- Rooney was sacked on Tuesday following a dismal run of results at St Andrew’s
- Blues slipped from sixth in the Championship to 20th under his management
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Wayne Rooney believed he would be given the January transfer window to turn around the dire form that led Birmingham to sack him on Tuesday.
The former England captain was shown the door after just 83 days at the helm following a wretched run of 10 points from 15 games, which saw Blues slip from sixth to 20th in the Championship on his watch.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Rooney said: ‘Football is a results business – and I recognise they have not been at the level I wanted them to be.
‘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.
‘Personally, it will take me some time to get over this setback. I have been involved in professional football, as either a player or manager, since I was 16.’
Wayne Rooney presided over a woeful run of nine defeats in his 15 games in charge of the club
John Eustace, who was sacked in October, is thought to be open to returning to St Andrew’s
John Eustace, who was dismissed in October to make way for Rooney, is thought to be open to returning to St Andrew’s though it would take a spectacular climbdown from US owners Knighthead, led by chairman Tom Wagner, to bring him back.
Former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is being monitored by at least two Premier League clubs and is unlikely to consider a return to the Championship under such circumstances.
England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley and Tony Mowbray, who was sacked by Sunderland in December, are also likely to be considered along with Jesse Marsch, who has not had a club since he was dismissed by Leeds last February.
It is unclear whether Blues would consider a left-field appoint like the highly-rated German Matthias Kohler, with the 32-year-old available after leaving Dutch club Volendam in December.
Rooney’s fate is…