Wayne Rooney reveals situation he had at Birmingham City is like Thomas Frank, Spurs nightmare | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney has revealed a situation involving Leeds United he had at Birmingham City is like Spurs and Thomas Frank's current nightmare.

Wayne Rooney has revealed how he had a similar situation to Spurs boss Thomas Frank, which occurred during his time at Birmingham City and involves Leeds United.

Rooney’s managerial journey has been a roller-coaster since hanging up his boots. He cut his teeth as Derby County manager, steering the Rams to Championship safety despite a massive points deduction before resigning in 2022.

Rooney then crossed the pond to DC United as head coach in MLS, improving results but missing the play-offs. Not long after, he returned to England in somewhat controversial fashion. He took the reins at Birmingham City in the Championship, which was a short and turbulent spell ending in his January 2024 sacking.

Despite John Eustace doing an impressive job, Blues decided to appoint the legendary England and Man United figure. It wasn't the end of his managerial stints, though.

Now doing punditry, his most recent role at a football club came when he was appointed Plymouth Argyle boss as they battled to stay up in the Championship. After a decent start with Derby, it's largely been downhill for Rooney.

Wayne Rooney reveals Thomas Frank comparison involving Leeds United

Tottenham are struggling and Thomas Frank is under pressure, which Rooney has experience of feeling. Frank has rarely had that, given how impressive his seven-year stint at Brentford was.

The expectations are different with Tottenham, with 14th and five points off the top half being nowhere near where they expected to be this season. Rooney spoke regarding the situation and revealed what happened when he came under pressure with Birmingham.

Rooney said: "I felt for Thomas Frank yesterday. I've been there. I've stood on that pitch as a manager when you know you're going to get sacked.

"And I could see it in him, so he knows it's coming. I felt so sorry for him because I was there at Elland Road and I was getting booed.

"Obviously, I was getting absolutely battered by the Leeds fans, but then the Birmingham fans joined in as well. I had the whole stadium going for me!

"But yeah, I felt for Thomas Frank yesterday. I don't know if he's lost the players but they're certainly not performing for him. And I think he's definitely lost the fans.

"You've heard that, the last few games. So I think, again, unfortunately, it looks like he will lose his job."

Wayne Rooney's managerial record

Rooney lost 3-0 that day at Elland Road, which was his 15th game in charge of Birmingham. They won just twice in that time, with Leeds inflicting his ninth defeat of the season.

It's been a tough time for Rooney, which is why he has been appearing on BBC's Match of the Day regularly, as well as Amazon Prime's UEFA Champions League coverage.

It's likely he will step back into management at some stage in his career, and Rooney will have had to learn plenty from the experiences with Plymouth and when visiting Leeds as Birmingham boss.