The former Manchester United and England great Wayne Rooney has been sacked as Birmingham City manager after fans turned against him following a 3-0 loss to Leeds United on New Year’s Day.
This defeat marked only two victories in 15 matches in EFL Championship. since Rooney took over from John Eustace at the start of October.
It marks the end of a disastrous tenure that was meant to introduce ‘No fear’ football to St Andrew’s.
This was the directive given to the 38-year-old by CEO Garry Cook, whose choice to hire England’s top scorer has gone awry.
Cook celebrated Rooney’s arrival, assigning him an incredibly challenging task as the club sat in sixth place in the Championship.
It wasn’t enough to simply win games anymore; the expectation was to do so with flair, despite managing a new set of players at a club that had teetered on the brink of relegation from the second tier for almost a decade.
Cook said: “Wayne’s role here is to be a leader, to drive a successful, ambitious and winning mentality. This is another milestone for Birmingham City. With it comes great expectation.”
When Rooney was revealed, Cook also spoke about the 'shrewd recruitment that occurred during the summer. Fans who paid to see the last 15 matches witnessed only two wins, and several of the new players brought in last summer, like Ethan Laird and Tyler Roberts, have barely played.
Cook's claim that a 'valuable and exciting' team had been formed has proven to be empty. Now, the focus will shift to appointing a replacement.
The club confirmed his departure with a short statement on Wednesday from CEO Garry Cook which read: “We are committed to doing what is necessary to bring success to St. Andrew’s.
“Unfortunately, Wayne’s time with us did not go as planned and we have decided to move in a different direction. The search for a successor begins with immediate effect and we will update supporters when we have further news."