Sky Sports commentator David Stowell has been speaking on the latest edition of Sky Sports’ EFL Podcast about Wayne Rooney’s time as a manager and other news from the Championship, League One, and League Two.
Rooney started the season as a player for the Rams and made ten appearances before he was made the club’s caretaker boss and then, in January, the full-time boss.
However, Derby won just one of their last 15 league games, and Stowell believes that Rooney might have been more valuable to the Rams if he had carried on playing.
He said: (7:02) “Wayne will certainly learn a lot from this.
“I’m just sad in a way that taking this job has effectively brought the curtain down on Wayne’s playing career because some were saying he was in the twilight of that career, but as a player, had he played for Derby for the remainder of the season, would they have been in the position that they found themselves on [the] final day?
“You have to look and say on paper; he was their best player with the vision that he had, with potentially the goals that he brought to the table.
“Obviously, the free-kick against Norwich is one of those things that stands out from the season. It could have been a season that turned out very differently had he not been given the job.”
Do you think that Rooney should have retired when he did?
No, he still had more to give
Yes, he made the right choice
TIF Thoughts on Rooney…
In 35 appearances for the Rams as a player, Rooney scored seven goals and provided three assists, proving that he could still perform, even if it was at just Championship level.
However, after Phillip Cocu was sacked, he stepped up to fill in as the caretaker manager and did enough to get the job permanently.
Still, Stowell certainly makes a valid point about Rooney, and it would have been interesting to see him carry on as a player. Instead, thoughts will turn to next season, although with potential points deductions coming from the EFL, they could face another tricky campaign or even relegation to League One.
In other news: Sky Sports man drops Derby verdict amid ‘off-the-field’ problems