The former Manchester United and Everton striker has released a statement after losing his job as the manager of Birmingham City.
Wayne Rooney believes he did not get enough time to make his mark as the Birmingham City manager.
On Tuesday, Rooney’s 83-day spell in charge of Birmingham ended. The 38-year-old lost his job after Monday’s 3-0 loss against Leeds, which dropped the club to 20th place in the Championship table.
This led Birmingham to relieve Rooney and first-team coach Carl Robinson of their duties. In a statement, the club stated that the pair hadn’t produced the results expected of them and decided a change was necessary.
‘I do not believe 13 weeks was sufficient’
In a statement on his own, Rooney said: “I would like to thank [co-owners] Tom Wagner and Tom Brady and [chief executive] Garry Cook for the opportunity to manage Birmingham City and the support they all gave me during my short period with the club.
“Football is a results business and I recognise they’ve 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.”
Rooney also wished Birmingham well for the future. He added that he will now take a break from football to spend time with his family.
What was Rooney’s record at Birmingham?
The Englishman replaced John Eustace in the St. Andrew’s dugout on October 11, 2023, after coaching DC United and Derby County.
At the time of Rooney’s appointment, Birmingham were up in sixth place in the Championship. Yet, they fell to nine defeats in 15 games (W2 D4) under their manager. This poor run of form has left them in 20th place in the table, six points above the relegation zone.
Professional development coach Steve Spooner will temporarily take charge of first-team affairs.
He is set to lead the team out on Saturday for a third-round FA Cup match against Hull City.
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) January 2, 2024
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