Simon Hallett has insisted the hiring of Wayne Rooney as Plymouth Argyle head coach was not due to the club looking to raise their profile.

Rooney took charge of only 23 Championship games, with the Pilgrims winning just four of them, before his departure from Home Park was announced on New Year's Eve.

In a lengthy statement issued by Hallett today about a wide range of club issues, the Argyle owner and chairman described Rooney as 'a popular figure' but admitted 'both results and underlying performances were showing few signs of being at the level we need.'

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He also confirmed a planned documentary about the England legend and his time at Argyle had been cancelled. As well as Rooney, assistant head coach Mike Phelan and first team coach Simon Ireland also left the club.

Hallett said in his statement: "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 programmes 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."

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