Plymouth Argyle chairman Simon Hallett opens up on Wayne Rooney, the struggles, the search for a new head coach and the future.
Wayne Rooney was appointed as head coach of Plymouth Argyle in May 2024, following his departure from Birmingham City.
His appointment caused controversy, many fans urged the club not to appoint him. It was seen as an opportunity for Rooney to develop his managerial career further, with Hallett expressing confidence in Rooney’s passion, intelligence, and knowledge during the interview process.
However, his time at Plymouth went as expected, poor results on the pitch, the club in the Championship relegation zone and unrest from supporters.
The overall performance led to Rooney parting ways with the club by mutual agreement at the end of December 2024.
An update from Chairman Simon Hallett.
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) January 9, 2025
CHAIRMAN’S OPEN LETTER:
Happy New Year everyone!
I’d like to thank every member of the Green Army for their continuing extraordinary support in what has been a difficult year. Difficult because we’ve not had the stability we seek in our football staff and difficult because, as I write, we are bottom of the Championship and without a head coach.
Along with the obvious low points, there have been memorable highs.
I won’t forget the Friday night match under the lights when Mustapha’s goal and a battling defensive performance saw us beat Leicester.
I will also, of course, remember Joe’s goal against Hull that confirmed we would play Championship football for another season.
Even in the current season, we had fantastic drama in home wins against Sunderland, Luton and Blackburn.
Despite, or perhaps because of the turmoil and the danger, 2023-24 was a memorable season, reminding us what a wonderful division the Championship is at the pinnacle of the English Football League.
Make no mistake, we want to stay in it and everyone at your Club is focused on doing so.
Although we’ve not yet completed the transaction with a new investor I, together with the partners at minority shareholder Argyle Green, will provide the funds to give us the greatest possible chance to improve the squad in the January transfer window.
I think we have already shown that commitment by breaking our transfer record again and signing Michael Baidoo. We hope to be able to give you more good news in coming weeks.
We also hope to be able to announce a new Head Coach in the very near future.
We have moved quickly to identify Head Coaches with a track record of playing the kind of football we want to see at Home Park and have a track record of improving the teams they inherit.
There are many factors other than his own abilities that contribute to results achieved under a particular head coach.
One, of course, is the money available to him.
Having the resources to buy the best players doesn’t guarantee success but it certainly helps, and many coaches have benefited from clubs with much larger revenue bases than ours or from shareholders willing to risk financial losses and consequent financial instability.
That is very much the case in the Championship where average losses are £25 million a year and where a minimum of three clubs every year benefit from enormous parachute payments that follow relegation from the Premier League.
As you all know, we have taken a different approach. We seek financial stability, while generating enough revenues to fund a competitive first team squad, if we spend our money wisely and make good decisions as often as possible.
Like all football clubs we get money from ticket sales, the shop, sponsorship, media and net player sales.
We all get the same media money, and we have one of the smallest stadiums in the division – so we must compete by generating revenue in other areas.
Under Andrew’s leadership, we have expanded and diversified our revenue base by improving what we have offered fans – attractive and winning (until last year) football in a clean, safe stadium.
We have successfully increased revenues from ticket sales; from sales in the stadium and in our shop; from hospitality on match and non-match days; and from any ways we can find to use the stadium.
In the last year alone, we began a Fan Zone open to all fans in Higher Home Park and invested a significant amount in buying the building from the Green Taverners.
We spend money to make money to spend on the first team squad. All spending and investment must have a business case associated with it – it needs to generate a return.
That return will be available for investment in the first team squad, whether it be the obvious fees and wages, but also in anything that gives a greater chance to win—for example, better travel options, training facilities, sports science.
This year the squad will cost over £14 million, even before we allow for spending in this transfer window. Just a few years ago, our squad cost £2.5 million.
We always have a choice—we can spend a pound today, and it’s gone, or we can invest it so the returns can be spent for many years.
At times like today, of course, the fine balance between the present and the future swings in favour of short-term demands. Hence, our beginning to spend in this transfer window.
We have begun a program of being more active in player trading, investing in players such as Mumba, Whittaker, Al Hajj and now Baidoo.
Kudos should also go to our recruitment team for identifying Lewis Gibson as a promising and undervalued young centre back, whom we have now sold at a profit.
We have, of course, also begun the significant investment in Foulston Park to provide facilities for our Academy, while also providing a home for our Women’s team.
And while the first team fights for every point, let’s not forget the progress being made by our young talents in the FA Youth Cup. Their journey is a testament to the strength of the Argyle Academy and a hopeful sign of the future we are building together.
Development and sale of young players is somewhere where we think we can turn our geographic disadvantage into a strength.
Thanks to your support, the stadium is now full and in coming years, we will look to invest in the stadium (yes…including filling in the corners!) to increase capacity.
We will invest in a first team training centre, based on the Harpers facility in which we invested a couple of years ago.
We do not do ‘vanity projects’. Our goal is to be a successful football club. Our vision is clear and has been in place for several years. We want to be “a successful football club supported or respected by everyone in the South West and many beyond”.
We have gained respect; we are now embarked on winning support. More supporters mean more revenues, which mean more funds available for the first team squad.
We will be announcing various programs to further grow our supporter base in coming months, including to raise our profile in the United States.
Raising our profile was not one of the considerations in hiring Wayne Rooney.
We thought that he would be able to help us win football matches. During Wayne’s tenure as Head Coach, we saw glimpses of what was possible, but clearly both results and underlying performances were showing few signs of being at the level we need.
