Wayne Rooney’s third stint as a coach has turned into a complete fiasco. Sacked by Birmingham after just 15 games, the former Manchester City legend is having a tough time of it.
At 38, Wayne Rooney is not on the best of terms with football. Considered a legend in England for his good seasons in attack for Manchester United (2004-2017, 559 games for 253 goals) and the Three Lions (2003-2018, 120 games for 53 goals), the Liverpool native is experiencing setbacks in his coaching career. After retiring in 2021 to coincide with his first experience on the bench of a professional club, Rooney has just been sacked by Birmingham. Having only arrived in October, the former striker has seen the Championship club, England’s second tier, plummet.
In 15 games, Wayne Rooney recorded 9 defeats, 4 draws and just 2 wins. The club, which was ranked sixth on 11 October when the former Everton star arrived, now finds itself in twentieth place. Faced with a fait accompli, Birmingham City’s directors will put an end to their descent into hell on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, Wayne’s time with us has not gone according to plan and we have decided to move in a different direction,” said the club’s chief executive, Garry Cook, in a statement published on the Blues’ website.
Rooney criticises Birmingham management
Rooney’s situation was further complicated on Monday by Birmingham’s 3-0 defeat at Leeds. For a player renowned for his versatility in attack, the defeat was a blow to morale. As we all know, a great career as a player is no direct guarantee of success as a coach, and Wayne Rooney’s situation illustrates this perfectly.
In any case, the legendary Manchester United striker is taking his sacking at Birmingham very hard. Following the announcement of his dismissal, Rooney made no secret of his bitterness. For the 38-year-old coach, it was too much to take. “Football is about results and I recognise that they have not been at the level I would have liked. However, time is the most precious commodity a manager needs and I don’t think 13 weeks was enough time to oversee the necessary changes,” the now ex-Birmingham coach vented on his X account (Twitter).
“It’s going to take me some time to get over this setback”
Faced with yet another setback in his coaching career in such a short space of time, the former 2008 Champions League winner has announced that he will be taking a short break to recuperate with his family. “Personally, I’ll need time to recover from this setback. I’ve been involved in professional football, as a player or manager, since I was 16. Now I intend to take time out with my family to prepare for the next opportunity as a coach. Finally, I wish Birmingham City FC and its owners every success as they pursue their ambitions,” concluded Wayne Rooney.
It has to be said that, after this latest humiliation at Birmingham, Rooney’s standing is no longer good on the coaching market. Indeed, the former Red Devil has already had two complicated experiences since the start of his coaching career. After taking the reins of Derby County in the Championship in 2021, he found himself out of a job with a record of 23 wins, 21 draws and 34 defeats. His second adventure with American club DC United also turned into a fiasco, with 8 wins, 7 draws and 16 defeats. The announced break should do him a world of good, given the enormous pressure he is currently under in football.
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