Wayne Rooney has reflected on his turbulent spell in charge of Birmingham City, a tenure that lasted just 83 days before his dismissal in January 2024.
The former England captain was appointed in October 2023 in a controversial move that saw John Eustace replaced despite Birmingham sitting sixth in the Championship.
However, results quickly turned, with Rooney winning only two of his 15 matches as the team slipped to 20th in the table, prompting the owners to make another change.
Now, Rooney has addressed comments made by NFL legend and Birmingham part-owner Tom Brady – remarks he feels were “very unfair.”
As Rooney stated on The Wayne Rooney Show on YouTube, he was “really disappointed with the comment” after Brady questioned his work ethic in a documentary about the club’s new ownership.
“I think Tom came in once, which was the day before a game where the days are a little bit lighter anyway.
“I don’t think he really understood football that well,” Rooney explained.
“Football is not NFL – NFL works for three months a year.
“Players do need rest as well, so I think he’s very unfair, the way he’s come out and portrayed that.”
Brady had voiced concern after a November 2023 visit to the training ground, telling colleagues he was “a little worried about our head coach’s work ethic.”
Despite his criticism, Rooney praised Brady’s achievements, calling him “one of the greatest, if not the greatest athletes of all time.”
While also noting that Birmingham now appear to be on the right track after heavy investment and a record-breaking League One title win in 2024-25.
The club broke the Football League record for most points in a season, finishing top of League One in 2024-25 with a tally of 111.
The full episode of The Wayne Rooney Show will be available from 06:00 BST on Friday.
