03 January 2024 , 09:36
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Rio Ferdinand has revealed that he had previously highlighted the perils of the Birmingham City job to Wayne Rooney in the wake of his dismissal on Tuesday.
The former Manchester United and England striker, 38, was sacked by the Blues less than 24 hours after fans chanted for him to go during their 3-0 loss against Leeds on New Year's Day. Rooney won just two of his 15 games at the helm.
Rooney's appointment came back in October when Birmingham owners, Knighthead Capital, removed John Eustace from his post as head coach - a decision which did not go down well with the fanbase. The Blues were sixth back then but have since slumped to 20th as a result of Rooney's ill-fated premiership.
It has now emerged that Ferdinand, who played with Rooney for both club and country, warned Rooney that he would be up against it from the start as a result of the circumstances of his arrival and Eustace's popularity with the fans.
Speaking on Vibe with Five, Ferdinand said: "I always thought at the beginning and I spoke to Wayne when he got the job on the phone, I spoke to him at the time, it’s a difficult time to go into a club when the tails are up and they’re doing well, when they like the manager.
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"The fans had a good rapport with the manager it seemed. That players seemed to like the manager and were playing for him. Nine times out of 10 a manager replaces someone who isn’t doing well. This was a different scenario and his back was against the wall from the start."
Despite being backed to bring "no-fear football" to St. Andrew's, Rooney was unable to deliver on the pitch and had hoped to be backed in the January transfer window before his sacking.
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Rio Ferdinand has revealed he warned Rooney about the perils of succeeding John Eustace (RioFerdinandPresentsFIVE/Youtube)Ferdinand added of Rooney's struggles: "The stress levels are very different. These guys want to get a career in the game and it’s difficult. One of the key words he used was time. Managers aren’t afforded 13 weeks that Wayne feels isn’t really long enough to put his stamp on a team.
"We all know, Wayne’s not silly. It’s results driven and when you look on the facts it’s two wins in 15 games, they were sixth and now they’re 20th and a win percentage of just 13% and that’s damning.
"I think with the conversations he had behind the scenes and when he went in there, a couple of weeks ago the conversations he had he would’ve felt positive that regardless of results as long as he stays up he’ll get time."