Rooney Calls for Plymouth to Improve ‘Nasty Bits of the Game’

Wayne Rooney, who has guided Plymouth Argyle to four victories in 14 matches across all competitions this season, stated that his players must enhance their proficiency in the “nasty bits of the game” following their 3-3 draw against Preston. The Pilgrims orchestrated a comeback from a three-goal deficit, securing a point courtesy of Morgan Whittaker’s equaliser in stoppage time. Despite this, Rooney expressed significant dissatisfaction with his team’s display, which saw them descend to 21st position in the Championship, just one point clear of the relegation zone. “The one thing I never question with the players is their character, they keep going until the end – they’ve shown that a few times this season,” Rooney conveyed to BBC Radio Devon. “But we need to be men – the nasty bits in the game.” He elaborated, “For so many years, the foreign players coming into the league – or we’d play in different countries – they were a bit cleverer than what we were and we need to improve that. We need to learn the little nuances of the game.” The former England captain further added, “I’m not going to sit here and say ‘cheat’, but just being a bit smarter.” Rooney continued, “There’s little things where players con the referee, that happens in the game, and the foreign teams are always better than us at doing that, and I think we’re at times a bit naive and we need to snap out of that.” Rooney admitted he was “angry” with his side’s performance, marking their third consecutive game without a win. He acknowledged the right of the Home Park supporters to boo at half-time but expressed hope that they also recognized his team’s fighting spirit. “The fans had every right to boo a half-time and have a go at me or the players because that performance wasn’t good enough.” He added, “But they saw us pushing, they saw us make changes and we were getting more balls in the box and we’re trying to get back in the game.” “You could feel the atmosphere growing as the game’s gone on and towards the end I’m obviously delighted for them that we can at least get them a point,” Rooney concluded.