Birmingham City supporters might not like, Steve Bruce is right about Wayne Rooney:

•  Birmingham City has been struggling under Wayne Rooney’s management, with no wins in his first five matches and four of those matches resulting in defeats.
•  The team has dropped from sixth to 18th in the division since Rooney took over, disappointing the fans who were satisfied with the previous manager, John Eustace.
•  Former manager Steve Bruce urges fans to give Rooney time and get behind the team, acknowledging that Rooney is implementing a new playing philosophy and needs time to make it work.

It is well known that is has not been the easiest of starts for Wayne Rooney at Birmingham City.

Rooney joined the Blues after John Eustace was fired last month, but in his brief time there, he has failed to produce any wins in his first five games.

Even worse, four of those five games have been in losses, and Birmingham’s only victory under Rooney came in a 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town earlier this month.

Birmingham City dropped from sixth place on the day Rooney was named Eustace’s successor to eighteenth place as a result of those results.

Championship Table (As it stands November 20th)
	Team	P	GD	Pts
17	Swansea City	16	1	19
18	Birmingham City	16	-3	19
19	Plymouth Argyle	16	0	16
20	Coventry City	16	-2	16
21	Huddersfield Town	16	-14	15
22	Rotherham United	16	-17	11
23	QPR	16	-16	10
24	Sheffield Wednesday	16	-20	6

Dropping to 18th in the division and struggling to get results has not exactly endeared Rooney to the Birmingham City faithful, particularly when many of them were more than happy with the job that John Eustace was doing at the club.

Steve Bruce comments on Wayne Rooney

Recent comments made by former Premier League and Championship manager Steve Bruce, though, should apply.

Bruce recently discussed the job that Rooney was doing at the club, and although he admitted Rooney had not had the best start, he called for the Blues boss to be afforded time.

“We spoke about the time given to modern managers earlier and how the transfer windows work,” Bruce said, speaking with Gambling Zone.

“Wayne has to put his stamp on it – he’s already changed their playing philosophy and that’s his prerogative.

“The most important thing a manager needs is time. Let him implement what he’s doing.

“He hasn’t had the best start, but he’s proven what he can do at Derby. He plays a certain way, and that takes getting used to.

“Let’s get behind him and wish him the best of luck.

“I think it’s a season too soon for Birmingham, but you never know what’s going to happen.

“They were right up there a few weeks ago. I think anybody’s capable, there are still a lot of teams with a chance.”

Birmingham City supporters should get behind Rooney

Now, whilst it is totally understandable why Blues supporters were irked by Eustace’s departure and Rooney’s arrival, the Blues boss is here to stay and they may as well get behind him.

Although it is frustrating having to undergo a reset in terms of style of play, especially when many felt progress was being made under Eustace, it is not as though disgruntlement in the crowd is going to help the players.

Saturday’s game against Sheffield Wednesday is very winnable given the Owls’ fortunes so far this season, and with the game being at St Andrews, it is the perfect opportunity for the club’s supporters to get behind the players by creating a loud atmosphere.

Looking at the club’s next three games, Rooney will fancy the club’s chances of taking plenty of points, which could reinstil the confidence the players were playing with earlier this season.

No doubt in recent weeks the players’ confidence has taken a hit, and the negative mood surrounding the club probably doesn’t help things, either.

As above, then, whilst Blues supporters have had every right to be disgruntled recently, for now, it could be a good idea to hede Steve Bruce’s advice, and give Wayne Rooney time to get things right.