We spoke to Alex Hinde from Pilgrims Podcast, to get all the insight on Sunderland AFC’s next opponents.
F1879: Plymouth Argyle returned to the Championship the season before last after clinching the League One title and secured survival on the last day of the campaign by beating Hull, so against this backdrop and a start of two defeats and two draws, what are the early expectations for the club’s season ahead?
PP: We climbed back up to the Championship from League 2 by being a well run club with a fantastic chairman who used his knowledge of data-led decision making in the financial world to help us outperform other clubs with larger budgets. Showing faith in Steven Shumacher and promoting him to head coach when Ryan Lowe left for Preston typified the progressive culture at the club. Last season was a wild ride with lots of goals going in at both ends, but we were looking like we were collecting enough points to be alright. Then over the Christmas period Schumacher was lured away by Stoke’s millions and we replaced poorly with Ian Foster. At the same time we lost our main creator in Finn Azaz, who moved to Middlesbrough in the January window. The second half of the season was tough going and we had to turn to some of our League One stalwarts to get us over the line on the last day. With the new head coach and some unfamiliar names from the continent coming in the door, we genuinely had no idea how we would do this season. Given our budget, it’s always going to be tough for us in this division, but after getting battered at Hillsborough on the opening day, I think most fans quickly altered their ambition for the year to simply avoid the drop.
F1879: What did supporters make of Wayne Rooney’s appointment back in May?
PP: Initially, it felt very off-brand for us. With limited financial resources and data-led decision making at the heart of how we operate, a hip young master tactician from the Swedish second division was the sort of thing we were expecting. The club went to great lengths to control the narrative and assured the fans the decision was made based on Rooney’s style of play and the underlying metrics beyond just wins and losses. Despite the disastrous appointment of Ian Foster last January, the board have a lot of credit in the bank with the fans, and I think that even those who were sceptical were willing to adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach. He was ridiculed for his stint at Birmingham (which ironically is what kept us in the division), but at both Derby and Birmingham he was managing in circumstances where success was unlikely. I think it’s fair to say he has not yet been in a situation at a club where it is possible to get a clear and balanced view of Rooney’s true ability as a coach. With a budget that is dwarfed by most in this division, Argyle may also fall in this category for him.
F1879: What can you tell us about Wayne Rooney’s style of play? Have there been any specific changes, he has introduced through pre-season etc, which have been noticeable?
PP: Throughout pre-season Rooney has been talking about ‘no fear’ attacking football. Just what we needed after spending several months cowering at the opposition with Ian Foster. Rooney plays a 4-2-3-1 that can look like a 4-4-2 when the two defensive mids push forward and the central attacking midfielder joins Hardie up front. The problem is that up to now we have just not had the quality in the middle of the park to see the patterns of play he wants regularly enough. We are creating the fewest chances in the division at the moment, but I think fans see that as a personnel issue, as much as they do a tactical one.
F1879: Where are Plymouth’s strengths as a team and where are the weaknesses? The defence appears to be a concern, right?
PP: Michael Cooper was one of the best goalkeepers Argyle have ever had and we sold him to Sheff Utd at the end of the window. Hazard has proven to be a capable back-up, but nowhere near Cooper’s quality. We bought in Grimshaw from Blackpool, but it remains to be seen if either of them will have enough about them to single handedly win us points like Cooper did at times last season. We do have talent up top to hurt teams, but they are yet to gel and we are desperately lacking an advanced midfielder who has the ability to knit it all together.
F1879 Given results of late, do you think Rooney will tinker with his formation or tactics against Sunderland at the weekend or likely deploy the same methods he has thus far?
PP: He seems fairly consistent on how he likes to set up and I think 4 games isn’t enough for him to start panicking and make big changes. Back in League One we had to change the way we played against the top teams and the weaker sides who would park the bus. In this division we are so often the underdog that most teams will try and attack us, meaning we will just do our usual thing.
F1879: Given demands upon teams during a long old season and the fact Plymouth have struggled to adapt to life back in the Championship thus far, do you feel the Pilgrims’ squad has sufficient depth or would you have preferred to see further reinforcements in key areas during the recent window?
