Wayne Rooney's claim on management will shock Birmingham City & Plymouth Argyle | OneFootball

Former Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne Rooney has made a surprising claim about his style of football.

It is fair to say that Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle supporters will not have particularly fond memories of their former manager Wayne Rooney.

Rooney began his managerial career with Derby County, and despite overseeing the Rams' relegation to League One, he earned plenty of plaudits for his work in challenging conditions at Pride Park.

After a spell in the MLS with DC United, Rooney returned to English football when he controversially replaced John Eustace at Birmingham in October 2023, despite the club sitting sixth in the Championship table at the time.

Rooney endured a disastrous stint at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park as he won only two of his 15 games in charge, and he was sacked after just three months, with the Blues languishing just above the relegation zone.

Given Rooney's nightmare time at Birmingham, it was something of a surprise when he was handed another managerial opportunity by Plymouth in May 2024, but he did not fare much better at Home Park, winning just five of his 25 games at the helm and departing with the Pilgrims bottom of the Championship table.

Ex-Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne Rooney drops intriguing managerial claim

While Rooney was not in charge of Birmingham or Plymouth at the time of their relegations from the Championship, supporters of both clubs hold him largely responsible for their respective demises, and he has been out of management since leaving Argyle in December 2024.

It seems Rooney has decided to step away from the dugout after his disappointing Home Park experience, instead turning his hand to punditry, and he can regularly be found on the BBC's flagship highlights show Match of the Day, as well as making occasional guest appearances on Stick to Football.

In the absence of Jamie Carragher, Rooney joined Gary Neville, Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Jill Scott on the latest edition of the popular podcast, where they discussed whether those who have not managed at the top level have the right to be critical of current managers.

While much of Rooney's managerial career has been spent in the Championship, the 40-year-old admitted that he perhaps demanded too much of his players at his previous clubs and suggested that his style of football would be more effective in the Premier League.

"When I look back at the jobs I've done, I think I've asked my teams to try and play the way a Premier League team would play," Rooney said on Stick to Football.

Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle supporters will be baffled by Wayne Rooney comments

After his horror spells in charge of their clubs, Birmingham and Plymouth supporters will be scratching their heads at Rooney's belief that he would be more suited to being a Premier League manager.

Rooney made a bright start to his managerial career in tough circumstances at Derby, but his record with the Blues and the Pilgrims does not make for good reading, and it is difficult to agree with his view that he would be able to deliver success in the top flight.

The former England international recently revealed he would only go back into coaching for two of his former clubs, Manchester United and Everton, but as a call from Old Trafford or the Hill Dickinson Stadium is unlikely to come any time soon, he may need to keep his focus on punditry for now.