Wayne Rooney is struggling to maintain his position at Plymouth Argyle, as the manager faces increased pressure following a series of disastrous results.
Plymouth suffered a 4-0 defeat at Bristol City on Saturday, just four days after a humiliating 6-1 loss to Norwich. Although Rooney, the former England and Manchester United captain, is not believed to be in immediate danger of losing his job, a home defeat against Oxford next Saturday could further threaten his tenure.
Plymouth chairman, Simon Hallett, was present at Ashton Gate on Saturday to witness the team's second-half collapse, which Rooney described as a 'big embarrassment'. This was not the first time Plymouth had crumbled under Rooney's leadership; they previously lost 4-0 at Sheffield Wednesday at the start of the season and were thrashed 5-0 by Cardiff City in October.
After the Norwich defeat, Rooney, referring to the team's alarming run without an away win all season, stated: 'We need to understand why this keeps happening – it can't continue like this. We were far from good enough – we are dealing with numerous injuries, but that is no excuse.'
Currently, Plymouth sits 21st in the Championship, just one place and two points above the relegation zone, with only one win in their last nine matches. Rooney has secured four league victories since taking charge, but only one since October 5, a home win against bottom club Portsmouth last month.
Rooney is also the focus of a behind-the-scenes documentary tracking his progress at Plymouth, which was approved following internal discussions. The 39-year-old manager assured that the filming, which started last month, does not distract the team. 'It must be done at the right times, and anything that could potentially affect the players on match day will not be filmed,' he explained.
'This is common practice at most football clubs – they have their own internal cameras almost everywhere, so I don't think it's any different or a shock for the players to have cameras around. Once they get used to it, it's not an issue.'
This is Rooney's first managerial role since being dismissed by Birmingham in January, after just 83 days in the job. His appointment was influenced by Plymouth's director of football, Neil Dewsnip, who coached Rooney during his youth at Everton.
Meanwhile, Rooney's wife, Coleen, is in Australia participating in 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!', where she is a favorite to win. Coleen shared on the show that their Cheshire mansion includes a full-size football pitch.
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