“He’s got guts!” – Simon Jordan defends Wayne Rooney amid Plymouth’s nightmare start

Wayne Rooney has found an unlikely supporter in talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan.

The Plymouth boss has faced widespread criticism after losing his first competitive game 4-0 to Sheffield Wednesday, adding to the pressure on his fourth managerial job in four years.

Former Crystal Palace owner Jordan has been critical of Rooney in the past but feels not only should the England legend be given more time, but his chairman also bears much of the blame.

Responding to chairman Simon Hallett, who holds the same role as Jordan at Palace, the talkSPORT presenter said: “His chairman has said he needs to finish fifth from the end, so his benchmark has already been set.

“His aim is to stay in the division but do a little better than last time. Great, well there’s your chairman Wayne, there’s an ambitious target to work towards.

“I would say ‘get up that league table!’ I brought you in to succeed and I want you to do that as quickly as possible, but I’m going to be realistic and I’m not going to make ridiculous statements like that because that gives you a free pass from the start.”

Rooney initially impressed after stepping down as a player at Derby in 2020 to coach the team in the most difficult of circumstances, stabilising the squad following administration.

Then, after a spell back in MLS with DC United, he returned to England with Birmingham City, in a season to forget, taking charge of a team that finished sixth in the Championship and leading them into a relegation battle.

Looking back, but also at the current situation, Jordan thinks Rooney is still being judged too harshly.

He said: “I’m very critical of Wayne and some of the things he’s done and said in the past and I’d like to see him in better shape, but he’s come to a club that has taken 15 points from 15 games…

“He’s not Harry Potter, he’s not going to change everything instantly. Sheffield Wednesday have a lot of strength, they’re full of confidence and a full house for the season opener.

“So I feel like in this case Rooney has to have a little opportunity to put that right, but because it’s Wayne Rooney he won’t have that. He’s got some tough games coming up and I’d like to see him judged in five or 10 games, but even then it’s a bit early.”

He added: “Plymouth have taken 15 points from 15 games, which means they don’t win a lot, and Sheffield Wednesday was never going to be an easy game, so let’s see what happens when they play at home, let’s see if Wayne has learned from the mistakes he made in Birmingham.”

Jordan then made the comparison with the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, who were thrust into senior roles at Chelsea and Rangers with little experience.

He added: “The reason you’re singling him out is because it’s Wayne Rooney. It’s stupid. He’s 38 years old.

“He is learning his craft in environments that have been extremely difficult.

“He didn’t have the opportunity that Lampard had. He didn’t have the opportunity that Gerrard had, which was to go into moderately established football clubs. Derby at that time were going full steam ahead with Mel Morris in charge. He put Derby into administration.

“He got DC United. He made those choices.”

Speaking further on why he is backing the 38-year-old despite previous reservations, Jordan said: “I would like to see Wayne succeed, despite my observations about him, because I think he has courage.

“He’s got plenty of money, he doesn’t need to be in Plymouth taking a job like that. Rooney comes with a different kind of focus and takes the job because he clearly wants to be a football manager and you have to admire that because it’s not about the money.

“He also needs to be judged by a set of standards that everyone else is judged by. This wasn’t a great team, this is a team that finished fourth, bottom of the pile. They’re not going to suddenly change overnight because Wayne Rooney has been there for six weeks.”