Wayne Rooney speaks on his time at Birmingham, and says he is open to managing in League Two to resurrect his managerial career.
Following his sacking by Birmingham City after just 15 games, Wayne Rooney says he is willing to drop down to League Two if that is his only route back into management.
Former Manchester United and England captain Rooney was sacked by Championship side Birmingham City after just 15 games in charge last month, after a dismal run of form. Rooney took over with the Blues sixth in the table and eyeing promotion, but he was axed after nine defeats saw them plummet to 20th spot, near the relegation zone.
Seven weeks on from his sacking, Rooney has revealed he would have no problem dropping down to the lowest rung in the league if that is what it takes to get back into management.
Rooney talking about us on the overlap #KRO #BCFC pic.twitter.com/9i78RzVjGL
— Paul Delves (@delves1) February 21, 2024
Wayne Rooney: I love being involved in football and obviously the punditry and different stuff is there’s options which you could take up there for instance but I love being around I love being around the obviously now the staff and and trying to bet yourself so to something within me really and love to get back into
Gary Neville: come out of obviously Birmingham and we’ll talk about it in a bit do you not just feel like at that point it it’s not fair that you think it’s like you get sacked after what 15 matches 13 matches 14 matches you think what’s the point in this the sort of career that you’ve had the sort of heights you’ve reached feel like why am I putting my life and reputation in the hands of what would be owners who are going to be desperate and I’m an owner who has been desperate in the past myself
Rooney: Yeah I think it’s football in it and I think the main thing for me is to completely and for me it’s easy to do to cut out what I’ve done as a player and focus and and you’re almost starting again as a manager I’m not going back to me as a player thinking that’s going to you know help me of course the experience of had will will help a bit but I’m right at the bottom from manger feel I want to work me way up that’s I’m not relying on what I done as a player to to get me into places where I shouldn’t be
Neville: And you obviously have taken jobs at say Championship level, would you consider going even League One or going into sort of…
Rooney: Yeah 100% I said I want to get back into want improve myself and by that to League Two, League One, Championship it’s all experience, I’m still only 38, I know I look a bit older, but I’m still 38, I’ve had three managerial jobs so got I’ve actually got quite a bit of experience indifferent obviously with Derby and administration going out to the states, Birmingham that challenge if you like which we had so I’ve got a bit of experience to to lean on now I’m still 38 so still obviously young in terms of manager
Neville: Do you feel that you’ve been judged unfairly I mean to be fair at Birmingham you went in and there was like criticism from almost like it felt like day one and that’s like you know you’re up against it straight away do you feel that because you’re Wayne Rooney sort of the name that you have that it’s always going to be challenging people always going to look at you and sort of mirror what you know look at what you did as a player
Rooney: Yeah I think that comes from as you said you’re right I think the Birmingham fans didn’t set me from day one I think John Eustace done a good job to be fair to him at Birmingham, they made the change they asked me to go in, I went in but I knew stay away went intercepted by the fans…
Neville: Was it hard hard?
Carragher: Was that because of the last guy did he to been sacked or do you think that was something maybe against you I didn’t know if there was something as a player against United or something you come up against them what you…
Rooney: No I think it was more as I said John us has done well they were I think they seven although they were still only two points off 17 places they they was in sixth or seventh place when John us got sacked and so if you’re a b fan after to be fair after the last 10 years they’ve had the touching playoffs and I was early on the season and the manager get sacked and then he had the situation with Zola a few years ago um so that comes back into the mind as well so I think all that goes into you consider all the fans you know didn’t accept me from day one which you know you know your point of view there when you’re going in at sixth or seventh and…
Carra: You know the fans sort of like him cuz I thought straight away when you go in and and everyone’s sort of disappointed with the guy who’s gone before and the question decision so you’ve got a tough start, would you have not looked at that and thought you know maybe give this a month or six weeks cuz I think a lot of people probably felt Birmingham maybe as you just mentioned maybe he’s done a great job you know the lad John Eustace to but are they may be in a little bit of a false position was it always going to be difficult to keep them there that was be point would you look at that and say you know what maybe give this another six to eight weeks and see how the land lies
Rooney: Yeah and I think he was definitely in a false position um but you back yourself I think that I’m someone who’s always done that I’ve always been a confident person and and you back yourself to be fair the first five games we had were probably the toughest five games of the season and um so that didn’t help obviously um with what happened at the end but um I back myself um it hasn’t paid off move on
