Wayne Rooney reveals what Tom Wagner & Tom Brady told him that led to Birmingham City sack | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney has revealed that he wanted to change his playing style at Birmingham City, but was warned against it by the club's hierarchy.

Over two years on from his exit, Wayne Rooney's spell as Birmingham City manager will still cause nightmares for Blues supporters.

After the club's takeover by Tom Wagner was completed over the summer, Birmingham made a strong start to the 2023-24 season, and they sat sixth in the Championship table heading into the October international break having picked up 18 points from their first 11 games.

However, the Blues then made the hugely controversial decision to part company with manager John Eustace, replacing him with Rooney, and the ex-Manchester United and England man was infamously tasked with implementing a brand of "no fear" football at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Rooney's time as Birmingham boss got off to a disastrous start as he lost his first three games, and while he eventually recorded his first victory at the sixth attempt with a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday, discontent was growing among supporters who were already against the managerial change.

The Blues continued to plummet towards the relegation zone under Rooney, and the 40-year-old was sacked after less than three months in charge in January 2024 with the club sitting 20th in the table, departing having won just two of his 15 games at the helm, drawing four and losing nine.

Tony Mowbray was appointed as Rooney's replacement, but he was forced to step down due to ill health after just over a month in the role, and Gary Rowett was unable to keep Birmingham in the Championship after returning to the club on an interim basis, with the Midlands outfit suffering relegation on the final day of the campaign.

Wayne Rooney drops shock Tom Wagner, Tom Brady claim amid Birmingham City reveal

Rooney was instructed to deliver a more attractive brand of football at Birmingham, but the ex-Blues manager has revealed that he realised soon into his tenure that his players were unable to cope with his demands.

Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Rooney claimed that he had been keen to revert to the style that had brought success in the early stages of the season under his predecessor Eustace, but he was warned against doing so by the club's owners.

"From when I went in at Birmingham, I knew there were big changes with Tom Wagner and Tom Brady coming in," Rooney said.

"The disappointing thing about the Birmingham one is, after two or three games, I've gone to the owners and said, 'These players aren't capable of playing how they wanted the team to play'.

"I was advised to keep doing it, and then, ultimately, I've lost my job for doing that.

"I wanted to change, I wanted to go back to doing what John Eustace was doing, which he was getting results.

"Until I could get players out and bring players in who were capable of doing that, I could see what was coming.

"They were adamant that they wanted me to continue doing what I was doing, and then I lost my job.

"So, for me, that's something when, looking back, where I've just got to do what I feel is right, instead of being influenced a bit by the owners, ultimately, which cost me my job."

Birmingham City's big Wayne Rooney gamble was doomed from the start

Rooney's latest claims are unlikely to generate much sympathy from Birmingham supporters, but it is difficult not to feel that he was always destined to fail at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Having replaced a popular manager with the club sitting in the play-off places, Rooney faced an uphill battle from the start to win over the Blues fanbase, and after being told to implement a style of football that his squad were not capable of playing, results were inevitably going to decline.

However, while Rooney may be right that he should have been given more time and an opportunity to strengthen the squad in January, Birmingham had little option but to sack him given the alarming slide down the table during his tenure, and the decision will forever remain a black mark on the record of the ownership.