It’s fair to say Wayne Rooney’s time in charge of Birmingham City ended up being a complete disaster from start to finish, the ex-Manchester United icon turned manager failing to ever settle into his new surroundings at St Andrew’s as a controversial and ill-fated appointment.
Replacing a popular boss in John Eustace always made the task of Rooney coming in and bettering the out-going face an uphill battle, but with just two wins managed from 15 in charge of the hapless Blues, the hierarchy at Birmingham have decided now is time for an abrupt change after backing the 38-year-old to be a success.
A number of names are now being lined up to be Rooney’s replacement, the rumour mill going into overdrive at St Andrew’s with the list of potential successors growing larger by the day.
Birmingham’s managerial shortlist
The likes of Lee Carsley, Steve Cooper and Tony Mowbray are all being touted to come in and save the day after the shambles of Rooney’s short stay at Birmingham according to Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports News and become Birmingham’s next manager.
Another name gaining traction is Jesse Marsch amidst all the frenzied speculation, the ex-Leeds United manager very much in the early running to be Rooney’s successor with Dorsett also confirming the American boss is another name being looked at.
With a new Americanised feel at St Andrew’s obvious courtesy of owner Tom Wagner and additional help from beloved States sports figure Tom Brady, appointing Marsch feels like the logical next move for the Blues in that regard.
Birmingham’s last 6 managers | |
|---|---|
Manager | Win Rate % |
Wayne Rooney | 13% |
John Eustace | 33% |
Lee Bowyer | 29% |
Pep Clotet | 28% |
Garry Monk | 32% |
Steve Cotterill | 26% |
It would be an intriguing move for Birmingham to make after the woes of Rooney, with Marsch eager to prove he’s got what it takes to be an effective manager in England after a bruising experience with Leeds left him drowning in the managerial deep-end.
Jesse Marsch’s managerial record
There was a reason why Leeds decided to appoint Marsch in the aftermath of Marcelo Bielsa’s exit from Elland Road though, the 50-year-old manager impressing in Austria with RB Salzburg before taking on the pressurised job post in West Yorkshire.
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Winning 64 of his 94 games in charge of Salzburg, Marsch was promoted to take over the reins at another Red Bull club in RB Leipzig with the football on display in Austria exciting to watch to match the positive results – fast-paced football on the menu from the American manager, a style suited to the Whites.
Yet, failures with both Leipzig and Leeds after a successful time with Salzburg have dented Marsch’s managerial reputation significantly – the 50-year-old losing 16 of his 37 games (57% loss rate) in charge of Leeds before being given his marching orders in the wake of the club suffering relegation down to the Championship.
Sky Sports pundit and ex-Arsenal player Paul Merson defended Marsch when news broke of this dismissal however, stating that his Leeds team were ‘bang unlucky’ with nobody faulting the commitment and energy on show from the Whites side he had assembled.
The divisive ex-Leeds figure could well see Birmingham as an opportunity to repair his reputation, but it’s a major gamble for Marsch if the Blues hierarchy decide to be trigger-happy again if the American boss isn’t a success from the get-go.
Always vocal and passionate on the sidelines at Elland Road – alongside keeping Leeds up in the Premier League in his first season in charge – Marsch could well be just what the Blues need in the short term at least to instil more fight and vigour into their game that was sorely lacking from Rooney’s dreadful final games at St Andrew’s.
