Despite his playing heroics, Wayne Rooney was an unpopular choice when he was appointed Birmingham boss in October – hot on the heels of taxing spells at Derby County and DC United, life as a manager hasn’t been easy
WAYNE ROONEY
The acceptance speech of his biggest personal accolade to date was an unusual place for a 24-year-old Wayne Rooney to reveal a change in career.
Yet upon receiving the Football Writers’ Association’s Player of the Year award in 2010, the Manchester United forward chose to announce his ambition to become a manager when he retired. The natty black suit ‘Wazza’ was wearing that night must have channelled his inner boss.
The England talisman was at the peak of his powers, bagging more than 81 per cent of the journalists’ vote after a season in which he’d plundered 34 goals in all competitions. If that wasn’t enough, Rooney explained that he’d also started his coaching badges during the campaign. “I can’t see myself running a restaurant,” he quipped. “One day, I’d like to become a manager.”
Aspiration eventually became reality when, in November 2020, Rooney took charge of crisis-hit Derby County having initially joined as a player. Following 18 months at the helm of MLS club DC United from July 2022, Rooney returned to Football League dugouts in October to replace popular Birmingham City manager John Eustace, much to the chagrin of the St Andrew’s faithful.
Some of that West Midlands angst came from uncertainty that still swirls around the Liverpudlian’s managerial credentials. His status as one of the country’s finest players is set in stone, but the jury remains out on whether his tactical acumen is similarly elite.
REASONS FOR PRIDE
Just over a decade after that Football Writers’ Association speech, Rooney faced a notably smaller audience as he attended his maiden press conference as Derby gaffer. COVID was still wreaking havoc, so only a smattering of socially distanced colleagues and a solitary laptop screen were permitted to welcome the Rams’ new hire.
It might not have been the fanfare Rooney would have expected for his first managerial role, but there was nothing underwhelming about the stakes of the job he’d taken on. By mid-November 2020, Derby were at the foot of the Championship table, winning only one of their opening 11 league encounters, while murmurings grew louder about the parlous state of the club’s finances.
Dutch manager Phillip Cocu was relieved of his duties, with a
