Wayne Rooney spoke on Stick to Football about management, disasters at Birmingham and Plymouth, and says he won’t give up trying.
Wayne Rooney’s tenure as a football manager has been marked by significant challenges, particularly during his stints with Birmingham and Plymouth.
At Birmingham, Rooney was appointed in October 2023 but was sacked just 83 days into his three-and-a-half-year contract after managing only two wins out of 15 games, leading to the club’s relegation to League One. His time there was described as disastrous, with a record of nine losses in those 15 matches, which saw Birmingham drop from a play-off spot to 20th in the Championship table.
Following Birmingham, Rooney took over at Plymouth in May 2024, with hopes of reviving his managerial career. However, his time at Plymouth was also troubled. After managing the team for 23 Championship games, he oversaw just four wins against 13 defeats, leaving the team at the bottom of the league table by the end of 2024, leading to his departure by mutual agreement in December 2024.
His approach was intended to bring an exciting and attacking style of football to Plymouth, but the results were not forthcoming, with Plymouth conceding the most goals in England’s top four divisions that season.
Despite these setbacks, Rooney has expressed a desire to continue his coaching career.
Neville: We spoke to you last time didn’t we after um after Birmingham you were absolutely adamant weren’t you then when you finished at Birmingham that you were going to you, you absolutely wanted to go back in, how are you when you sort of look at sort of what happened at Plymouth and where are you at today with it?
Rooney: Yeah, no, I would like to go back in
Neville: Again?!
Rooney: Yeah
Neville: You alright?!
Rooney: Yeah no I would do but it’d have to be like the right club, certainly the right club
Neville: But what was Plymouth not, I mean what where would I think
Rooney: You always have that eager, don’t you always have the confidence to you can go in and you can you can get the best out of a bad situation or difficult situation and obviously that wasn’t the case, it never happened in that way, but yeah I am going to enjoy time, I’ve just been skiing with Coleen
Wright: You’re young enough would you, cuz, you’ve been in and you kind been in would you take a time where you go you know let me have a couple of year I’m going to have a look around see what’s going on how people are doing it
Rooney: Yeah no I’m not in a massive rush to go back in and there’s different things which I’m looking at um to try and get involved with as well so unless something was absolutely the right thing to
Keane: Do then you know when you’ve had good opportunities now but I still think you’d be suited if you can to work with much better players whatever that role might assist with somebody but that’s where your strength might come out I think what…
Rooney: I’ve put myself, every club with been, I’ve put myself in really challenging situation so even with better group of players or at whatever level that is then
Keane: You can say that for lots of coaches obviously we all want to with better quality players
Rooney: But sometimes you got different ideas which you think you’re trying to pull across to the players and then it’s sometimes maybe you have a bit arrogance where you’re thinking right this is the right way
Scott: Keeping the philosophy as well if you kind of try to keep the philosophy but then then like having the players to do it isn’t it you know when you think of managers that are like
Rooney: Like having better players helps them
Neville: What made you think Plymouth was the right move, because when I remember speaking to because obvious you were doing some of these with us and it was Plymouth I was thinking just the location itself just being like it’s about six seven hours from where you are and obviously someone has to be manager down there but I just think that even that sort of that distance and that travel that you know having to get back sort of every week to see the family then going back Coleen didn’t moved I was thinking why would that be the right fit what made do you think it was…
Rooney: It is part of being a manager regardless anyway, you’re in it, you’re fully in it, so whether you’re six, seven hours away or it’s on your doorstep you’re ingrained in the job so it it doesn’t matter really where the location is and and one thing I will say I love me time there I think the the fans were great the staff were great, we just hit a bad run of form and the players you know I can’t fault them they they were trying given everything and maybe just lacked that bit of quality which
Keane: But you’re on about why you’re picking a job Gary like you went to Valencia you don’t know a job until you go into it sometimes there’s no logic to it you talk about areas or people talk about ownership
Neville: But you went to Ipswich
Keane: obviously you can look back at that and go but sometimes you look back and go well it was a bad decision but sometimes a bad decision because you don’t win enough games, I went to Sunderland you win a few games I go that was a good decision dictate by your results where you think obviously was the right decision but you don’t know the dynamics or if you’re the right fit for the club well we see it constantly we see managers going to jobs and you look and you go I don’t know if that’s the right fit for certain managers sometimes it just something just doesn’t happen for lots of managers so this idea of you know why pick that club why not pick that club until you go in there then you don’t know the real ins and out of a club shall we say but then again we’re lucky Wayne’s had a few opportunities a lot of coaches out there are desperate for opportunities and you keep hoping you’re going to get out one sometimes you don’t you know it’s tough
Scott: But you have no regrets cuz you are someone you’re like if I’m going I’m doing it like travel whatever like you have give it
Rooney: Yeah no I think I’ve had some some great experiences good ones bad ones um so I think you’ve always got that to fall back on what whatever happens in the future you’ve always got that to fall back on and but I’m definitely looking as well to try and expand and do you know different things and enjoy my kids more enjoy you know my family more enjoy doing stuff with them certainly while I’ve got this time of and and you know I enjoy
Wright: But it’s that balance of letting people see that you’re still interested in something wanting to do something so you can stay away from it but at the same time people need to know yeah but Wayne’s been looking he’s gone over to Barcelona he been watching them training he’s gone in watched them, people need to know that you’re still trying to be amongst it rather than you just being with the lads
Rooney: Yeah no of course yeah I mean
Wright: So that’s what I would, that’s what I probably think to probably love about doing it something like that keep involved yeah
Rooney: I have no problem dropping into an under 21 team or going in as a coach. I’m still young enough to learn and develop… just having a good group of players who were at a level where…
Keane: But’s strange you mentioned there why he would like go to Plymouth but you hear lots of stuff that managers get jobs people go well he lives in the area as if that guarantees you a bit of success you know if you don’t leave like remember Rafa [Benitez] was on here, a vast experience manager, was saying why everything well I lived in the area well you like no there some there’s no logic why a manager might take a job so not everyone’s going to get a job under a doorstep most managers do have to travel
Wright: I’ve always thought like with England and that having even like yourself Stevie Gerrad, Frank Lampard coming through that system with that calibre of young player is probably where I would have if I was involved with I would have probably had you guys in there you know what I mean just the next one and the next one and you’re already working with quality players all the way through so if I’m like 15 16 17, I’m working with Rooney or Gerrard or Lampard, I’m going to be absolutely buzzing with that I can’t I think they’ve missed the trick
Rooney: But I think with the structure of the way the FA work it’s anyone who I think might be speaking bit out him anyone who’s got a bit of character strong character it’s difficult to go in there and work that’s why you seeing Gareth’s done amazing, Lee Carsley,
Scott: you say about working with younger players and like technically and tactically great but now you’ve got the experience of working with older players as well haven’t you and trying to manage them which I guess that’s a whole different ball game so your experience is going to be so vast now really yeah
Rooney: Well the older players at times were a lot harder than the younger players definitely um I thought Jagielka, had Jags at Derby, was brilliant obviously play with Jags and Davies you get some players who are very I think because they know they’ll struggle to do certain things with young players you can develop them the you know the all in they’re all left here and you can try and develop them with on you’ve got bad habits they know they can’t get out of it and then they look for excuses.

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