Neil Warnock shares ‘what’s changed’ at Plymouth Argyle after Wayne Rooney sack
Neil Warnock has shared “what’s changed” since Plymouth Argyle replaced Man United legend Wayne Rooney with Miron Muslic.
The 39-year-old was hired in August 2024 after the Pilgrims narrowly avoided relegation in the previous year, finishing 21st in the Championship.
However, after just 23 games in charge, Rooney and Plymouth mutually agreed to part ways, with the club sat rock-bottom of the table with just four wins.
Muslic was a somewhat surprising hire, given the Bosnian manager had no experience managing in England, but he has stunned Plymouth fans since his appointment.
Plymouth knocked Premier League table-toppers Liverpool out of the FA Cup, thanks to a Ryan Hardie penalty, that was the correct decision despite protests from fans of the Reds, Keith Hackett told Football Insider.
After a slow start under Muslic, including a 5-0 battering by Burnley, the Pilgrims have been rejuvenated, winning their last three games in all competitions.
Tegan Finn was wanted by Nottingham Forest in January, with the youngster making a breakthrough in the Plymouth first-team this season.
Speaking on talkSPORT, former Plymouth boss, Warnock, gave his opinion on what had changed for the Pilgrims and highlighted how they have stopped playing out from the back so much: “Do you know what’s changed? They play direct a bit more, not an awful lot more, but they play through the half-way line and they’ve got centre-halves who defend.
“Centre-halves who love to head it, and kick it. It’s not rocket science, it doesn’t matter where you are, they’ve got a chance now of staying up.”
Wayne Rooney set for spell on the side-lines after Plymouth and Birmingham failures
Football Insider Verdict
Rooney’s first job in management came was a spell in charge at Derby, where the former England captain was deservedly praised for working magic whilst the club were in financial turmoil.
The former Man United striker dealt with transfer embargo’s and point deductions, until the Rams were relegated, and even then Rooney stayed for half-a-season in League One before resigning.
Since then, it has all been downhill for the former Everton man, as stints with Birmingham, and now Plymouth, ended almost as soon as they had started.
His hiring at Birmingham was particularly controversial, replacing John Eustace, despite the team sitting sixth in the table at the time, and Rooney seemed set-up for failure in that role.
Rooney was linked with a sensational return to Everton to join David Moyes’ backroom staff, but nothing came of those rumours.
He may now look to spend some time away from management in order to hone his craft, after two disappointing spells.
Wayne Rooney shows his tactical talents on TV after leaving Plymouth
Instead, Rooney has now joined TNT Sports’ broadcast team for the Champions League, where the former DC United player and manager seemed to enjoy himself, giving insightful opinions on some of Europe’s best teams and players.
A Champions League winner in 2008, Rooney has often been unfairly portrayed as unintelligent, but as a pundit, you can clearly tell that he not only played the game at the highest level, but he is able to convey his ideas clearly.