Bold Simon Hallett decision at Plymouth Argyle involving Wayne Rooney looks spot on: View | OneFootball

The Pilgrims boss is proving the doubters wrong with some high-octane football being played at Home Park

Oh how they laughed and sneered when Plymouth Argyle appointed Wayne Rooney over the summer.

The relegation taunts began before the former Birmingham City boss had even picked out his office furniture at Harper’s Park, with the armchair experts crawling out of the woodwork to condemn a man who had barely been given a fair crack of the whip in the managerial hot seat.

With his hands tied behind his back at St Andrew’s and during his time with Derby County, Rooney made the move to Devon aware his stock was as low as ever, but also knowing he was walking into the perfect place to redeem himself, with a fanbase fully united behind him.

Simon Hallett knew what he was doing all along, and recent results have proven the highlights-watchers and social media scrollers wrong; Wayne Rooney is a manager to be taken very seriously.

Sheffield Wednesday humbling hampers Wayne Rooney’s start to life as Plymouth Argyle boss

It was what the world came to see, and they got exactly what they wanted on that balmy Sunday afternoon at Hillsborough, as Rooney’s new side capitulated in front of the TV cameras, with the ex-England international looking perplexed at his side’s undoing on the sidelines.

Although there were glimpses of what the new boss was trying to implement, the combination of a goalkeeper who didn’t want to be there in Michael Cooper, unfinished summer transfer activity, and five new signings in the starting lineup saw everything unravel in the most grandiose of manners, with the crowds of pointing fingers only too happy to lay the blame at Rooney’s door after a 4-0 defeat.

After 90 minutes of football, the Greens were written off; yesterday’s news, also-rans, relegation-favourites, although those of a more pragmatic persuasion were prepared to give the new man in the dugout the time he needed to right the wrongs of the Wednesday wobble.

Wayne Rooney decisions help Plymouth Argyle turn Championship fortunes around

In many ways, that opening day fiasco was the best thing that could happen to the club, with immediate action needed to correct those issues, with Rooney not being afraid to make big decisions early on in his Home Park tenure.

Nathanael Ogbeta and Victor Palsson have barely been seen since the first weekend of the season, with the manager’s thoughts on the pair clear to see, while reinstating Joe Edwards at right-back has proved dividends, with the captain working wonders once again.

One by one, you can see players improving, or being replaced if they don’t fit the system, with Daniel Grimshaw being one such example, after adding more than just a shot-stopping ability between the sticks since his move from Blackpool.

The goalkeeper is pivotal to Rooney’s game plan of drawing teams out to start attacks, and the new arrival has slotted into the number one spot seamlessly in place of Conor Hazard, with the Greens benefitting from a reliable presence with ball at his feet.

While Darko Gyabi improves week on week, ‘Plymstock Pirlo’ Adam Randell continues to impress with his dynamic performances in the middle of the park, and continues to grow into a top Championship performer; another from the conveyor belt of talent at Home Park.

The influence on Rooney can't be understated in this regard, with two young talents learning from one of the finest talents that this country has ever since, and the way they have found niches for themselves within the side of late is testament to great management from within.

While Ryan Hardie had been joined up top by Muhamed Tijani, and magic man Ibrahim Cissoko producing the goods on the flanks, there was still something lacking in the number ten position from day one, before Rami Al Hajj was given the opportunity to take centre stage.

Wayne Rooney masterminds key Home Park victories

Rooney has always wanted his sides to play without fear, taking the impetus to the opposition, and trying to control games, and the inclusion of the Swede since his summer move from Odense has seen them transformed in that regard, with a number of the top sides in the division falling foul of the Pilgrims in recent weeks.

It all began with a victory over then-unbeaten Sunderland, where a topsy-turvy encounter saw both sides hold the lead before Romaine Mundle equalised to make it 2-2 with minutes to go, only for Edwards [pictured] to bundle home a late winner to get the Greens going for the season.

With a first three points under their belt, the monkey on Rooney’s back was gone, and there was even more freedom around the place, with Argyle fancying their chances against anyone that came before them.

On paper, no one was giving Argyle a hope between September and October, with West Brom, Luton, Burnley, and Blackburn all on the cards before the international break, but while a first win on the road is yet to come, Rooney is once again turning Home Park into the fortress it once was.

Having lost some of its imperious nature during the second half of last season, the Theatre of Greens has been back to its daunting best of late, with three straight wins at time of writing proving as much.

With Luton despatched at the end of last month, Blackburn were the latest to fall foul of the never-say-die Pilgrims, with Morgan Whittaker’s 97th-minute winner salvaging three points in the most dramatic of circumstances, and leaving the naysayers with even less to write about.

Wednesday result aside, there is yet to be a result where Argyle have been beaten all ends up, with an added defensive rigidity keeping them in matches to the end, with the enigmatic Whittaker, Cissoko and Al Hajj always ready to pounce if given an opportunity.

This wasn’t supposed to be in the script, the small club from Devon were supposed to lose every week under their high-profile boss and promptly fall into obscurity. Somebody should have told Simon Hallett that.

This is a transformed Plymouth Argyle side, not the laughing stock of early August, and the longer the league takes to pick up on that the better it is for the Greens.