Former England captain Wayne Rooney has faced a challenging tenure as the manager of Championship team Birmingham City, securing only two victories in 11 matches and placing the club at risk of relegation to League One. Following their 3-2 home defeat to Leicester, Rooney criticized his players, labeling them as “naive.”
Rooney, appointed amid skepticism in October, is currently under substantial pressure at St Andrew’s. Birmingham, co-owned by NFL figure Tom Brady, made a bold decision to replace John Eustace with Rooney when they were sixth in the table.
The team now sits at 17th in the Championship, merely six points above the relegation zone. The recent loss to Leicester, notably against off-field adversary Jamie Vardy, intensified the scrutiny. Notably, Rooney’s wife Coleen and Vardy’s wife Rebekah were involved in a legal dispute in 2022, with Rebekah ultimately losing a libel case at the High Court.
During Monday’s match, Leicester took the lead in the 10th minute through Stephy Mavididi, capitalizing on a swift counter-attack. Despite a momentary equalizer by Jordan James, Leicester regained the lead with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s goal from another breakaway. Mavididi added another goal just after halftime, and despite James completing a brace, Leicester secured the victory.
Expressing disappointment at the outcome, Rooney acknowledged the team’s strong start but criticized their inability to counter Leicester’s counter-attacks. He highlighted a lapse in pressure on the ball in the last 10 minutes of the first half, contributing to Leicester’s control. Rooney stressed the need to secure the ball in the midfield, emphasizing that failure to do so resulted in Leicester’s third goal. Despite the players’ commendable character, Rooney acknowledged falling short against the league leaders.