Wayne Rooney Responds to Tom Brady's Critique of His Coaching at Birmingham City
Wayne Rooney has expressed that it was "very unfair" for NFL legend Tom Brady to question his work ethic as the head coach of Birmingham City.
Rooney was dismissed from his position at Birmingham, where Brady is a part-owner, after just 83 days in January 2024.
In a new podcast titled The Wayne Rooney Show , which premieres on Friday and will be available twice weekly on BBC Sounds, YouTube, and iPlayer, the former England captain voiced his disappointment regarding Brady's comments.
Brady, who became a minority owner of Birmingham in August 2023, raised concerns about Rooney's attitude during a documentary that followed his involvement with the club. In one segment, after a visit to the training ground in November 2023, the seven-time Super Bowl champion remarked to his colleagues that he was "a little worried about our head coach's work ethic."
Rooney responded, stating, "I think Tom came in once, which was the day before a game when the schedule is a bit lighter, and I don’t think he really understood football that well. However, he is a hard worker, and we know that."
He further elaborated, saying, "Football is not the NFL; the NFL operates for three months a year, and players do need rest. I believe his portrayal is quite unfair."
Birmingham City was taken over by Knighthead Capital Management LLC in June 2023, with Brady joining the ownership group two months later. In October 2023, while the team was positioned sixth in the Championship, the new ownership controversially replaced manager John Eustace with Rooney. However, Rooney's tenure lasted only 15 matches before he was replaced, as the team fell to 20th place in the standings.
Tony Mowbray succeeded Rooney but stepped aside just eight matches into his reign due to a diagnosis of bowel cancer. Over the first ten months of the new ownership, Birmingham had seven managers, including caretakers, and ultimately faced relegation to League One at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Reflecting on his time at Birmingham, Rooney stated, "When I went into Birmingham, they were in a mess. The players were not equipped to take the club forward. Tony Mowbray and Gary Rowett, who followed me, also faced challenges."
In the summer of 2024, with Chris Davies appointed as manager, Birmingham's new owners invested £30 million in player transfers, a record amount for League One. The club went on to break the Football League record for most points in a season, finishing at the top of League One in 2024-25 with a total of 111 points.
Rooney concluded by acknowledging Brady's greatness, stating, "I respect Tom Brady massively; he is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, athletes of all time. It appears Birmingham is on the right track now, which is encouraging, and they have successfully moved on from the players who were not contributing."
In the same documentary where he questioned Rooney's work ethic, Brady also described the players from that troubled 2023-24 campaign as "lazy and entitled."
The first episode of The Wayne Rooney Show will be available from 06:00 BST on Friday, 15 August. Watch it on BBC Sport YouTube and iPlayer, or listen on BBC Sounds.