Wayne Rooney has got a score to settle with Leeds United after brutal Championship reality check

You could forgive Wayne Rooney for still having nightmares about his last trip to Elland Road. Home and away fans aimed brutal chants at the former Manchester United great as his Birmingham City side crashed to a 3-0 defeat back on New Year's Day.

Strikes either side of half-time from Patrick Bamford, Daniel James and Crysencio Summerville condemned the Blues to a ninth defeat in 15 matches. Rooney was taunted by both sets of fans during the second half of the Championship clash, with Whites supporters singing “three-nil and it’s Rooney’s fault’.

It proved to be Rooney's final match in charge of the Blues. He was sacked after just 83 days at the helm, leaving them in 20th position. Their miserable run of form under Rooney was a big factor in City's relegation to League One.

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After a break from the sport, Rooney returned to management last May. He was named Plymouth Argyle's new head coach, taking over the reins from Ian Foster.

Rooney, an unpopular figure with the United faithful given his links to Manchester United and Derby County, made the worst possible start to his Pilgrims tenure. They were thrashed 4-0 by Sheffield Wednesday on the opening weekend of the season.

Things have picked up a touch since their Hillsborough debacle. Plymouth have won three and drawn three of their past 11 league matches. Rooney's team are in 21st place in the Championship, one point above the relegation places.

"The one thing I never question with the players is their character, they keep going until the end - they've shown that a few times this season," Rooney told BBC Radio Devon. "But we need to be men - the nasty bits in the game.

"For so many years, the foreign players coming into the league - or we'd play in different countries - they were a bit cleverer than what we were and we need to improve that. We need to learn the little nuances of the game."

His players need to learn quickly if they are to avoid becoming embroiled in a relegation battle for the second year on the bounce. The Pilgrims will head to West Yorkshire looking to secure their first away win of the season. After what happened in the New Year, you can bet your bottom dollar that Rooney would love nothing more than to put one over United by denting their promotion aspirations come Saturday evening.