Wayne Rooney issues fresh claim on stint as Birmingham City manager
Although he was promised that he would be permitted to bolster his team in January if he adhered to the style of play they desired to see on the pitch, former Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney has disclosed that the club’s leadership fired him.
Following stints at Derby County and DC United, Rooney signed a three-and-a-half-year contract to become Birmingham City’s manager on October 11, 2023. This was his third managerial position.
Many fans were surprised by his appearance because the Blues were in sixth place in the Championship after winning back-to-back games after the firing of former manager John Eustace.
Rooney talked about adopting a bold style of play during his unveiling, saying: “I want them to be daring. I want them to take chances. Although I want them to play forward and get crosses into the box, they will inevitably make mistakes, which is inevitable in sport.
The former England captain, who was fired officially on January 2nd after only 15 games in charge, has revealed additional details about his brief tenure with the Blues, when the team went from being a contender for promotion to being in danger of relegation.
| Wayne Rooney’s Birmingham City managerial record, as per transfermarkt | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Start Date | End Date | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points | Points per Game | Goals Conceded |
| Birmingham City | Oct 11, 2023 | Jan 2, 2024 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 0.67 | 30 |
Rooney reveals management rejected tactical change request at Birmingham City
Rooney revealed in an interview with The Overlap that his relationship with Birmingham’s ownership quickly soured once he discovered issues with putting their preferred style of play into practice.
Rooney stated: “They took me in and told me this is how we want to play when I joined Birmingham.
“So I presented, done the presentation to them and this is how we want to play, this is exactly what they wanted to do to move forward as a team.
“After two games I said to them they can’t do it, the players can’t do it. I want to adjust and adapt to try and get results, it’s what I was saying before, I need to get results the way the game is.
“The message I got was keep doing it and then in January we’ll get you players in who can – and I got sacked on January 1st.”
This new information points to a discrepancy between Rooney’s assessment of the team’s potential at the time and the goals of Birmingham’s American owners, Knighthead Capital Management, under the leadership of Tom Wagner.
Rooney’s tactical disagreement suggests he was disconnected from Tom Wagner
With only two victories in his 15 games as manager, the former Manchester United striker had a terrible time at St Andrew’s as Birmingham fell into the relegation zone. On New Year’s Day, the team lost 3-0 to Leeds United, and the club’s owners ended his contract.
The fact that Rooney discovered issues with putting the intended style of play into practice after only two games raises the possibility that the squad’s capabilities were not adequately evaluated during the managerial transition. Rooney failed to implement the recommended approach with the players at his disposal, even after bringing in seasoned coaches like Ashley Cole and John O’Shea to help.
Prior to Eustace’s delivery, Club CEO Garry Cook had alluded to goals beyond that, saying: “We began to examine our own ambition and determine what we wanted to do. Maybe our goals were a bit more ambitious.
These goals finally resulted in a mid-season crisis for the team, who were relegated at the end of the season, and a botched experiment with Rooney leading the team.
The fact that Wagner and company insisted on sticking to a style of play that Rooney claims wasn’t appropriate for the players at his disposal, with assurances of January reinforcements that he never managed, shows that they put long-term goals ahead of immediate outcomes, which is undoubtedly helping them now.
