Soccer
Tom Brady or Wayne Rooney: Don Goodman discusses who is to blame for Birmingham City struggles
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Don Goodman believes that Tom Brady and the other owners of Birmingham City should take the blame for the club’s predicament, not Wayne Rooney.
Rooney was installed as John Eustace’s replacement but instead of building on the sixth place he achieved, Rooney’s leadership has guided Birmingham into 16th in the Championship.
That has inevitably attracted criticism, but speaking to OLBG, Goodman - a veteran striker in the Football League - thinks Brady and co deserve the blame.
He said: “I don't think Rooney is fighting for his job. He's the owners' man and they clearly wanted him.
“Let's get it right - the commercial value of Rooney is enormous, and all of a sudden, this Championship club has Wayne Rooney and Tom Brady attached to them. It doesn't get much bigger than that. I'm not sure if that helps get you in the Premier League, but time will tell.
“Wayne has alluded to being backed in the transfer market. He wants to play a possession-based game as he did at Derby and DC United. I don't see him as being under pressure. The mess that Birmingham have got into is the owners' fault, not Wayne's.
“The timing couldn't have been worse. To bring in a new manager right before you play Middlesbrough away, Hull City at home, Southampton away, Ipswich at home, and Sunderland away leads me to wonder what they're thinking.
“If those first couple of results happened to John Eustace, as they possibly could have due to the level of opposition, then they could have thanked John for his efforts before going in a different direction.
“Instead, they decided that Wayne is their man and they should get him in now. Birmingham were sixth when Wayne came in, and the pressure was on straight away. It was completely unnecessary.
“I feel for Wayne, as he's come in in the middle of this run and the crowd is on his back. You need results when you come into a new club, and it didn't happen. With that run of fixtures, it never was.
“Wayne has been put under pressure by the timing and the owners. The 'no-fear' football statement is baffling. They're saying that Eustace got to sixth playing with fear! It made no sense and it was a poorly worded statement.
“The new owners have made a rod for their own backs. They've gone in with all guns blazing and they've displayed their ambition to get into the Premier League, but with that comes pressure. I feel sorry for Wayne as a small section of fans are starting to boo, but it's not his fault. I just want to put that out there.
“He is their man, and I'd expect he will get a bit of time.”
