Frank Lampard makes Wayne Rooney claim: Coventry boss reacts to Plymouth setback
Wayne Rooney has not got the results he has “deserved” during his time as Plymouth manager, Frank Lampard has suggested.
The former Chelsea midfielder will take on the Pilgrims with his Coventry City side on Boxing Day at The CBS Arena.
Despite previous suggestions to the contrary, Rooney will be in the opposition dugout when that match is played just after Christmas, meaning two Premier League and England playing icons are set to face off as managers.
Even so, Plymouth will go into the game bottom of the Championship table, although they are just one point from safety.
Now though Lampard has suggested that Rooney is unfortunate not to have got more points on the board since taking over at Home Park in the summer.
Giving his verdict on how the ex-Man United striker has fared in his current role, the Coventry boss told his club’s official website: “I know Wayne well for many years now. He is working with Plymouth and they’ve had some good performances and they’ll probably feel like they haven’t got what they’ve deserved. Full respect for him and I look forward to seeing him.
“It was an absolute pleasure to play with him for England and to play against him. He was a Premier League and England great, and his numbers and performances should never be understated, because the level of player he was, was in incredible.
“To see the work ethic behind it that he had as a player and see the impact he had on teammates, being at camps with him where you see what the person is as well as the player, he is amazing and I’m sure he is very proud of the career he had because he was one of the all-time ones.”
Wayne Rooney has been unlucky at times as Plymouth manager
Football Insider Opinion
There have certainly been mixed fortunes for Rooney during his time in charge of the Pilgrims so far this season.
Even on Saturday (21 December) he will feel hard done by that his Plymouth side did not get a penalty in a dramatic 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough.
That was another example of a game recently where Rooney and his team have shown they can compete with the best teams in the Championship.
However, there have also been other games where they have been well out of it and on the end of some major beatings.
In contrast those have led to major questions about if Rooney is the right man to remain in charge of Plymouth and prevent them from being relegated.
As a result it does seem as though he is going to have to start delivering some more consistently solid results and performances for the good of both himself and the club.
Although Lampard will need to worry about himself more than his former teammate if collapses like the one seen in Coventry’s 4-1 loss to Portsmouth last time out become a habit.
In other news, Premier League clubs have been put off making a January move for a Plymouth Argyle player after Rangers’ summer bids.
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