Roy Keane: Yeah but when you first went in went I think a manager we talk about luck in the time and you went in when you went in there and maybe there’s that negativity towards you, not that’s your fault because of the previous manager that’s why you need one of two results to go your way and I know we talking about Ipswich result you’re 2-0 up and when you’re in the door and if people are just unsure about you and you’re not getting two or three wins quickly it is that we talk about momentum you get momentum when you’re winning football matches but we not getting in a positive way it’s really negative and that’s hard to deal with when you first go into a club where people are almost waiting for you to kind of feel
Rooney: I think you you’re always looking for momentum and I think that first win is is really important so obviously in the first five games we didn’t get that then there was international break and um before that obviously before I went in speaking to the owners and how they wanted the team to play and how I wanted to play um we were all aligned in what we wanted and I think the one thing we all knew was we needed players we needed players quick in January and so that was that’s what really me only disappointment that we get to January and he don’t give me the opportunity to bring players in because that was a part of the discussions and we knew we needed them yeah
Jill Scott: So was that a shock then because if you talking about that as a plan like January we’re going to bring these players in because we spoke about it on here when you weren’t here you’re saying it’s just not enough time to do what you need to do
Rooney: Yeah and that’s, if you look at all the messaging from myself from the owners it was about a long-term plan and of course in the short term we weren’t picking up the results we want and I understand that and um owners have to make decisions um but to not let me get the players in January that was disappointing um a shock probably a little bit when it happen but um…
Keane: There are lessons we the one thing I to manager again we people talk about a manager goes in and everyone’s got a plan or you’re promised about players I almost take all that stuff with a pinch of salt and just I always think have the worst case scenario that you won’t get any players in cuz these promises they give you that owners do and sometimes it’s genuine it doesn’t work out because recruitment have we’ve mentioned many times but they’re all lessons that you’re going to learn from you know you’re not going to learn from my experience you’re going to learn from your own experience and that’s when you go to the next Club you get that there’s hopefully a bit more trust with people but at the start I kind of wouldn’t believe too much what clubs are promising you
Carra: Yeah you know the next club you go to it it’s okay us saying and you saying I didn’t get enough time but if that’s the the way football is now that you’ve basically got to hit the ground running what would you do differently if you were going into a manager you’re talking about like I want to play a certain way or do a certain thing cuz it seems pretty obvious to me right now the most important thing you’ve got to do straight away is get results and then you can build into where you want to go to would would you do anything differently
Rooney: Yeah and I think that’s You’ obviously have to make sure you get the right club and it were in a stable position I think if you look at the three clubs of managed obviously going into Derby, under their circumstances um DC United were bottom of the league when I went over there and now Birmingham over the last 10 years have have been a mess
Carra: So have you made poor decision, is that decisions…
Rooney: I’ve made decisions which will really push me and challenge me and um I’m pleased with what I’ve done at Derby and pleased with what I’ve done at DC um and then obviously disappointment for me is Birmingham so I think it’s really important that you pick you go in at the right club at the right time
Neville: I mean you talked about my time in Valencia before and I look back now and think there were two or three big things that I would change if I’m never going to go into football management again but if I did you know things I did that were just obvious mistakes are the things that you think that when you look at say for instance you know you’ve had three jobs you got so much experience at such a young age what are the things that you are picking up and thinking right I need to change that next time
Rooney: Yeah I think probably you probably need to be a bit more commanding when you first go in if you like with the owners and more demanding I think that’s cuz there was a few decisions which are I let slide past me which obviously it’s the club’s decisions in the end and and that’s fan whether that’s uh having a coach pushed onto it or whether that’s you know recruitment whatever that is I think being a lot stronger and tell listen if we’re going to do it it needs to be my way
Keane: But sometimes I think there’s certain people you might want which I think that’s you’re never going to get your own way you’re not going to bring clubs who you might have gone into Derby they’re going to say you can bring in a few staff but you’re not going to get 10 or 15 it’s not like Pep any of these managers but I definitely think there you have two or three people in mind going I am taking these two or three people whatever who else is at the club wherever might be coming or going I think the the decision you got to stick to two or three people you trust around you might be a fitness coach and goalkeeper coach and assistant I think that’s where you really be strong when you force go in and go and if that’s not happening I think you have to be prepared because managers get desperate and they go in they go you can only take one step with you whatever but I think if you have three or four people you go if you’re not entertaining these I’m not even having a discussion about a contract
Rooney: Yeah we had that I with a couple of me coaches from from DC and um obviously there all discussions we had and I was strong on that but then obviously I think I ended up with probably one coach too many right
