“Wayne Rooney is right…” - Don Goodman weighs in on Birmingham City saga | OneFootball

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman thought Birmingham City would stick with Wayne Rooney after appointing him as manager.

It was announced on Tuesday that the Championship side had decided to sack Rooney, with his last game in charge being a 3-0 defeat to Leeds United.

That defeat made it nine in total during his reign, and with the club going from a potential play-off contender to a relegation scrap, Birmingham’s hierarchy decided to act.

It was a decision that probably shocked some supporters but didn’t shock others, and it will now be down to the club’s board to find the right replacement and prove that they still made the right decision in sacking John Eustace.

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has sympathy for Rooney and has done so ever since he was appointed the club’s new manager.

Goodman believes the club made a few errors when they appointed Rooney, as their statement of why he was brought in already put pressure on the 38-year-old. He thinks Rooney is right in suggesting 83 days is not enough time in this position.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, courtesy of Genting Casino, Goodman said: “He has my sympathy, and he has had it all along. It wasn't his fault the new ownership appointed him when they did.

“For me, the owners made a couple of really bad errors. I think the statement about frontfoot, no fear attacking football straightaway put Wayne Rooney under the cosh and then there was the timing of the appointment.

“From Wayne Rooney's perspective he played Middlesbrough away, Hull at home, Southampton away, Ipswich at home, and Sunderland away in his first five.

“It was always going to be a really low points return, if any points at all, from those five games. It was predictable. The one surprise was that they drew with Ipswich at home.

“If they really wanted to get rid of John Eustace, prior to his final two games, which he won, he’d gone five games without a win and Birmingham dropped to 12th, so if they really wanted him out, that for me was the time to do it.

“They didn't have their ducks in a row because Wayne Rooney was still coaching in the in the States. It's just been a real mess.

“The shame for the ownership is that they’ve done so much good - it’s night and day compared to the previous owners - and I think that’s probably bought them a little bit of slack with the fanbase.

“I honestly thought that they’d made their bed and they would lie in it. Wayne Rooney is right, you can’t build anything in 83 days.

“In their recent run they’ve played Leicester, Coventry, Leeds - three decent teams that I’d expected to be in the play-off/automatic promotion race.

“I think it was the performances against Stoke and Bristol City that got a really bad reaction from the fans and was probably the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“They didn’t sack Wayne Rooney because he went to Elland Road and lost 3-0, it’s what has gone before.

“I honestly thought they'd stick with him having appointed him. Especially as we’re at the start of January, I thought they bring in four or five players that will be more appropriate to the style and brand of football that they want to add to the current group and that slowly, but surely things will start picking up but they're now under pressure because finding the right person is not going to be easy.”

Birmingham City’s league position

Whoever Birmingham decides to bring in as manager they have a very tough job on their hands, as they are walking into a club that has been falling for the past 15 games.

It is a team that is low on confidence, and that shows as they’ve gone from a top-six side to one that has just got their head above the dotted line.

Monday’s 3-0 defeat to Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday’s win over Hull City mean the Blues are now just six points clear of the relegation zone.

Birmingham are not in Championship action this weekend, as they face Hull in the FA Cup, but they will be keen to have a new manager in for their game against Swansea City.

Wayne Rooney should have been given more time at Birmingham City

It is understandable to see why Birmingham decided to sack Wayne Rooney, as nine defeats in 15 games is nowhere near good enough, no matter what level you are at.

However, Rooney was brought in under difficult circumstances, and he never even got a chance to make changes to the squad.

So, it is hard to judge him given he was never given a chance to make personal changes, but it is all about results, and the Birmingham board have panicked as they’ve got closer and closer to the relegation places.