Wayne Rooney reveals "honest conversations" with Plymouth Argyle club chiefs | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle head coach Wayne Rooney has opened about his conversations with the club's board.

Plymouth Argyle head coach Wayne Rooney has revealed he has held honest conversations with the club's board amid his side's current poor run of form.

After his disappointing spell at Birmingham City last season, Rooney made a surprise return to management with Plymouth in the summer, but his time at Home Park has gone the way many expected, with the Pilgrims battling against relegation.

Following heavy away defeats at Norwich City and Bristol City, The Telegraph claimed earlier this month that Rooney was fighting for his job at Argyle, with the home fixtures against Oxford United and Swansea City said to have been crucial to determining his future.

The game against Oxford was postponed due to the weather, but Plymouth suffered their third consecutive defeat as they were beaten 2-1 by Swansea on Tuesday night, and they sit 23rd in the Championship table ahead of the trip to face league leaders Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday.

However, Rooney's position does not appear to be under any imminent threat, with chairman Simon Hallett confirming last week that the club do not have any plans to sack him, and he was allowed to bring in former Manchester United coach Mike Phelan as his new assistant on Sunday following the departure of Pete Shuttleworth.

Wayne Rooney opens up on Plymouth Argyle discussions

As his side's struggles continue, Rooney revealed that he is holding regular conversations with the club's board, and he said that talks are ongoing about potential reinforcements in the January transfer window.

When asked how he is dealing with the pressure he is currently facing, Rooney told Plymouth Live: "It's part of the job, it's as simple as that. There's always noise, whether you are winning, losing, drawing, whatever situation you are in.

"For me, I have honest conversations with players, I have honest conversations with the board and the owners, and we know exactly where we are at.

"We have got a belief we can really come through this. Yes, we have been unfortunate with injuries, of course we have, but it's our job now to make sure we improve players and try to get them to the level which we need to get us out of this. There is pressure you have to deal with but that's part of the fun of being in a job. If that pressure is not there then what's the point?"

"There is always honest conversations between myself, Neil (Dewsnip, director of football), Andrew (Parkinson, chief executive officer), Simon (Hallett, chairman) - whoever that may be - about how can we improve, and from a recruitment point of view what players can we bring in to help, what players do we need, what players do we need to get out," Rooney continued.

"These are all conversations which are going on, so come January we are in the best possible position we can be to get what we need.

"Getting the injured players back will be like new signings for us but we all know, we are under no illusion, we need to improve the squad, that's there for everyone to see. We are working extremely hard to put ourselves in the best position to do that as early as possible."

It is clear that Rooney still has plenty of supporters in the Plymouth boardroom, and the fact that the club allowed him to bring in Phelan shows that they are determined to give him every chance to be a success.

However, it was another damaging defeat for Argyle against Swansea in midweek as their winless run extended to five games, and relegation fears are increasing at Home Park after Rooney's men dropped into the bottom three.

Given the fact that the Pilgrims are yet to win away from home this season and have scored just three goals on the road, it seems highly unlikely they will get anything at Sheffield United on Saturday, and Rooney must ensure his side are not on the wrong end of another heavy defeat.

Plymouth's season will not be defined by games against the teams at the top of the table, but with the busy festive period approaching, Rooney must pick up a few victories, otherwise he could soon find himself out of a job.