Why Was Wayne Rooney Appointed Manager Of Birmingham City?

[barney15c]

3 games , 3 defeats -  first manager to do that on their debut in the league for years, top 6 to 15th . Why do clubs give big name players managerial jobs with terrible form when there are perfectly good professional managers out there. 

[andy-hughes]

I know little about football, but my wife, who is an expert, advises me that Rooney had a solid track record at Derby, and that is what has prompted Birmingham to appoint him.

Clubs are not stupid, they know that no manager who has been a good player is going to hack it on his past reputation on the pitch, they are not that naive.

Any former player is appointed in the belief that his management skills are appropriate for the club, and not on the basis that he was a good footballer back in the day, although of course experience at the top level is highly valuable in any manager.

I would hope that Mr Rooney is given time to settle in and build a squad that will succeeed, this can take at least a couple of seasons.

In the current climate of impatient owners and boards, he may not get that chance, but his success or failure will not be rattified by his playing days, they are long gone.

[teacher1]

He did well in the USA with D.C. United ...... as a manager he took them from 20th in the league to 21st!

At Derby his best results were when he was ill and the assistant manager was running the side !

Didn't he do well  🤣

[Hopkirk]

Andy, I don't think the new owners at Blues know much about football either.

[barney15c]

Former NFL player Tom Brady and now part owner  was instrumental in appointing Rooney - She should stick to the kind of football played with a funny shaped ball.

[Hopkirk]

Perhaps for his next job he will have to follow his mate Steven Gerrard out to Saudi Arabia.

[andy-hughes]

teacher - //

At Derby his best results were when he was ill and the assistant manager was running the side !

Didn't he do well  🤣 //

I can only reiterate that my response is based on information from the present Mrs Hughes - it's not my area of expertise.

[teacher1]

Better not show her my comments then !

[Canary42]

History repeating itself. It's called the Zola Syndrome.

In December 2016, big-name ex-player Gianfranco Zola was named manager of a certain club* after the comparatively successful incumbent was sacked. At the time, that club sat 7th in the table.  Later on Zola resigned as manager following a 2–0 home defeat which left the team just three points above the relegation zone with three matches remaining. They had won just twice during his 24-match tenure.

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* Which club was that - yes, you guessed it, Birmingham City