Wayne Rooney said he was “angry and surprised” by his side’s display after his first game in charge of Plymouth ended in a chastening 4-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.
Rooney is back in management having been appointed by the Pilgrims in May after being sacked from his previous job as Birmingham boss in January.
He won only two of his 15 games at Birmingham and Owls debutant Jamal Lowe, Brendan Galloway’s own goal, Josh Windass and substitute Michael Smith made it a miserable start in his latest role as the Owls ran riot at Hillsborough.
The former England striker said of Plymouth’s performance: “Disappointed, angry, surprised. From everything we’ve seen in pre-season, I was surprised.
“We were expecting a tough game and it was important to try and get through the first 20 minutes.
“The basics of the game today were not good enough. Whether that’s getting to the ball, tackling, being aggressive.
“We knew last season Sheffield Wednesday were one of the best teams in the league for crosses and cutbacks and all four goals came from cutbacks.
“Today wasn’t good enough, I think that’s clear.”
Rooney handed last season’s leading scorer Morgan Whittaker a start but left goalkeeper Michael Cooper on the bench amid speculation over both players’ futures at Home Park.
“I don’t think (the performance) was anything to do with Michael Cooper’s situation or Morgan Whittaker’s situation,” Rooney added.
“Morgan has been really happy and has shown no indication of leaving the club.
“We didn’t do the basics right. We had a gameplan and we didn’t execute the gameplan well at all.
“I’m really surprised. It’s not what I’ve seen all pre-season, both in games and on the training pitch. It’s a wake-up call for us all.
“I don’t think it’s the time to panic. It’s the first game of the season. Of course we’re disappointed, but it’s no time to panic.
“I’ve seen the work we’ve done throughout pre-season, which gives me encouragement.
“I think you have to credit Sheffield Wednesday. I thought they were really good and made it difficult for us.”
Owls boss Danny Rohl, who signed a new long-term contract in May after steering the club clear of relegation, said his side’s display was the culmination of a fruitful pre-season.
The former Germany and Bayern Munich assistant, in his first full season at Hillsborough, said: “The last six weeks we have worked hard, with a lot of long training sessions and good friendly games.
“I think it was very helpful and from the first minute today we were very good. This is the dominant football I want to see. I like it.
“Four goals, three points. We’ll keep going with this performance and then we will see.”
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