Wayne Rooney 'disappointed, angry and surprised' after shambolic start to life as Plymouth manager

Plymouth were dire throughout the match at Hillsborough, with Sheffield Wednesday cruising to victory.

Jamal Lowe opened the scoring in the 35th minute before Brendan Galloway's own goal extended their lead.

And further goals from Josh Windass and Michael Smith compounded their misery.

Rooney looked frustrated throughout the match, with the Manchester United and Everton icon unable to turn the situation around.

And the former England skipper, speaking after the fixture, has admitted he was crushed by how flat his team were.

"Today wasn’t good enough - I think that’s clear - and I’m disappointed, angry and surprised," he said.

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"From everything we’ve seen in pre-season I was surprised, but the basics of the game were not good enough, whether that’s getting to the ball, tackling or being aggressive.

"We knew last season Sheffield Wednesday were one of the best teams in the league for crosses and cutbacks — and all four of their goals came that way.

"We had a gameplan and we just didn’t execute it at all, so it’s a wake-up call for us all."

Fans were brutal towards Rooney online, with some even dubbing him the 'worst manager ever'.

READ MORE: Wayne Rooney called 'the worst manager ever' as Plymouth boss suffers nightmare start to new job

He has a big point to prove at Plymouth, having previously struggled during an 83-day stint in charge of Birmingham City.

Rooney says he's already laid down the law to his players, saying they'll be dropped and snubbed from his squad if they fail to meet his high standards.

"I've told them after the game if I see a performance like that again from any player - whether they've been at the club for a long time or whether they've just come into the club as a new player - they will not play," he said.

"From my point of view you can lose football games, that happens, but you have to do the basics and you have to make sure you run and you tackle and you're getting to the ball and that wasn't there.

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"The players know, they understand they have to be at it every game."

Rooney insists there's no need to panic just yet, however.

"It's the first game of the season and of course we're disappointed," Rooney added.

"But I don't think it's time to panic, I've seen the work we've done throughout the pre-season which gives me encouragement.

"If players become available who we feel can improve the team then of course we'll look at that, but I don't think we can start panic buying after one game."

Plymouth are next in action on Wednesday night, with Rooney's side set to lock horns with Cheltenham in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

Their next Championship clash is against Hull City on Saturday (3pm).