A new documentary focused on Birmingham Citys takeover has brought to light behind-the-scenes comments made by part-owner and former NFL star Tom Brady regarding Wayne Rooneys management.
Brady became a part owner of the Blues in August 2023, shortly after the club was bought by Knighthead Capital, taking a minority 3.3 per cent stake.
One of the new owners first major actions was to sack John Eustace and replace him with former Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney just a couple of months into the 2023/24 campaign.
Tom Brady's key concern over Wayne Rooneys management at Birmingham City revealed
It was an ill-fated appointment, which saw the side slip down the Championship table and ultimately ended in Rooneys sacking just 83 days after he had joined the club, before the club were relegated to League One later that year.
Now, in a new Amazon Prime documentary, Brady has lifted the lid on what he made of Rooneys stint in charge.
Im a little worried about our head coachs work ethic, Brady tells business manager Ben Rawitz, as relayed by The Sun.
Rawitz replies that Rooney comes across as lackadaisical following a visit to Birminghams training ground.
Brady even addresses Rooney himself, pointedly asking: Whats the difference between [American football] and soccer? Nothing. I treated practice like it was the Super Bowl. Put pressure on them, make them run for everything.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star later reflected on advice he was given on not making sweeping changes when entering the club, advice that he regretted ignoring after Rooneys tenure.
This wont do Rooneys managerial hopes any favours, in FourFourTwos opinion, as his drive is called into question.
However, in FourFourTwos view, what else would later drive the 39-year-old to up sticks and move all the way down to Plymouth on his own to take on another second-tier assignment, other than raw ambition to succeed as a head coach?
He certainly doesnt need the money, so a lack of work ethic when hes actually got his feet under the table feels hard to believe.
It wont be fatal to Rooneys ambitions of getting back into coaching and management, as his name will continue to unlock a lot of doors, but the accusation certainly wont help.
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