Wayne Rooney has been sacked as head coach of Birmingham City after a run of poor results saw his side win just two of 15 games, which saw them fall from sixth to 20th in the English second division table. Meanwhile, Birmingham had a promising start to the season under former coach John Eustace, but since its end the club has been teetering near the relegation zone.
The announcement of Rooney’s departure follows a crushing 3-0 defeat to Leeds United on New Year’s Day which sparked discontent among fans. The former Manchester United gunner’s tenure at Birmingham was characterized by the ambitious task of stripping opponents of points with convincing performances, a difficult task given the club’s recent history of being more used to relegation and the large influx of new signings.
Birmingham are really not doing well right now. (©Livesport)
However, the club’s management, particularly chief executive Garry Cook, had high expectations of Rooney and hoped the 38-year-old Englishman would lead a new era. “Unfortunately, Wayne’s stay with us did not go according to plan and we decided to go in a different direction,” Cook said of the recall of the former Derby County or DC United coach.
Club statement: Wayne Rooney
— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) January 2, 2024
While Rooney has not even had time to say goodbye to the team, there is already speculation about his successor. Among the emerging names is, for example, the head of the England under-21 national team Lee Carsley, the former manager of Birmingham City Gary Rowett, the veteran Neil Warnock, and there is even a return at the expense of Rooney’s sacked Eustace.
The legend of the Red Devils and the England national team said towards the end that the coaching craft requires time, which she got very little in the form of only 13 weeks. “Personally, it will take me a while to get over the dismissal. I am in professional football under the age of 16, I plan to spend some time with my family,” added Rooney.
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) January 2, 2024
The second-league club, which was recently taken over by the American company Shelby Companies Limited, led by NFL legend Tom Brady, wants to stabilize the situation as soon as possible, avoid relegation, and at the same time maintain high ambitions for the coming seasons.
2024-01-02 16:18:05
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