Wayne's got to get it right at Plymouth

WAYNE Rooney cut a jovial figure in his first Plymouth press conference, joking about shoplifting from the local Morrisons and describing how he’d tried (and failed) to convince Coleen that Devon is basically Monaco without the palm trees.

- Chris Dunlavy

Pre-season’s always like that, isn’t it? Fun and games. Best wishes. Everybody tanned, relaxed and optimistic.

But beneath the smiles and banter, the former England captain knows this is a big deal.

Last year’s stint at Birmingham was a sort of managerial Hindenburg, a fiery catastrophe played out in the full glare of a disbelieving public.

In just 15 games, Rooney achieved the extraordinary feat of turning a well-drilled side challenging for the top six into one so dysfunctional that relegation was unavoidable.

Knighthead, Birmingham’s American owners, must take their share of the blame for this car crash.

Rooney was appointed because the new regime craved a sprinkling of stardust, and saw the 38-year-old’s 16 million Instagram followers as a shortcut to global recognition.

A patchy coaching CV consisting of 17 months at crisis-torn Derby and 14 with DC United in the MLS barely entered the equation.

In John Eustace, the club also sacked a popular manager who had just won back-to-back games, a decision CEO Garry Cook justified by claiming he wanted ‘no fear’ football.