Rooney's first Argyle press conference
Argyle Head Coach Wayne Rooney has given his first press conference to the external media, accompanied by Director of Football Neil Dewsnip and CEO Andrew Parkinson.
You can watch the press conference in full on Argyle TV.
Rooney on…the Argyle environment
I've heard a lot of good things about the football club and over the last month since I've been in, [I’ve seen] the togetherness of the football club. The togetherness of the staff has been outstanding and really refreshing for me to be a part of.
Rooney on…proving himself
You always have to prove yourself. That's something I had for 20 years as a player, and as a coach, wherever you are, whatever job you're in, you have to prove yourself. That's normal; that's a pressure which comes with the job.
When you go into jobs, you leave yourself open. If you don't get results, there's consequences to that, which was the case at Birmingham.
I've taken a lot of time to reflect on what happened at Birmingham City, and sometimes things happen for a reason. The good thing which has come out of it means that I'm here now, and I'm here to be successful - I really believe in that.
Rooney on…Plymouth
I came down a few weeks ago to look at an apartment and get things sorted.
Being here this week, I have to say every person I've met has been really welcoming. I’ve had a nice chat with quite a few people.
This is my home now. This is where I'm living, this is where I'm working, this is where I'm hoping to be successful.
I think it's a lovely, lovely place. I’ve been out for a couple of meals in nice restaurants and enjoyed that. I think the important thing is, for me, you enjoy it more when you win.
Rooney on…being approachable
I've always been someone who's an open person, open to talk and take pictures. I don't think I've ever refused pictures or autographs throughout my career. It's nice when you speak to people, because it's also nice to get feedback, as well, from fans.
I'm sure I will [get that], whether it's good or bad feedback. I think it's always nice to have that.
Rooney on…why be a manager, and not solely a pundit
I don't want to become the next Gary Neville!
I have a desire, a passion and a love for football. I've always had that. That's what I've known since I was a baby. At 16 I went straight into a first team, and then into management at the end of me playing.
I had very little time off in between. The last few months have been very strange for me. I've done bits of TV work and stuff like that, but my real desire is to get back into management.
Some ex-players who have played at the top level, a lot of them will not go into management or they won't drop down from the Premier League to manage.
What I didn't want to do was go in somewhere, mid-season. I'd done that at DC United, I'd done that at Birmingham and straight away it becomes a lot more difficult to get messages across, points across and get the players to perform.
It was really important I went in somewhere for the pre-season to start. I was delighted that was the case here.
Rooney on…being at the Euros
When I was over in Germany, I saw a few people asking questions about why.
I was working for TV in Germany, but a lot of work was getting done. We’ve already seen three players through the door. There was a lot of work with recruitment, with making sure we put ourselves in a position that if the players we identify are available to bring in, we do that as quickly as possible. That's what I asked for, and the club has been great in doing that.
It wasn't the case of me being out in Germany and not working. There were a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of preparation in terms of presentations for players and speaking to players, [including] current players who are at the football club and getting to know them a little bit more as well.
There was a lot of work being done, but I’m so happy to be here now, to meet the players, meet all the staff - and we've had a good first few days.
Rooney on…the Home Park atmosphere
I think it'll be nice to be at a home stadium which sells out every week. Seeing the atmosphere first hand [when I came with Birmingham City] I thought it was great. Not just the atmosphere during the game, but when I arrived at the stadium, the atmosphere getting off the team bus and walking through the fans was great. It is something, when you go to an away stadium, which it was at the time, you take note of.
That was really a big reason for me to want to be here, if I'm being honest. I think that connection which you have with the fans of the football club is so important. It’s a privilege for me to be here and I think it's a football club which is trying to move forward. My job is to try and make that happen.
Rooney on…recruitment and the current squad
I'm looking to bring players in but, ultimately, the message to the players is that everyone's got a chance. It's on them as players to prove to me they deserve to play, and that's how I've always worked. Hard work is a very good skill to have.
My job is to give them the details of how to make them better, how you position your body, how you move the ball, what foot you pass the ball to, making sure that's correct and tactically making sure we get it right.
If we do that, we’ll do very well. I feel I can improve the players. I think they can improve, whether that's young players or some of the more senior players as well. It's a good opportunity for me to give them the information I want and hopefully I can see them improve.
Rooney on…assistant manager Pete Shuttleworth
Pete's been with me, he knows me inside out. He's been there at Derby County, DC United and Birmingham. I'm delighted to have him here. He probably knows more about me than I do myself. [He knows] how I work, all my messages I give to players, to staff. It's good to have someone who I work so closely with to reinforce messages.
Rooney on…community work
The work the club does already with the community is really important. I think for me to be a big part of that is something which I want to do. I want to get involved with that.
Rooney on…lessons learned from managers he has played for
I've played under Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, Ronald Koeman, Fabio Capello. You're always looking in and seeing different things they're doing in training sessions, how they're speaking to the players, the information they're giving, how they manage players on an individual basis.
You try to take as many good [traits] as you can, but also, I think more importantly, the stuff you feel they're not doing so well, routes you don't want to go down with players.
Rooney on…man-management
Society has changed, players have changed, individuals have changed with the way the world is changing.
Over the last couple of days, and over the next few weeks, it's a great opportunity for me to get to know all the players better as individuals. What makes them tick, what players need an arm round them, what players need a little bit more.
The quicker I get to know that, the easier it will be for me to understand what messages they need.
Rooney on…developing young players
I've done that at every club I've been at. It's great because you get a chance to develop them; they've got so much more in them and so much learning to do. You can help them with that but, ultimately, they have the same opportunity that the senior players have.
There's young lads who are coming out to Spain with us to train. I want to see them training to see if they're ready. If they're training well enough, if I feel they're good enough and they're ready to play, they will play.
They have to work hard like every other player, play with freedom, express themselves, don't be afraid to talk and tackle in training.
Every player's got an opportunity. It's on you. It's on you to prove to me that you're ready and you're good enough and if the players do that, whether they're 16 or whether they're 34, they'll get the chance.
