Wayne Rooney sacked as Birmingham City manager after just 15 games

Wayne Rooney has been sacked by Championship side Birmingham City after recording just two wins from 15 matches.

The 38-year-old was named Birmingham's new manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal in October and vowed to "elevate" the club following his much-talked-about appointment.

“I have a clear way that I want the team to play, and my coaching staff and I will work hard to implement it,” Rooney said. “We will create a winning culture here with an identity that gets Blues fans on their feet."

He added: “My job is to elevate the club to the next level and I can’t wait to get started. I know what the expectations are and our job is to deliver.”

Despite his optimism, Rooney won just two of his 15 games in charge and on Tuesday morning, it was confirmed that Rooney had been sacked from his role.

The news comes less than 24 hours after Rooney called out an "unacceptable" chant during Birmingham City’s defeat to Leeds.

Rooney’s men travelled to Elland Road on Monday with the hope of securing a rare victory but it was another afternoon to forget for the Blues as they fell to a 3-0 defeat.

Goals from Patrick Bamford, Dan James and Crysencio Summerville sealed a relatively straightforward win for the home side.

Rooney, meanwhile, cut a frustrated figure on the touchline. In fact, multiple chants were directed at the former Manchester United forward throughout.

The Birmingham fans were also heard chanting: “Get out of our club, get out of our club, Wayne Rooney, get out of our club.”

That escalated pretty fast! Wayne Rooney sacked by Birmingham City...

Tried to change too much, too quickly without having the right players for his style. Some of his in-game decisions were also poor.

Feel for him a bit. Wonder if that's it now for Rooney as a manager?

— Adrian Clarke (@adrianjclarke) January 2, 2024

In his post-match press conference, Rooney said: "Of course. I’m a fighter. I get football is about opinions, I completely get that.

"I’ve obviously spoken to the owners. That is private between me and the owners. We are going through a difficult period, there’s no denying that, and we need to do everything we can to come out of that.

"What’s clear is we need some players in. We need players to come in to help with the quality of the team but also some fresh faces in the building as well.

"I believe in myself. We have a very young squad and it’s difficult for the players at the minute. We have to keep believing we will get through this.

"This was always going to be a very difficult game for us. For 30 minutes, I thought we more than competed and created some good opportunities. The second half wasn’t good enough, but we have to keep going through the process to improve the team."

Birmingham currently sit 20th in the Championship table, seven points above the relegation zone.