Plymouth 'nowhere near good enough' - Rooney

Wayne Rooney had to watch from the stands at Cardiff City due to a one-game touchline ban

Wayne Rooney has criticised his team's performance as "nowhere near good enough" in their 5-0 loss at Cardiff City.

The defeat was the heaviest suffered since the former England captain took over as Pilgrims head coach in May - surpassing the 4-0 scoreline at Sheffield Wednesday in his first game in charge.

Argyle were already 2-0 down when Ibrahim Cissoko was sent off shortly before half-time and but for some fine saves by goalkeeper Dan Grimshaw, Plymouth could have conceded even more.

"The fans deserved better than that and the only thing I can say is it will be better than that, it's a blip," he told BBC Radio Devon.

"We will perform better, we will pick up better results than we have today."

Rooney was forced to watch from the stands after being given a one-match touchline ban after his red card against Blackburn Rovers earlier this month.

"You want to be there at the side of the pitch and trying to help the team, but that was the punishment which I received and it was difficult to watch," he said.

"Me not being there, whether that has an impact or not I don't know, but everything we'd planned and prepared, we tried to do, and we were just beaten by a better team.

"I don't think we can look at anything from that point of view from me not being on the touchline.

"We just have to hold our hands up and say we were beaten by a better team and we have to move on from it quickly."

Ibrahim Cissoko has scored three times in 12 appearances for Plymouth Argyle this season

Netherlands Under-21 winger Cissoko was sent off for violent conduct towards Perry Ng.

The Cardiff City defender kicked the ball at Cissoko while he was on the ground after being fouled and he reacted angrily.

The straight red card means he will miss the next three matches against Millwall, Preston North End and Leeds United.

"He's reacted. Their player's been quite clever and very dangerous, I feel," Rooney said.

"He certainly kicked the ball at Ibs on purpose and that could have been a different colour card to what he got.

"But for Ibs he's reacted in the wrong way and he's picked up the red card - it certainly didn't help the team."

He added: "It's an opportunity now for someone else to come in.

"Of course he's disappointed. When you get a red card for something, I've been there as a player as well in a similar instance to Ibs', and sometimes it boiled over.

"It's not nice when you get that red card like that, he knows he's reacted to something he probably shouldn't have and it's cost him."