Deputy Editor Oscar Frost reports on the sacking of Birmingham City boss Wayne Rooney after just 15 games in charge, and analyses who his replacements might be
On Monday, Birmingham City FC sacked manager Wayne Rooney after just 15 games in charge. First Team Coach Carl Robinson was also sacked.
In his place, Steve Spooner will become responsible for the first team on an interim basis, with Scott Parkerand Steve Cooper being thrown into the ring to come in to replace Rooney on a permanent basis.
The club stated that “results have not met the expectations that were made clear at the outset,” which is unsurprising given that the Blues had lost nine of the 15 matches Rooney was in charge.
The club was in 20th place at the time of the sacking, despite being in sixth when previous manager John Eustace was sacked in October. Eustace had led the Blues to a 17th place finish last season, despite the expectation that the club would be relegation shoe-ins.
Eustace has also been linked with a return to St. Andrews, which could steady the ship after the lack of form under Rooney. If the Blues are looking for a safe replacement, Eustace would be a great option.
The club was in 20th place at the time of the sacking, despite being in sixth when previous manager John Eustace was sacked
Another manager that would be a good option for Birmingham would be Tony Mowbray, who was recently sacked by Sunderland. Mowbray has Championship acclaim, having managed Blackburn for five years, as well as Brum rivals West Bromwich Albion.
Alex Neil also left Stoke City last month, although his pedigree is perhaps slightly less than that of Mowbray. Despite a successful period as Sunderland manager in 2022, he lost over half of his games as Stoke manager this season.
Gary Rowett has been linked with a return to the Midlands, as he left Millwall in October. He earned 1.45 points-per-game during this spell at the club, and had 1.49 PPG during a spell as Birmingham manager from 2014 to 2016.
The sacking comes at a tantalising time for Rooney as he had some major transfer plans for January and beyond. Rooney commented that they had “a huge summer coming up.”
Following the defeat to Rotherham, Rooney was very open about the fact that “within the next six months there will be changes,” and that “players will leave the club.”
There is some irony in that statement perhaps as Rooney was dismissed just as the January transfer window began.
First team coach Carl Robinson was sacked alongside Rooney, having joined the club as recently as October.
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