PP: With our budget, depth is always going to be an issue. Our window hinged on selling Michael Cooper (did go) and Morgan Whittaker (didn’t go). We only have money to spend if money comes in. We narrowly missed out on a signing very late in the window who would have added some quality, but we did manage to bring Rami Al Hajj in from Denmark. As with all our signings, he is not a household name, so there is a lot of hope that he might be the missing link in our midfield.
F1879: What do you think Plymouth’s likely starting XI will be?
PP: Some suggested Hazard should have done better with Stoke’s winner last time out, which might be enough to get new man Grimshaw the nod in goal. Mumba will likely start on the left and captain fantastic Joe Edwards has made himself undroppable on the right of defence with some great performances so far, despite fans expecting him to struggle for minutes given his advancing years. Centre of defence will depend on fitness but Gibson plus one other is a fair bet. Youth product Adam Randell will likely start at the base of midfield with one other. I expect to see Cissoko wide left and Whittaker wide right with Gyabi making way for Al Hajj to come in as a 10. Hardie is likely to start up front. If Rooney doesn’t find him a place in the starting XI, expect to see Irish international Michael Obafemi play a part from the bench, having recently joined on loan from Burnley.
F1879: The season is still only in its infancy but who have been the best players during pre-season and who will be the ones the Black Cats should be concerned about? Have any of the new signings impressed?
PP: We have had to rely on some of our tried and tested League One champions to set the standard for the new recruits. Cissoko looks very talented and has the quality to worry any championship defence, but is guilty of one too many step-overs at times, and his work without the ball isn’t good enough for a team who won’t have the ball as often as their opponents. Morgan Whittaker is the obvious shout here, as you will remember from last season at Home Park. He can drift in and out of games, but he has the ability to win us points out of nowhere, especially when cutting in from the right onto his left foot around the edge of the box.
F1879: You touched on him earlier – what do supporters think of the recent signing of Rami Al Hajj in particular? It is understood Rooney believes he can add creativity and the ability to score goals from the No10 position. Snapped up for 800k, is there some excitement about what he could bring to the side?
PP: Hope more than excitement. It’s rare for us to bring anyone in that we know much about, so he could be the missing piece of the puzzle, or he could be a total flop. His position is the one vacated by Finn Azaz last January that has never been filled. If he is capable of getting more from Ryan Hardie up front and creating space for Whittaker and Cissoko to get at defenders, then we should be increasing our xG significantly.
F1879: Now Jack Clarke has moved on to pastures new, which Sunderland player do you think the Pilgrims will feel they need to be concerned about when they meet at the weekend?
PP: I think given your start, most areas of the field seem pretty intimidating. Bellingham came on at the SOL and helped put us to sword last season. It looks like this season could see him continue to develop and become a formidable opponent in this division. O’Nien is always a player you notice a lot. He has real needle in his game and has the ability to wind up the opposing fans. To be honest, the stats show your whole attacking unit to be in great form and if that continues, our defenders are going to have their hands full.
F1879: Which one Plymouth player do you think Sunderland should be worried about most?
PP: Whittaker, because he has a knack of finding the net from outside the box. We don’t have to be in games for him to pop up 25 yards out and put one in the top corner.
F1879: Where do you think Sunderland and Plymouth will finish in the league?
PP: Before the season, I would have said Sunderland should be looking to break the top 6. The Burnley win was a huge statement, but I will want to see you beat a few more top half sides before we start to talk about promotion. Would love it if you do go up as it would save both sets of fans the expensive long ol’ poke for the away day. After the start we have had, coupled with the promoted teams picking up points, I would snap your hand off for 21st place at this point. But it’s a long season and if the team clicks and Rooney turns out to be a good manager afterall, we could be looking at the dizzying heights of lower mid-table.
F1879 Score prediction for Saturday?
PP: My heart says we can battle to a 1-1 at home with Al Hajj making a solid debut, but the head says it could easily be 0-3 to Sunderland.
Thanks to Alex from Pilgrims Podcast. Follow them on X.
