2024 kicked off with shocking news for football fans, as Wayne Rooney has parted ways with the Birmingham City team after only three months as the head of management.
According to the team’s speakers, they decided to fire Rooney as the “results have not met the expectations that were made clear at the outset.” The announcement was made on Tuesday, January 2nd, after Birmingham City lost 3-0 to Leeds on New Year’s Day, taking the club six points away from the relegation zone.
Supporters weren’t happy with the Blues’ streak and started chanting, “Wayne Rooney, get out of our club” while the team lost the match. The club was set and promised to get to the top of the Premier League under Wayne Rooney’s management; still, the expectations weren’t met.
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Failed Expectations
Rooney was supposed to reinvent the club and the playing strategy, as they wanted to increase and use attacking tactics rather than the well-organized one the Blues were known for. After nine defeats and only ten points, the board decided it was time to take some action.
The club’s Instagram and X accounts stated that they also fired Carl Robinson, who was one of his top assistants. The post also adds that this decision was the best for the team and includes Chief Executive Officer Garry Cook’s thanks to Rooney and Robinson.
ESPN reported that Cook’s judgment is under scrutiny as he was the one who hired Rooney, though he also made open negotiations with Director of Football Craig Gardner. As of today, there isn’t any successor, though they started the search immediately after Rooney was dismissed. For now, Steve Spooner, Birmingham’s professional development coach, will fill the position.
On his side, Rooney thanked the team owners, Tom Wagner and Tom Brady, alongside Garry Cook, for “the opportunity to manage Birmingham City FC and the support they all gave me during my short period with the club.” The original agreement was a three-year contract for Rooney to take over the team.
He Couldn’t Straighten The Ship
Rooney’s time with the team started on a rough path, as they lost four of the first five matches, and overall winning only two games of the 15 played during his leadership, taking them to the 20th place and the second worst match performance in Birmingham’s history. Before Rooney took charge, the club was in sixth position at the Championship table.
The team had previously been led by John Eustace, who was dismissed by the ownership group last October after being the manager for fifteen months. Peers and supporters praised Eustace’s performance with the team, as he had exceeded expectations at the time.
Two days after Eustace was fired, Wayne Rooney was brought as his successor by the American group who had recently taken over after resigning as coach of Major League Soccer (MLS) club DC United and working with Derby County. Rooney brought Ashley Cole and John O’Shea as part of his coaching staff.
However, Rooney’s arrival to St. Andrews was somewhat controversial, as Eustace’s firing was a shock for many since, he was close to taking the club to the top of the Championship after working with them since July of 2022.
The Players Didn’t Like Him
Meanwhile, the players had several issues with Wayne Rooney’s training style since he constantly criticized them, affirming that they weren’t in enough condition to play at the level he asked them to. It was reported that his aggressive training style was starting to affect the players’ confidence rather than boost it; they weren’t happy with Rooney’s new approach.
Wayne Rooney stated that he was aware that the team wasn’t at the level he wanted it to be and insisted that the time they gave him wasn’t enough to showcase all of the plans he had with the team. Many experts agree with his opinion, as he was only in charge for thirteen weeks.
Prior to his firing, the former player had opened up about his drinking problem. He went on Rob Burrow’s podcast and talked about how alcohol became a release from the stress his career brought to him during his early days at Manchester United in his early 20s.
“I’d drink almost until I’d pass out,” he confessed and added that overcoming such a big problem was one of the most challenging things in his life.
Rooney also said, “It will take me some time to get over this setback.” He decided to take some time to spend with his family since he’s dedicated his life and career to football since he started playing professionally at sixteen years old.
The former striker retired in 2021 and is currently the record goalscorer for Manchester United, and they held the same title in the England national team until last year. Despite his remarkable football career, his managing career hasn’t taken off yet.
