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2 days ago · Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney will return to the hallowed turf of Old Trafford in September – but not in a managerial capacity. Rooney’s last appearance in a United shirt was a 2-0 wi…
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- Alex Conrad
Jan 3, 2024 · Wayne Rooney's farewell to Birmingham City made no attempt to hide the acute pain of what he regards as a premature sacking - but also contained a bold statement of intent about his...
2 days ago · Wayne Rooney will don the red of Manchester United again after the club confirmed his return for a charity match. Rooney, now manager of Championship side Plymouth Argyle, hasn't stepped foot on ...
- Overview
- Rooney: It will take me some time to get over setback
- Rooney's final days at Birmingham
- Analysis: The fans turned against Rooney
- 'There's something just not quite right at that football club'
Birmingham City have sacked Wayne Rooney after just 15 games in charge.
Rooney was appointed at St Andrew's on October 11 on a three-and-a-half-year deal with the club sixth in the Championship following back-to-back wins under sacked manager John Eustace.
But Rooney has seen his team lose nine of the 15 matches they have played since he took over, leaving the club in 20th place in the Championship table.
•Rooney's last game in charge - Leeds 3-0 Birmingham report & highlights
•Birmingham fixtures | Championship table
Former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch and England U21s head coach Lee Carsley are among the names Birmingham City want to talk to about the managerial vacancy at St Andrews, Sky Sports News has been told.
Rooney released a statement in the wake of his sacking, which read: "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 recognise 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."
Meanwhile, Eustace is open to the idea of returning to Birmingham City as manager, Sky Sports News has been told.
Eustace has been out of work since being let go by the Championship club in October, and would be keen to talk to the people who dismissed him less than three months ago.
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Leeds United and Birmingham City
Birmingham suffered a 3-0 defeat at Leeds on New Year's Day, after which Rooney vowed to fight on as manager of the club.
"I'm a fighter and I get football fans' opinions," he said. "I have to draw on my career, my playing career wasn't always about success. I was in a relegation battle with Everton, I believe in myself."
Birmingham chief executive Garry Cook said "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.
Image: Wayne Rooney has been sacked by Birmingham
Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett:
"It's not an unexpected decision. The only surprise here is that it's happened so quickly. Wayne Rooney has only had 15 games in charge of Birmingham City and his was a landmark appointment by Tom Wagner, who had only bought the club in August, and this was his first appointment.
"He wanted Wayne Rooney to take Birmingham back to the top of the Championship and ultimately back into the Premier League.
"That's the ambitions that the new owners had but they felt they had to act now with results as poor as they have been.
"Birmingham have had some injuries as well but I wonder how big an impact some of their fans have had on this decision by Tom Wagner and his Knighthead Capital Management group.
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Jobi McAnuff says Wayne Rooney joined a side in good form but the team has struggled since his arrival, particularly in defence.
Speaking after Birmingham's 3-0 loss at Leeds on Monday, Jobi McAnuff analysed the club's problems on Sky Sports:
"The big problem is how well they were doing before he walked through the door - they were looking like a team who were trying to get into those playoff places, they were in sixth place table.
"You look at the goals conceded, 30, it is just too many and there is no way you can be conceding two goals a game and expect to win any games really.
"And for me, there is something just not quite right at that football club. It is a real slump in form, there have not been too many situations during his reign where I've watched them and thought they were the better team in a game.
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Dec 14, 2023 · Birmingham City boss Wayne Rooney was "delighted" to feel a sense of renewed belief among Blues fans after seeing their side win away from home for the first time in nearly four months.
Jan 2, 2024 · Birmingham City have sacked manager Wayne Rooney after only 15 games in charge of the club. The Blues made the unpopular decision to part ways with popular boss John Eustace back in October,...
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