Wayne Rooney: English football legend sacked by Birmingham City after dismal run of two wins in 15 games

In a shocking turn of events in the English Football Championship, former Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney has been sacked from the managerial position by Birmingham City, after a shambolic run of two wins in 15 games prompted the club board to take this drastic decision. With just a little over two months in charge, Rooney’s managerial stint with Birmingham has seen the end with some dismal performances on their bank.

Wayne Rooney- a legend in the English shirt

Wayne Rooney has been a legendary figure in the English football circuit. He was considered the face of Manchester United, and has been an iconic legend with the Red Devils, having played some exceptional games in the Theatre of Dreams. He later pursued his American dream of playing at MLS outfit D.C United, before switching his allegiance to feature for Derby County in the English football, before hanging up his boots three years ago, in 2021. He later switched to managerial stint, sincerely taking charge of Derby County, D.C. United and Birmingham City, the last one being his current till today.

It was reported that Rooney was asked to reverberate the idea of “No Fear” football in St. Andrews among the players of Birmingham City, since taking over the club in October after the departure of John Eustace. But a calamitous reign which included a meagre record of two wins out of total 15 games, comes to an end as the English legend has been sacked by the Blues’ club board. The idea of “No Fear” play was asked to employ by Chief Executive of the club, Gary Cook, as his decision to bring on deck one of England’s decorated player has backfired quite badly.

Decision after Leeds’ loss

It is reported that Birmingham faced with an impossible situation of flirting with the relegation spots since past decade, as the Blues’ were placed on the sixth position. But, with Rooney’s tenure at helm, they had regressed to the 20th spot, mustering 28 points from 26 games. The final nail in the coffin comes after a ghastly 0-3 defeat in the hands of Leeds United, as former United legend was asked to win games in style with a new set of players.

Cook had stated during Rooney’s unveiling, as he said, “Wayne’s role here is to be a leader, to drive a successful, ambitious and winning mentality. This is another milestone for Birmingham City. With it comes great expectation.” With the addition of some new faces among the ranks of the club like Ethan Laird and Tyler Roberts, supporters have coughed up to see the last 15 games as the latest recruits have barely donned a pair of boots.

Confirmed after official statement

Rooney’s sacking confirmation came out after an official statement was issued by Birmingham City. In that message from Gary Cook, it read, “We are committed to doing what is necessary to bring success to St. Andrew’s. Unfortunately, Wayne’s time with us did not go as planned and we have decided to move in a different direction. The search for a successor begins with immediate effect and we will update supporters when we have further news.”

Rooney released a statement later to his sacking news which said about his respect for the club, but also instigating the fact that he should have been given more time with the club. He said, “I would like to thank Tom Wagner, Tom Brady and Garry Cook for the opportunity to manage Birmingham City FC and the support they all gave me during my short period with the club. Football is a results business – and I recognize they have not been at the level I wanted them to be. However, time is the most precious commodity a manager requires and I do not believe 13 weeks was sufficient to oversee the changes that were needed.”

“Personally, it will take me some time to get over this setback. I have been involved in professional football, as either a player or manager, since I was 16. Now, I plan to take some time with my family as I prepare for the next opportunity in my journey as a manager.”

“Finally, I wish Birmingham City FC and its owners my best wishes in the pursuit of their ambitions.”