{"id":21127,"date":"2024-02-21T10:05:54","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T15:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/wayne-rooney-birmingham-city-fans-didnt-accept-me-from-day-one-but-im-focused-on-management-return-football-news\/21\/02\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-02-21T10:05:54","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T15:05:54","slug":"wayne-rooney-birmingham-city-fans-didnt-accept-me-from-day-one-but-im-focused-on-management-return-football-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/wayne-rooney-birmingham-city-fans-didnt-accept-me-from-day-one-but-im-focused-on-management-return-football-news\/21\/02\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Wayne Rooney: Birmingham City fans didn’t accept me from day one but I’m focused on management return | Football News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Wayne Rooney said Birmingham fans did not accept him “from day one”, reflecting on his short spell at St Andrews and more on the Stick to Football<\/em> podcast.<\/p>\n

Rooney replaced John Eustace in October but was sacked last month after winning two of his 15 games in charge and losing nine.<\/p>\n

Birmingham were sixth in the Championship when Rooney was appointed but sat just six points above the relegation zone by the time of his departure.<\/p>\n

“Birmingham City fans didn’t accept me from day one,’ he said on the Stick to Football<\/em> podcast from Sky Bet.<\/em> “John Eustace had done a good job, to be fair to him, but they made the change and asked me to go in.<\/p>\n

“I went in, but I knew straight away that I wasn’t accepted by the fans. I think it was more because John Eustace had done well. They were in sixth place when he got sacked.<\/p>\n

“If you’re a Birmingham fan, the last 10 years they’ve had, and they are touching the play-offs – I know it was early in the season – and then the manager gets sacked.<\/p>\n

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Sky Sports News’ Rob Dorsett explained why the Birmingham hierarchy made the decision to sack manager Rooney after just 15 games in charge<\/span>
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“They had the situation with [Gianfranco] Zola a couple of years ago, and that comes back into the minds as well.<\/p>\n

“I think they [Birmingham City] were in a false position [when I arrived], but you back yourself. I’m someone who has always done that, I’ve always been a confident person.<\/p>\n

“To be fair, the first five games we had were probably the toughest five games of the season, so that didn’t help with what happened in the end.<\/p>\n

“I backed myself – it didn’t pay off – so I’ll move on.”<\/p>\n

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‘If Pep asked me to be his assistant, I’d walk there’<\/h3>\n

Despite his affiliation Manchester United, Rooney admitted he would be open to the idea of working on the blue side of Manchester.<\/p>\n

Rooney became United’s record scorer during 13 years at Old Trafford from 2004, scoring 253 goals in 559 appearances.<\/p>\n

But the former England captain was linked with a move to City after handing in a transfer request at United in 2010. Rooney eventually patched up his differences with manager Sir Alex Ferguson and stayed at Old Trafford for another seven years.<\/p>\n

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\n Rooney praised Man City manager Pep Guardiola, calling him “the best”
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However, when asked if he would be an assistant rather than a manager as his next steps, Rooney added: “It depends – if Pep Guardiola comes in and asks me to be his assistant, you’d walk there.<\/p>\n

“You see what [Mikel] Arteta is doing now [at Arsenal] and I strongly believe a lot of that is from learning what Guardiola was doing, and so it depends on what the situation is.<\/p>\n

“For me, the best manager is Pep and you look at how he adapts – how they [City] are playing now is not the same as how they were playing four years ago.<\/p>\n

“He keeps making these subtle changes and then you see everyone else trying to do the same. They also work harder than anyone else.”<\/p>\n

Rooney on boxing career switch: I want to get back into management<\/h3>\n

Rooney has been linked to a possible switch to boxing, with the self-confessed fight fan confirming there have been talks to get him in the ring.<\/p>\n

He also expressed an interest in becoming a lawyer during a recent media interview, saying he had applied to Nottingham University to study criminal law when he was at Derby.<\/p>\n

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Rooney admitted he applied to study a law degree before becoming coach at DC United, insisting it is an interest he will likely pursue in the future<\/span>
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Rooney laughed on the podcast when recalling telling lawyers what to ask during his wife Coleen’s libel trial with Rebekah Vardy in 2022.<\/p>\n

But Rooney insists his focus is firmly on returning to management after spells at Derby, Major League Soccer side DC United and Birmingham.<\/p>\n

“It’s all experience – I’m only 38, I’ve had three managerial jobs but I’ve got quite a bit of experience to lean on,” said Rooney.<\/p>\n

“If you look at the three clubs I’ve managed, going in at Derby under their circumstances in administration, DC United who were bottom of the league when I went over there, and now Birmingham, who over the past 10 years have been a mess.<\/p>\n

“I want to focus on getting back into management. The main thing for me is to completely cut out what I’ve done as a player and almost start again as a manager.<\/p>\n

“Of course, my playing experience will help me, but I’m right at the bottom from a managerial point of view, and I want to work my way up.<\/p>\n

“I’m not relying on what I’ve done as a player to get me into places that I shouldn’t be.<\/p>\n

“I want to get back into managing and I want to prove myself – whether that’s League Two, League One or Championship.”<\/p>\n

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Wayne Rooney said Birmingham fans did not accept him “from day one”, reflecting on his short spell at St Andrews and more