Wayne Rooney conceded he’s susceptible to being sacked after Plymouth Argyle suffered a 2-0 loss to relegation rivals Oxford United.
Objectives from Ciaron Brown and Przemyslaw Placheta condemned Plymouth to their thirteenth league defeat of the season and ensured they’d finish 2024 on the foot of the Championship desk.
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The loss additionally prolonged the Pilgrims’ winless streak to 9, with six of these being defeats.
Plymouth additionally maintain the worst defensive document within the second tier having shipped an alarming 51 targets from 23 video games for a mean of two.2 targets per recreation.
Rooney’s facet will probably be in motion subsequent on New Years Day as they host Bristol Metropolis.
Nevertheless, Rooney is beneath no phantasm he may not be within the dugout at Residence Park for the fixture given he is aware of what historically follows such an alarming run of kind.
“It’s a must to take a look at each potential consequence, that is regular with the outcomes we’re going by means of,” Rooney stated.
“It’s a must to really feel ‘do now we have the gamers to show it round? Can I flip it round? Can the teaching workers flip it round?’
“I am going to return and attempt to put together for Bristol however in the end I do know soccer and the way it works.
“I perceive the followers. I have been there myself. As a fan you need to see your workforce win, to see your workforce working, making tackles and when your workforce is shedding video games, as we’re, the frustration is there. I get it.
“I do know the work we’re doing is nice work. Sadly we’re not getting the outcomes.”
Worryingly for Rooney, he faces a critical struggle to win Plymouth’s followers again over.
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Oxford supporters took enjoyment of chanting ‘sacked within the morning’ at Rooney, however what made it even worse was how a few of the travelling Pilgrims followers joined in with the tune, the PA information company studies.
The loss to Oxford additionally marked the eighth-straight recreation Plymouth had conceded two or extra targets.
As soon as once more Rooney was left to lament the easy method by which Oxford breached the Plymouth defence.
“It wasn’t adequate. We did not create sufficient probabilities, the targets we conceded – we did not do sufficient to cease them scoring targets,” he stated.
“Defensively this has been happening for just a few weeks now. We have been attempting to attain targets however we did not damage them sufficient right now.
“We have carried out a variety of work on attempting to cease crosses, get tight sufficient to cease them and second phases at corners however that is the place the primary purpose got here.
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“The second purpose they get away and we do not do nicely sufficient defensively in a one-on-one state of affairs.
“I anticipated a bit extra right now however did not get it. That is soccer. I am at all times a balanced particular person, win, lose or draw however it hurts, and it is exhausting to take the run of video games we’re on.
“We had a few gamers who most likely should not have performed right now, they performed by means of the ache barrier.”
Ought to Plymouth pull the plug on Rooney previous to the Bristol Metropolis fixture, it could mark the second straight Championship job he had been sacked from in lower than 18 months.
The Manchester United and England legend was controversially introduced in to exchange John Eustace at Birmingham Metropolis in October final yr.
Nevertheless, Rooney went on to win two matches accountable for the Blues earlier than he was axed after simply 15 video games because the membership was ultimately relegated to League One.
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Regardless of the alarming stats from his stints with Birmingham and Plymouth, certainly one of Rooney’s former rivals has come out to defend him from the criticism.
“I do know the challenges of every job and also you solely know once you’re in it,” Lampard informed talkSPORT after his Coventry facet beat Plymouth 4-0 on Boxing Day.
“Wayne clearly has his profession behind him and now his administration profession as nicely, which he is gone straight into. There will probably be challenges for him there.
“It is not for me to touch upon that, I am very proud of us right now. I at all times want Wayne nicely as a result of he is a correct soccer particular person.
“Once more, there’s challenges so individuals have to grasp he is working. I hope to see him do nicely as a result of he is a younger English supervisor with lots to offer and that continues to be the case.”