We thank Wayne for what he did achieve in his months at the Club. He united the players, helped restore a positive attitude at the Club and won over the fans whose support had been tested for a few months in 2024.
His approachable nature and down to earth personality made him a popular figure and we will miss him.
As a result of Wayne’s departure, we have cancelled the plan to film a documentary centred around him and his time with Argyle.
We were approached by a production company that had worked with Wayne in a previous project, and believed that the proposal was consistent with our desire to raise the Club’s profile.
We also thank Simon Ireland for the work he has done in his brief time at Argyle.
Turning back to investment and first team squad spending, we have many opportunities to expand Argyle’s revenue base and facilities – to “raise the ceiling” above what we can achieve and, finally, realise the potential we all often talk about.
I have always been clear that I could commit enough to enable us to get to the Championship, but that beyond that would take new sources of capital.
As the Championship has developed and resources available to other clubs have grown, it has become increasingly difficult to generate enough internally for a squad that is going to compete in the upper half of the division.
As a result, and, as you know, we have been seeking new investment for well over a year. We are close to finalising a transaction, but the final stages may take some time.
I apologise for being so opaque about this, but we are simply not allowed to reveal the party concerned. As I said, until any deal is finalised shareholders will provide funds for player investment.
As we look to the second half of the season, it’s clear that every voice, every song, and every bit of support matters more than ever. The role of our supporters in creating an atmosphere at Home Park cannot be overstated. When the Green Army is in full voice, it gives the players that extra edge.. that belief.
Our away support has also been nothing short of extraordinary. Week in and week out, you travel the miles to stand by your team, a commitment that inspires everyone at the club.
Your support has been one of the reasons for our success in the last few years.
That same energy, passion, and belief can help drive us forward.
This is a time for unity and determination—on the pitch and in the stands.
In 2020, we played in League 2 and in 2023, we played in the Championship.
We’ve come a long way together and we are determined to build on this success and not take a step backwards.
Here’s how fans reacted as Plymouth chairman opens up on Wayne Rooney, struggles, search for new manager and the future…
@Gemmaaa1603: I’ve been quite a critic of Hallett recently but I rate this update. He’s as transparent as he can be, goes back on his “yo-yo club” comment making it clear staying in this league is a priority and doubles down on spending this window. Just announce Schuey now please 🤭 #pafc
@epicfail2048: No new manager with 3 crucial games next week
@JoeRendle: 👏👏 encouraging statement that as long as we get the right manager 💚
@beercan75: Why no mention of ND? Odd
@Cordy17x: Communication 😱😱😱
@jm_bell95: The silence is broken. I’d strongly argue this is at least a week too late for a communication of this magnitude. Full of a lot of information, some we knew already. Now, it’s time for the board to make the right call on the new head coach. Still points to Schuey imo #pafc
@RickSlayerBloke: Nothing in here we didn’t know already but at least we’ve got something. Still nothing on Dewsnip and the reference to raising our profile in the US slightly terrifies me
@darrenhawkins: Very well said Mr Chairman 👏 Let’s hope for a rub of the green with the managerial and investment appointments.
@GreenArmy46: We need investment so badly I thought we were in the EFL approval stage but that doesn’t sound like it?
@dylan_hainey:
Money is coming very soon from Simon and/or investor
Manager very soon
No mention of dewsnip (I don’t think, was a quick scan through)
Stadium development in mind
Not a bad statement icl
#PAFC 💚
@jackjonesxx: people have to remember this wouldn’t of been written this morning and then sent out, this would of been drafted up maybe yesterday day before then checked before being sent out, everyone needs to chill #pafc
@ArgyleFlyer: Very soon… implies this week. Attractive football and improves teams only points to one person. (Although still baffles me the rooney appointment)
@JackBas15005882: Took a while, but fair enough to finally come out. Still no word on DoF which is leaning towards Dewnship staying which is abysmal, but got to get behind the club now. #pafc
@__Wadders: Only positive I can take out of that is we can actually buy a few players everything else we already knew and sounds like it’s taking them a while to find a new “head coach” and nothing on dewsnip #pafc
@argyletweet: Can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed with that statement. Good on the club for coming out finally, but it feels we are quite a way off with appointing a head coach, and securing investment. Still no mention of ND. Very weird. #pafc
@JonPAFC: Could interpret it any which way! Comms coming out of the club finally a sign of imminent movement? Or a stop gap to quieten everyone down a bit?! I do feel we need a manager in before Oxford. One of the biggest weeks in recent history with 3 huge games. Needs sorting asap #pafc
@CB_pafc: Decent statement for once no mention of dewsnip but new manager imminent and players too keep positive greens 💚
@Dan10PAFC: A lot of words to not really say much that we didn’t already know tbh. Good that he’s come out with some communication but a) it’s a bit late and b) seems like it’s been sent out just to fill the void that will continue to drag on.
@epicfail2048: No new manager imminent which suggests the 7 we have earmarked aren’t interested. Investment still miles off. Dismisses “vanity projects” despite appointing Rooney and filming a documentary. Not overly inspiring
@Dan10PAFC: Putting this “Raising our profile was not one of the considerations in hiring Wayne Rooney.” In the same statement confirming you have cancelled a documentary about Rooney at Argyle is honestly laughable, just own up.
@TomHarris_PLYM: Nice to see some sort of communication but it didn’t answer any of the questions looming at the moment. No mention of ND at all again which is confusing when all other current subjects were covered as part of the statement.
@__Wadders: Bit bland imo feel like only positive for now is we can spend some money seems like they are finding it hard to find a “head coach” and nothing on dewsnip