Birmingham City have sacked manager Wayne Rooney after just 83 days in charge of the Championship club.
The 38-year-old took the helm on October 11th, replacing John Eustace amid controversy as Birmingham City stood sixth in the table.
However, the team has since plummeted to 20th place. The recent 3-0 defeat at Leeds on Monday marked the ninth loss during his 15-game tenure.
“Football is a results business and I recognise they’ve not been at the level I wanted them to be,” Rooney said.
Professional development coach Steve Spooner will take interim charge for Birmingham, who have also parted company with one of Rooney’s backroom team, former Wolves and Wales midfielder Carl Robinson.
‘It will take time to get over this setback’
Rooney said he now plans to take a break from the game.
“I would like to thank (co-owners) Tom Wagner and Tom Brady and (chief executive) Garry Cook for the opportunity to manage Birmingham City and the support they all gave me during my short period with the club,” he said.
“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.”
The selection of former England captain Rooney, with previous managerial stints at Derby County and MLS side DC United, drew parallels to Birmingham City’s regrettable decision to dismiss Gary Rowett in December 2016 and replace him with the globally recognized Gianfranco Zola.
However, Zola’s tenure saw only two victories in 22 games before his dismissal in April 2017, leading to the appointment of Harry Redknapp.
Since the arrival of Rooney, chosen by the club’s new American owners Shelby Companies Limited for global impact, the team has secured just two wins, falling short of the board’s expectations for successful and more exciting football.
Rowett, who recently left Millwall in October, is already being considered as a potential caretaker boss, alongside former Swansea City manager and dismissed Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper.
Despite being six points clear of the relegation places, Birmingham City faces Hull City in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
They are set to confront three pivotal league matches before the conclusion of the January transfer window, facing teams positioned just above them in the table—Swansea and Middlesbrough at home, with a trip to Stoke in between.
It was widely presumed that Rooney, appointed after the previous transfer window had closed, would have until the upcoming January transfer window to rectify the situation. However, the club has chosen to take action now, providing a new manager with the opportunity to address any potential new signings.
Rooney now holds the record as the shortest-serving Blues manager in their 132-year history in terms of the time period. Nevertheless, he managed to last two games longer than Redknapp, who, after securing Birmingham City’s survival, departed just six weeks into the 2017-18 season after overseeing 13 games.