Birmingham City appoint Rooney as manager

Sunday marked the departure of Wayne Rooney from his position as the head of DC United.

Wayne Rooney has been chosen as the latest manager for Birmingham City.

The ex-England captain who is 37 years old has signed a contract with the Championship club for three and a half years.

Rooney takes over as the head coach of Blues, following the dismissal of John Eustace on Monday. Eustace had been in charge for 15 months.

The new American owners of Blues, Shelby Companies Limited, have made their first managerial change by appointing a former Everton and Manchester United striker.

Ashley Cole, who previously played alongside Rooney in the England team and is currently working as an assistant for the England Under-21 team, as well as John O'Shea, Rooney's former teammate at Manchester United and current assistant coach for the Republic of Ireland men's national team, will both be offering their support to Rooney.

Carl Robinson and Pete Shuttleworth are joining Rooney's support team, having previously aided him at DC United.

Rooney is about to start his third career as a manager after working at the MLS team and Derby County. His first game as a manager will take place at Middlesbrough on October 21st.

According to Tom Wagner, the chairman and co-owner of the Blues, Wayne has a natural ability to succeed.

We are confident that, alongside his team of coaches, the club, and our fans, he will lead Blues to the next level of our journey.

The way he plays and approaches the game will contribute towards achieving our goals for Birmingham City.

Ever since Wayne started his coaching studies while playing for Manchester United, he has been getting ready for an opportunity like the one he currently has.

The board and all members of the football club are fully supportive of him and his team.

Excited To Begin!

After working as a caretaker, Rooney became the Derby manager in January of 2021 when he retired from playing professionally.

During his stint at Pride Park, he faced problems outside of the field. Nonetheless, he managed to rescue the team from the brink of relegation in the Championship with only one point to spare. He accomplished this just four months after assuming the position.

In the 2021-22 season, Rooney took charge of the Rams, but encountered difficulties as the club was docked 21 points for administration and EFL violations, with a transfer embargo also imposed. As a result, Derby were relegated to League One, and Rooney resigned in June 2022 as the club continued to operate under administration.

After spending a little over a year with DC United, he is now back in England.

"I am extremely happy to be joining Birmingham City during this thrilling period," expressed Rooney.

It is quite evident that they possess a well-thought-out strategy and are determined to achieve their goal for the team.

Rooney stated that he and the Blues have the same understanding of his role, and declared that the demanding situations he's faced in the past have prepared him for this chance.

He remarked, "This project provides me with a feeling of direction and I am eagerly looking forward to commencing it."

I know exactly how I want the team to perform, and my coaching crew and I will put in a lot of effort to make it happen. Our goal is to establish a triumphant way of doing things and form a distinctive aura that will excite fans of the Blues.

As part of my role, I aim to bring the club to a higher standard of performance. Understanding the demands that come with the job means it is our responsibility to execute and exceed those expectations.

The leader of Birmingham, Garry Cook, said that Rooney being appointed was a very important moment for the team. He also said that the new boss will start working immediately with Craig Gardner, who is the technical director. They will both assess the squad and look for players who could be good transfer targets in January.

Rooney's Inheritance: What Is It?

Birmingham has been in the Championship for a long time. They have only had short stays in the Premier League, the most recent one being in 2011.

In the year, they triumphed over Arsenal at Wembley and clinched the League Cup, thus proving themselves as the final West Midlands team to earn an accolade.

They have been trying for 13 seasons in a row to make it back to the top league. However, they have only come close to achieving their goal once before, which was during their first season in the second league under the guidance of Chris Hughton in 2011-12. Sadly, they were defeated by Ian Holloway's Blackpool in the playoffs.

Ever since then, they have been struggling to move up the ranks, and have been in danger of moving down – twice managing to stay afloat by the skin of their teeth on the last day of the season, once with Lee Clark in 2014, and again with Harry Redknapp in 2017, despite the efforts of ten different bosses.

Their positioning this season is quite convenient, as they currently sit in sixth place on the table. They have already secured three victories out of their first four league games and further added to their success with two additional triumphs last week. As a result, they are now within a close distance of just two points behind third-placed Preston.

Rooney Needs To Lead Club To The Premier League

Richard Wilford, who reports on Birmingham City for BBC Radio WM, has provided his analysis on the team.

Wayne Rooney is facing a new test. The fact that the management at St Andrew's changed at this time indicates that there are high hopes for the team. This type of pressure is familiar to Rooney from his time as a player.

The Blues have provided him with a sizable team of support staff, and the fact that former Wolves midfielder Carl Robinson and Rooney's colleagues from Derby and DC United, Pete Shuttleworth, are also part of the team is just as significant as the better-known names of Cole and O'Shea. Their expertise in coaching and analysis adds value to the group.

He takes over a talented team, possibly the strongest that the team has had in over ten years when Chris Hughton was in charge.

Rooney is now responsible for demonstrating that he is capable of steering the club towards a prosperous future in the Premier League.