Under-fire Plymouth boss Wayne Rooney is facing calls to step down from his own supporters following a crushing 4-0 defeat to Bristol City. The Pilgrims, who were already reeling from a 6-1 loss at Norwich in midweek and heavy defeats at Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday, have yet to secure an away victory under Rooney's leadership since his summer appointment.
Saturday's match was seen as a potential turning point for Rooney's squad, but they crumbled after the home side broke the deadlock 57 minutes in with a deflected shot from Anis Mehmeti. Mehmeti then doubled their lead five minutes later, cutting in from the left and finding the bottom right corner.
He soon added another to his tally before Sinclair Armstrong came off the bench to make it four in the dying moments of the game. This latest setback leaves Plymouth languishing in 21st place in the Championship, a mere two points clear of the drop zone.
Their dismal away form has led to a chorus of Argyle fans calling for Rooney's resignation. One irate supporter declared: "It's time to go! " Another tersely suggested he should "Walk."
A third fan offered a more compassionate view, stating: "Feel for the fella. Do the right thing and help him on his way, he's a mile out of his depth."
A fourth supporter chimed in, stating: "He looks so lost and out of his depth please do the right thing."
Another expressed concern, saying: "He can't last much longer .. not too late for an experienced manager to take over ... otherwise argyle are going down."
Meanwhile, a sixth individual bluntly commented: "F*** off, don't even bother."
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Rooney, who previously admitted that playing Plymouth's Under 18s side against Norwich might have been a better option, once again criticized his players. However, he alarmingly revealed that he felt he had exhausted all avenues in attempting to reverse their fortunes.
When asked about the performance, Rooney replied: "Embarrassed really. That's the right word to use. After what happened on Tuesday at Norwich, we came here with a gameplan to try and be in the game, for 50 minutes we were. We concede the first goal and we collapse.
"It's exactly what happened at Norwich, it's exactly what happened at Leeds. As soon as we concede a goal, the players out there collapse and we look very fragile. It's very frustrating, disappointing."
Rooney emphasized the need for his players to dig deep and find inner strength, especially during their current away game slump. "When we're going through this run we're going through with away games, you need to dig deep and find something within you. If them players want to have the career you hope they want to have they need to do that very quick because they're not representing this club the right way."
The manager confessed that he had tried various approaches to motivate his team, but so far, none had been successful.
"I've tried going at the players. I've tried encouraging and supporting them. I've tried everything really so I need to keep trying to find the right balance to fix the away performances."
