Frank Lampard drops Wayne Rooney sack claim after fifth Plymouth humiliation
Wayne Rooney can still turn things around at Plymouth Argyle amid new sack fears, Frank Lampard has said.
Lampard handed another major blow to his former Premier League rival and England teammate on Boxing Day, as his Coventry side thrashed the Pilgrims 4-0.
That has left Rooney’s team bottom of the Championship table and two points from safety, with calls for the ex-Man United striker to leave his role growing ever louder from the club’s fans.
Lampard though believes that the 39-year-old is the right man to get Plymouth moving in the right direction again.
Speaking about the pressure on Rooney after the game, the Sky Blues boss was quoted via TalkSport as saying: “I know the challenges of each job and you only know when you’re in it.
“Wayne obviously has his career behind him and now his management career as well, which he’s gone straight into. There will be challenges for him there.
“It’s not for me to comment on that, I’m very happy with us today. I always wish Wayne well because he’s a proper football person.
“Again, there’s challenges so people have to understand he’s working. I hope to see him do well because he’s a young English manager with a lot to give and that continues to be the case.”
Wayne Rooney facing a huge task at Plymouth Argyle despite Frank Lampard claims
Football Insider Opinion
Yet despite what Lampard suggests here, it is getting increasingly hard to see how he will be able to turn things back in the right direction for Plymouth.
There have been way too many games this season in which his side have leaked goals away from home in particular, and the fact that is not changing suggests key issues are not being addressed.
As well as the defeat at Coventry on Boxing Day, they have lost 4-0 at Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol City, 6-1 at Norwich and 5-0 at Cardiff to highlight those struggles.
His previous underwhelming record with the likes of Derby, DC United and Birmingham City – who he set en route from the top six to relegation last season -do not inspire much confidence either.
It also appears as though he has a big task on his hands if he is to get the Plymouth fanbase back on side as well, which will not make for a helpful atmosphere at Home Park as well.
All of that means Rooney is facing a huge challenge if he is to keep his job, let alone the club in the division.
In other news, Rangers are lining up a January bid for a Plymouth player.
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