A horrendous start! Wayne Rooney 'angry and disappointed' as Plymouth manager slams his players after 'deserved' 4-0 trouncing against Sheffield Wednesday in Championship season opener

Goals from Jamal Lowe, Josh Windass, Michael Smith and a Brendan Galloway own-goal secured Wednesday a well-earned victory on Sunday as Rooney's Plymouth tenure began with a whimper. The former Derby County manager said the Owls "deserved" the three points, that his team failed to do the basics and wants a reaction after the defeat.

He told Sky Sports after the game: "I think the scoreline was deserved. The really disappointing thing was the basics of winning balls, second balls, stopping crosses; I think it was four goals from four crosses. The basics of the game weren't there so that's really disappointing for me. As a team we didn't play with the confidence we have shown the last few weeks [in pre-season], we didn't take the ball well enough, we didn't handle the crowd early on enough, and allowed Sheffield Wednesday to get a foothold in the game and they got the goal at a good time for them. Towards the end of the game, we conceded two more goals. Really disappointed, angry; because that's not a performance I want to see."

Rooney added: "I think players have to earn the right to play on the pitch. Whether that's a new player, a player that has been here for a long time, you have to earn the right to play. Of course, you can lose football games but there's a way in which you want to see your players work, run, tackle. We've had a lot of fans travel here today, they've travelled a long way and the performance we have given wasn't good enough. It's very disappointing and we have to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Rooney is under pressure to deliver as a manager after getting sacked at Birmingham earlier this year and failing to win more than 30 per cent of his games in charge of Derby and D.C. United. The ex-Everton man needs to improve the club's fortunes quickly, or else he could be looking for another job soon.

Rooney's Plymouth will look to bounce back from this drubbing when they take on League Two team Cheltenham Town on Wednesday night in round one of the Carabao Cup. Another loss there and the pressure will ramp up on the former Birmingham City boss.