Rooney previews QPR trip

It is traditional before an upcoming fixture to assess the injuries within the squad, and as Wayne Rooney was asked for any doubts before Argyle meet Queens Park Rangers this Saturday, he had one to report – himself!  

During the open training day held at Home Park on Tuesday, which attracted around 5,000 members of the Green Army, Rooney stepped into the session when Muhamed Tijani pulled up. The Head Coach showed he still has it, clipping a few eye-catching passes. However, it may have taken its toll – on Rooney and Tijani.  

“TJ (Tijani) trained on Tuesday, but he pulled out towards the end of the session,” said Rooney. “He's got little knocks; he’ll be touch and go for the game on Saturday.  

“It started well and ended badly, because I hurt my calf! That was TJ's fault, he pulled out, so I stepped in and hurt my calf!  

“Listen, the support from the fans was fantastic, to get 5,000 people to a training session. We got what we wanted out of the session in terms of some real high intensity work into the players, which the players felt they needed.  

“We got everything out of the session we wanted and hopefully the fans enjoyed themselves.” 

Rooney feels that his squad are on an upward curve, after the disappointment of an opening-day defeat at Sheffield Wednesday. Since that humbling experience, Argyle have beaten Cheltenham Town in the Carabao Cup and drawn a tight game with Hull City in the Sky Bet Championship.  

With those improved results and performances, coupled with good reactions in training, Rooney is feeling positive ahead of a trip to Loftus Road to face a QPR side whose results rather mirror Argyle’s, with a league defeat and a draw, either side of a cup win.  

“I felt, in the last game, we performed well, and probably slightly deserved to win the game,” said Rooney.  

“We expect a tough game; QPR are a good team. They are a very functional team and do all the right things; they do the basics really well.  We know what we have to do, we've had a full week to prepare for the game, I believe the players are ready.  

“We want to play in a certain way. We want to be aggressive. It's the same at home or away.  We're traveling [Thursday], so we're going two days early to the game, to get down there and be ready, have a good rest before the game and make sure we're ready for Saturday.  

“It is always [tough] when you go to their stadium. It's a small pitch, quite a hostile crowd. They can mix it up a bit. They try to play, but they can also go direct. We're expecting a difficult game which every game is in this league. 

“We have to be at our best, we have to have a high level of concentration and focus, to try and win the game. Based on what I've seen this week, I think we're in a good place. The players are training with a smile on their face, they’re expressing themselves more and more.  

“I believe the preparation's gone well and I'm really looking forward to it.”