Wayne Rooney speaks out on being SACKED by Birmingham City after just 13 weeks in the job – and vows to spend time with wife Coleen and the kids now he’s unemployed
- Birmingham sacked Rooney after winning just two of 15 games
- Due to a bad run, Blues dropped from sixth to twentieth place in the championship
- How on earth can Chelsea let one of their best players and deputy captain Conor Gallagher go to fierce rivals Tottenham? It all starts
Sacked Wayne Rooney has admitted he underperformed as Birmingham City manager but believes he was not given enough time to impress.
The former England striker was sacked on Tuesday after just 13 weeks following a terrible run of nine defeats in 15 games in charge.
Rooney, 38, said 'it will take some time to get over this setback' and plans to spend time with his wife Coleen and their children as he looks for his next job.
In a statement he said: 'I would like to thank Tom Wagner, Tom Brady and Garry Cook for the opportunity to manage Birmingham City FC and the support they have all given me during my short spell at the club.
'Football is a results business and I recognize that they have not been at the level I wanted. However, time is the most precious commodity a manager needs and I don't believe thirteen weeks was enough to oversee the changes that were needed.
Wayne Rooney was sacked as manager of Birmingham City on Tuesday after a poor run
Rooney said he plans to spend time with his wife Coleen and children Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass
Since Rooney arrived, Birmingham have fallen out of the play-off places in a relegation battle
NFL legend Tom Brady (left) is one of the minority owners in Birmingham after the club was acquired by Tom Wagner's Knighthead Group in July
'Personally, it will take some time for me to get over this setback. I have been involved in professional football since I was sixteen, either as a player or as a manager.
“Now I plan to spend some time with my family as I prepare for the next opportunity in my managerial journey.
'Finally, I wish Birmingham City FC and its owners my best wishes as they pursue their ambitions.'
Since Rooney replaced John Eustace in October, Birmingham have had the worst record in the Championship. They took 10 points from a possible 45, lost nine and won only two.
The futures of fellow staffers Ashley Cole, John O'Shea and Pete Shuttleworth were resolved on Tuesday morning.
Rooney had vowed to fight on after Monday's 3-0 defeat at Leeds, but staff were called to a meeting at the club's training ground on Tuesday when they were told Rooney would be sacked.
The decision to appoint Rooney will certainly go down as one of the worst in the club's history.
When he was appointed to replace Eustace in October, Birmingham were sixth. He leaves with Blues just six points above the relegation zone and has the worst record in the division during that time.
Rooney will be unveiled as Birmingham's new manager on October 12, but his tenure is now over
John Eustace was replaced by Rooney despite Blues being in the Championship play-off spots
Mail Sport understands Eustace would be open to a return to Birmingham, but it seems highly unlikely they would opt to reappoint him after he had already been forced into such a humiliating climb over Rooney.
This was Rooney's third management job. After spells with Derby in the Championship and DC United in Major League Soccer, he was returned to England where he was charged with bringing a 'no-fear' football philosophy to Birmingham.
Blues was taken over last summer by the American consortium Knighthead, a group that also includes NFL great Tom Brady.
But the Rooney experiment has been hugely embarrassing from start to finish and the new owners' credibility will depend on what they do next.
Rooney's long-term future in management now appears unclear.