West Brom v Plymouth: Wayne Rooney’s rebuild at Pilgrims begins with a solid start
There will be a globally recognisable face in the away dugout at The Hawthorns tomorrow as Plymouth Argyle make the trip north.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Manchester United record goalscorer Wayne Rooney, who previously held that same acclaim for England, took over at Home Park in the summer and is looking to turn around his managerial career following a disappointing short stint at Birmingham.
He follows the work of Ryan Lowe and Steven Schumacher, who left the club for Preston and Stoke respectively following promotion success out of League Two and League One.
The Pilgrims’ first Championship campaign since 2010 was a close-run thing. Schumacher’s departure for the Potteries – where he was sacked earlier this week – threatened to be tough to overcome as caretaker Ian Foster took the reins from January onwards. Argyle eventually stayed up by a single place and a single point.
Rooney’s appointment has signalled a fresh start in Devon. The new boss bolstered his ranks including permanent deals for Hungarian centre-back Kornel Szucs, goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw and Swedish attacker Rami Al Hajj.
The loan market was also utilised by the former England frontman. Argyle recruited midfielder Darko Gyabi (Leeds), striker Muhamed Tijani (Slavia Prague), winger Ibrahim Cissoko (Toulouse) and striker Michael Obafemi (Burnley).
Argyle have won once and drawn twice from five Championship games so far this term. It took until last weekend for Rooney to register a first win, a last-gasp 3-2 success over Sunderland, who previously boasted a 100 per cent record.
The Pilgrims have also picked up creditable points with 1-1 draws against Hull and QPR.
