“Strange” - Plymouth Argyle: Sky Sports pundit points to Mike Phelan factor after Wayne Rooney exit | OneFootball

Curtis Davies discussed Plymouth Argyle's decision to sack Wayne Rooney.

Curtis Davies has admitted he was surprised that Wayne Rooney was sacked by Plymouth Argyle just weeks after he was allowed to bring Mike Phelan to the club.

The England legend was named as the new head coach of the Championship side back in May as they geared up for another year in the Championship.

However, Rooney endured a very difficult first few months, and it was announced on Tuesday that he had left the club by mutual consent, with Plymouth sitting bottom of the table and four points from safety.

Curtis Davies reacts to Wayne Rooney’s sacking at Plymouth Argyle

With that in mind, it was a decision that many saw coming, but Davies, who worked under Rooney at Derby, explained that the decision to turn to Phelan at the start of the month meant he thought the Plymouth hierarchy may have given Rooney the January window to turn things around.

“It’s a strange one. The fact that Mike Phelan had come in recently, I thought it meant Wayne would’ve had a stay of execution, and that they were looking to build in January towards spending a bit of money, improving the squad and pushing up the table a little bit,” the pundit told Sky Sports.

“It was a very difficult time for Wayne at Plymouth, and results speak for themselves.”

Phelan, who has a wealth of experience in the game, notably as assistant to Man United under Sir Alex Ferguson, replaced Pete Shuttleworth as Rooney’s number two, and it was hoped that his know-how would have a positive impact on the group.

But, results didn’t improve, with the Pilgrims picking up just one point in the five games since his arrival, which included the 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Oxford United last time out.

Plymouth Argyle needed to make a decision ahead of January window

You can understand Davies’ point to a degree, as Phelan’s arrival on the backroom team was seen as a big thing.

Unfortunately, results didn’t change, and the away form in particular is a massive concern.

That’s not to say it’s all on Rooney though, and most would agree that the squad is lacking in several departments, and, no matter who is in charge, arrivals are required in the next few weeks if Plymouth are to have a chance of staying up.

So, it made sense to make a change now, and the focus is now on bringing in a new boss as soon as possible, and then ensuring they are given the funds required to improve the group.