AND so Wayne Rooney's long farewell has finally come to an end.
His departure from Plymouth comes as no surprise. In fact, it's been hanging on the wall for a few weeks now.
And the question now really is: what next for the former Manchester United man?
After all, Rooney truly believed he would be a manager and that he was qualified to do so.
But at Derby County he had a winning percentage of less than 30 percent.
And everywhere he's been since then, it's been worse.
He had a miserable time at DC United, picking up just TWO wins in 15 games at Birmingham City.
And he leaves Plymouth Argyle as the Devonshire club stares relegation to League One in the face.
It's hard. Rooney really cares, there's no doubt about that.
I spoke to him in the US eighteen months ago and his enjoyment of his work was clear.
He said, “I know that as a finished article I am not yet where I want to be.
“But the next few years are very important for me to master the role.
“And get the best out of myself and ultimately out of the players.”
He was really committed to making it work. But it doesn't seem to work.
Maybe it's a bit of the Glenn Hoddle syndrome with Wazza.
When the former Spurs midfielder walked onto the training pitch as a manager, he was the best player there.
I suspect it's the same with Rooney. Certainly lower down the leagues he will be much, much better than most players.
That was the level of talent he possessed.
And if you're that good, how do you get limited players to play when they can't do things that come naturally to you?
It's hard, there's no doubt about that. But I still think there is a chance for Rooney. It's not the end for him.
It seems almost inevitable that at some point he will hand over the reins to his boyhood club Everton.
But for now that still seems far away.
However, this abolition will be cruel. It will be hard and it will hurt.
There were a few jokers wondering if he would actually get the boot in time to see his wife Colleen from the I'm a Celebrity jungle.
Well, that didn't happen. But it didn't last long, did it?
Let's just hope for Rooney's sake that he doesn't let his own inner demons – which he has spoken about in the past – descend on him now.
And let's hope he can face this setback, bounce out of it and prove next time that he has what it takes to be a successful gaffer.
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