Wayne Rooney is bracing for turbulence at Birmingham… and after bumpy landings at Derby and in America, a move to the Midlands will be no easy ride

If, as expected, Wayne Rooney finds himself in the hot seat vacated by John Eustace at Birmingham City on Monday, the former Manchester United and England star will not be discouraged by some turbulence on his return to the Midlands.

Rooney has shouldered enough of the burden during a tumultuous 18 months in charge of Derby County to deal with any dissent over City’s decision to show Eustace the door, with his side sixth in the Championship table after back-to-back wins .

No sooner had Rooney confirmed over the weekend that he was leaving DC United than Birmingham fired Eustace and said “a new first-team manager will be announced in the coming days, who will be tasked with creating an identity and play without fear. style that all Birmingham City teams will embrace and embrace.”

Rooney certainly ticks the “no fear” box. He played without it and coached without it during his fledgling managerial career.

In his first job at crisis-torn Derby, Rooney proved himself to be a force of nature. Despite points deductions and a nine-month administrative period, he has done a great job of keeping players and fans on board.

Wayne Rooney is set to be named Birmingham City’s next manager.

Having already experienced life in the Championship managing the Derby, Rooney is familiar with a volatile environment.

John Eustace had led Birmingham to a strong start to the new Championship season

The siege mentality he created within the team meant that Derby never threw in the towel during the 2021-22 season, even though relegation was virtually a certainty, with the Rams facing possible losses. ‘a penalty of 21 points for financial violation.

Derby suffered blow after blow, but Rooney always took them off the canvas, with his steely public performances much appreciated by the fans.

He was also hugely popular with his team and coaching staff, becoming exactly the figurehead the club needed in one of the darkest periods in its history.

Yet a personality as powerful as Rooney’s can also bring challenges to the club he manages. Birmingham’s statement on Monday highlighted the importance of “the board and football management” being “fully aligned”.

If he doesn’t agree with club policy, Rooney won’t be afraid to make his feelings known.

He is expected to be joined at St Andrew’s by assistant manager Ashley Cole and first-team coach John O’Shea, teammates from his playing days with England and United, respectively.

They will be alongside Rooney who preferred a more conventional managerial role at Derby where his assistant Liam Rosenior – now in charge of Hull City – ran the majority of training sessions.

It’s the type of dynamic Rooney was accustomed to during his 13-year career at United, playing under Sir Alex Ferguson, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.

Rooney (left) was hugely popular with his team and coaching staff at Derby and will need to be again if he is to replace John Eustace (right)

A personality as powerful as Rooney’s can also bring challenges to the club he manages.

If Rooney’s first foray into management was a baptism of fire, his second return to DC United was only marginally easier.

He took over a team ranked second from bottom in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference and finished at the bottom of the standings last season.

Rooney inherited a divided dressing room in the US capital but rebuilt the team relying heavily on young players, as he did at Derby.

However, when DC missed out on the play-offs again this season, the four-time MLS winners decided to part ways with the 37-year-old.

For Rooney, this means he can return to England to be reunited with his family. His wife Coleen and their four boys moved to America with Wayne when he played for DC United, but remained at the family home in Cheshire after he took over as manager in July last year. Rooney reportedly considered living with one of his coaches or even a player.

“I just feel like it’s a good time for me to go back to England, firstly to see my family obviously – I haven’t seen them for a long time,” he said this week. weekend.

Rooney enjoys the support of NFL superstar Tom Brady, who has invested in the club.

The 37-year-old announced he would return to England where he would be closer to his family.

Birmingham is a much shorter journey after chief executive Garry Cook – a long-time Blues fan and former Manchester City CEO – made the choice for Rooney on behalf of the club’s American owner Tom Wagner, who finalized his buyout this summer and has the support of NFL superstar Tom. Brady.

Cook was the driving force behind the deal using his connections to Rooney’s long-time representative Paul Stretford.

It came at a price for Eustace who saved City from relegation last season and left them in the play-offs despite a backdrop of unsuccessful takeover bids and the threat of points deductions.

There have been murmurs of dissent over Rooney replacing Eustace and becoming City’s seventh manager in just over six years.

As he leaves after 15 months in charge, City fans could be forgiven for fearing a repeat of what happened seven years ago, when the old-fashioned but popular Gary Rowett was axed with his team in seventh place.

Rowett was replaced by a bigger name, Gianfranco Zola, who resigned four months later after winning two of his 24 matches.

This explains why there have been murmurs of dissent over Rooney becoming City’s seventh manager in just over six years.

As he prepares to take charge of the third club of his coaching career, Rooney will not lose any sleep.