Plymouth Argyle Championship Odds: Pilgrims look set for drop

Plymouth Argyle avoided relegation on the final day of the 2023-24 season, and are now looking to avoid the drop once again this campaign under the guidance of former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

Read on for my preview of the upcoming season, including Plymouth Argyle's championship odds, relegation odds and top-half finish price.

Last Season: 21st

Top Scorer: Morgan Whittaker (16)

Transfers In: Victor Palsson - KAS Eupen (free), Nathanael Ogbeta - Swansea City (free), Darko Gyabi - Leeds United (loan), Ibrahim Cissoko - Toulouse (loan), Muhamed Tijani - Slavia Prague (loan)

Transfers Out: Mikel Miller - Huddersfield Town (free), Callum Burton - Wrexham (free), Tyreik Wright - Bradford City (undisclosed), Zak Baker - Plymouth Parkway (loan), Oscar Halls (released), Jack Endacott (released)

First Game: Sheffield Wednesday (A)

Prediction: 22nd

Championship Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Championship Odds page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

It's been somewhat of a turbulent time at Home Park Stadium over the past year.

Ryan Lowe, who the Devonians enjoyed huge success under, left the manager's post for pastures new in December last year, with the team sitting comfortably in 16th place in the Championship table.

Plymouth turned to Ian Foster to ensure the club remained in the second tier - and they did by the skin of their teeth. However, the first-time head coach oversaw just three wins in 18 league games as the team sunk to 21st place. The Pilgrims needed a rescue act from caretakers Neil Dewsnip and Kevin Nancekivell, who saved the day with three wins in the final six.

Football Odds

That brings us to earlier this year, when the club appointed Wayne Rooney as head coach. The former England international received plaudits for his work at cash-strapped Derby County but won just two of the 15 matches he oversaw at Birmingham City. To be fair, the 38-year-old didn’t have a full pre-season to implement his ideas at St. Andrews, nor did he get a January transfer window to bring in his own players. Would it have made a difference? Who knows.

It may be that Rooney has learnt his lessons the hard way at Derby, DC United and Birmingham but doubts continue to surround his managerial ability, and if we've learnt anything from Rooney's tenure as a player, it's that he doesn't like to throw the towel in when faced with adversity.

In terms of transfers, Luke Cundle and Finn Azaz both left the club in January, and the holes their respective departures left in midfield have yet to be patched up as we rapidly approach the new campaign.

However, Ibrahim Cissoko looks a solid addition to the squad on loan from Toulouse, while Lewis Gibson will remain crucial in central defence, and stalwart Ryan Hardie can be relied upon to lead the line along with last season's top scorer Morgan Whittaker.

Pre-season preparations couldn't have gone much better for the Pilgrims, starting off with a 2-2 draw with Orlando Pirates before putting five goals past Cheltenham Town and beating Torquay United 2-0. Of course, pre-season games mean relatively little when it comes to results but Rooney must be seeing some of his methods on the training ground come to fruition in these victories.

There's no doubting that Rooney will want to prove the doubters wrong, and as mentioned above, he tends to face challenges head on - that's what made him such a great player. I believe he'll gain the respect of his squad given the calibre of player he was, but the quality of the Championship seems to get stronger every year, and taking a gamble on Rooney may blow up in Argyle's face.

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