Wayne Rooney Incident That Raised Concerns for Birmingham City Owner Tom Brady

Birmingham City will be targeting a serious promotion challenge when the 2026/27 Championship season gets underway, with the club aiming to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2011.

The Blues ended their first campaign back in the second tier in 10th place, with Chris Davies’ team finishing nine points short of the play-off places. With Knighthead Capital continuing to back the club, expectations will be higher this time around.

However, Birmingham’s recent journey has not been without major setbacks. Club owner Tom Wagner and minority investor Tom Brady were involved during a turbulent period that eventually saw the club relegated to League One in 2024.

One of the biggest decisions during that period was the appointment of Wayne Rooney. The former Manchester United and England striker replaced John Eustace in October 2023, inheriting a Birmingham team sitting sixth and firmly involved in the promotion race.

Instead of maintaining that momentum, Rooney’s tenure quickly became a nightmare. Birmingham’s form collapsed, with the side sliding down the table and becoming embroiled in a relegation fight.

His time at St Andrew’s lasted only 15 matches, during which Birmingham recorded just two victories. Rooney was dismissed after roughly two months in the role, although the damage had already been done and the club ultimately suffered relegation at the end of the campaign.

Tom Brady’s concerns over Rooney

Amazon’s documentary series Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues provided an insight into the club’s turbulent 2023/24 campaign and offered a glimpse into Brady’s thoughts on Rooney’s management.

One particularly notable moment came when Brady questioned the manager’s approach to his work.

The former NFL quarterback admitted that he had concerns about Rooney’s work ethic, although he acknowledged that he was not necessarily an expert when it came to assessing football management.

The comments attracted considerable attention because Rooney had only recently taken charge and Birmingham’s performances were already beginning to deteriorate.

Rooney hits back at Brady’s criticism

Rooney later addressed Brady’s comments after the documentary was released in 2025. The former England captain defended himself and suggested that Brady’s assessment was influenced by differences between American football and football in England.

Rooney explained that Brady had visited the training ground shortly before a match, when the workload would naturally have been lighter. He argued that the American had not fully understood the demands of football and the importance of allowing players sufficient recovery time.

The former striker also pointed out that NFL and football operate very differently, particularly when it comes to training schedules and player workloads. In his view, Brady’s judgement of his work ethic was therefore unfair.

Rooney’s managerial career did not improve dramatically after leaving Birmingham. He subsequently took charge of Plymouth Argyle, where he again struggled to produce consistent results.

During his spell at Home Park, Rooney managed 25 matches between May and December 2024, recording only five victories. Plymouth eventually finished 23rd in the Championship, suffering relegation in a campaign that mirrored many of Birmingham’s struggles under Rooney.

Since leaving Plymouth, Rooney has increasingly focused on his work as a television pundit and football analyst.

Despite his difficult managerial spells, his playing career remains one of the most decorated of his generation. Rooney won the Champions League with Manchester United in 2008 and became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer. He was also England’s record scorer for a period before Harry Kane eventually surpassed his international tally.