Wayne Rooney is doomed to suffer relegation from the Championship in his first season as Plymouth manager, says a former England international.
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Rooney joined Plymouth after Birmingham disasterChampionship side avoided relegation by one pointEx-England player says they'll go down next seasonWHAT HAPPENED?
Rooney is set for his fourth venture into management after he was appointed Plymouth boss in May, after the Pilgrims narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship by just one point. Rooney is tasked with ensuring the Devon club put in a better display this time around.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Rooney, though, did not impress during his previous spell in the Championship, as he was sacked by Birmingham after just 15 games in charge, having won just two of those. It was Birmingham who finished a point behind Plymouth to ensure Rooney's new team managed to stay up.
Former Tottenham defender Caulker believes that the ex-Manchester United star's recent managerial record combined with Plymouth's small budget is a recipe for disaster and is sure Plymouth will go down next year.
WHAT CAULKER SAID
"I just think with Wayne Rooney coming in there as manager, it's a difficult job for anyone there as a manager having one of the smallest budgets in the league," Caulker told . "But I think Rooney is going to be under pressure from the start, obviously after two not so successful spells in his previous jobs. So I think that's a fairly dangerous combination. It's going to be interesting to see how that plays out and I'll have Oxford as well, who are newly promoted. I can see them potentially struggling this year. And then again, let's see, that third spot for me is the most beautiful thing about the Championship, it's wide open. There'll be about 8 points between 10th in the league and 18th in the league until about April. It always seems to be the way. So that's what makes it so competitive and so good to watch. Yeah, I'm going to give you two again."
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ROONEY?
Rooney, who won an 80-man race to land the Plymouth job, has said he does not want to go down as "the next Gary Neville" as he hopes for a vast improvement to his managerial record with Plymouth. His team will begin their pre-season friendlies with a game against Orlando Pirates this week.