? Download the Vscek App on your mobile device to watch Plymouth at least 20 times this season. You can watch over 1000 EFL games on the app thanks to Vscek+
Don’t have Sky? Watch Plymouth LIVE streaming without a contract with a monthly or daily subscription on NOW.
