Wayne Rooney sacked as Birmingham City manager after 15 games and 83 days in charge

Wayne Rooney has been sacked as Birmingham City manager after less than three months and only 15 games at the helm.

The former England and Manchester United captain took over from John Eustace on 11 October on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

But he has seen his team lose nine of the 15 matches they have played since he took over, leaving the Sky Bet Championship club 20th in the table, six points above the relegation zone.

City were sixth and in the play-off positions when he took over last year.

Birmingham suffered a 3-0 defeat at Leeds on New Year’s Day, prompting the move to dismiss Rooney and first team coach, Carl Robinson.

The club’s chief executive Garry Cook said: “We are committed to doing what is necessary to bring success to St. Andrew’s.

“Unfortunately, Wayne’s time with us did not go as planned and we have decided to move in a different direction.

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“The search for a successor begins with immediate effect and we will update supporters when we have further news.”

Rooney was the first managerial hire by new Birmingham owner Tom Wagner and his Knighthead Capital Management group, which bought the Championship club in August.

He said in a statement that “football is a results business – and I recognise they have not been at the level I wanted them to be.

“However, time is the most precious commodity a manager requires and I do not believe 13 weeks was sufficient to oversee the changes that were needed.

“Personally, it will take me some time to get over this setback. I have been involved in professional football, as either a player or manager, since I was 16. Now, I plan to take some time with my family as I prepare for the next opportunity in my journey as a manager.

“I would like to thank Tom Wagner, Tom Brady and Garry Cook for the opportunity to manage Birmingham City FC and the support they all gave me during my short period with the club.

“Finally, I wish Birmingham City FC and its owners my best wishes in the pursuit of their ambitions.”

Speaking after Monday’s defeat, he said: “I’m a fighter and I get football fans’ opinions.

“I have to draw on my career, my playing career wasn’t always about success. I was in a relegation battle with Everton, I believe in myself.”

Birmingham was Rooney’s third club as a manager, following spells at Derby County and DC United, initially as player-manager.

He made 883 appearances in a playing career stretching over almost two decades, 119 of them with England and totalled 366 goals, including 53 for his country.

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