Sheffield Wednesday hope to avoid Birmingham City, Wayne Rooney repeat v Plymouth Argyle

Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping for a much-improved campaign in the Championship this season.

The Owls looked destined to make an immediate return to League One after a disastrous start to last season under Xisco Munoz, but they achieved safety following a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl as they finished 20th in the table.

Wednesday received a huge boost as Rohl signed a new long-term contract at the club in May, and the German has wasted no time in getting to work on rebuilding his squad, with nine new players arriving at Hillsborough so far this summer.

In addition to those new arrivals, Liam Palmer, Dominic Iorfa, Di’Shon Bernard, Barry Bannan and Josh Windass have all signed new deals, but Cameron Dawson and Will Vaulks have departed after turning down the offer of an extension, while Ciaran Brennan, Reece James, George Byers, Tyreeq Bakinson, Juan Delgado and Lee Gregory have been released.

The Owls get their season underway when they host Plymouth Argyle at Hillsborough on Sunday in what will be the Pilgrims’ first game under new head coach Wayne Rooney, and they will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the scenario that unfolded when they came up against the ex-Manchester United striker during his time as Birmingham City manager last season.

Sheffield Wednesday will be keen to forget previous Wayne Rooney meeting

The Owls sat bottom of the Championship table with just six points to their name when they made the trip to face Birmingham at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park last November.

The Blues were sixth in the table when they made the controversial decision to replace John Eustace with Rooney in early October, but the 38-year-old had picked up just one point from his first five games in charge prior to the match against Wednesday.

Birmingham were sliding towards the relegation zone under Rooney’s guidance, and with the home faithful already beginning to turn on their new manager, the Owls would have been optimistic they could take advantage of the increasingly toxic atmosphere inside the stadium and pick up three crucial points.

It looked as though they were on course to do just that when George Byers gave them the lead in the 45th minute, but Juninho Bacuna’s stunning strike levelled the scores just two minutes later, and the Blues won it late on through Jordan James.

The defeat felt like a devastating blow to Wednesday’s slim chances of survival, while Rooney would have hoped that his side could build on the victory after the turbulent start to his tenure at Birmingham.

As it turned out, Rooney would register only one further win before being sacked after just 15 games in charge in January, and the Owls miraculously managed to stay in the division at the Blues’ expense, which would have been unthinkable after their 2-1 defeat in the Midlands in November.

Plymouth Argyle fixture is a big opportunity for Sheffield Wednesday

Rooney made a surprise return to management with Plymouth in May, and he will take charge of the Pilgrims for the first time on Sunday, but Wednesday will be determined not to hand him his first win in his new role this time around.

The Owls have a poor record against teams managed by Rooney, and they suffered relegation to League One against his Derby County side after a 3-3 draw at Pride Park in May 2021, so that could give them extra motivation this weekend.

Plymouth only secured survival on the final day of last season, and with many having reservations about the appointment of Rooney, they are among the relegation favourites in the Championship this campaign.

That provides Wednesday with an excellent opportunity to get their season off to a good start with three points against Argyle, and given the positive feeling around Hillsborough, Rohl’s men will go into the game as strong favourites.

Of course, it will not be an easy game, and Plymouth certainly should not be underestimated, but the Owls will be disappointed with anything less than a victory.