Wayne Rooney’s work ethic and ‘lackadaisical’ approach was of concern to Birmingham City chiefs including minority owner Tom Brady.
The remarkable admission from the NFL legend has been revealed in an upcoming five-part Amazon Prime series ‘Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues’.
In it, Brady admits to being worried about the dedication of the Manchester United legend during his disastrous spell at St Andrews. Rooney was sacked in January last year, lasting just 15 matches in the Blues’ dugout.
Under his management, the Blues took 10 points from a possible 45, losing nine and winning just two.
The fly-on-the-wall documentary, being released on Friday, shows Brady visiting the Birmingham training ground to observe Rooney’s team meeting and training session. While driving away, he tells his business manager Ben Rawitz: ‘I’m a little worried about our head coach’s work ethic.’
Rawitz replies: ‘Comes across as lackadaisical.’
Tom Brady blasted Wayne Rooney’s work ethic during his disastrous spell in charge of Birmingham City
The Manchester United legend last just 15 matches at St Andrews before he was sacked in January 2024
Brady was seen observing Rooney’s team meeting and training and later remarking that he was concerned about the former England heroes’ dedication
Rooney began in management immediately after his playing days were over, hanging up his boots while playing in the Championship for Derby to take the reins at Pride Park.
Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer received plaudits for the work he did in extremely challenging circumstances, with the club struggling to compete amid their mountain of financial issues.
The 39-year-old then made the surprise move to MLS and coached another of his former sides, DC United. But he lasted just 12 months Stateside – half the time he spent in charge of the Rams – as interest in his services came from the newly minted Blues.
Birmingham – backed by the riches of Knighthead Capital and boasting Brady as an investor – replaced the beloved John Eustace with the former England hero, even though the club was pushing for a play-off spot.
Rather predictably, this proved to be a massive mistake.
The documentary also sees Brady admit his error in replacing Eustace with the former England international and reveal that he was warned against making ‘sweeping changes’ so early in his time with the club.
‘I had good advice, “Don’t go in there and make sweeping changes. You guys have time”,’ said Brady. ‘But we made sweeping changes that put us in decline. That was our doing.’
The former quarterback, famed for putting his American football career above all else in his life, did not spare Birmingham’s players from his wrath as they suffered relegation from the Championship in Knighthead Capital’s first season in the Midlands.
The fly-on-the-wall documentary, being released on Friday, shows the first miserable first season for the club under their new owners
In Rooney’s 15 matches in charge, the Blues took 10 points from a possible 45, losing nine and winning just two
Brady also admitted his error in replacing John Eustace and revealed that he was warned against making ‘sweeping changes’
‘We were trying to make Birmingham a world-class team – but it’s been a s*** year,’ added Brady. ‘They were lazy and entitled, which doesn’t give you much chance to succeed.’
Following his miserable Birmingham experience, Rooney threw himself into another managerial gig, this time with struggling second-tier outfit Plymouth Argyle.
He fared slightly better on the south coast but that only proves to reinforce how bad his time in the west Midlands was. Rooney managed five wins in 25 matches and all but condemned the Pilgrims to relegation last season.
After his St Andrews exit in 2024, Rooney put forward a reason for his poor managerial record, highlighting just how little time he had in the hotseat.
‘Football is a results business – and I recognise they have not been at the level I wanted them to be,’ he wrote in a statement.
‘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.’
