Argyle’s owner and chairman has spoken to Plymouth Live about a range of topics covering the appointment of the Manchester United and England legend as the club’s head coach
After a generally negative first response, Simon Hallett thinks Plymouth Argyle’s Green Army is beginning to embrace Wayne Rooney’s high-profile appointment as head coach.
The chairman and majority owner of Argyle, who also happens to be the record goalscorer for Manchester United at 38, attributes this to the fact that both he and the Championship club gave an explanation for their decision to hire the player, who has 120 England caps. Hallett called Rooney “an approachable, down-to-earth, humble young man” and felt he was a good “cultural fit” for the Pilgrims.
Rooney’s disastrous 15-game, three-month time at Birmingham City last season sparked a lot of criticism regarding his appointment, but Argyle supporters are now more receptive to the notion of him taking charge at Home Park.
“I definitely get the sense people are getting behind it,” Hallett said to Plymouth Live. We have already given our reasoning, therefore I believe that explains why.
“I believe that the first impression was that this was a man who had failed his previous appointment and they were simply trying to get a famous person, but that couldn’t be further from the reality.
If anything, Wayne’s famous status was a drawback. His people skills were a plus; he could connect with players, staff, sponsors, and others. Of all the contenders, I believe Wayne and I had the closest cultural fit.
Three candidates were interviewed in the end (one dropped out the night before). Hallett, chief executive officer Andrew Parkinson, director of football Neil Dewsnip, and, via video link, Nick Giannotti, a club director and the only managing member of Argyle Green based in the United States, conducted the interviews. Club secretary Zac Newton and head of finance David Ray were also present.
Hallett said, “The details of a contract are much more important than the length of it.” Rooney was hired to a three-year contract. In essence, it boils down to money exchanged in the event that they depart or at our request.”
He continued, saying, “I believe the average manager’s tenure in the Championship is 10 months, thus the durations of the contracts plainly are not things that, considering the typical result, people should concentrate on.”
Being one of the most gifted football players of his generation, Rooney has amassed wealth and recognition. However, he now wants to succeed in his coaching career and has identified Argyle as a team that would help him do so.
Hallett declared: “He will receive the same compensation as any other visitor to Argyle. Thus, his salary is comparable to that of the two managers who came before him, Ian Foster and Steven Schumacher.
“Championship managers make a ridiculous amount of money, yet it’s obvious that their motivations go beyond money. Wayne had determined that attending Argyle would be a wise move for him.
“The recruitment group and I both agreed, and I believe he was willing to accept a lower salary what he could have obtained elsewhere, but in my opinion, it’s still a very fair income.”
On the day he was named Argyle’s head coach, last month, Rooney began making more and more appearances as a TV pundit at football games, including the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley.
In addition to a few games at the tournament itself for the BBC, he is scheduled to appear on Channel 4’s live coverage of England’s final pre-Euro 2024 warm-up match against Iceland at Wembley on Friday.
Regarding the possibility of Rooney making additional TV appearances as a studio guest in the future, Hallett stated: “We haven’t discussed it in great detail. I don’t mind that Ryan Lowe used to make sporadic appearances in the media.
“To be honest, I would be shocked if Wayne decided to take on a lot of work. Once more, I haven’t had a long conversation with him about it, but I get the feeling that he would much rather be at the football team than in a television studio.”
“I saw him during the FA Cup final, and I thought he did fairly well,” he continued. The Argyle manager was the only person to accurately forecast the score, as I noticed at the time.”
father of four children While his wife Coleen and family stay at their house in the northwest of England, Rooney most likely owns a flat in or near Plymouth.
Hallett stated: “I think it’s too much to ask of somebody with small children to uproot them, but if you had asked me five years ago, I would have said, ‘Of course, the family has to move down here.'”
“With our guys, it is similar. They live and work in Plymouth, where they rent apartments. Occasionally, they take a day off to visit their friends, parents, and relatives back home.
“I believe Wayne will benefit from it in the same way that the players do. After the games, he’s going home. Like many of the players, he’ll likely get off the coach near his residence when we play in the northwest of England.
“I don’t go on the team coach very often but when I do it’s quite noticeable that you stop half a dozen times and a couple of people get off.”
Argyle appointed Rooney, who made his Premier League debut for Everton at the age of 16 when a multi-million pound investment is being made to establish the club’s academy permanently at the Devonport brickfields site.
According to Hallett, one of Wayne’s qualities is his strong belief in lifting children out of the academy. I believe he started Matai Akinmboni, a 15-year-old centre defender at DC United, which is impressive.”
“Wayne, I feel, is a strong believer that if you are good enough, you are old enough because of his background—he was among the youngest players to make a Premier League debut.
One of our requirements was that individuals be willing to assume the risk—or what appears to be the risk—when dealing with children. As evidence that the dedication of the Brickfields matches Wayne’s devotion to developing athletes, I believe Wayne was at least intrigued by the plans the club.
Hallett thinks Argyle can handle the more attention the team will undoubtedly receive going forward.
that Rooney is their head coach and that they have the ability to take advantage of his presence.
“It is nice to go under the radar, and I think it is kind of our underdog culture,” stated the chairman of the Pilgrims. We are aware that we are remote from anywhere and that our budgets are little due to our prudent financial practices.
Being the underdog is kind of a perpetual fight, and I believe that’s what makes us appreciate it. We felt Wayne was the finest option to help us win football games, so we hired him.
“We’re going to need to figure out how to take advantage of the attention that comes with that.” Without a doubt, there are costs associated with it in addition to benefits.
However, we have a capable and well-equipped media staff that, in my opinion, has handled the increased attention and the early backlash really effectively over the past few weeks. Thus, I’m rather optimistic that we’ll be able to manage.
“Wayne’s status as a celebrity is one thing, but his status as one of the dominant footballers of his generation is another, and I think that is something we will definitely be able to turn to our advantage in terms of attracting players down here, which is not always easy.”
Hallett went on, “I don’t think I had fully recognised how much he was since I usually find international games to be fairly dull regarded as an excellent team player by his fellow football players.
“I was aware of his zeal and his tenacity, but I don’t think I fully appreciated how much his fellow professionals looked up to him as a team player and role model on the field. Those were the attributes that really came through in the interview process and during the hiring process, so I’m not surprised.”
Due to the controversy surrounding Rooney’s appointment and the increased focus on Argyle, Hallett—who is known for being frank and forthright—was questioned by several media sites last week.
“I believe I have been asked almost everything,” Hallett remarked. Wayne is incredibly kind, and it is something I cannot stress enough. And I am aware that’s a really nebulous statement. As someone who has already declared, “Stop and say hello if you see me walking around Plymouth,” this man will be able to connect with the fans.
“He’s a really kind individual. I believe that people would be astonished to learn how affable, grounded, and modest young guy Wayne is—just as I was.”
