"There's a chance" - Pundit addresses Wayne Rooney, Plymouth Argyle sack talk | OneFootball

Ali Maxwell of the 'Not The Top 20' Podcast has weighed in on the debate surrounding Wayne Rooney's future as Plymouth Argyle head coach

EFL pundit Ali Maxwell of the 'Not The Top 20 Podcast' has refused to rule out the possibility of Plymouth Argyle parting ways with Wayne Rooney, who has been the subject of intense external scrutiny as of late amid a significant deterioration in form.

Rooney naturally arrived at Home Park back in May with a real point to prove, with his managerial stock having been at its lowest ebb following a brief and disastrous rein as Birmingham City head coach en-route to their relegation from the Championship.

It undoubtedly represented a daring gamble of faith at the time, and whether their divisive decision has paid off simply isn't clear at this moment in time.

Rooney had inspired Plymouth to a reasonable start to the season - aside from their 4-0 thrashing at Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day, of course - and they have carried over last term's impressive home form to claim victories over the likes of Sunderland, Luton Town and Blackburn Rovers.

Plymouth have still lost just once on home soil this season, although their form on the road is a cause for much greater concern. Rooney's side have the worst away record in the league with six draws from seven matches, and they've suffered real blows on their travels as of late by losing 5-0 away to Cardiff City and most recently 3-0 at Leeds United, where they failed to register a single shot on goal.

Argyle now find themselves situated 22nd in the league standings, just three points above bottom-placed Portsmouth. Fittingly, then, Plymouth welcome John Mousinho's outfit to Home Park this evening in a genuine six-pointer affair before travelling to newly-promoted Championship side Derby County, who have enjoyed a decent return to life in the second tier.

Ali Maxwell's Wayne Rooney, Plymouth Argyle verdict

The next few matches have been widely billed as make-or-break in regards to Rooney's tenure at Plymouth. After the international break, Plymouth will host high-flying Watford and, according to EFL expert Ali Maxwell, they could have a new boss in situ after the Hornets' trip to Devon.

Maxwell explained on the latest episode of the Not The Top 20 Podcast.

"Portsmouth and Derby away next for Argyle, and then Watford at home after the international break. To leave behind this discussion, I would say that on the pod on the 25th November, I think there's a chance we're talking about the first game under a new manager.

" Or they'll have picked up between four and eight points and if that's the case, they'll still be in a pretty big-seeded batch of teams sat between 13th and 21st. If they're not in the relegation zone, I think there'll be people saying 'how can you possibly be panicking if we're not in the relegation zone?'

"The only objective is to stay up this season."

Ibrahim Cissoko injury blow will do Wayne Rooney, Plymouth Argyle no favours

In a further blow to Plymouth's hopes of survival, star winger Ibrahim Cissoko has recently been ruled out of contention until January after suffering a hip injury during his side's defeat at Cardiff, where he was sent off in the first-half.

The on-loan Toulouse attacker had emerged as a star-turn in Rooney's side, scoring three goals and contributing an assist in his first 10 matches while dazzling with his quick feet and flair.

It'll be positive for Plymouth that Cissoko has since successfully completed surgery on the injury, but his extended absence will make it even more difficult for them to stop the rut and for Rooney to potentially save his job.