Wayne Rooney told to 'own' Birmingham City 'regret' as new claim issued | OneFootball

The Liverpudlian has again been reflecting on his chaotic spell in charge of Blues

Birmingham City's recent history has certainly been chequered to say the least, and it is perhaps best summed up by the chaotic events of the 2023/24 Championship season.

After years of stagnation and regression following relegation from the Premier League in May 2011, which went on to include several changes in management, points deductions and the half-closure of two stands at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park due to mandatory repair work, there was a renewed sense of hope when Tom Wagner brought the club three years ago

The 56-year-old, nowadays, is one of the most popular figures in Blues' recent history, as he and fellow investors, including NFL 'GOAT' Tom Brady, continue to set out their lofty plans for the future, which include the 62,000-seater Powerhouse stadium.

However, it is fair to say that, just months into their ownership of the second tier side, those within the hierarchy very nearly lost their early good will when John Eustace was controversially replaced by Wayne Rooney as manager in October 2023.

It was a decision that had major repercussions on the remainder of the Championship season, with Rooney lasting less than three months in charge before the club went through a glut of permanent or temporary managers, while being unable to halt a first fall into League One in 30 years.

Even though Birmingham have since bounced back under Chris Davies, Rooney, who has also had spells in charge of Derby County and Plymouth Argyle, again, hasn't been afraid to reflect on the disastrous move.

Birmingham City reaction given to fresh Wayne Rooney 'regret' claim

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The 40-year-old is currently a regular fixture on our TV screens on Match of the Day or BBC One's live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026, less than two years after he left Argyle in the midst of a nine-game winless run.

Rooney, though, has certainly been more vocal over his spell at Birmingham, which began with the club sat sixth in the table, and ended with them 20th after two wins in 15 games.

In an Amazon Prime docuseries charting the first two seasons of Knighthead's ownership, a clip of Brady questioning the former England great's work ethic went viral, and now Rooney has referenced his spell in a Q&A on behalf of BBC Sport.

“I think you always have regrets and I reflect on what I done. I have managed four teams and I think the biggest regret I had is the Birmingham job in terms of the timing of when I took over from John Eustace, I think that was my biggest regret," he said.

When later asked if he would return to management, the former striker added: “Would I return to management? Probably not. Of course I’d never close the door and say never but at the moment, where my head space is, I wouldn’t.”

Reacting to Rooney's latest claims, Football League World's Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, said: "It was an absolute car crash, wasn't it? Let's be honest, from the people at Knighthead who hired him, to Rooney taking the job himself.

"Rooney wasn't ready for it. Knighthead shouldn't have got rid of John Eustace. It was just a poor decision by all parties.

"I don't think you can say any decision is your 'biggest regret'," Moore claimed. "You just get on from it and learn from it. He just needs to hold his hands up and admit 'I wasn't very good', or 'I should've stood up to the owners and how they wanted to play football'.

"The squad he inherited wasn't good, and that's why John Eustace played the way he did. He needed to have more of a backbone and played the way that suited that team.

"He made decisions where it was absolutely shocking. So, he can turn round and say 'it's my biggest regret', but at what point do you say, 'I'm not a very good football coach', and there's nothing wrong with that.

"Fantastic player, shocking coach," Moore continued.

"Patrick Viera was a quality player but hasn't been as fantastic as a coach. Fabio Cannavaro won the Ballon D'Or, but wasn't a great coach. I know he's at the World Cup, but he's not an amazing coach.

"There's nothing wrong with being a great player, but not a good coach. Just hold your hands up, as even his D.C United record wasn't great

"He was only good at Derby County with Liam Rosenior, which was a free hit as they were going down no matter what," Moore explained.

"Just hold your hands up and say 'I got it wrong', Knighthead (have said) 'we got it wrong, and just move on."

Birmingham City and Wayne Rooney need to move on from disastrous 15-game period

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As Moore alluded to, the best case scenario for all involved is for discourse over Rooney's disastrous period to be put to bed, especially with Blues looking to move forward.

Under Davies' management, not everything has been smooth sailing, though, and there have, at times, been calls for the current Blues boss to be dismissed, even though the 41-year-old has continuously provided the former Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool assistant with ample backing to reshape his squad.

After a 10th-placed finish last season, which was the highest the club has finished in a decade, Birmingham will be hoping to make the expanded play-offs in 2026/27.

Meanwhile, Eustace hasn't exactly been put off by Knighthead's harsh decision, going on to keep Blackburn Rovers in the Championship at Blues' expense two summers ago, and he is now impressing massively at another of Rooney's former sides, Derby, having finished two places above their Midlands counterparts in 2025/26.