Wayne Rooney was officially fired by the Championship Division participating club, Birmingham City. The news of Wayne Rooney’s dismissal was known from the statement provided by Birmingham City via the club’s official website on Tuesday (2/1/2024).
“Even though they have tried their best, the results obtained have not met the expectations previously stated. Therefore, the Board feels that a change of management is in the best interests of the club,” read a statement from Birmingham City.
Rooney’s presence on the coaching bench did not improve Birmingham’s performance in the 2023-2024 Championship Division, the second caste competition in the Premier League. When Rooney came to replace John Eustace on 11 October 2023, Birmingham was ranked sixth in the Championship Division. Now, rival club Aston Vila has been thrown into 20th place out of 24 contestants.
While coaching Birmingham City, Rooney was only able to provide two wins. The Manchester United legend only remained in the Birmingham coaching chair for 15 matches or exactly 83 days.
Rooney was fired a few days after his Birmingham team lost 0-3 to Leeds United, Monday (1/1/2024). That was Birmingham’s ninth defeat in Rooney’s coaching tenure. “We are committed to doing what is necessary to bring success to St. Andrews,” said Birmingham CEO Gary Cook. “Unfortunately, Wayne’s time with us did not go according to plan and we decided to take a different path,” added the CEO. “A search for a replacement coach will begin immediately and we will provide supporters with the latest information when there are further developments.”
The former DC United and Derby Country coach received an offer to train in the Saudi Arabian League before Birmingham. Birmingham CEO Garry Cook, who previously served as CEO of the Saudi Pro League, said he had tried to bring Rooney to the Middle East. However, Rooney still chose to train in his homeland, England.
If Rooney goes to Saudi Arabia, he will follow his former England teammate, Steven Gerrard, who was appointed as Al Ettifaq coach last July. Rooney said that he still had respect for the coaches who chose to move to Saudi Arabia.
“For me, I feel like my development, my path is a different path,” said Rooney. This 37 year old coach said that coaching in England was something special. “I think for myself, firstly to return to English football is a great thing. It’s something I want to do,” he said.
