Tom Brady’s Birmingham risk suffers nightmare start as NFL legend receives ruthless lesson
The opposition to Wayne Rooney’s appointment as Birmingham City’s new manager has not abated, and the fact that the team lost to Middlesbrough on his return to English football will further heighten suspicions.
There was some suspicion about Wayne Rooney’s hiring as Birmingham City’s head coach, but those who had doubts about it would have felt validated after his team lost in his first game in charge.
John Eustace led the Blues to sixth position in the Championship in the first few weeks of the season, but the team’s owners chose to fire him. Selecting Rooney, the former captain of England, to succeed him has proven to be a contentious choice.
Given the uneven start to his coaching career, the 37-year-old will undoubtedly have wanted to make an immediate impact in his new role. In his first game back in English football, the former Manchester United hero was unable to motivate his club to win against Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough, his old comrade.
Rather, Rooney’s squad found it difficult to establish a lead in the game, and in the 89th minute, their rivals broke the tie. In actuality, Rooney’s players fell short of bringing the game to Boro; their opponents for promotion were largely deserving of their 1-0 triumph.
Wayne Rooney experiences heartache at the last minute as Birmingham City’s first game ends in a crushing defeat.
SEE ALSO: Birmingham will gain from Wayne Rooney’s “underrated” quality, according to Michael Carrick.
Naturally, a lacklustre showing and an early loss will hardly persuade detractors to reconsider Rooney’s hiring at the Second City organisation. The Old Trafford icon will surely understand all too well that the club’s owners took a chance in firing his predecessor.
The ownership group of Birmingham, Knighthead, has never concealed its goals for the team’s future. It’s obvious that their goal for Brum is lofty given that NFL icon Tom Brady is one of their advisory board chairman and minority stakeholder.
However, any positive vibe that may have accompanied Rooney’s appointment as head coach would soon dissipate if he is unable to continue Eustace’s advancement. Undoubtedly, the loss is a sobering one for the upwardly-mobile club after they were defeated in the final seconds by a goal from replacement Morgan Rogers.
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