Wayne Rooney tabbed to pull second-flight club out of relegation battles

Wayne Rooney's playing career was tremendous and he was the star of Manchester United, Everton and England. However, like many top players, he has found his career as manager a lot more difficult.

Rooney started his managerial career at Derby County where he did well under difficult circumstances. He then returned to D.C. United but failed to make the MLS playoffs in two successive seasons. His last job was with Birmingham City and it went disastrously.

The decision to appoint Rooney was shocking as at the time Birmingham had John Eustace as their manager who had the club in sixth place in the Championship — English soccer's second tier. Rooney won just two of his 15 matches in charge of Blues before being sacked. Birmingham went on to be relegated to League One.

Rooney has since worked as a pundit on Sky Sports but is now set to return to management in the Championship again. The Telegraph reported yesterday that, "Rooney will be confirmed as the new head coach of Plymouth Argyle in the next 24 hours."

Are Plymouth Argyle making the right decision?

Plymouth narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship this season and finished 21st in the division. They will be hoping for a campaign with a comfortable mid-table finish rather than another relegation battle.

Given how poorly Rooney's spell in charge of Birmingham went, appointing Rooney is a huge risk for Plymouth. However, Rooney is still just 38 and is hungry to become a successful manager. His time at Birmingham will have knocked him but he will now be extra motivated to prove doubters wrong.

The appointment will also help Plymouth off the field as it will garner much more media attention. However, this will all be meaningless if Rooney does not win games. It is make or break for his managerial career and he will be hoping to find success on the south coast of England.