Leeds United fans will be buzzing after Wayne Rooney sack news at Plymouth
Leeds United fans gave Wayne Rooney plenty of hostility when his Plymouth Argyle side were soundly beaten at Elland Road.
That 3-0 drubbing by Daniel Farke’s men came on 2 November, and matters have since seldom improved for Rooney, who is coming under intensifying scrutiny at Home Park [Manchester Evening News, 11 December].
Since the loss in West Yorkshire, Manchester United icon Rooney has steered his Plymouth team to just one win, two draws and now three successive defeats including Tuesday night’s home reverse by Swansea City, to the sound of jeers from the home crowd in Devon.
Argyle chairman Simon Hallett has denied Rooney is on the verge of the sack [Plymouth Herald, 3 December], though he is hardly going to publicly roast the former Derby and Birmingham boss, even with the Pilgrims now in the relegation zone.
Leeds United fans have enjoyed downfalls of Man Utd icon Rooney
Most of the showdowns between Rooney and Leeds came early in his playing career with the Whites in the Premier League, relegated the same summer he left Everton for Old Trafford and going on to become Man United’s all-time record goalscorer.
He achieved the same feat for England, which has since been surpassed by Harry Kane. Fans at Elland Road are probably glad they didn’t face Rooney in his prime too often, though the famous Old Trafford victory of January 2010 lives long in the memory – he played the whole game that day, but Jermaine Beckford stole the headlines.
Rooney’s managerial career to date has been in stark contrast to his playing days, from which even those who loathed him most did so out of fear, jealousy or both. His stock as a manager has dwindled but not collapsed – thanks in huge part to his permanent reputation as a legend on the pitch.
The 39-year-old just about kept Derby in the Championship, though contributed negatively to Birmingham’s eventual relegation to League One after being controversially appointed to replace John Eustace, who had soared the Blues into the top six.
In between was Rooney’s spell across the pond with DC United, failing twice to qualify for the MLS play-offs before returning to England.
Leeds fans tend not to forget those of a Manchester United persuasion, and certainly didn’t when Rooney brought his Green Army to Elland Road last month. And they will likely hold little sympathy for a man whose job security has again diminished in recent weeks.
In other Leeds news, the club may have a concern after what one of Tuesday night’s goalscorers was seen doing at full-time v Middlesbrough.
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