‘I truly believe…’ – Wayne Rooney BLAMED for Plymouth’s relegation scrap by his successor in brutal statement
WAYNE ROONEY is to blame for Plymouth Argyle’s relegation dogfight.
At least that’s the view of the man who replaced him.
The former Manchester United and England striker was sensationally slammed by current Plymouth boss Miron Muslic, who has been tasked with the difficult challenge of saving the Devon club from the drop.
Plymouth are rock-bottom of the second tier on 43 points, tied with Cardiff City, although they sit beneath the Bluebirds on goal difference.
They are three points from safety, but their -37 goal difference is far inferior to that of Derby County’s, which reads -9.
It means that Muslic has a near-impossible task of keeping the Pilgrims in the second tier, following their promotion back to the Championship back in 2023 when they lifted the League One title.
They travel to Preston North End for their penultimate fixture, before hosting already-promoted Leeds United on the final day.
Plymouth have won three from their last five games, and Muslic gave a damning indictment of Rooney’s tenure after their 3-1 victory over Frank Lampard’s play-off chasing Coventry City.
The Austrian said: “I think if I’m the head coach from day one we will be far, far away from the relegation zone, we will be safe five games ago.
“I truly believe if I will be here with my staff from day one, we will be nowhere near where we are right now.
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“The performance today, the performance at Middlesbrough [where they lost 2-1]
“We’ve taken nine points at Home Park against Norwich, against Sheffield United, against Coventry.
“These are teams playing for the Premier League and they all lost here in Plymouth at Home Park, that gives me the confidence.”
Argyle survived relegation by the skin of their teeth last term, beating Hull City 1-0 on the final day of the campaign to secure themselves at the second step once more.
However, this season, results have been far bleaker – particularly when Rooney was in charge at the beginning.
Rooney, who took the reins at Home Park after his sacking from Birmingham City in January last year, was drubbed 4-0 in his first game in charge by Sheffield Wednesday.
He left the club on New Year’s Eve, with Plymouth bottom and four points from safety.