Jill Scott: What were your strengths like as a manager cuz I remember talking you just before you got the job and I was like the way you spoke like really passionately about kind of how to manage people the older players compared to the younger ones do you think from playing the game that’s like your strength like managing like people as well as the players
Rooney: I think understand the every player is different every player has different issues um different strengths and weaknesses and I think really one of my sent is understanding that and getting to really find that out quickly um and you have to see each player differ it’s the same as your children all your children are different and and really managing each player as individual um I think especially nowadays players now are so different and society changed social media, mental health issues etc so um you need to be careful as well but each player um is so different in so many different ways
Neville: Do you feel let down
Rooney: Um I don’t know I’m not let down I’m disappointed of course disappointed and you you take a hit yeah but that’s it’s how you come back from it I think um and I thought the owner was fantastic
Keane: There’s been a lot of great managers out there over the years and loads of evidence who’ve had difficult to three or four jobs and then they just find the right club for him yeah you know Simone’s always the one at Atletico Madrid you look at his track record and listen five or six jobs or you go listen touch and go then he finds a club that will suit you’re R about going to Birmingham for example sometimes your personality might work with a certain fan base it can be unless you’re winning week and week out I know we’re all there to win football matches but you got to find that club that that fits your personality and you’re up and running win you’re up and running
You can watch the interview in full by clicking on it below…
Twitter users reacted as Wayne Rooney speaks on his time at Birmingham, and says he is open to managing in League Two…
@flashbev10: Your managerial record was shocking before blues and continues to be shocking after blues. Square peg round hole
@oftenpartizan: Personally I’d partly agree with him. I wasn’t JE’s biggest fan, but those that was were up in arms…. However that was only part of the problem as Wayne well knows if he thinks about it. Stats don’t lie. But I’ll say this … be careful what you wish for, As I found out.
@DanKeley: Why can’t Wayne Rooney understand that the reason Birmingham fans didn’t take to him from day one is because they knew he wasn’t a very good manager?
@paulmacca101: Delusional
@ryaneaton93: Don’t agree with Rooney saying we didn’t accept him from day one. Many of us backed him and the owners. Bottom line is we were too open, leaking way too many goals #bcfc
@sahinbrum: Our Wayne still blaming everyone else rather than taking responsibility.
@YouBearsssssss: Classic Rooney blame everyone but himself for HIS failure at Blues!!! 🙈 Not given enough time, Too many coaches, Fans didnt accept him…. (Away Fans did)🤔 Nothing to do with him throwing players under a Bus 🤔 #BCFC
@zoelouisesmithx: Wayne Rooney blaming everyone & everything but himself for the mess he made of Blues… are we all really that surprised? Mainstream media will lap it up and no one will challenge him about the fact that quite simply he’s never a football manager. Anyway… moving on. #BCFC
@daisyscarletx: Rooney, you were shit. Take some responsibility. End of x #bcfc
@Jak_Collier: Mad that Rooney podcast still everyone’s fault bar his own and again just feels like his pals and some journalist agree with him. I am desperate for him to get a decent job at a decent level to prove actually he’s just a crap manager #bcfc
@KroB91875: “We needed players we needed players” how about coach the players that were there better rather than saying their all shite and want different ones Rooney 🤦🏻 #bcfc
@KarlHills2: Rooney can get fucked. Yes, there were fans that hated him from the outset (I wasn’t his biggest fan), but that’s no excuse for the absolute clusterfuck that followed. Some of the excuses 😂 Mowbray has shown him up for the fraud he is with effectively the same squad. #bcfc
@oftenpartizan: Rooney was given plenty of time. Maybe he shouldn’t have come in gung-ho, 15 matches with only 2 wins …. And the key is it wasn’t getting better it was getting worse. #bcfc
@Andyjack83: He never came across well in any interview that would instil any confidence he could turn it around, not sure players took to him in honesty & confidence in them and atmosphere in general was quickly on a knife edge, results business tho..
@MattGauder: He’s spot on with everything he says. Still doesn’t take away from the fact he wasn’t a very good manager himself.
@1lee18750: Rooney constantly picked and started Burke, played a ch at rb, a lb at ch, played longelo at lb whilst having long on the bench,Mowbray comes in and bags Burke instantly,I could go on, as for Neville, your attempt at management was unbelievably even worse, do one the pair a ya #bcfc
@Kieranbcfc2: That Rooney podcast is exactly what we knew it would be. As he did when he was actually here he takes absolutely no responsibility for anything thats happened. No shock his mates in the media protect him. The stats speak for themselves, we’d be 4th without him. #bcfc
@ToweringZigic: We all knew which route Rooney would take – it’s self-protection every time. Worst part is, the wider media will 100% believe him, and won’t challenge him on it. We’ve been a solid team with top half form under two separate managers this season – the failure is on you Wayne #BCFC
@zdpj_: Watching Rooney on the overlap. Says we were in a “false position” and “fans didn’t take to him from day one”. Both are true to be fair but he’s missed the part where he’s a shit manager whose performances and results weren’t up to it. #bcfc
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