Wayne Rooney said Plymouth’s Under-18 side could have performed better than his first XI did after losing 6-1 at Norwich.
The Pilgrims, who are depleted with several injuries, were second-best for much of the game at Carrow Road and could well have conceded more had Norwich not missed several chances.
It was the former England captain’s heaviest defeat since taking over at Home Park, with Argyle still yet to win an away match under his stewardship.
“We were nowhere near good enough – we are down to the bare bones with injuries but that is no excuse,” said Rooney, who was missing the likes of Joe Edwards, Connor Hazard, Ibrahim Cissoko, Morgan Whittaker and Muhamed Tijani.
“But if players want to come in the team and stay in the team then they need to perform better than that.
“I could probably put the under-18 team out there and they wouldn’t concede six goals, so I’m very disappointed, angry, frustrated and the next 24-48 hours are not going to be very nice for the players, but we need to get to the bottom of why this is happening.”
All four of Plymouth’s wins in the Championship this season have come in Devon, with Rooney’s side mustering just two draws from their nine clashes on the road.
Rooney said he was keen to get the bottom of why his side, currently just two points above the relegation zone, have had so many issues in their travels.
“Getting that win and better results away from home – we know it’s difficult in this league for teams to win away from home – but we have to be a lot better than we were tonight,” the 39-year-old added.
“I feel for the fans who came here because I know the distance they’ve travelled to get behind the players and I know for any fan when you see your team put in that performance and get that result you’re not going to be pleased about it.
“I’m dealing with it, I’m trying to get to the bottom of why every now and again we’re having these results and hopefully I can do that sooner rather than later.”
