Alarming factor could persuade Birmingham City to sack Wayne Rooney: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Birmingham City extended their poor run of form on Friday evening, with a 2-0 loss against Coventry City not doing anything to ease pressure on Wayne Rooney.

Taking just five points from a possible 27 in his nine games in charge, Blues are at risk of sliding down the table further in the coming weeks unless they can turn things around.

Currently sitting in 17th place, they were sixth when Rooney's predecessor John Eustace left the club, and it may only be a matter of time before the Manchester United legend is dismissed unless he can get more out of his current team.

It was never going to be an easy job for the 38-year-old to implement his style and get results quickly, especially considering the hard run of fixtures he faced during the early stages of his time at St Andrew's.

But many fans will have expected Blues to secure more points considering how they started the season.

Losses against the likes of Middlesbrough and Southampton can be forgiven, but their failure to take all three points at home against a managerless Rotherham United side left fans frustrated and that frustration has only built following their Friday night defeat at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

The decision to replace Eustace with Rooney was a very controversial one - and the board may be the latter's biggest supporters right now.

The players may have become disillusioned because of their recent results and performances - and some supporters have turned on the former England international.

Considering how well Blues were doing under Eustace, you can understand why some fans are so angry. Sacking Rooney's predecessor seemed like a bizarre decision at the time, even if the board did want the Midlands side's playing style to change.

Because of the controversy this managerial decision created, the board will be keen to be proven right and may stick with Rooney for a bit longer to see whether he can improve Blues' form.

CEO Garry Cook will come under a huge amount of scrutiny from Tom Wagner and other key figures at St Andrew's if Rooney is sacked, because he will have played a big role in the appointment of the 38-year-old.

Cook may play a part in keeping Rooney at the club for longer because of that, although many fans would prefer it if the board admitted their mistake and parted ways with their manager.

Results elsewhere could lead to Birmingham City sacking Wayne Rooney

Although fans often dictate whether a manager stays or goes, with fan pressure often playing a big part, other teams could determine how long Rooney gets to improve results.

Blues are currently four points above the drop zone which is very concerning and it reinforces how much the club has declined under Rooney in such a short space of time.

There's every chance results could improve in the coming weeks - it may be dangerous to write the United legend off.

But some struggling teams are managing to pick up results, with Queens Park Rangers winning against Hull City at the weekend and Sheffield Wednesday winning at Stoke City.

Huddersfield Town have also picked up some promising results and Stoke could enjoy a new manager bounce after sacking Alex Neil.

The fact Blues have got a game coming up in midweek could have saved Rooney for another day, but other teams at the bottom end of the division securing points may persuade Wagner to hit the panic button and sack his head coach.