Chris Wilder gives Wayne Rooney positive Plymouth Argyle verdict

Chris Wilder believes Plymouth Argyle's first away win of the season will not be long in coming if they replicate the performance they produced against his promotion-chasing Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday.

Wayne Rooney's Pilgrims were beaten 2-0, but the Blades not make sure of a ninth consecutive home league win until Kieffer Moore scored an 88th minute penalty. Wilder acknowledged the visitors had been the better team in the first half for a whole host of reasons, even though it was United who led at the break after a 19th minute strike from Gustavo Hamer.

Argyle are still winless from their 11 away Championship matches this term, nine of which they have lost, but the way they played at Bramall Lane offered hope for the future.

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Wilder also praised Argyle's 1,100-strong travelling Green Army for the reception they gave to former Pilgrims' goalkeeper Michael Cooper, who left Home Park in August for United and has produced some important saves for them this season, including one from a flicked Ryan Hardie header in the second half on Saturday which would have made the score 1-1 had it gone in.

The Blades' boss, whose side were playing their third game in seven days, said: "It was a tough watch for myself, the coaches and the supporters. I think it sums Championship football up in a nutshell. We would be very rich if we could predict every result in this division and every performance.

"We have got to give credit to Wayne and his coaching staff because they were the better side first half, without a shadow of a doubt. I blame myself, maybe we should have made more changes but I wanted that team to go again. I think it shows you when we miss a couple of players it really does stretch us."

Wilder continued: "I think we have had to work hard - myself, Alan (Knill) and the coaches - right the way through the game, especially at half-time in terms of changing the shape because they bounced it out too easy.

"They got Brendan Galloway out too easy first half, they were more mobile and had more energy in their team. We were asking an 18-year-old (striker Ryan One) to do a man's job as well so it was a difficult afternoon for him on his (full) debut.

"We didn't get the press right so we had to change it around a little bit tactically. We were never unbelievably comfortable because Michael has had to make a save.

"I have got to say, I'm delighted with the reception that he got from his hometown club as well, fully deserved. I think that's class in terms of what happened there. Sometimes when players make decisions they get battered for it, but I thought that was a good moment for Michael. He has been brilliant for us and he made a big save yet again when needed.

"We just lacked energy. Tactically we changed it around, we had to earn our money at half-time, and I thought we had the better moments without feeling incredibly safe or over the line until we got the penalty."

Wilder pinpointed Adam Randell, who played in a deep midfield role as part of Argyle's 4-1-4-1 formation, as being pivotal to the way the Pilgrims played. "We got off to a good start but they were dangerous," he said. "They were the better team than us, they created the better chances, they controlled possession, they moved us about too much.

"We couldn't get the press right, we couldn't jump onto their six (Randell), our sixes were too stretched, we didn't get up the pitch enough and then when we broke it up their press was better than ours and we just turned it over too many times.

"Our quality wasn't very good, but we are here to try to help the players as coaches and managers to make it a little bit easier and straightforward. So going man-for-man, and jumping on their six, I think it made it more difficult for them to get out and break our press. I thought we got that better second half.

"I'm not saying we created clear-cut chances, I'm not saying it should have been two, three and four, but we felt a lot more comfortable even though not safe until we got the penalty. So credit to them. In a nutshell, that's Championship football."

Asked for his assessment of Argyle, who have now lost four in a row in the Championship, Wilder added: "They were good. They are well coached, they have got loads of experience on the sideline.

"These things can happen to you in the Championship where it can go from one to four to four and it's demoralising. We had it last year (in the Premier League).

"We weren't arrogant, we weren't lazy, we weren't sloppy or loose. We set ourselves up to be as good as we possibly can be, knowing through experience these are the games that can hurt you in the Championship. I'm delighted it has not hurt us but that was a tough afternoon.

"Part of that we will look in terms of our energy, our performance, the way we gave the ball away cheaply, the poor decisions we made in possession, but I think you have got to give the opposition a lot of credit because of the way they set up, they were brave and the way they played. If they do that to us, they will do that to other teams and that away win won't be a long time to come."

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